Better Dayz
This Life I Lead
2Pac
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
44
End
248
Internal
124
Multi
345
Slant
12
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 2: Young Noble]
I ain't a killer✦ but don't push me, dawg
For the family✦ I'll send that ass straight to God
In this life I lead, I seen the most of my twenty-three years
When vision✦ is blurry,✦ the money✦ is clear
Some of my peers eternally will sleep in a coffin✦
And when Nob' on the road, I'm extremely cautious
It happen✦ that fast, split second you gone
At the top of my tombstone put "Nob' was raw"
Outlaw✦ 'til I'm under✦ the floor, for Kadafi✦ the Prince
I stack dough like I clocked all the bricks
With a watch on my wrist, dawg, I know the time these days
We Outlawz,✦ we gon' die this way nigga✦ (nigga)✦
We already in the history books, Pac made sure of that
Whatever you took, we takin'✦ it back
You know it's all for the foundation✦
Outlawz,✦ we still buildin' the Thug Nation;✦ holla✦ at ya homie!
[Chorus: 2Pac]
In this life I lead, fiend for currency,✦ get high off weed
Collect✦ G's, make my enemies✦ bleed
When you see me, nigga,✦ holla✦ my set!
And watch 'em ride, Outlaw✦ motherfuckers✦ 'til we die
In this life I lead, fiend for currency,✦ get high off weed
Collect✦ G's, make my enemies✦ bleed
When you see me, nigga,✦ holla✦ my set!
And watch 'em ride, Outlaw✦ motherfuckers✦
'Til we die, in this life I lead
[Verse 3: Napoleon]
It ain't nothin'✦ but in-between nuts, oxygen✦ is gettin'✦ hot
Got a problem, old fag-ass✦ nigga,✦ kick rocks
*Bin Laden*✦ on the phone and that nigga✦ talkin'✦ crazy✦
I don't know who to blame, him or *Bush* for killin'✦ babies✦
I'm a New Jerz' Devil,✦ the street, creative rebel✦
Only✦ got one shot to produce on every✦ level✦
This is bags I must, go the max I must
Nigga,✦ I came from not much, so money✦ I clutch
Uh-uh, Napoleon the strength of the strong-arm
When they think they was in the right
I prove they movin'✦ wrong
I'm a hardcore product of the ghetto✦
Been blessed fo' sho' to eat from out the ghetto✦
I maneuver, in the right lane, quick to push back brains
Switchin' to the left lane, I'm playin' my hands
And I'm plottin' on the fortune, it's gettin'✦ hot and scorchin'
I'm diggin'✦ like a scorpion✦ that torture they enemies✦
[Chorus: 2Pac]
In this life I lead, fiend for currency,✦ get high off weed
Collect✦ G's, make my enemies✦ bleed
When you see me, nigga,✦ holla✦ my set!
And watch 'em ride, Outlaw✦ motherfuckers✦ 'til we die
In this life I lead, fiend for currency,✦ get high off weed
Collect✦ G's, make my enemies✦ bleed
When you see me, nigga,✦ holla✦ my set!
And watch 'em ride, Outlaw✦ motherfuckers✦
'Til we die, in this life I lead
[Verse 4: Kastro]
Now with this Outlaw✦ lifestyle that I been introduced to
Money✦ and hoes keep us closer✦ to Lucifer
Steady✦ seducin' us and now I'm all for it
This the life for me and the law can't spoil it
So you can call it what the fuck you want
But I'm a ballin'✦ alcholic with a sawed-off pump
My momma✦ ain't raised✦ no punk; and neither did 'Pac
So when it jump off, I breathe for Yak'
Been puttin'✦ in work, so I walk with a bop
And it ain't safe at home, so I sleep with a Glock (no mistakes)
Thug livin',✦ uhh, what the fuck'd be better?✦
I do my dirt with the family✦ so we dyin' together
[Verse 5: E.D.I.]
We on a mission✦ for mo', gangsta shit on you hoes
We ain't fuckin'✦ with you most
Just crooks and niggas✦ about✦ they flow
Tryin' to live Godzilla
E.D.I.✦ went from a Bad Boy to an anybody✦ killer✦
Look out, wanted✦ man, guns in hand, stand firm
Nuts and my pride, now let's burn
Bound to the fam going down swingin'
Holding my ground, now we the last ones✦ breathin'
Won't stop until✦ we even✦ deep in the trenches
So many✦ killings it's senseless
So in this life I lead, I stay protected
By God, my squad, and this thing in my palm
Now all my hustlin' motherfuckers,✦ get your money,✦ sing along✦
[Chorus: 2Pac]
In this life I lead, fiend for currency,✦ get high off weed
Collect✦ G's, make my enemies✦ bleed
When you see me, nigga,✦ holla✦ my set!
And watch 'em ride, Outlaw✦ motherfuckers✦ 'til we die
In this life I lead, fiend for currency,✦ get high off weed
Collect✦ G's, make my enemies✦ bleed
When you see me, nigga,✦ holla✦ my set!
And watch 'em ride, Outlaw✦ motherfuckers✦
'Til we die, in this life I lead
[Outro: 2Pac]
This motherfuckin' life I lead, nigga✦
You know what time it is
Westside,✦ Death Row
(Dogg Pound) e'rybody✦ killer✦
Bad Boy killer,✦ So So Def killer✦
Thug Life, Death Row
E'rybody✦ killer;✦ fuck all y'all niggas!✦
If it ain't Westside,✦ nigga,✦ it ain't poppin'✦
That's on my mama✦
Technical Breakdown
8.7
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
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 Control7.5
Performance and control
Computed Score8.72
Production
— Johnny JBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Young Noble utilizes grounded, visceral storytelling and rhythmic consistency to anchor the Outlawz' collective identity, prioritizing thematic cohesion and raw, street-level urgency over complex lyrical gymnastics.
A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
7.5
Delivery
Multisyllabic internal rhyme chainsThematic anchoringConversational cadence shiftingStaccato delivery
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB/couplet-based structures with high density of internal assonance (e.g., 'peers/sleep/years/clear'), creating a relentless forward momentum typical of the Death Row era.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"When vision is blurry, the money is clear"
① The literal, hedonistic, or stress-induced confusion of life in the streets.② The singular focus on financial accumulation remains constant despite surrounding chaos or lack of clarity regarding his future.
"I know the time these days"
① He is aware of the current date and time due to the watch on his wrist.② He possesses the street-smart awareness of the dangers and life-or-death stakes of his environment.
Exceptional rhythmic consistency within the pocket
Strong integration of persona and group identity
Effective use of contrast between thematic nihilism and clear-eyed ambition
Occasional reliance on genre-standard tropes (money/death)
Limited usage of abstract or complex figurative language
Punchlines rely more on assertive delivery than witty subversion