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I learned how to rap hot on the blacktop, Black Thought was my mascot Shad – The One In Front of the Garage (iTunes Session)

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Shad learned how to rap on the streets (blacktop/asphalt, streets). Black Thought of The Roots was a big influence on Shad growing up.

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I'm just a nerd writing raps on my laptop, quit, close it, make it go flat like bad pop Shad – The One In Front of the Garage (iTunes Session)

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Triple entendre:

If he quit and closed his laptop, then his whole life would end and he’d flatline (go flat), similar to if he was shot (bad pop)
When a laptop is closed, it’s flat. Flat is used to describe soda pop thats too old and has lost all the fizz.
If he closes his laptop and stops using his style, then all that would be left would be bad, flat pop music.

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And if I ain't the greatest on the day I die, my last words will be laughter
Like "Why ya'll lie?" Shad – The One In Front of the Garage (iTunes Session)

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Shad is the greatest rapper around and he knows it. If you tell him he isn’t, he’ll take it as a joke because he knows you’re lying.

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I'm spazzing out like Kanye Shad – The One In Front of the Garage (iTunes Session)

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Spazzing like when Kanye went off on Taylor Swift at the VMAs for winning an award he felt Beyonce should have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z8gCZ7zpsQ

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One of God's men, Insha'Allah, Amen Shad – The One In Front of the Garage (iTunes Session)

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Insha'Allah means “God willing”, and “Amen” is a phrase said at the end of a prayer.

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Go hard for my fanbase Shad – A Milli Vanilli

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His fans are what motivates him. He released this mixtape for his fans for free on his Shad Bandcamp website, strictly for the love.

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I got three whores with me, it smells like Dior and derrière Kendrick Lamar – The Jig Is Up (Dump'n)

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Christian Dior is a french designer that makes fragrances and makeup. Derrière is french for ass. It means that Kendrick has been spending time with the ladies.

There might be some number wordplay in this line and the previous one. He counts down from c4, to three hoes, to Dior (di- is a prefix meaning two). The counting down could also relate to an explosion, which would fit in with the theme Lamar has cultivated via his lyrics thus far.

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9 Milli Bros. Ghostface Killah (Ft. Wu-Tang Clan) – 9 Milli Bros.

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Ghost reunites the whole clan for this Wu-Tang Headbanger off of his highly praised album Fishscale. The song samples MF DOOM’s “Fenugreek” off of his Special Herbs, Vol. 2 instrumental album.

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5 years

MF also used this beat in a Monsta Island Czars song

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8,581

3 years

RIP metal fist terrorist

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the next weekend we broke even
I made allegiance that made a promise to see you bleedin'
You know the reasons Kendrick Lamar (Ft. MC Eiht) – m.A.A.d city

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Kendrick is seeking revenge on someone for something, possibly him getting jumped. However, when he finally exacts his revenge, his target will know why, but not truly know the struggles of his life.

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4 years

Earlier in the song Kendrick says “you killed my cousin back in ‘94,” which could be one of the the unspoken reasons he made his promise to “see them bleeding,” or to inflict serious pain to the opposition. However, the legitimacy of his anger towards this rival could be questioned if we take a look at how old Kendrick was in 1994. He was 5. In the 2nd verse of part II, he begins the story saying that he had just graduated at the time. If my math is right, Kendrick graduated high school in either 2004 or 2005, when he would have been around 18. How could he have such fierce resentment towards someone “guilty” of the slaying of a relative he may well have not remembered knowing in ‘94, considering his young age of 5. The rival may not have even been the perpetrator, but Kendrick saw him as the enemy, maybe because he was wearing the wrong color. They were both fighting a war that started long before they became a part of it, continuing the cycle of endless violent crimes and deaths that plagued the city.

Earlier in the song Kendrick says “you killed my cousin back in ‘94,” which could be one of the the unspoken reasons he made his promise to “see them bleeding,” or to inflict serious pain to the opposition. However, the legitimacy of his anger towards this rival could be questioned if we take a look at how old Kendrick was in 1994. He was 5. In the 2nd verse of part II, he begins the story saying that he had just graduated at the time. If my math is right, Kendrick graduated high school in either 2004 or 2005, when he would have been around 18. How could he have such fierce resentment towards someone “guilty” of the slaying of a relative he may well have not remembered knowing in '94, considering his young age of 5. The rival may not have even been the perpetrator, but Kendrick saw him as the enemy, maybe because he was wearing the wrong color. They were both fighting a war that started long before they became a part of it, continuing the cycle of endless violent crimes and deaths that plagued the city.

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6 years

He could be talking about something like an initiation to pledge his allegiance to his gang. And the initiation could be killing someone.

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D.J.s Who dig, pullin' out wax like Q-Tips Shad – The One In Front of the Garage (iTunes Session)

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“Wax” is another term for vinyl. Shad uses “pulling out wax like Q-Tips” as a metaphor for digging for records. Also,
Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest was a record producer, who would have had to dig in the crates and pull out wax.

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