In the first song from “I Phantom,” Mr. Lif dreams of dying in a failed liquor store robbery before being returned to life in the next track

Hanging over “A Glimpse of the Struggle,” along with the opening vignette, are allusions to themes from the group Cannibal Ox and its song “Iron Galaxy.” Ox rapper Vast Aire appears in the opening skit to loan a handgun from his shoebox

Meanwhile, in a sample featured in this song, Lif explicitly expands on a question raised in the CanOx cut “Iron Galaxy.” In a passage rapped by Vast Aire’s partner, Vordul evokes the desperation of poor people who dream of liberating themselves with a single act of crime, as Lif attempts here in his dream

“Cats visualize life ghetto-like
Born mind, sometime these cats see life
Street life in complete light and be like
I’m a live life after this
One crime…”