Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life
A Week Ago
Jay-Z
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
37
End
272
Internal
82
Multi
233
Slant
11
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Too $hort & Jay-Z]
It was cool when you had hella✦ weed to smoke
And you bought a new home, where you could keep the folks
I don't see how this side of you could be provoked✦
Uh-huh,✦ uh-huh,✦ it was all good just a week ago✦
Funny✦ what seven✦ days can change
A stand up nigga,✦ now you sit down to aim
Used✦ to have a firm grip, now you dropping✦ names✦
It was all good just a week ago✦
[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Like I put the toast to your head and made you sell
We both came in this game, blind as hell
I did a little better,✦ had more clientele
Told you "put away✦ some cheddar," now you cryin' for bail
Seventeen,✦ and I'm holdin'✦ on to around✦ a mill'
I could bail out, blow trial, and come around✦ on appeal✦
Had niggas✦ thinkin' I was from Uptown✦ for real
I had so much hustle, plus I was down to ill
Like a Brooklyn nigga,✦ straight out of Brownsville
Down and dirty,✦ down to fight to round 30
Freezin' on them corners, still holdin'✦ my crack
Lookin'✦ up and down the block, "the fuck is the dough at?"
Came from flat broke to lettin'✦ the dough stack
You tell them Feds I said, "I'm never✦ going back"
I'm from Marcy,✦ and Marcy✦ don't raise no rats
You know the consequences of your acts, you can't be serious
[Chorus: Too $hort & Jay-Z]
It was cool when you had hella✦ weed to smoke
And you bought a new home where you could keep the folks
I don't see how this side of you could be provoked✦
Uh-huh,✦ uh-huh,✦ it was all good just a week ago✦
Funny✦ what seven✦ days can change
A stand up nigga,✦ now you sit down to aim
Used✦ to have a firm grip, now you dropping✦ names✦
Shit was all good just a week ago✦
[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
The lawyer✦ I retained you, said you leakin'✦ some things
All this after✦ a week in the bing
I'm mad at myself, 'cause I didn't spot the weakling
I would've bet the house you wouldn't speak a thing
Nigga,✦ this was the oath – to the top or broke
Even✦ pricked our finger,✦ anything that got between✦ us
We supposed to cock the ninas✦ – what happened to that?
Instead you copped✦ out to a misdemeanor
Fuck it, the same thing make you laugh, make you cry (That's right)
The same game that make you math could make you die
(That's life) It's a dice game, and sometimes you crap
Who would've thought you'd get popped✦ one time and rat?
Now you know that's bad when your sister✦ is mad
And your son gotta✦ grow up, like, "This is my dad?"
The labeling of a snitch is a lifetime scar
You'll always✦ be in jail, nigga,✦ just minus✦ the bars
[Chorus: Too $hort & Jay-Z]
It was cool when you had hella✦ weed to smoke
And you bought a new home where you could keep the folks
I don't see how this side of you could be provoked✦
Uh-huh,✦ uh-huh,✦ it was all good just a week ago✦
Funny✦ what seven✦ days can change
A stand up nigga,✦ now you sit down to aim
Used✦ to have a firm grip, now you dropping✦ names✦
It was all good just a week ago✦
[Outro: Too $hort & Jay-Z]
Shit is crazy,✦ man
All these niggas✦ out here snitchin'✦
We was one step away✦ from takin'✦ this crack money✦
And recyclin' it through the ghettos
And buildin' back up our own hoods
Now all you niggas✦ start snitchin'✦ on each other✦
I got partners doin' 15-20
Wouldn'ta been doin' shit
If you didn't snitch, beatch!
It's about✦ time y'all check that shit out, man
It ain't all good, shut your mouth
Just watch the game
And don't snitch
We'd sure go a lot whole further
Believe that, baby✦
Jay-Z, Short Dawg's in the house, mane
You know I got it
Got it goin' on
We got the money✦
Ain't got nuthin'✦ to do with crime, baby✦
But I'm recognizin'
You rat bastard!
Technical Breakdown
8.3
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres7.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm9.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity7.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.34
Production
— J-RunnahBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Jay-Z utilizes narrative tension and internal rhyme density to establish a contrast between his calculated street survival and the erratic downfall of his peer, grounded in the era's mafioso-rap aesthetic.
A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
9
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
7
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Multisyllabic internal rhymingNarrative framingPhonetic mirroringColloquial imagery
Rhyme Architecture: The verse employs an AAAA, BBBB, CCCC, DDDD pattern structure with heavy internal slant rhymes (e.g., 'toast', 'toast', 'sold', 'hold') that drive the momentum forward in a conversational yet pressurized cadence.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"A stand up nigga, now you sit down to aim"
① A stand up person is someone reliable and honorable in street code.② He is now physically sitting down to shoot/snipe, which is considered cowardly or indicates he is trapped/cornered.
"I could bail out, blow trial, and come around on appeal"
① The literal legal process of posting bail and fighting a court case.② A display of financial superiority where the artist can afford the expensive legal maneuvers that separate the successful hustler from the one going to jail.
Consistent rhythmic pocket
High density of internal rhyme chains
Authentic delivery conveying character contrast
Strong narrative arc
Lack of complex metaphors
Relying on standard street-rap tropes
Predictable ending to the verse structure