Better Dayz
My Block (Remix)
2Pac
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
57
End
219
Internal
92
Multi
339
Slant
14
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Hook]
Livin'✦ life is but a dream
Hard times✦ is all we seen (on my block)
Every✦ block is kind of mean
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
[Verse 2]
Now shit's constantly hot on my block
It never✦ fails to be gunshots
Can't explain✦ a mother's✦ pain when her son drops
Black males✦ livin'✦ in hell, when will we prevail?
Fearin'✦ jail, but crack sales✦ got me livin'✦ well
And in a sense I'm suicidal with this Thug's Life
Stayin' strapped,✦ forever trapped✦ in this drug life
God, help me, ‘cause I'm starvin', can't get a job
So I resort to violent robberies,✦ my life is hard
Can't sleep ‘cause all the dirt make my heart hurt
Put in work and shed tears for my dead peers
Mislead from childhood where I went astray✦
'Til this day I still pray for a better✦ way
Can't help but feel hopeless✦ and heartbroke
From the start, I felt the racism ‘cause I'm dark
Couldn't quit, the bullshit make me represent✦
Hit the bar and played the star everywhere I went
In my heart I felt alone,✦ out here on my own
I close my eyes and picture home – on my block
[Hook]
Livin'✦ life is but a dream
Hard times✦ is all we seen (on my block)
Every✦ block is kind of mean
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
[Verse 3]
And I can't help but wonder✦ why so many✦ young kids had to die
Caught strays from AK's in a drive-by
Swollen pride and homicide✦ don't coincide✦
Brothers✦ cry for broken✦ lives✦ – Mama,✦ come inside!✦
‘Cause our block is filled✦ with danger✦
Used✦ to be a close knit community
But now we're all cold strangers
Time changes us as to stone, them crack pipes✦
All up and down the block exterminatin' black life
But I can't blame the dealers; my mama's✦ welfare check has brought the next man chrome wheels
Shit's real, I know you feel my tragedy
A single mother✦ with a problem child, daddy✦ free
Hangin'✦ out, pickin'✦ up game, sippin'✦ cheap liquor
Gamin'✦ the hoochies,✦ hopin'✦ I can get to sleep with her
It's a man's world, stayin' strapped✦
Fantasies✦ of a nigga✦ livin'✦ phat but held back
Pipe dreams can make the night seem hopeless✦
Wide eyed and losin'✦ focus – on my block
[Hook]
Livin'✦ life is but a dream
Hard times✦ is all we seen (on my block)
Every✦ block is kind of mean
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
[Verse 4]
And block parties✦ in the projects lastin'✦ way past daylight
A young nigga✦ learned to break night
Used✦ to play fight with my homies,✦ but they stuck in the pen'
I send them ends, but it's tough on a friend
In my mind I see the same motherfuckers✦ ballin'✦
Alcohol will make a lazy✦ nigga✦ slip and fall, miss his call
I know the young niggas✦ understand this
Growin'✦ up in this world where everything is scandalous
I reminisce on the fast times,✦ past crimes✦
Tryin' to cop a slice of pizza✦ with my last dime
Can't explain,✦ just what attracts me to this dirty✦ game
Gold chains, some extra✦ change, and the street fame
And what's strange is everybody know my name
Swear they all know me, and lots of cash make a nigga✦ change
I hit the green just to maintain,✦ feelin'✦ pain
For all the niggas✦ that I lost to the game – from my block
[Hook]
Livin'✦ life is but a dream
Hard times✦ is all we seen (on my block)
Every✦ block is kind of mean
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
But on the block we still pray
[Outro]
Rest in peace to all the motherfuckers✦ that passed✦ away✦
From all the blocks that I'm from
112 street, 7th Avenue,✦ New York, Uptown,✦ knahmsayin'?
183rd and Walt, my block – that's right
122nd and Morningside,✦ my block – that's right
Decatur Avenue,✦ Baltimore, my block – that's right
And the Jungle, Marin✦ City,✦ that's my block – that's right
Los Angeles, haha✦ – that's my block too
Oakland, can't forget✦ Oaktown – that's my block for sure
And all the other✦ blocks around this motherfucker
Houston, Florida, St. Louis, Tennessee, Miami, Chicago
All y'all niggas✦ stay kickin'✦ up dust
Represent✦ the motherfuckin' block
Technical Breakdown
9.0
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres7.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity7.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.98
Production
— Easy Mo Bee, Frank "Nitty" PimentelBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
2Pac uses a masterful blend of visceral imagery and rhythmic consistency to elevate the narrative of urban struggle, relying on raw emotional delivery over complex linguistic puzzles.
A+
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
9
Delivery
End-rhyme consistencyMultisyllabic narrative structuresInternal rhyme densityEmotional cadence modulation
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB / AAAA monorhyme focus, utilizing consistent vowel sounds at the end of every line to create a sense of entrapment and repetitive cycle, common in early 90s West Coast storytelling.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"suicidal with this Thug's Life"
① The literal sense of hopelessness and self-destructive behavior brought on by his circumstances.② A meta-commentary on the 'Thug Life' lifestyle being a slow-motion form of social and physical suicide.
"hit the bar"
① Physical act of going to a tavern or drinking establishment.② A figurative or literal 'hitting' of the bars of a cell, reflecting the cycle of incarceration alluded to throughout the verse.
High level of emotional transparency and relatability
Excellent rhythmic pocket and cadence control
Cohesive thematic narrative arc
Limited vocabulary range relative to modern standards
Lower degree of metaphorical complexity compared to dense lyricists of the era