Ashamed - Intellectual

He flips over to the History Channel, where there’s a documentary on the Godfather movies. “Mario Puzo!” says Ross, a student of the genre. “The greatest.” Later, they cut to the scene where Michael Corleone is talking to a senetor aobut getting a gaming license, and Ross leans in close. “My offer is this: nothing”, He says.
“My offer is this: nothing,” says Al Pacino on the TV.

“They” is perhaps referring to the Feds – they wanna know the names of the dope dealers, and they carry guns (toting on thangs).

And here is the answer to the question posed by the previous line. Rozay carries a weapon because the police do, not because criminals do.

Police are the real crooks.

Ross is one of the most criticized rappers out, but he’s been one of the best rappers since 2010, and was even recently named the Hottest Rapper in the Game.

https://twitter.com/rickyrozay/status/252891407583420417

A nod here to the shoulda-been supergroup The Commission. The group, dreamed up by Biggie before his untimely death, was initially supposed to include Big, Charli Baltimore, and Jay-Z. It was extended to include Puff Daddy, Lil' Cease, and producer Lance “Un” Rivera. Jay would pay tribute in his song “The City is Mine”

You held it down long enough, let me take those reigns
And just like your spirit, The Commission remains

This song is perhaps the counterpart to one of the standout tracks off Teflon Don, “Tears of Joy”.

While Tears of Joy is a celebration of Ross' life, Ashamed is the complete opposite – it’s a condemnation on how he’s made it out of the gutter.

In his Rolling Stone story, Ross talked about how his mother Tommie was a hustler just like a him, working numerous jobs. However, she was still barely paid which infuriated her. Ross felt the same way, why work hard and be barely paid, especially when all he saw was criminals getting Rich of Cocaine.

This line is foreshadows one of the main themes in track 12 off GFID, “Ice Cold”. Despite the outward appearance a killer/dope boy portrays, they too have feelings and are usually emotional despite never showing it to the outside world.

Kenneth “Boobie” Williams, leader of the infamous Boobie Boys drug gang, was known to be a “friend and mentor” of Rozay. The real nature of their relationship, both past and present, remains ambiguous, though Ross reps it frequently – see the “Boobie Boys” t-shirt in the photo below:

A metaphor of the drug game & a sports game. Ross is like a coach, he calls the plays on how the drugs should be dealt. You are on the outside, and watching the game. People who watch sports game are usually sitting in bleachers.

Comparing his situation of getting out of the hood, Rick Ross likens his story to that of the runaway slaves once they escaped from their chains to run to freedom. In the same way, Ross ran from the chains of the hood and went on to become successful in the game of hip hop.

Ross starts this line off as though his leadership skills are visible, but ends up alluding to his ability to steal an artist’s thunder on their own song.

When Ross recites this line during this song’s video, the camera cuts to a spread of magazines he’s covered, where he’s provided the magazines with feature stories.

This could also be a reference to his extensive list of guest appearances, in which Complex once detailed.

Home Economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community. One major part of home economics is cooking.

In this case, Ross' home economics is perhaps referring to the cooking of crack cocaine, as this song is a drug anthem.

A person’s voice cracks usually when under pressure, but Ross portrays himself to be a dignified person, despite his internal struggle for feeling ashamed of becoming rich off drugs.

Using the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9:13) as one possible perspective context… Old records [testament] will show that there wasn’t anything passed down to him that he was able to build his estate on.

Rick Ross could also be referring to “moving weight”, which of course is slanging drugs.

Rick Ross on his marijuana use from a Rolling Stone article:

I’m most definitely an avid user, a pothead, however you want to look at it. I call it green caviar. It’s like a short vacation – it helps me chill out. And people really love it when I chill out, because I can really be a dickhead.

Rozay is rocking Bally Shoes and thick gold chains which we commonly wore by dope boys. The look was popularized by the famous rap group, Run-D.M.C..

Home of the Brave, a phrase from “The Star Spangled Banner”, refers to the act of carrying a tec with him in his coup. Rozay will defend what he has worked for with his life.

But is true bravery showing love to the ones that try to destroy you as Ghandi suggests?

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.

This sampled from “Shameless” by Wilson Pickett. It refers back to the theme of the song – it’s shameless that Ross made money in a sleazy way.

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dqyOK673ayI