Addressable transcript

Lyrics & breakdown

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01
[Intro: Common]
02
Yeah
03
You know they be asking 'bout Common, where he at?
04
What that man doing now?
05
I'm doing what I do, hip-hop
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That's what I do
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Yeah
08
[Verse 1: Common]
09
How can I say this, fuck it, I'm the greatest
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I am the A-list for all these great debaters
11
A lot of ya'll nah nah, forgot now who I am
12
The '87 nigga used to rah rah in the jam
13
Aw yeah, we put them things in the air
14
When I drop a single, it's really like a pair
15
Of Air Jordans, important to the culture
16
If you ain't true to it, cállate la boca
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Get my drink on like a coaster
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Post up on the wall that Mike used to live off
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Hip-hop Master Cleansin', I'ma get my shit off
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Rollin' in a Maserati Gran with the lid off
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I bit all like a monster, live nigga this is my encore
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Encore, encore, I rhyme for the commoners
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My name synonymous with prominence
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I'm to Hip-Hop what Obama is to politics
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Common is
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[Interlude: Common]
27
Yeah, man
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Y'all niggas man, you soft muthafuckers
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Yeah my man, muthafucker
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Then come around my crib
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You know where I'm from
Multi-line diss block
32
Some ho ass niggas
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Singing all around me man, la la la
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You ain't muthafucking Frank Sinatra
Block noteUses singing to question Drake's rap toughness
TargetDrake
MeaningWhat it means: Common mocks an unnamed rapper for singing around him and says he is not Frank Sinatra, turning melody into evidence of softness rather than range. Why it was said: ‘Sweet’ arrived while Common was criticizing Drake's place in hip-hop; the singing jab targets the feature that distinguished Drake's crossover style and contrasts it with the raw rap identity Common claims for himself.
ContextCommon's 2011–2012 exchange with Drake moved from the allegedly subliminal ‘Sweet’ to direct name-calling on the ‘Stay Schemin’ remix. Common framed Drake's melodic style and public toughness as incompatible, while Drake treated Common's intervention as attention-seeking.
35
Uh, lil' bitch
Multi-line diss block
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Yeah, this the raw right here
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This the raw right here nigga
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Sweet muthafucka
Block noteDefines raw rap as the opposite of Drake's image
TargetDrake
MeaningWhat it means: Common follows the singing joke with blunt insults and calls his own performance ‘the raw,’ presenting the contrast as one of temperament as well as sound. Why it was said: The record's accusation is that a melodic star should not borrow battle-ready hardness when convenient, so Common deliberately makes his delivery abrasive where Drake's appeal was polished and hybrid.
ContextCommon's 2011–2012 exchange with Drake moved from the allegedly subliminal ‘Sweet’ to direct name-calling on the ‘Stay Schemin’ remix. Common framed Drake's melodic style and public toughness as incompatible, while Drake treated Common's intervention as attention-seeking.
39
Sweet ass bitch muthafucka
Multi-line diss block
Block noteCompresses the subliminal into the word sweet
TargetDrake
MeaningWhat it means: ‘Sweet’ becomes a double-purpose label for music Common considers soft and for a rival he considers unable to sustain a hard confrontation. Why it was said: Repeating the title lets Common attack Drake without initially naming him, preserving deniability while making the song's central adjective impossible to miss.
ContextCommon's 2011–2012 exchange with Drake moved from the allegedly subliminal ‘Sweet’ to direct name-calling on the ‘Stay Schemin’ remix. Common framed Drake's melodic style and public toughness as incompatible, while Drake treated Common's intervention as attention-seeking.
40
[Verse 2: Common]
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Wa da da da, wa dada dada dang
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The C-O double-M O-N, I'm not playin'
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Da da man at work, I make my own lane
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I'm the franchise so I rock my own chain
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No I said give 'em that 80's cocaine
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Somethin' raw, something pure so I stayed in that vein
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The hero that he know, that he cold
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Like when it's below in the G.O., wipe ya feet off in the Regal
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I'm king, observe the throne and the dream
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I have it, supreme like mathematics
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Yeah, a breath of fresh air for you asthmatic rap addicts
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Pro black magic, this is semi-automatic
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Rap, we won't jam in traffic
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The game need direction, I'm here to map it
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Uh, some people say that they be missing creativity
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But when it come to hip-hop, it begins and ends with me
57
Sweet
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[Outro: Common]
Multi-line diss block
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You know man, you should know where I come from
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You should know who I am nigga
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You should never wanna go against me
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You know man, you too soft for that man
Block noteInvokes Chicago as the source of Common's authority
TargetDrake
MeaningWhat it means: Common tells the rival to remember where he comes from and who he is before choosing a confrontation. Why it was said: The warning grounds his battle posture in a long Chicago rap history, answering the idea that an established artist criticizing Drake was merely chasing a younger star's attention.
ContextCommon's 2011–2012 exchange with Drake moved from the allegedly subliminal ‘Sweet’ to direct name-calling on the ‘Stay Schemin’ remix. Common framed Drake's melodic style and public toughness as incompatible, while Drake treated Common's intervention as attention-seeking.
63
I be seeing you man, I see it in your eyes man
Multi-line diss block
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You ain't the type of nigga that could go against me
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You get in my presence you gon' feel like a little ho
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You ain't a man yet, you tryna be somebody else
Block noteSays Drake's confidence collapses in person
TargetDrake
MeaningWhat it means: Common claims the rival's eyes reveal fear and that the public persona would shrink in Common's physical presence. Why it was said: Drake's combination of vulnerable songs and harder boasts was the contradiction Common wanted listeners to examine; the line argues that the aggressive part is performance rather than temperament.
ContextCommon's 2011–2012 exchange with Drake moved from the allegedly subliminal ‘Sweet’ to direct name-calling on the ‘Stay Schemin’ remix. Common framed Drake's melodic style and public toughness as incompatible, while Drake treated Common's intervention as attention-seeking.
67
Man, be yourself man, you come around my crib, you get your shit took
Multi-line diss block
68
Huh! Wherever you go, you probably be overseas in Europe and get yo' shit took
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You's a ho, you know you sweet
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Ain't nothing you can do man, people see that man
Block noteWarns that celebrity protection will not travel everywhere
TargetDrake
MeaningWhat it means: Common says the rival could lose possessions in Chicago or Europe despite fame and money. Why it was said: The threat challenges the insulation of global celebrity, suggesting that commercial reach does not automatically supply respect, local ties or safety in every place the artist visits.
ContextCommon's 2011–2012 exchange with Drake moved from the allegedly subliminal ‘Sweet’ to direct name-calling on the ‘Stay Schemin’ remix. Common framed Drake's melodic style and public toughness as incompatible, while Drake treated Common's intervention as attention-seeking.
71
Broads be seeing you sweet
Multi-line diss block
72
Done wit' you muthafuckas, it's over for you
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It's over for you
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It's over, sweet muthafucka
Block noteClaims the audience can already see the softness
TargetDrake
MeaningWhat it means: Common says women and the wider public recognize the same softness he has been describing, then declares the exchange over. Why it was said: By presenting his judgment as something other people already notice, he tries to turn a personal accusation into a consensus and leave Drake responding to an established reputation rather than one opponent.
ContextCommon's 2011–2012 exchange with Drake moved from the allegedly subliminal ‘Sweet’ to direct name-calling on the ‘Stay Schemin’ remix. Common framed Drake's melodic style and public toughness as incompatible, while Drake treated Common's intervention as attention-seeking.