Bolt Cutter - Intellectual

When participating in a rebellion, MC Mike Mictlan tells us that the key is solidarity. He’s saying that Doomtree will always stick together, until they’ve acheived their goal. “Keep the blade in the gut” is a metaphor that means “don’t give up until you’re finished,” which, in the sword metaphor, is until your enemy is dead.

Spitting on normality, non-conformists, Bohemians.

Even if people said Doomtree had to stay still and not claim anything, they ignored them (“yeah yeah”) and went all out to take what they wanted. This follows the theme of the song, which is to take what is deserved.

The hook establishes a metaphor about breaking into private property with bolt cutters to graffiti as a way of exploring themes of taking back what’s yours, personalizing your environment, and creating your own experience.

“Golden era” is referring to the golden era of hip-hop (mid 1980s to early 1990s). Dessa is saying that she and Doomtree will bring back the golden era once more.

Sims is not a violent man, so this probably is a metaphor to show how much his convictions are strong and will stop to nothing to make justice.

Now, if it were Ice Cube who said that line, it would be taken literally :

Double meaning–this place requires the faith of a solid, steady man, but it also can take (remove) a man’s faith.

They understand that they don’t mean shit to the people governing them. They’ve lived too long under the authority and need to regain their liberty, their freedom.

We were just trying to live our lives, but it was you (the government, unjust conditions, etc.) that beckoned revolt. We learned how to rebel from our conquerors.

Everything they can see, touch, and tag belongs to them, and if the stars were close enough, they would tag the stars, too.

They don’t stay in line, they push back against the establishment.

In context, this refers to the end of a period of prosperity. The golden era also refers to “Hip hop’s golden age”, referring to 1980’s and 1990’s mainstream hip hop scene.

Our success wasn’t given to us as a handout, it was built from the ground up.

This line is supposed to be: “This place, it takes the faith of a mantis,” meaning that in this place where prayers never get answered, you’ll have to be as persistent as a praying mantis to keep your faith (and your prayers will be as meaningless gestures as a mantis ‘prayers’).

Doomtree often talk against people who buy the latest phone, car, computer, etc. as soon as the new edition comes out. These items have been commonly marketed as if they’ll make you happy and fix your life, while Dessa is going against that statement, saying that in the end, it does nothing.

They’re not scared of anything, they’re the ones who scare the shit out of others. They look pretty nice to me though :

to avoid the bullets that are loaded into the magazine by sims' love. so, avoid sims' love.

When going against a group of people, the strongest members are targeted first. This line uses the metaphor of the bolt cutters (theme of the song) to picture this.

A reference to Dorothy saying “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” when she arrives in Oz.

Sims has a passion that leads him to rebell against the things he finds wrong in society, and will not back down from using weapons to have justice (a magazine, is the part of guns that store ammunitions).

People dismisses Doomtree’s rebellious message as “messed up,” but those people’s standards aren’t necessarily correct.

Sims says that the population is run by the media and the trends, so much that even their love, one of the most sacred value, is inspired by magazines (publications like Vogue make a habit of trying to teach people how to lead their romantic relations).