The title is a reference to the Black Star Line, a shipping company founded by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey. The album deals with modern-day issues, philosophies and life in Brooklyn.
Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah made his solo debut with this 1996 album, and what a debut it was: a #2 smash, a platinum album and one of the greatest creations to come out of the Wu-Tang orbit (this was produced by RZA, too).