This song was obvious and necessary for a "Last Album." Jay, struggling against the ghosts of two of the two hallowed fallen rap kings, is trying to assert that as long as he is alive there will be a certain allusive respect he will never get. While the falling of BIG and 2P were crushing, nothing could have been better for their legacy. They were never judged on a longer life time of work and "left" at the height of their fame. Whether they would have had their careers go the route of DMX or LL we will never know. This is indeed their gift and their curse.
Jay speculates that only when he's gone will he ever receive his true due of kudos. Of course the logic is circular, but that is the whole point of the song.
This song was obvious and necessary for a "Last Album." Jay, struggling against the ghosts of two of the two hallowed fallen rap kings, is trying to assert that as long as he is alive there will be a certain allusive respect he will never get. While the falling of BIG and 2P were crushing, nothing could have been better for their legacy. They were never judged on a longer life time of work and "left" at the height of their fame. Whether they would have had their careers go the route of DMX or LL we will never know. This is indeed their gift and their curse.
Jay speculates that only when he's gone will he ever receive his true due of kudos. Of course the logic is circular, but that is the whole point of the song.