R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
Life of an Outlaw
2Pac
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
40
End
220
Internal
98
Multi
332
Slant
10
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Outlawz]
In the life we live as thugs
Everybody✦ fuckin'✦ with us so can't you see
It's hard to be a man
Ridin'✦ with my guns in hand
[Verse 2: Makaveli]
Code 3: attack✦ formation,✦ pull out your pistols
Keep an eye out for the devils 'cause they itchin'✦ to get you
Merciless madman,✦ screamin' kamikaze in tongue
Automatic gunfire, makin'✦ all my enemies✦ run
Who should I call when I'm shot and bleedin'?
Indeed✦ a possibility that's part of chasin'✦ cream, dope got me hatin'✦ fiends
Scheme with my team, just a chosen✦ few
My foes victim of explosives, come closer✦ exhale✦ the fumes✦
We got memories,✦ fadin'✦ fast
A slave for cash accelerate, mash, blast, then dash
Don't look now! How you like it, raw?
Niggas✦ ain't ready✦ for the wrath of the Outlawz
Never✦ surrender,✦ death before✦ dishonor, stay free
I'm thugged out, fuck the world 'cause this is how they made me
Scarred but still breathin'✦ believe in me and you could see the victory
A warrior in jewels, will you picture✦ me?
Life of an outlaw✦
[Chorus: Outlawz]
In the life we live as thugs (No doubt)
Everybody✦ fuckin'✦ with us (Yes!), so can't you see (Life of an outlaw)✦
It's hard to be a man (Soldiers in position,✦ attack✦ formation)✦
Ridin'✦ with my guns in hand
(No retreat, no surrender)✦
[Verse 3: Young Noble]
City✦ under✦ siege, it's like I can't even✦ breathe
I'm from the state of car thieves G.E.D. from the streets
Plenty✦ beef I play for keeps, arrange the whole crime scene
Mobb peep! They sneak up from behind✦ tryna✦ creep
No halfs with no straps, jack, it's on to bounce back
An ounce of wrath so bad, it snatched my style on death
Tell the gripper I was sent to get ya, snip with clippers
Get the picture,✦ I wrote my life down as a scripture✦
[Verse 4: E.D.I. Mean]
And still I'm lost in the land of the lonely✦ where ain't nobody✦ holy✦
A matter✦ of a fact, we unholy,✦ everybody✦ livin'✦ soley✦
For themselves, too high strung to lend help to somebody✦ who be needin'✦ it
You know we lost hope and he needin'✦ it but the evil✦ it's forever
But I'm rappin'✦ low down, scandalous like a tramp is
All for the street fame on how to be managed
To plan shit six months in advanced to what we plotted
Approached the goal on swole and now I got it
[Verse 5: Kastro]
Uh, I crack my window,✦ knowin'✦ they'd love to catch Kastro✦ sleepin'✦
Attach a strap under✦ my pillow,✦ hand to hand like we freakin'
Creepin'✦ deep into✦ the mornin',✦ peepin'✦ out the weak while they yawnin'✦
And let my clout speak for itself
No doubt, outlaw,✦ outta✦ my mind outta✦ time you're all blind
Some kind of life of mine if K-Dog don't mind
Findin'✦ it funny,✦ matter✦ of fact, 'cause it is perhaps
Finally I'll adapt to it, over✦ the years as an outlaw✦
[Bridge: Makaveli & Napoleon]
Ayy, Napoleon
What's up, nigga?✦
Would you die for me, nigga?✦
Hell yeah
Would you kill for me, nigga?✦
On my grandmother, nigga✦
Ayo
What's up
Let's ride on them stupid bitches right now
Watch out
[Verse 6: Napolean]
Well, now they all say that vultures and parasites, snakes✦ are all alike✦
Thug life break night, drink 'til we fist fight
Life or death but you can't win with a vest
Won't be no breathin'✦ for the reason, punk bitch on your breath
I see day is dark, and I admit✦ it's dark
So chase on the ave., hide your stash, beware✦ from them marks
Ayo, Makaveli, give me them bullets that was left up in your belly✦
And let me bust back to them niggas✦ 'til they cold and sweaty✦
[Chorus: Outlawz]
In the life we live as thugs
Everybody✦ fuckin'✦ with us so can't you see
It's hard to be a man
Ridin'✦ with my guns in hand
In the life we live as thugs
Everybody✦ fuckin'✦ with us so can't you see
It's hard to be a man
Ridin'✦ with my guns in hand
In the life we live as thugs
Everybody✦ fuckin'✦ with us so can't you see
It's hard to be a man
Ridin'✦ with my guns in hand
In the life we live as thugs
Everybody✦ fuckin'✦ with us so can't you see
It's hard to be a man
Ridin'✦ with my guns in hand
Technical Breakdown
8.7
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 / Rhythm9.0
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 Score8.74
Production
— 2Pac, Darryl HarperBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Pac utilizes a rapid-fire, high-tension cadence that mirrors the 'Code 3' attack theme, blending narrative urgency with a gritty, hyper-focused rhythmic delivery typical of his 1996 Makaveli period.
A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
9
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Aggressive percussive consonantsMultisyllabic internal rhyme chainsThematic cadence shiftingPhonetic mirroring
Rhyme Architecture: Complex AABB-style multis paired with aggressive internal rhyming; the scheme shifts from military-themed cadence to a more melodic, desperate flow during the 'shot and bleedin' segment.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Indeed a possibility that's part of chasin' cream"
① The literal pursuit of money/profit as a criminal lifestyle.② A play on 'Indeed' rhyming with 'in need', suggesting the existential necessity of the crime lifestyle.
"A warrior in jewels, will you picture me?"
① Literal description of his expensive jewelry (thug wealth).② Metaphorical reference to being a 'diamond in the rough' or a prized fighter standing out amidst the conflict.
Superior breath control and intensity
Strong thematic cohesion between the 'Code 3' imagery and lyrical urgency
Effective use of assonance to link disparate imagery
Occasional reliance on genre-standard tropes (thug/gun/cash) rather than highly unique narrative subversions
Dense internal rhyming occasionally crowds the clarity of the primary narrative message