Hattie repeatedly sang or hummed the song Wade in the Water. Harriet Tubman sang this spiritual as a warning to runaway slaves. To escaping slaves, the song told them to abandon the path and move into the water. By traveling along the water's edge or across a body of water, the slaves would throw chasing dogs and their keepers off the scent. This song was better explained in a later episode of this series.
Phil and his parents have a disagreement and Will tries to get him to reconcile. Phil tells Will, "Sometimes parents just don't understand." Will then glares at the camera. That line was a hit song for DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
Will reads in TV Guide that Bill Cosby is getting a streetwise niece. This is a reference to Erika Alexander who joined the cast of The Cosby Show (1984) as Cousin Pam the same year that this episode aired. It's also a subtle jab at The Cosby Show for copying essentially the same premise as Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.
The newspaper reporter during the interviews says that Uncle Phil "settled the landmark court case of Quincy vs Jones". Quincy Jones was the executive producer of the show.
This was actually the 6th episode to be shot, but the fourth to be broadcasted.