Cousin of death, and death don't take but a minute Shad – It's About Time
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Referencing Nas' infamous line on the classic song “N.Y. State of Mind” off his masterpiece Illmatic,
This line has two meanings, a literal and a metaphorical
- Sleep is actually quite similar to death; one is unconscious and unresponsive
- To “sleep” can mean to be off your guard, to not pay the most attention, which can lead to one slipping and eventually getting killed
Death comes as fast as it goes. Playing on the second meaning, if one slips for just a few seconds, they can find themselves in a fatal situation. Shad doesn’t sleep and is always on his feet and looking out, because he knows how fast death can strike.
Trapped in this fake world, a gateway to real
It's a great way to heal, a safe place to feel
Trapped in this fake world, a gateway to real Shad (Ft. Brett Fliesser) – Listen
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Music is the only medium where one can vent and truly be real to themselves. So, just, listen!
Sound like sound clash, all our sounds bleeding in
To each other no sound reasoning, Shad (Ft. Brett Fliesser) – Listen
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A sound clash is a musical competition where crew members from opposing reggae sound systems pit their skills against each other. The object is to beat or “kill” their competitors.
This is how one’s life would turn out if it was put to music. Sounds meshing together into one musical chaos that only ends when one is killed.
I say it straight and never twice, no fake delay Shad (Ft. Brett Fliesser) – Listen
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Real talk is the philosophy of talking candidly and openly and honestly without fear of what others might think. It’s straight up and unedited, like vocals from the 1st take of a recording going straight to the public.
And when Shad spits his verse, it’s on a try shot — he never edit his tracks, unlike other rappers who make some times delay between each lines because they miss a word or something.
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The Roland TR-808 is a programmable drum machine that creates a high, fast, steady snare drum noise. People in the rap game are caught in snares and traps, like the snares emitted from the TR-808.
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Shad is listening to pop music like he listens to hear his Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn pop in the microwave when it is ready. Playing back to the theme of listening presented throughout the song.
Earth, Wind & Fire, listening to persons I admire Shad (Ft. Brett Fliesser) – Listen
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Shad listens to musicians and poets he admires, including (most likely) Erick Sermon of EPMD, composer and pianist George Gershwin, and Earth, Wind & Fire, a well known soul/funk band.
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Top Gun is a very famous action/thriller movie from 1986 starring Tom Cruise as a fighter jet pilot. The whole movie deals with his and other’s lives as pilots, and its soundtrack included many hits such as Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away”. Also referencing MLK’s soul “levitating” in the previous line, or taking off like an airplane.
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Martin Luther King’s soul rose up to heaven when he was killed, as he had easily established himself a spot for all the work he did, fighting for millions of people’s rights.
When it plays I hear the bullets penetrate MLK Shad (Ft. Brett Fliesser) – Listen
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This refers back to the theme of the song, how if one listens deeply enough, one is able to truly understand what was going on during the recording of the music.
Shad plays through his tape of Hit Parade 1968, the most popular songs of the year, the same year that Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. Through the music, Shad can hear the bullets hitting and killing MLK, all through the tones and themes of the music.
Big hits in 1968 included Otis Redding’s “(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay” and Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”.
