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One foot in the door, one foot in the grave
One stepped on the floor, Two stepped out the way Octave Minds (Ft. Chance the Rapper & The Social Experiment) – Tap Dance

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Chance opens the song by juxtaposing two common idioms that both relate to feet, yet convey opposing sentiments.

Whereas having ones foot in the door offers a sense of opportunity, having one foot in the grave rather depressingly means to be close to death.

In a similar fashion, feet “One” and “Two” exhibit opposing and competitive personalities throughout the first verse.

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Octave Minds Octave Minds

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Octave Minds is a collaborative album set to be released September 15, 2014 by Boys Noize & Chilly Gonzales. Check their website here to view and tracklist and order the album!

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Tap Dance Octave Minds (Ft. Chance the Rapper & The Social Experiment) – Tap Dance

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Octave Minds calls on SoX and Chance The Rapper to contribute to this colourful, jazzy composition. Chilly Gonzales & Peter Cottontale are heard on the piano & keyboard while Nico Segal harmonises on the trumpet.

Staying true to the song’s title, Chance’s lyrics paint a fun picture of a tap dancer’s two feet and their battle to attain synchronicity. The frequent mentions of “One-Two” are both symbolic of the dancer counting their steps to stay in rhythm and personifications of the dancer’s actual feet.

It is possible that Chance uses ‘one’ and ‘two’ in this song as metonymies to describe the two ‘halves’ of a person who is constantly looking back at their actions in retrospect. In the song, ‘One’ and ‘Two’ say that they are sometimes on the same path (suggesting both halves of this person’s consciousness [Left/Right brain?] are heading in the other direction) However, sometimes they are in completely different as we can see in Verse 2

Fun fact – this song was composed in ¾ & 6/8 time. And for those who still don’t understand, Chance has got you:

https://twitter.com/chancetherapper/status/508309690342584321

And Chance tweets the song!

https://twitter.com/RapGenius/status/508051864139485184

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Octave Minds calls on SoX and Chance The Rapper to contribute to this colourful, jazzy composition. [Chilly Gonzales](/artists/Chilly-gonzales) & [Peter Cottontale](/artists/Peter-cottontale) are heard on the piano & keyboard while [Nico Segal](/artists/Nico-segal) harmonises on the trumpet.

Staying true to the song’s title, Chance's lyrics paint a fun picture of a tap dancer’s two feet and their battle to attain synchronicity. The frequent mentions of "One-Two" are both symbolic of the dancer counting their steps to stay in rhythm and personifications of the dancer's actual feet.

It is possible that Chance uses 'one' and 'two' in this song as metonymies to describe the two 'halves' of a person who is constantly looking back at their actions in retrospect. In the song, 'One' and 'Two' say that they are sometimes on the same path (suggesting both halves of this person's consciousness  [Left/Right brain?] are heading in the other direction) However, sometimes they are in completely different as we can see in Verse 2
__________
Fun fact -- this song was composed in [3/4 & 6/8 time](https://twitter.com/chancetherapper/status/508303754966216705). And for those who still don't understand, Chance has got you:

https://twitter.com/chancetherapper/status/508309690342584321

And Chance tweets the song!

https://twitter.com/RapGenius/status/508051864139485184

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Ron

9 years

The part with “One-Two, One-Two, One-Two” is him counting the time signature (6/8). “1 one-two, step, one-two” is him counting 2 measures of ¾ time signature.
He also mentions “syncopate” a musical term for notes played off of the main counting beats of the measure, and “paradiddle” which is a drumming term for playing four or eight notes as RLRR LRLL. He’s applying dual meaning in reference to step-dancing and that this song is written in unusual time signatures.

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6 years

I believe that this song portrays the battles of one’s conscience, where Two wants One to fight and battle, where One has more emotional ideas and is less interested in breaking that. This would go with the “one-two-one-two” lyric as it is a comparison to boxing, where finally One and Two fond the harmonious balance and begin to string together punches against the common foe.

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[Produced by Khrysis] Add-2 – Club Church/Club Hell

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The primary component of this song’s beat (Part 1) actually came from the track “AscensionHaSoul” off 9th Wonder’s Tutankhamen instrumental mixtape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO1CmCKsW2w

Khrysis' version loops the original sample in a different pattern and also incorporates a different drum beat.

You can listen to the full tape here.

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[Produced by 9th Wonder] Mary J. Blige – Good Woman Down

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9th formed this beat by laying some drums over a sample from “Heart Breaking Decision” by Meli'sa Morgan.

http://youtu.be/XEZgDdWaj_g?t=3m09s

In an interview with Complex mag, 9th told the story of how he got hooked up with MJB in the first place:

Remember when Jay-Z was on tour with R. Kelly, and R. Kelly got kicked off the tour, and Mary J. Blige got added? Jay-Z told Mary J. Blige about me. End of story. That’s how I got with Mary.

Right after Jay told Mary about me, Geffen Records called me, and I sent Mary about thirty something beats. “Good Woman Down” was the joint that she picked. It’s a Meli'sa Morgan sample. I used a song called “Heart Breaking Decision.” I’m able to make R&B records because of my soul music background. And that’s the R&B we love.

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Transcriptions Genius – Genius Season 3: Week 2

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Tag Transcriptions (*R&B*)

[1](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-be-without-you-annotated) [2](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-good-woman-down-annotated) [3](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-baggage-annotated) [4](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-cant-hide-from-luv-annotated) [5](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-cant-get-enough-annotated) [6](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-aint-really-love-annotated) [7](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-i-found-my-everything-annotated) [8](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-father-in-you-annotated) [9](http://x.genius.com/Mary-j-blige-alone-annotated) [10]()
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Be Without You Mary J. Blige – Be Without You

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MJB’s 2007 Grammy award-winning single off The Breakthrough for Best R&B Song.

The video, shot in NYC, depicts MJB and her partner arguing to the point where he walks out of their apartment. Alone, Mary begins to miss her partner while reminiscing over some of the good times. But don’t worry, in the end MJB’s partner comes home and the video has a happy ending :)

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1,029

3 years

The partner is actor Terrence Howard 🙃

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[Produced by 9th Wonder] Little Brother – Away from Me

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The foundation for this track is formed from a series of trumpet and bell riffs that 9th sampled from “Galaxy” by Mass Production:

http://youtu.be/BJjW8JvhKf0?t=3m36s

In an interview with Complex, 9th explained how “Away From Me” was the only song from The Listening that wasn’t recorded in the Raleigh NC studio and that they finished it at 3am, the night before 9/11:

The only song from The Listening we didn’t record from Missie Ann was “Away From Me.” We recorded that with our manager at the time in Durham. I remember recording that song at 3 a.m., September 11, 2001. No lie, no joke. We recorded the song, we thought it was dope, and I went to Phonte’s house to stay over.

[…] that song was a tough song for me to even mix because I had to mix it by myself. And it just got to me one day. But, yeah, we recorded that at three in the morning of September 11, then woke up the next day, and saw the towers falling, which was crazy.

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The foundation for this track is formed from a series of trumpet and bell riffs that 9th sampled from "Galaxy" by Mass Production:

http://youtu.be/BJjW8JvhKf0?t=3m36s

In an [interview with Complex](http://www.complex.com/music/2011/05/interview-9th-wonder/away-from-me), 9th explained how "Away From Me" was the only song from *The Listening* that wasn't recorded in the Raleigh NC studio and that they finished it at 3am, the night before 9/11:

>The only song from The Listening we didn’t record from Missie Ann was "Away From Me." We recorded that with our manager at the time in Durham. I remember recording that song at 3 a.m., September 11, 2001. No lie, no joke. We recorded the song, we thought it was dope, and I went to Phonte’s house to stay over.

> [...] that song was a tough song for me to even mix because I had to mix it by myself. And it just got to me one day. But, yeah, we recorded that at three in the morning of September 11, then woke up the next day, and saw the towers falling, which was crazy.

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Tates Genius – Genius Season 3: Week 2

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[1](http://x.genius.com/3989720/Mary-j-blige-good-woman-down/Produced-by-9th-wonder) [2]() [3]() [4]() [5]() [6]() [7]() [8]() [9]() [10]()
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Non Tag Annotations

[1](http://rap.genius.com/3984469/Little-brother-speed/Produced-by-9th-wonder) [2](http://rap.genius.com/3984542/Little-brother-away-from-me/Produced-by-9th-wonder) [3](http://rap.genius.com/Add-2-club-church-club-hell-lyrics) [4]() [5]() [6]() [7]() [8]() [9]() [10]()
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