Chance speaks – most likely from personal experience – about major labels signing rising icons to recording contracts.

Labels have been trying to sign him since his acclaimed Acid Rap mixtape dropped in 2013. To date, Chance has rather uniquely continued to reject their offers. He spoke on this in a recent interview with Fader magazine:

I’ve met with every A&R, VP of A&R, president of the labels, CEOs. I know all these people. I’ve had a lot of advice from people [in the industry] who wouldn’t give me that same advice today. It’s not even that they have any ill will towards me because I didn’t take their advice at the time. They’re almost like, ‘Keep going. You’re in uncharted territory, and you’re helping to shed light on what [the future of the business] will look like, and we’re all curious.’

Considering Chance as a bright firefly, record labels continue to pursue him in the hopes of catching him in a moment of personal/moral weakness (“when your lights go dim”) when he may give in to their offers. After signing to a label, they can take advantage of your celebrity status for self-promotion by making you part of their brand (“turn you to a letter in their logo”). Finally, after being locked into a contract artists often describe a loss of artistic freedom where labels only release material that conforms to their specifications (“stick you in a jar with a pen”).

When people start trying to take advantage of you in these ways, you know you’ve succeeded in becoming an icon.

Right as Lupe finishes his verse, the main instrumental component of the beat changes significantly. Interestingly, repeated sequences of the words “kick” and “push” can also be heard throughout the outro (presumably chopped from Lupe’s Classic song “Kick Push”).

In a tragic way, campaigns that advocate on behalf of those suffering racial oppression often gain the most support only after news of crimes committed against the oppressed spreads to the public.

The police killing of Jimmie Lee Jackson and beating of Amelia Boynton Robinson are excellent examples from the Civil Rights Movement. Jackson’s death inspired the first Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, during which Boynton was beaten unconscious by an officer. A photo of Boynton lying in the street circulated worldwide, sparking major public outcry. These horrific events were significant catalysts for growing support of the marches and subsequent passage of the Voting Rights Act.

For a more recent example, consider the 2012 shooting and subsequent death of unarmed Black teenager Trayvon Martin. Martin’s death inspired the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which advocates for policies to reform patterns of anti-Black law enforcement and reinvestment of monies currently spent on law enforcement into impoverished Black communities.

Lil Durk is a fellow Chicago rapper. He popularized the phrase “L’s up” where the ‘L’ represents his crew’s credo life, love, loyalty.

“Free da guys” literally refers to friends of Durk’s that are/have been locked up. The mentality is that is doesn’t matter how much a homie’s bail is – it’s worth paying to get them out. Lupe’s also got his own friends in lockup – hence why he shares this mentality.