Stillmatic
2nd Childhood
Nas
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
26
End
206
Internal
97
Multi
242
Slant
10
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
Yeah, hahaha✦
"When I flow for the street" – "who else could it be"
"Nas"
Yo, explode, my thoughts were drunken from quarts of beers
Was years back, before✦ Nasir✦ would explore a career✦ in rap
As a music dude, I mastered this Rubik's Cube
Godzilla,✦ fought Gargantua, eyes glued to the tube
Was a, long time ago,✦ John Boy Ice
Geronimo police✦ jumpin'✦ out Chryslers, e-z wider✦ paper✦
Pops puffin'✦ his cess, punchin' his chest like a gorilla✦
Outside was psychoes, killers
Saw Divine,✦ Goon, and Chongo,✦ Lil' Turkey✦
R.I.P. Tyrone,✦ 'member✦ no cursing front of Ms. Vercey✦
Big Percy,✦ Crazy✦ Paul, the Sledge Sisters
My building was 40-16, once in the blue, hallways was clean
I knew, all that I'd seen had meant somethin'
Learned early,✦ to fear none little Nas was huntin'✦
Livin✦ carefree laughin', got jokes✦ on the daily✦
Y'all actin'✦ like some old folks y'all don't hear me
Yo, I'm in my second✦ childhood✦
"When I flow for the street" – "who else could it be"
"N-A-S" – "Nas"
"Resurrect,✦ through the birth of my seed" – "Queensbridge"✦
"Make everything✦ right" – "Get yours, nigga"✦
"When I flow for the street" – "who else could it be"
"N-A-S" – "Nas"
"Resurrect,✦ through the birth of my seed" – "Queensbridge"✦
"Make everything✦ right" – "Get yours"
Yo, dude is 31, livin'✦ in his moms crib
Ex-convict, was paroled there after✦ his long bid
Cornrows in his hair, still slingin', got a crew
They break his moms furniture, watchin' Comicview
Got babies✦ by different✦ ladies✦ high smokin'✦ Ls
In the same spot he stood since eighty-five, well
When his stash slow, he be crazy✦
Say he by his moms, hit her on her payday✦
Junior high school dropout, teachers never✦ cared✦
They was paid just to show up and leave, no one succeeds
So he moves✦ with his peers, different✦ blocks, different✦ years
Sittin'✦ on, different✦ benches like it's musical chairs
All his peoples moved✦ on in life, he's on the corners at night
With young dudes✦ it's them he wanna✦ be like
It's sad but it's fun to him, right? He never✦ grew up
31 and can't give his youth up, he's in his second✦ childhood✦
"When I flow for the street" – "who else could it be"
"N-A-S" – "Nas"
"Resurrect,✦ through the birth of my seed" – "Queensbridge"✦
"Make everything✦ right" – "Get yours, nigga"✦
"When I flow for the street" – "who else could it be"
"N-A-S" – "Nas"
"Resurrect,✦ through the birth of my seed" – "Queensbridge"✦
"Make everything✦ right" – "Get yours"
Baby✦ girl she's always talkin',✦ name droppin',✦ hangin'✦ late
Drinkin', smokin',✦ hates✦ her baby✦ daddy,✦ craves✦ shoppin'✦
E poppin'✦ Ecstasy takin',✦ won't finish her education
Best friend she keeps changin', stuck with limitations
Lustin'✦ men, many✦ hotels, Fendi, Chanel
With nothin'✦ in her bank account frontin' she do well
Her kid suffers he don't get that love he deserve
He the Sun, she the Earth, single mom, even✦ worse
No job never✦ stay workin',✦ mad purty✦
Shorty✦ they call her the brain surgeon
Time flyin', she the same person✦
Never✦ matures, all her friends married doin' well
She's in the streets yakkety yakkin'✦ like she was 12
Honey✦ is twenty-seven, argues✦ fights
Selfish in her own right for life
Guess she's in her second✦ childhood✦
"When I flow for the street" – "who else could it be"
"N-A-S" – "Nas"
"Resurrect,✦ through the birth of my seed" – "Queensbridge"✦
"Make everything✦ right" – "Get yours, nigga"✦
"When I flow for the street" – "who else could it be"
"N-A-S" – "Nas"
"Resurrect,✦ through the birth of my seed" – "Queensbridge"✦
"Make everything✦ right" – "Get yours"
"Who else could it be" – "N-A-S" – "Nas, Nas"
Technical Breakdown
8.7
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm8.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity8.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.73
Production
— DJ PremierBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Nas demonstrates a masterful use of narrative nostalgia, utilizing specific cultural markers and precise multisyllabic internal rhyme patterns to create a vivid, cinematic atmosphere while maintaining a conversational yet technically dense flow.
A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
8.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
8
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Cinematic narrative weavingMultisyllabic internal rhyme clustersRhythmic syncopation within a boom-bap cadenceCultural nomenclature as world-building
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB/ABAB clusters with heavy internal poly-syllabic rhyming, notably the 'beers/career/Rubik's Cube/tube' and 'Chongo/Turkey/Percy/Sledge' chains which ground the narrative in a dense sonic texture.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"mastered this Rubik's Cube"
① A literal reference to the 1980s pop-culture puzzle.② A metaphor for Nasir solving the complex, multi-faceted constraints and technical challenges of rap lyricism and career navigation.
"I'm in my second childhood"
① A literal return to the innocence or mindset of youth.② A meta-commentary on his career stage, where having a child and maturity has caused him to re-examine his origins from a new, wiser perspective.
Exceptional world-building through granular, specific character naming
Rhythmic pocket control that allows for dense multi-syllabic sequences without compromising the conversational tone
Expert integration of childhood cultural touchstones (TV, neighborhood figures)
The narrative structure is episodic rather than a singular linear arc
Relies heavily on cultural context that may be inaccessible to listeners unfamiliar with the specific 80s/90s Queensbridge environment