In this line Guru makes a reference to the popular legal reality show, saying that he, like the Judge, hands down important sentences (albeit of a different kind). By comparing himself to a judge, Guru is establishing his position of superiority to the other rappers in the game: he is a respected man of power whose word is law.

The sea lions showed up mysteriously, dancing and hopping around. The reference to Poseidon, god of the sea in Greek mythology, nicely complements the reference to Circe in the hook.

Dominic Akers, the murderer, was a known sexual offender who previously admitted to repeatedly molesting a four-year-old girl. Slug can’t understand how anybody twisted enough to take advantage of a young child was allowed to walk free in the same lifetime.

Basketball players – the sport has long shared close ties with hip hop culture, from rappers wearing jerseys

to basketball (like hip hop) being a way for urban youth to escape the poverty surrounding them. As Biggie famously said on “Things Done Changed”:

Either you’re slinging crack rock, or you got a wicked jump shot

Slug paying respect to artists who, without a label backing them and with no money, still put in the work to get respect from the hip hop scene before recording music. There are too many artists who have recorded albums but haven’t put in the work to get themselves known.

A shoutout to rappers who wouldn’t sign with a big record company. Atmosphere have been independent artists for the duration of their career, and Slug was one of the co-founders of Rhymesayers Entertainment, an independent label based in Minneapolis. Slug’s view of the matter can be accurately summed up by this line from his song “One of A Kind”:

I still say fuck a major label till it limps
Put your deal on our table and we’ll show you who’s the pimp

The theme of this song is the weight of memories gained through what seems like a lifetime of touring, and that’s a lot to have access to when in the throws of alcohol-induced nostalgia.

Slug also follows the juxtaposition of the previous line by juxtaposing drunken wistfulness and religion, two seemingly contradictory things.

He stands for and represents conscious rap – speaking about broader issues than himself or even his immediate surroundings. He sees a bigger picture than most rappers who speak about gangster rap, proliferating violence the glamorising wealth and guns etc.