Pressure

First and Fifteenth (FnF) is his record label.

"Not for sale like W's"

It's a Wheel of Fortune reference just like the lines "They were sellin' O's (Oz) like Wheel of Fortune," and "I guess, I was just guessin' like the consonants" In the show, you have to pay extra money to guess a vowel.

In case you didn't get it, O's is also referring to ounces of coke.

amazing lyricism... kinda got an idea about the first verse: lupe is his own and he tryin to send a positive message instead of makin the "Prince pants" or rather the regular mainstream garbage... need help on this stuff

Two lines after the "Prince pants" lyric is "big (Biggie) in the waist, two-pocket (Tupac) on the back". Could be talking about influences. Also the line "soul's not for sale like the W's" has me curious if he's talking about Bush but seems worded oddly for that.
I'm also pretty sure that Jay-Z's lyric at the end is Warhols not war halls the first time, as in Andy Warhol the painter, since he goes on to say "space on your hall's walls".

Yeah, his "jeans" are his raps and his "sewing machine" is his record label/production company. So he creates unique raps with 1st & 15 and adds all his inspirations (biggie and pac). The prince pants represent popular media friendly, mainstream music. He refuses to do the norm. His mission is to educate those of us willing to listen. "Old jeans covered in blue dye" represents the fact that nothing is necessarily "new" his craft is rap which is old but the blue dye is his style.

"Give em the gam that's like giving chocolate to the fat, how u think I got here? That's the same game that came thru where I lived as a kid in the 'bad luck truck' and threw boxes off the back. This verse reperesents the drug game. Giving chocolate to the fat only makes a fatter person, so giving ppl drugs to sell only worsens the situation of the community. Then he cleverly refrains from actually sayin its about truck by saying"that's the same game that came thru where I lived as a kid..." Meaning the hood. The boxes in the bad luck truck were drugs.

Then he says he delivers like a river. A river flows, he talking about his flow. But even tho he flows like a river the content in his rap is a lil thicker and slicker like oil... "And then they said oil and water don't mix. "

I cud go on describing all the lyrics in this song but there are so many to go thru lol. Lupe is hot. His lyrical content is from a attentive perspective. He isn't just speaking on his life, rather he gives glimpses into the lives of others and also into things that affect us all like environmental issues and terrorism. And as far ashis lyrical stylings (metaphors, similies, and the such) he is at the top of my list.

Was Blackbeard 'til I brought the Roc into your ships - pun - till her brought the rocket to your ships.

Let me try my interpretation everything in parenthesis

Yeah, uhh And so it seems that I'm, sewin jeans(making rhymes) And, 1st and 15 is just a sewin machine(his record label for whom he's writing) So I, cut the pattern and I, sew in seams(prepare the ryhmes) And, button in this hustlin then publically I'm Buddy Lee(buddy lee being lee jean's mascot) There's no bustin them and cuffin them is like(refering to the "jeans" rhymes his style can't be touched) usherin in the regime, they want me to make Prince pants(mainstream music) But I withstand, I ain't gotten into that (he refuses to make mainstream music) A little big in the waist, two-pocket on the back(biggie, 2pac references) Call them Nu-vi's, Old Jeans covered in blue dye(his take on the rap game, old game and he is the dye) Give 'em the game, that's like givin chocolate to the fat(drug game,more you take more you want) Look, how you think I got here?(his past, referring back to the drug game) That's the same game that came through where I lived as a kid(the whole chicago drug scene in his hood) in the bad luck truck and threw boxes off the back(the boxes being drug influences) Made me a ripper, deliver like river(read cuchi's descritpion) Content a little more thicker, slicker Yeah, and they said oil and water don't mix Now they all down at the beach washin off the fish(the media is trying to reagin control after lupe changed the game) Was Blackbeard 'til I brought the Roc into your ships(sunk the media's ship) YEAH!

[Chorus] It's my life, my life - everything I dooo I dooooo for you(refering to us the fan's of his music) I do it all for you - everything I say you knowwww it's the truth I'll say it is the truth - I'll take all the pressure offff of you( the pressure of "fitting in" with society) Take pressure off of you; I'll take, the pressure off of you

YEAH! Uhh, it's hella proper (proper) Cause it sag so low you can see boxer, like a boxer's( going back to the jeans reference) That's the way that the Family's pants worn Don't be sly, and try and put 'em on(don't try the drug game) The stones in the pocket'll drag you down to Davy Jones locker(stones/rocks being another word for crack) Beware if you wanna Roc the Knickerbocker(a magazine in new york he's saying dont faal for the trap of mainstream fame) Other nigga from the block what, they was sellin O's(crackheads in the hood, selling ounces "O's" like Wheel of Fortune, of imported cocaine just to feel important, it was +Do or Die+(sometimes it had to resort to selling drugs) They was tired of bein "Po' Pimps," now for sure That was just a product of my common sense I guess, I was just guessin like the consonants Momma said beware of what the devil do Tell 'em that your soul's not for sale like the W's So go ahead and pirate, the highest cannons make you leak like pirated my shhh.. It's no shhh.. it's just shhh like quiet And big homey's out of retirement

[Chorus]

[Jay-Z] Uhh, Young, uhh So the pen is mightier than the sword my lord My first picture was a line-up, now I'm on the Forbes And I still remain the artiste through thees all If you force my hand I'll be forced to "draw" If the war calls for war halls Hope you got enough space on your hall's walls I make niggaz murals, then escape the bureau's investigation, out in Europe on vacation I'm back for these puppies with the pound boy (Blaow) Here's a round boy (blaow blaow) down boy Sound boy, you don't wanna soundclash loud noise leave niggaz paranoid if not paralyzed Which means you can't walk in my shoes Too much green you can't talk in my hue Extend the team, nigga holla at Lu' 1st and 15th, that's my cue, I'm through

thanks to phillipe! for the 2pac biggie references

why does he always say 1st and 15th? what does that mean?

1st and 15th are the days in a month when a person would get their welfare checks...