Samples

• "Stone Love Lady" by Rail
• "Journeys, Oscillations, and Other Dreams" by Irv Greenshaw

References

• Nexus-6 - replicants, genetically engineered by the Tyrell Corporation, who are nearly identical to human beings, but possess superior strength; from the 1982 film Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young
• Handheld 58 - a wireless microphone
• Ear goggles - headphones
• Strawberry Letter 23 - a song by Shuggie Otis that topped the Billboard R&B chart and reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977
• Shuggie Otis (1953- ) - an American R&B, soul, rock, blues, and funk singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist
• Supersonic - J.J. Fad's 1988 debut album and single
• J.J. Fad - a California female rap group
• Carte blanche - permission or authority given to somebody to act with freedom or discretion
• Vagabond - a vagrant or tramp
• Mafioso - a member of the Mafia criminal organization
• Bar - a fundamental unit of time in music which a musical work is divided, according to the number of beats
• Mojito - a rum-and-mint cocktail
• Bandito - an outlaw, especially of Mexican extraction or origin
• Matzo balls - a small dumpling made from matzo meal
• Troop jacket - outerwear designed by mid-80s hip-hop sportswear line Troop; rapper LL Cool J is probably the most widely known celeb to start the Troop jacket trend
• Wolf Blitzer (1948- ) - an American journalist and CNN reporter, currently host of the CNN show The Situation Room
• Stax Records - an American record label founded in 1953 that specialized in soul, gospel, funk, jazz, and blues recordings
• Hacker - an amateur player who enjoys a sport but lacks skill in it
• Circuit bender - one who uses the short-circuiting of electronic devices to create new musical instruments and sound generators
• Splenda - a brand name for an artificial sweetener
• Mean muggin' - to look at someone up and down in a mean and intimidating way
• Blimpie Bluffin - a breakfast sandwich from Blimpie's, an American sub sandwich franchise; also referenced in Rhyme the Rhyme Well
• Broadway - a New York City avenue that runs the full length of Manhattan and continues into the Bronx
• Christian Louboutin (1964- ) - a luxury footwear designer, known for his signature shiny, red-lacquered soles
• Picasso, Pablo Ruiz y (1881-1973) - Spanish painter widely acknowledged to be the most important artist of the 20th century

Sample & Reference Breakdown

• "Because I'm back with a bang, boogie oogie-oogie" - "Boogie Oogie Oogie" was a popular song released in 1978 by disco/R&B group A Taste of Honey
• "Grandpa been rappin' since '83" - In 1983, the then-teenage Beastie Boys released Cooky Puss, their second album but the first to feature rap recordings. "Grandpa" references the Beastie Boys' ages now.
• "How many rappers must get dissed?" - similar to the lyrics in "How Many MC's..." by Black Moon ("How many MC's must get dissed?"); the lyric also appears in "My Philosophy" by Boogie Down Productions.
• "So get your hologram on off of Wolf Blitzer" - On presidential election night 2008, cable news station CNN beamed into its studios 3-dimensional holograms of celebrities to get their reaction and comments about the election results. Among those who were beamed in and interviewed by CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper was Black Eyed Peas musician Will.I.Am.
• "I'm broader than Broadway" - Adrock makes the same claim on "Hello Brooklyn" from Paul's Boutique; "Here I Come (Broader Than Broadway)" is the title of a 1985 song by Barrington Levy

Press

"Nas is...a welcome collaborator on 'Too Many Rappers (New Reactionaries Version),' a stern rebuke to flimsy MCs that positions the crew nicely as rap's new elder statesmen" - Basem Boshra, Montreal Gazette, May 2011