In his 5-part parting shot at the label, former Choc Boy Milli leveled a number of accusations at his former boss M.I. Abaga but as a hip-hop nerd, there’s one thing in particular that stood out to me – the music.
Milli claims –
In ‘Everything’ M.I. really went deep, calling me disloyal for leaving the family and so on. People in the label office stopped talking to me.
It became difficult for me to work with Reinhard, my producer that I introduced to M.I. at the time we produced Chairman.
Milli says that “Everything I Have Seen” off of M.I.’s Illegal Music 3: The Finale mixtape was either partly or entirely about him, but I didn’t want to take his word for it, so I went back to listen to see if the dots connected.
Now, you would have thought that this was hard work for me but no, “Everything I Have Seen” is one of my favorite M.I. records by far, especially from a lyrical standpoint. So, this isn’t the first time I’m dissecting the lyrics, only that this time I have the chance to share my thoughts with you. I’ve lifted lines from certain portions of the record to try and offer a different perspective. Nobody sent me to do this work, I guess that’s why we call it an ITK Analysis.
The Root of All Evil
M.I. alleges that money was the source of the problem, his unnamed former aide started making a little change and started questioning his authority. He in turn questions that way of thinking because those who are truly loyal to him never want for anything – they are well taken care of. At either rate, the collective passion of his crew for music and fellowship is worth more than money.
Up Next, But Not Up Yet
Double entendre – forty acres of land and a mule was a promise made to former slaves after the American Civil War that was never kept and if you’ve “landed” in Nigeria then you’ve made it. But the forty acres was after service, not before. M.I. is saying someone thinks he’s made it so he’s acting entitled, while he’s watching this person from his position at the top.
There’s an allusion to his former aide turning to drugs and losing focus in their career. However, even though it’s highly unlikely, this line could also have been directed at M.I.’s brother Jesse Jagz, who M.I. routinely refers to as “the Greatest” and was strongly rumored to have picked up a drug habit that caused his relationship with Choc City to break down the first time. Milli’s new label situation is with Up Next Universe, by the way.
Jude Becomes Jesus, Then Becomes Jude Again
M.I. is lord of the rap game but one of his disciples has played the role of Peter and denied him or worse still, Judas and betrayed him. No hard feelings however, M.I. has no hard feelings. He wishes him well but M.I. doesn’t see the need for them to be friends now that the relationship has ended – he becomes Jude again. Notice the juxtaposition of Jesus’ name and a Muslim greeting in Arabic, brilliant.
Good riddance
Can we please take a moment to appreciate the brilliance in these lines? There’s a connection between M.I. eating, having food in his cupboard and roaches trying to eat with him. Family is spoken of twice and members of a gang see themselves as family. So M.I. and his family eat together and he’s disappointed that when a member of the gang turned disloyal and left the fold, he didn’t at least stick to the G-code and keep quiet. M.I. warns that he too has a lot to say about his former aide. Then there’s the word play with his aide “tripping” and the aide having “luggage”. M.I. feels like he could do without the trouble, so he’s leaving him behind.
If the Shoe Fits
It’s important to note that M.I. didn’t mention any names but you know what they say – if the shoe fits, wear it. M.I. wanted his young upstart to learn the game at his feet but he was too impatient. There’s a clever play on words with Mr. Abaga using Usher’s name, the title of Usher’s fourth album Confessions and his new plan for Chocolate City’s future, without his disloyal aide, of course.
Towards the end, as the song fades, M.I. has an “I don’t blame you, na me f*ck up” moment as he berates himself for allowing this person come so close to him in the first place. Whoever M.I. was referring to in “Everything I Have Seen”, Milli or whoever else, it’s obvious that losing that person hurt M.I. enough for him to want to tell the whole world about it but not nearly enough for him to actually mention the person’s name or at least not yet.
*The ITK Analysis series is dedicated to giving you information you absolutely don’t need to know but we go ahead and give it to you anyway*