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In my opinion he refers to those soft drink or, more widely, carbonated beverages, when he spits “I am like POP” which is an alternate term used in certain places like DC.

Those are so addictive that one — “duke” i.e a dude — can just crave for some (more)!!!

The “thug or die part” is a derivative from the usual “ride or die” saying. Nas hints at his hip hop approach: ghetto style, no matter what.

In other words he means just the opposite than Jay when he once spat “I dumb down for my audience to double my dollars”

The first bar is related with astrology whereas the second one hints at mysticism.

• In astrology, planets are associated with basic drives and urges in the unconscious. For example, Mars stands for strength and destruction, Mercury for knowledge, Neptune for genius and mysticism.

Being special, NaS has it all and encompass every characteristics associated with each planets;

• As for the mysticism part, fortune-teller are known for mastering the art of card reading for love, career and whatever they can make money off.
  Tarot decks consists in 78 cards, including 22 trumps or major arcana illustrated with imagery such as The Fool, The Lovers, The Ermit, The Emperor etc. The last is associated with Power, wealth and success.

“Nas is like (…) Tarot cards” cause he considers himself clear-sighted — hence the then upcoming whole Nastradamus persona — and he pretends he has his very own card in the Tarot deck: The Pharaoh Nas which is, imo, a derivative of the classic The Emperor card. Definitely a great way to unveil is then upcoming album cover!!!!!

Shoutout to “TheLegend” from RapGenius board for his help on this one.

Nas states that he dedicates the very best of him, i.e his essence, for the rap game…

“Black zombies in a spell”: a magic verbal formula turn black people into Black Zombies for more than 400 years.

I think he says that he got a suspended prison sentence for multiple offenses (Two whether concurrent or not).

Those type of sentences generally include conditions such as stay away from the victim, serving community payback or in the matter don’t move out of state (NY). Once you break one of these or commit any other crime you are entitled to go to jail in order to serve your sentence.

Nas is a fugitive because he left NYC, heading for Delaware….

Nas refers to Beta Israel aka Ethiopian Jews who made it back to Israel under 1950’s law of return.

We’re talking about roughly 100 000 peoples…..

Maybe Nas hints at his contractual bounds with Columbia cause he launched his Ill Will imprint only circa 2k, five years after being signed.

Being signed in the mid nineties he most likely cashed only a few money in, eventually with a shitty deal. Over the following years majors decide to invest on east coast rap and went for new artists with big cheks (seis zeros). In the meantime Nas was stucked in is raw deal, doomed to be screwed up by Columbia for a couple more years.

That imprint was somehow a way to make more money from his release but he kinda had to roll up his sleeves to get it started. Hence the statement about being a slave to Columbia records and his comment about getting paid for it……

Nas laments of the current state of black community, stucked due to its members lack of self-determination.

He puts it all in perspective starting from the beginning when black used to beg (slavery days) then black people move forth praying (segregation era) and finally they started to petition and demonstrate (civil right movements).

What’s the result, Nas questions, nothing but generations of black zombies ruining their ancestors and predecessors legacies!!!!!

Nas praises Afrocentric education as opposed to Eurocentric education in use in occidental countries.