Butterfly compares the group to nuclear power, a revolutionary source of power and warfare that is constantly under debate. The effects of nuclear radiation can be severe in the short term and the long term – effects that essentially transcend the normal recovery time of a trauma.

He then iterates the group not only transcends time but space – mentioning planet Earth as if it is only among the many spaces Digable’s music reaches.

A reference to the 1991 independent film, Daughters of the Dust, the first feature film by an African-American woman distributed theatrically in the United States.

It tells the story of three generations of Gullah women in the Peazant family on St. Helena Island in 1902, as they prepare to migrate to the North. The movie was critically acclaimed and evoked passionate reactions from many who watched it.

As one woman said to New York Magazine, “It’s hard to explain. It makes you feel connected to all those before you that you never knew, to parents and grandparents and great-grandparents. I’m a different person now from seeing this movie. It’s a rejuvenation, a catharsis. Whatever color you are, people want to feel that sense of belonging.”

This movie ties into many recurring themes in Digable’s music – the connection between past and present, the Afrocentrism, the transcendence of individual culture that the movie inspires.

Digable transcends traditional imaginings of time and space.

Digable Planets are such a unique group that what they create is beyond music. It’s like sugar for your ears – a simile that doesn’t even make sense because, of course, your mouth tastes sugar, not your ears. Digable’s music takes you to new places – even bringing new sensations to new senses.

When he raps of “light years” and then directly after that, “we been diggin' it for years”, he stretches the metaphor on further. Digable transcends traditional imaginings of sense, time, and space.

Butterfly raps from the perspective of insects – their identity as group members of Digable. Butterfly said of imagining the groups as insects, as quoted in Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip Hop Junkies, “They work together for the good of the colony."

The mentions of cribs and dorms filled with grasshoppers brings up imagery of an insect hive. In describing life as big, Butterfly raps from the literal perspective of an insect. By asking “is that the norm”, Butterfly again emphasizes how different and unique they are from the rest of the rap game.

He’s just waking up, hand combing his hair into place – a small but important reference to his natural hair, a symbol of Afrocentrism that recurs throughout Digable’s music.

“Mr. I” could be referring to Craig Irving, one of the members of Digable Planets, known as Doodlebug,

He recognizes the evil of violence even though he is not a participant in it. The theme of anti-violence that Riff Raff creates with this track is remarkably different from Kendrick Lamar’s message to which it responds.

While Kendrick spits that, in the end, competition overpowers his love for his fellow rappers, Riff Raff responds by spitting the opposite – wishing success to all rappers in the game in a very loopy and #based way.

In the previous line, Riff Raff asserts himself as a man of peace, not of war and violence. Horror stories put him off, causing him to leave the room. But gracefully: he does it without disrespect and with swag. #Based

He wants to maintain a positive mentality, so he avoids hearing such things.