The Black Album
Encore
Jay-Z
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
44
End
248
Internal
66
Multi
211
Slant
14
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You're far too kind
Now, can I get a encore?✦ Do you want more?
Cookin'✦ with the Brooklyn✦ boy
So for one last time I need y'all to roar
Now what the hell are you waitin'✦ for?
After✦ me, there shall be no more
So for one last time, make some noise!
Who you know fresher than Hov'? Riddle me that
The rest of y'all know where I'm lyrically at
Can't none of y'all mirror me back
Yeah, hearin'✦ me rap is like hearin'✦ G Rap in his prime
I'm Young H-O, rap's Grateful Dead
Back to take over✦ the globe, now break bread
I'm in Boeing jets, Global Express
Out the country, but the blueberry still connect
On the low, but the yacht got a triple deck
But when you Young, what the fuck you expect? Yep, yep
Grand openin',✦ grand closin'✦
Goddamn, your man Hov' cracked the can open✦ again✦
Who you gon' find doper✦ than him?
With no pen, just draw off inspiration✦
Soon you gonna✦ see you can't replace him
With cheap imitations✦ for these generations✦
Can I get an encore?✦ Do you want more?
Cookin'✦ with the Brooklyn✦ boy
So for one last time I need y'all to roar
What the hell are you waitin'✦ for?
Look what you made me do, look what I made for you
Knew if I paid my dues, how will they pay you?
When you first come in the game, they try to play you
Then you drop a couple of hits, look how they wave to you
From Marcy✦ to Madison Square
To the only✦ thing that matters in just a matter✦ of years (yeah)
As fate would have it, Jay's status appears
To be at an all-time high, perfect time to say goodbye
When I come back like Jordan✦
Wearin'✦ the 4-5, it ain't to play games✦ with you
It's to aim at you, probably maim you
If I owe you, I'm blowin'✦ you to smithereens
Sucker,✦ take one for your team!
And I need you to remember one thing (one thing)
I came, I saw, I conquered✦
From record✦ sales✦ to sold-out concerts
So, motherfucker, if you want this encore✦
I need you to scream 'til your lungs get sore
Owww! It's star time
This man is mean, he's killin'✦ all y'all jive turkeys
Do y'all want more of the Jigga✦ man?
Well, if y'all want more of the Jigga✦ man
Then I need y'all to help me bring him back to stage
Say "Hova!",✦ c'mon, say it!
Hova!✦ Hova!✦ Hova!✦ Are y'all out there?
Hova!✦ Hova!✦ Hova!✦
C'mon, louder!✦
Yeah, now see that's what I'm talking about✦
They love you, Jigga!✦ They love you, Jigga!✦
I like the way this one feel
It's so mother-✦ soulful, man!
(Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa-)
Hova!✦ Hova!✦ Hova!✦
So this here is the victory lap
Then I'm leavin',✦ that's how you get me back
After✦ a year of them 16's, it's 1.2
And that's 2.4, and I'm only✦ doin' two
You wanted✦ to gain attention,✦ new dudes✦
I can get you BET and TRL, too
You want to be in the public, send your budget✦
Well, f- it, I ain't budgin'✦
Young did it to death, you gotta✦ love it
Record✦ companies told me I couldn't cut it
Now look at me, all star-studded
Golfer✦ above✦ par like I putted✦
All 'cause the sh- I uttered✦ was utterly ridiculous
How sick is this?
You want to bang, send Kanye change
Send Just some dust, send Hip a grip
Then you gotta✦ spit a little somethin' like this
Technical Breakdown
8.7
Multisyllabic Rhymes7.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres7.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity6.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.72
Production
— Kanye WestBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Jay-Z masterfully utilizes the 'Encore' concept to create a self-referential cycle of legacy, balancing accessible stadium-chant energy with high-level internal rhyme density that justifies his stature as a rap icon.
A
7.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
7
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Internal Rhyme SaturationSelf-Referential NarrativePhonetic EchoingRhythmic Syncopation
Rhyme Architecture: A sophisticated AAAA/BBBB structure that relies on long vowel sounds ('-ore', '-at', '-eck') to create momentum, interspersed with dense multisyllabic internal clusters.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Grand openin', grand closin'"
① The literal act of opening and closing a business or store.② A metaphor for his dominance in the rap game: he enters the scene and effectively shuts it down by setting a standard that no one can compete with.
"Cracked the can open again"
① A reference to 'opening a can of whoop-ass'.② An allusion to the commercial nature of his success; he is 'opening the can' of hits once more to refresh the market.
Impeccable pocket placement
Stately, authoritative delivery
Strong structural arc from 'Encore' request to final mission statement
High internal rhyme density
Vocabulary remains somewhat standard for the era
Some punchlines rely more on delivery than deep subtext