Better Dayz
My Block (Nitty 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
8.9
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 Complexity7.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.2
Performance and control
Computed Score8.92
Production
— Easy Mo Bee, Frank “Nitty” PimentelBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
2Pac utilizes a high-velocity, emotionally raw delivery to ground the technical rhyme structures, prioritizing visceral reality over dense abstract metaphor to match the 1996 era's emphasis on street reportage.
A+
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
9.2
Delivery
Internal rhyme stackingMultisyllabic enjambmentEmotional cadence modulationNarrative arc consistency
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB/AABB flow with heavy internal assonance on long vowels (o/a) to maintain momentum, relying on a consistent rhythmic drive that emphasizes the punch of the end rhymes.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"suicidal with this Thug's Life"
① The literal risk of death caused by engaging in gang-related activity.② The philosophical nihilism of living a life centered on 'Thug Life', which inherently invites self-destruction.
"crack sales got me livin' well"
① Financial stability achieved through illicit drug commerce.② A sarcastic comment on the irony of 'living well' while existing in an environment defined by systemic peril.
Exceptional emotional resonance that enhances technical delivery
Strong narrative consistency
Effective use of internal rhyme to bridge complex multisyllabic thoughts
Wordplay is functional rather than layered
Lack of complex metaphorical abstraction compared to lyricists of the era like GZA or Nas
Relies heavily on thematic repetition