It Was Written

Live Nigga Rap

Nas

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

End

114

Internal

Multi

188

Slant

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight

[Verse 2: Havoc & Prodigy]

No doubt, kid, I hit them niggas^✦ like a bid

The prosecutor, runnin'^✦ up in your crib

Do your dirt, I do my dirt all by my lonely^✦

It's only^✦ me and the gat that's holdin'^✦ me

We got it locked beyond measure,^✦ your clique's^✦ under^✦ pressure^✦

Extort^✦ you for your treasure,^✦ smack you with the undresser

Represent^✦ your clique, go ahead, get that ass whipped^✦

Have you floatin' in a river^✦ wit' your body^✦ wrapped^✦ in plastic

Wannabe-thug get smacked for back talkin'^✦

Q.B. represent,^✦ fuck that! It can happen^✦

While you rappin',^✦ I'm busy^✦ tryna^✦ sneak the gat in

Contamin' – cut the party^✦ short while you jammin'^✦

We think smarter, reach harder^✦

Got the .44, bodyguard of somethin' you don't want a part of

If I was you, then I would do what I have to

But you ain't me, you hesitated, so I clapped^✦ you

Then stepped off casually,^✦ naturally^✦ me

[Verse 3: Nas]

Niggas^✦ thinkin' shit's sweet

I carry^✦ big heat. Wavy^✦ hair, chipped^✦ teeth

Up in this bitch deep, Queens murder^✦ cliques^✦ meet

Yellow^✦ tape on black gates^✦

Mediterranean, projects is like Kuwait^✦

I escape^✦ into^✦ zones,^✦ that's irregular^✦

Why debate^✦ on a phone? I'm solar cellular^✦

Escobar 600

You just a crumb inside^✦ a world where the rich run it

Curriculum of a mathologist, deepthroats, they try to swallow this

Anthropologists, dynasties of great knowledgists I preserve in my dome

Niggas'^✦ mics is full of silicone, spot's blown

Guerilla ice on this killer's life, I put my word on it

Now, you can sleep on, or rock a swerve on it

Nas is ménage à trois on Mount Airy^✦ Lodges^✦

We like a smooth fam, but rougher than how DeBarge is

Catchin' charges of marksmen, livin'^✦ heartless

Grab a cartridge, cock my shit on some Mobb shit

We mobbin',^✦ puttin'^✦ niggas^✦ in mausoleums

From Queens 'cross to Throggs Neck, heads bop, I see 'em!

[Chorus: Prodigy & Havoc]

For niggas^✦ don't know how to act

To all my niggas^✦ on the block slangin'^✦ crack

Rest in peace to my niggas^✦ layin' on they back

To all the niggas^✦ who bust gat (Live nigga^✦ rap)

For niggas^✦ don't know how to act

To all my niggas^✦ on the block slangin'^✦ crack

Rest in peace to my niggas^✦ on they back

To all the niggas^✦ who bust gat (Live nigga^✦ rap)

For niggas^✦ don't know how to act

To all the niggas^✦ on the block slangin'^✦ crack

Rest in peace to my niggas^✦ on they back

To all the niggas^✦ who bust gat (If you's a live nigga)^✦

Technical Breakdown

8.6

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 / Rhythm8.0

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 Score8.55

Production

— Havoc

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Critic Analysis

RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Nas utilizes brutal, telegraphic syntax and high-density internal assonance to frame the Queensbridge housing projects as a theater of war, effectively mapping geopolitical instability onto urban geography.

9.5

Multisyllabic

9.5

Internal Rhymes

Cadence / Flow

Vocabulary

Wordplay

Delivery

Geopolitical metaphorInternal slant rhymeStaccato phrasingEnjambment

Rhyme Architecture: A highly dense chain of internal rhymes relying on 'e' and 'ee' vowel sounds (sweet, heat, teeth, deep, meet) anchored by a strong end-rhyme repetition that establishes a relentless, pressurized cadence.

Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Mediterranean, projects is like Kuwait"

① Refers to the luxurious, worldly aspirations of drug money often associated with Mediterranean lifestyles.② A grim geopolitical comparison of the Queensbridge projects to the conflict-ridden landscape of the Gulf War, highlighting the constant threat of violence.

Evocative imagery that captures the atmosphere of the era

Exceptional rhythmic economy

Thematic consistency in linking personal violence to global conflict

The brevity of the verse limits the narrative development compared to his longer storytelling pieces

Relies heavily on genre tropes of the 1996 era

User Scores

Notes

Nas and Mobb Deep at their most street-level. Havoc's grimy production fits perfectly