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Why they forcin' you to be hard?
Why ain't you a thug by choice? Jadakiss (Ft. Anthony Hamilton) – Why
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The point he’s making here is that so many of these gangsta rappers are purely manufactured to project that image. Not because they actually have the hard luck stories they rhyme about in their songs, when there exists so many actual underground rappers who really do have those stories that could have that record deal instead.

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Why I say the hottest shit but be sellin' the least? why Jadakiss (Ft. Anthony Hamilton) – Why
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Jada and his crew, The Lox, are not as commercially successful as he thinks they should be

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Why I sell in the stores what you could sell in the streets? Jadakiss (Ft. Anthony Hamilton) – Why
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A reference to his low commercial sales; he’s only selling as many albums as he could sell via street mixtapes

He’s frustrated because one major advantage of signing to a record label is to get promotion to boost sales, but that doesn’t seem to actually be happening. Also, rappers make more money per mixtape CD sold than per commercially released CD, so Jadakiss is probably losing money under his record deal

This could also be a double meaning, hinting that he’s selling dope music like dealers sell dope on the streets.

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Yeah, and why they gonna give you life for a murder?
Turn around, only give you eight months for a burner?
It's goin' down; Jadakiss (Ft. Anthony Hamilton) – Why
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Good call, Jada. With stronger gun control laws, maybe we could prevent some killings. Otherwise, we’re letting would-be murderers out of prison in only 8 months. Now they’re free to go commit that murder!

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Bc30d4c210c0d755387e2fbe6a931cc7

572

6 years

What has stricter gun laws to do with murder sentences? Like yes if you restrict guns more there maybe less murders, but why does that have to do anything with a life sentence for killing someone?

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Victor
Marked this as a stretch?
6 years

The places with the most gun violence and shootings have the strictest gun laws, murderers and criminals are not going to stop commiting crime because it’s illegal…

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But come and see me at the Plaza Hotel I might give you a job Jadakiss (Ft. Styles P) – We Gonna Make It
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This is a reference to the movie King Of New York, where gangster Frank White – whom The Notorious B.I.G. idolized – tells 3 would-be muggers to come see him at the Plaza Hotel (his base of operations), because he might have use for them.

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My bathtub lift up, my walls do a 360
We got the shit that the government got Jadakiss (Ft. Styles P) – We Gonna Make It
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Bathtubs and walls conceal contraband (in the music video the “shit that the government got” is bars of gold)

http://youtu.be/p6TrQzNTrRA?t=33s

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4 months

A “360” suggests that it goes right back where it was at the start.
Jada probably meant a “180”.

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B4b486281ad511f4996a626ec5206924

258

6 years

I always thought the with “that shit that the government got” was referring to the technology that allows his bathtubs to lift up and walls to 360.

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75b2fee5eeebe0804d6694e9e2adc53a

97

7 years

i lyk'did that line…../the goverment got-talking money/then you rubbing the spot….seemed like surveillance equipment..we all got smartphones today tho

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Fuck the frail shit, uh, 'cause when my coke come in
They gotta use the scale that they weigh the whales with Jadakiss (Ft. Styles P) – We Gonna Make It
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He’s getting in so much coke they need to weigh it on a whale scale! (as opposed to a fish scale, which is synonymous with pure cocaine)

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And you might win some, but you just lost one
Kiss miseducates 'em like Lauryn Hill Jadakiss (Ft. Pharrell Williams) – Knock Yourself Out
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was Lauryn Hill’s wildly popular solo debut. The biggest hit “Doo Wop” was girl-power anthem, imploring women to stop living in thrall to players, gangsters and other modern rakes. Kiss is clearly making fun of Hill’s positive message, saying that he bullshits women into sleeping with him

The first line is a reference to the Lauryn Hill lyric from “Lost Ones” “You might win some, but you just lost one”

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Shit done changed since The Wop and The Running Man Cam'ron (Ft. Jaheim & Juelz Santana) – Lord You Know
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The Wop and The Running Man are dances from the ‘80s (note the playful homophone with the line above)

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It's been a long time riding and a long time running, man Cam'ron (Ft. Jaheim & Juelz Santana) – Lord You Know
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“Riding” is rolling with a gang, usually in a car, looking for trouble

“Running” is used here as in running drugs, hustling, staying ahead of the law (from junkie slang “ripping and running”)

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