"Hear the band horn, everything, hmmm, cut the check" - The Roots

"Hear the band horn, everything, hmmm, cut the check"

• The Roots, Don’t Say Nuthin’ (Released: July 13, 2004)

Genius Annotation:

Black Thought repetitively uses and juxtaposes the phrases “cut the check” and “don’t say nuthin.”

On one hand, this suggests that Black Thought is good enough to be paid, no questions asked. He is talented and this simply goes without saying – no debate needed. Considered in the larger context of themes presented in this song (e.g. philadelphia crime), these phrases connote images of criminals, thieves, and corrupt officials. These figures intimidate their victim, steal the money/check, and then warn them to keep their mouth shut or “your shit’ll get spun backwards.” In the second verse, Black Thought writes “stick up kids, they be out to tax, most times they be sticking you without the gat.” This may be a subtle allusion to the corrupt officials that steal a sizable chunk of his monthly paycheck. Money that is not recorded or talked about (i.e., paid under the table) cannot be taxed by the government. Black Thought might be advising the listener to “say nuthin” because both illegal thieves (gangsters) and legal thieves (IRS) are listening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEI9z_hSGIQ

This post was generated by the Truth2Power bot, a project for MIT's CMS.614 created to archive and discuss hip-hop lyrics that speak truth to power.