This song – the only completely new track on the Iron Sheiks EP – represented a “return to form” for Tragedy as a politically-oriented MC. In line with the conspiratorial counterculture of the time (where ideas from books like Behold a Pale Horse made their way to television and film via X-Files and The Matrix), these lyrics are steeped in references to prophetic thought and arcane knowledge. Tragedy and Imam imagine themselves as righteous outlaws against a demonic police state.

The biggest reference point is Dr. Malachi Z. York’s The Spell of Leviathan 666, which had recently been released in an updated version:

This book, in turn, was inspired by an Evangelical, Patriotic, and Antipapist Christian text, The Antichrist 666:

Though both texts spoke on the contemporary fulfillment of the Book of Revelation, York’s book was far more concerned with with technology of surveillance – from health-cards to tracking implants.

The other piece to this is William Josiah Sutton’s Illuminati 666

With which this song (sort of) shares a name (Trag had already used “Leviathan”).
Though it appeared as “Illuminati” on mix tapes such as Tony Touch’s 54th, the track was labeled “Alluminati” on the inner label, and again on the Thug Matrix 4118 compilation. It would finally officially appear as “Illuminati” on a subsequent edition of Thug Matrix

As for the music, it’s quite sparse, in keeping with some of the darkest tracks from The War Report. The featured sample is a haunting vocal of Nina Simone performing “I Loves You Porgy”, with little more than a spare drum machine running throughout.

It’s worth mentioning that Noreaga took his own crack at the concept – and the beat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI5grYVG57E