It wouldn’t be a true Lupe album if each song wasn’t littered with double entendres, multiple narratives and vivid symbolism now would it? Case in point – the hook on “Adoration of the Magi” (Lupe’s favourite song on the album):

Why you ready to die? You just a baby
Why them tears up under your eye? You just a baby
Keep your head up in the sky, you just a baby
Quit chasing money, never mind, you just a baby
Why you wanna be born again? You just a baby
Why you playing in the street? You just a baby

It’s not obvious at first glance, but these bars are so insanely clever that they were the subject of one of the most retweeted Genius annotations ever:

https://twitter.com/23ounces/status/552474836686348292

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Fans generally seem to agree that Tetsuo & Youth is up there with 2006’s F&L and 2007’s The Cool as one of his best albums (check the fan-led discussion boards on Reddit and KTT to read what people are saying).

It also received a Metacritic score of 80 and ranked #11 on Complex’s Top 50 Albums of 2015 list.

The “Rap Genius wet dream” comment came from a recent editorial published by Noisey.

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What is this?

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“Merry Christmas Mr. Brown” is the final song on Aloe Blacc’s Christmas EP, which was recorded in Paris shortly after the terror attacks and released via YouTube on Black Friday, 2015.

While paying specific tribute to Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray and their families, Aloe explained to NPR that this song is more about creating a way for anyone who has experienced loss to empathise with these families:

I chose the specific families because those were victims that were spoken about on television and in the media most widely, and I wanted to humanize the victims, to humanize the situation in such a way that didn’t discuss the protests and it didn’t discuss police brutality, but simply discussed the real human emotion around losing someone, so that everybody could connect through what these families are feeling.

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As stated in the song’s credits, Kahlil’s production of “Crocodile Python” samples Antman Wonder’s instrumental track “Sleeping Giant” from his 2015 album Memories of the Fewture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czIOAKo2EJA&spfreload=10

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lmao @ Questlove’s IG post:

I really want #AllDay to win best rap song so I can see 21 people accept this award #grammys

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The first line draws parallels to the common phrase “to follow in another person’s footsteps.”
While Taylor carves his own path in the music industry, Chance wants to use his to own knowledge and experience to help ensure his brother’s success. Stating that he’s going to tie his shoes tightly suggests that Chance feels protective of his younger brother.

Alternatively, Chance could be speaking to his daughter by explaining that he will teach her the skills needed for her to walk on her own when she’s older. Notice how tying shoelaces, tying a tie and riding a bike are all skills that parents teach their children.

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Chance reflects upon his responsibility to be a role model and father figure, most obviously to his younger brother Taylor, but also to his newborn daughter.

By stating “I’ve been too quick with the advice,” Chance acknowledges the reality that he may not always have the right answers for Taylor, despite being his older brother. However, in the same way that children are comforted when they believe their parents are all-knowing, Chance wants to be able to help Taylor whenever he turns to him for advice.

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Shootings have occurred at two of Nas' concerts; once during his 2005 show at London’s Brixton Academy (there’s some shaky video footage) and once following his 2014 show with ScHoolboy Q & Flying Lotus near Denver.

People may be quick to blame an artist and/or their lyrics if something bad goes down at their show. Nas, however, has always been open about his opposition to gun violence. As he rapped (from the perspective of a gun) on “I Gave You Power”:

I seen some cold nights and bloody days
They grab me and bullets spray
They use me wrong so I sing this song til this day

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Lil Bibby recruits Chi-town veteran Common for his second single off FCIII, after “Aww Man.”

Common actually featured portraits of Bibby (and other Chicago rappers) as part of the artwork for his 2014 album Nobody’s Smiling. Peep the behind the scenes footage from the photoshoot here.

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In advance of Black Market’s scheduled release on December 4th, Rick Ross premiered “One Of Us” on Hot 97 with Funkmaster Flex. Listen to the audio here.

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