This hook is a clever reference to the track Fortified Live which appeared on a Rawkus Records compilation Soundbombing 1 in 1997.

The hook of that track begins with the line “This is once in a lifetime…”; so this hook forms a sequel to that song by being “twice in a lifetime”. It is also significant that the guests on this track: Punchline Wordsworth and Jane Doe are Rawkus label mates.

With a slightly belligerent and aggressive attitude which was caused by drinking tequila, he had an accident with a massive truck which would do almost lethal damage to any normal-sized car.

Society currently teaches women to value themselves by comparing their self image to models and stereotypes portrayed by television and magazines. Because of this, many girls grow up hating themselves because they are different from what society sees as ‘beautiful’. This self-hate is obvious and not hidden. Brown Skin Lady by Black Star is a song written about these body-image problems faced by young women in today’s society.

Playing with the word ‘high’ (literally removed from the ground), Common shows how people find it hard to accept their situations and circumstances in life. It’s tough to keep looking at the problems in your own life; we all need distractions. For this reason, we take drugs to get high and escape from our own lives.

Common is referring to skepticism (and apathy) many late Generation-X-ers had regarding the path to the American Dream prescribed by their parents: getting a good stable 9 to 5 and rising to middle management. Instead Common chose to follow his dreams, for better or worse…

“With weight so they weigh they status on the streets” Weight is kilograms of cocaine. Common is describing a paradigm for success and status in his neighborhood: the drug-dealer.

These men also show their elite status to the public by buying customized license plates on their cars which they use to show their outlook on life.

This is a play on words, as Common speaks about a time when cocaine was in the streets and ‘Big Daddy’ was a common alias for powerful drug dealers. However, the line is most readily recognizable as a reference to old school rapper Big Daddy Kane.

Cocaine and Kane were both major factors in the ‘80s, and short-body Cadillacs (or Caddies) could either be playing Kane’s music or transporting 'caine around the city by either the distributors or the purchasers.

This line may be a reference to the Chicago Warriors, an ice hockey team that competed in the NHL in the ‘70s. Common describes himself as a warrior, while also showing solidarity with the team.