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Jay takes another dig at Prodigy’s height, via the Slick Rick classic “Turn It On”.

James Weldon Johnson, in his poem The Prodigal Song wrote

Young man—
Young man—
Your arm’s too short to box with God.

Jay is, as we know, the God MC. He even plays on Prodigy’s name by incorporating a theme from a poem with the word “prodigal” in it.

“Dunn” and “dunny” are slang for “son.” The terms were popularized by Mobb Deep and Nas in the mid 90s. Jay is borrowing their term and throwing it back at them as an insult.

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As well as evoking the R&B group Boyz II Men this line portrays Mobb Deep as children, unwisely picking a fight with their elders.

Playing on this theme, Jay explains the situation is “grown man B.I.”, meaning it is mature, grown men business, not be trifled with by boys. The result? A visit to the emergency room.

Wale would use a similar line in 2009, another stinger for Prodigy.

I’m on my grown man B.I you see why
Cause these lil broads think its not alright to be bi

Triage is the first response in a hospital to an emergency medical problem. There are usually multiple patients who are seen in quick succession by a nurse, and their ailment is judged. Most people walk in to triage, only those really hurt are rolled in on a stretcher.

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If battling Jay Z is the LSAT of beef, then Jay’s opponents showed up without a #2 pencil (BAD MOVE).

That line is a quote from the Mafia movie The Untouchables.
https://youtu.be/_d5jXDvrOu4?t=62

C.L. Smooth mentioned the “knife to a gunfight” simile on “Carmel City”:

Respect the sextafied aura you could never take light
It’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight

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The first of many references to Prodigy of Mobb Deep’s short stature and the fact both Nas and Prodigy are younger then Jay.

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One of Jay’s many nicknames is “Jay-Hova”, the “God MC”. This is a play on Jehovah, the name of God in the Hebrew Bible

You’ll also hear “Hov”, “Hova”, “Young H.O.”, “Hovito”…but, strangely, he never calls himself “Adonai Eloheinu”

As Jay told NPR:

One time, I was recording in the studio and I wasn’t writing, and one of my friends was like, man, this is like, how you doing that, man? God must really love you. It’s like a religious experience, man. And then he was like, Jay-Hova. And then, you know, it started out as a joke, and then it just stuck.

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The song’s title comes from the sample of The Doors' “Five to One”, in which Jim Morrison sings “Gonna win, yeah, we’re taking over”.

Jay Z’s first line is recycled from his song “Celebration” from the Streets is Watching soundtrack.

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Jay Z’s diss song aimed at Mobb Deep and Nas. The song is better remembered for its Nas diss as it catalyzed the long-running and epic Jay-Z/Nas beef.

The first 2 verses were debuted live at NYC radio station Hot 97’s Summer Jam concert, complete with a childhood picture of Mobb Deep’s Prodigy in 80’s MJ-inspired dance gear.

The brilliant beat is sampled from “5 to 1” by The Doors, and KRS-One’s “Sound of Da Police.” “Takeover” was the first song Young Guru ever mixed for Jay-Z, beginning a long and fruitful relationship.

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