The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

To Live & Die In L.A.

2 Pac

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

41

End

249

Internal

110

Multi

342

Slant

17

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
verse
Street science you're on the air
What do you feel when you hear a record✦ like Tupac's✦ new one?
I love Tupac's✦ new record✦
Right, but don't you feel like that creates, uh, tension between east and west?
He's talking✦ about✦ killing people, I had sex with your wife
And not in those words, but he's talking✦ about✦ I wanna✦ see you deceased
No doubt
To live and die in L.A. (California)✦
Don't matter✦ what you say about✦ Los Angeles
Still the only✦ place for me (it never✦ rains in southern California)✦
To live and die in L.A
Where everyday we try to fatten'✦ our pockets
Us niggas✦ hustle for the cash so it's hard to knock it
Everybody✦ got their own thing, currency chasin'✦
World wide through the hard times,✦ worrying faces✦
Shed tears as we bury✦ niggas✦ close to heart
What was a friend, now a ghost in the dark
Cold hearted 'bout it, nigga✦ got smoked✦ by a fiend
Tryna✦ floss on em', blind to a broken✦ man's dream
A hard lesson,✦ court cases✦ keep 'em guessin'✦
Plea bargain ain't an option✦ now, so I'm stressin'✦
Cost me more to be free than a life in the penn
Making✦ money✦ off of cuss words, writin'✦ again✦
Learn how to think ahead, so I fight with my pen
Late night down sunset,✦ like in a sin
What's the worst they could do to a nigga✦
Got me lost in hell, to live and die in L.A. on bail
My angels✦ sing
chorus✦
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be (and my angels✦ go)
You've got to be there to know it
Where everybody✦ wanna✦ see (to live and die in L.A.)
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be
You've got to be there to know it
Everybody✦ wanna✦ see
verse
It's the cities✦ of angels✦ and constant danger✦
South central L.A. can't get no stranger
Full of drama✦ like a soap opera✦
On the curb watching the ghetto✦ bird helicopters
I observe so many✦ niggas✦
Gettin'✦ three strikes, tossed✦ in jail
Swear the penn's right across✦ from hell
I can't cry, cause it's home now
I'm just a nigga✦ on his own now
Livin'✦ life thug style, so I can't smile
Writin'✦ to my peoples when they ask for pictures
Thinkin' Cali'✦ just fun and bitches
(Hahaha)✦
Better✦ learn about✦ the dress code B's and C's
All them other✦ niggas✦ copycats, these is G's
I love Cali'✦ like I love women✦
'Cause every✦ nigga✦ in L.A. got a little bit of thug in em'
We might fight amongst each other,✦ but I promise you this
We'll burn this bitch down, get us pissed✦
To live and die in L.A
chorus✦
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be (let my angel✦ sing)
You've got to be there to know it
Where everybody✦ wanna✦ see (to live and die in L.A.)
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be (to live and die in L.A.)
You've got to be there to know it
Everybody✦ wanna✦ see
verse
It wouldn't be L.A. without✦ Mexicans
Black love, brown pride, and the sex again✦
Pete Wilson✦ tryin' to see us all broke
I'm on some bullshit
Out for everything they owe, remember K day
Weekends, crenshaw, MLK
Automatics rang free, niggas✦ lost they way
Gang signs bein' shown, nigga✦ love yo' hood
But recognize, and it's all good
Where the weed at? niggas✦ gettin'✦ shermed out
Snoop Dogg in this motherfucker burned✦ out
M-O-B
Big Suge in the lo-lo,✦ bounce and turn
Dogg pound in the lex, with an ounce to burn
Got them watts niggas✦ with me, OFCP
They got some hash, took the stash
Left the rest for me
Neckbone, Dre, Heron,✦ Bungy✦ too
Big rock got knocked, but this one's✦ for you
I hit the studio✦ and drop a jewel,✦ hoping✦ it pay
Gettin'✦ high watchin' time fly
To live and die in L.A
chorus✦
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be (let my angel✦ sing)
You've got to be there to know it
Where everybody✦ wanna✦ see
To live and die in L.A., it's the place to be (to live and die in L.A.)
You've got to be there to know it
Everybody✦ wanna✦ see
outro✦
This goes out for 92.3, 106
All the radio✦ stations that be bumpin'✦ my shit
Makin'✦ my shit sell quadruple, quadrople, platinum
This goes out to all the magazines that support a nigga✦
All the real motherfuckers✦
All the stores,✦ the mom and pop spots
A and R people, all y'all motherfuckers✦
L.A. California✦ love
Part motherfuckin' two without✦ gay ass Dre

Technical Breakdown

9.0
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm10.0

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 Score8.98

Production

— Quincy Jones III

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Tupac utilizes a conversational, docudrama-style flow that bridges social commentary with visceral storytelling, relying on authentic cadence over complex lexical acrobatics.

A+
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Conversational intro/outroMultisyllabic internal rhymingSociopolitical narrative groundingRhythmic enjambment
Rhyme Architecture: Complex internal rhyming paired with consistent AABB end-rhyme couplets that maintain a steady 4/4 time signature pocket.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Cost me more to be free than a life in the penn"

① Literal cost of legal fees and lifestyle expenses required to maintain personal liberty.② The existential and emotional 'price' of freedom, suggesting that the struggles of his environment are psychologically heavier than incarceration.

"What was a friend, now a ghost in the dark"

① A former associate who has passed away.② A former associate who has become distant or untrustworthy, metaphorically dead to the narrator's social circle.

Exceptional rhythmic placement of rhymes on the beat

Authentic, high-stakes narrative delivery

Strong structural cohesion between the skit intro and the lyrical body

Effective use of emotive vernacular

Limited usage of high-level metaphor

Relying more on descriptive realism than abstract wordplay

Some rhyme pairings are functional rather than revelatory

User Scores