The Slim Shady LP
Bad Meets Evil
Eminem
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
16
End
165
Internal
71
Multi
212
Slant
9
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Eminem & Royce Da 5'9"]
'Cause this is what happens✦ when Bad meets Evil✦
We hit the trees 'til we look like Vietnamese✦ people
He's Evil,✦ and I'm Bad like Steve Seagal✦
Above✦ the law 'cause I don't agree with police✦ either✦
Shit, me neither
[Verse 2: Eminem & Royce Da 5'9"]
We ain't eager✦ to be legal✦
So please leave me with the keys to your Jeep Eagle
I breathe ether✦ in three lethal✦ amounts
While I stab myself in the knee with a diseased needle (Ahh)
Releasin' rage on anybody in squeezin'✦ range
Cold enough✦ to make the seasons change into✦ freezin'✦ rain
(He's insane)✦ No I'm not, I just want to shoot up
And I'm pissed✦ off, 'cause I can't find a decent vein
The disaster with dreads, I'm bad enough✦ to commit✦ suicide
And survive long enough✦ to kill my soul after✦ I'm dead
When in danger,✦ it's funny,✦ actually my flavor's similar to a waiter✦
'Cause I serve any✦ stranger with money✦
I spray a hundred, man, until✦ they joint chains
While slippin'✦ bullets at point-blank range like they was punches
Piss on a flag and burn it, murder✦ you then come to your funeral
Service lobby✦ and strangle your body✦ to confirm it
Whippin'✦ human✦ ass, throwin' blows, crackin' jaws
With my fists wrapped in gauze, dipped✦ in glue and glass
I'm blazin'✦ emcees,✦ at the same time amazin'✦ emcees✦
Somehow, emcees✦ ain't that eyebrow-raisin' to me
From all of angles✦ of us, flash a MAC loud enough✦
To cast a avalanche and bust 'til volcanoes erupt
[Interlude: Eminem]
Hello?✦ (Billy?)✦
Ayo, what’s up? (We're comin'✦ to get you)
Stop, they know it's us
[Verse 3: Eminem & Royce Da 5'9"]
I used✦ to be a loudmouth, remember me? (Uh-uh)✦
I'm the one who burned✦ your house down (Oh)
Well, I'm out now (Shit)
And this time, I'm comin'✦ back to blow your house up
And I ain't gon' leave you with a window✦ to jump out of
Give me two fat tabs and three shrooms
And you won't see me, like fat people in steam rooms
And when I go to hell and I'm gettin'✦ ready✦ to leave
I'ma put air in a bag and charge people to breathe
[Chorus: Royce Da 5'9" & Eminem]
'Cause this is what happens✦ when Bad meets Evil✦
And we hit the trees 'til we look like Vietnamese✦ people
He's Evil,✦ and I'm Bad like Steve Seagal✦
Against peaceful, see you in Hell for the sequel✦
(We'll be waiting) See you in Hell (Uh-huh)✦
Wall Street (Yup), Royce Da 5'9", Slim Shady✦ (Uh)
See you in Hell for the sequel✦ (Bye-bye)
Bad Meets Evil,✦ what? (Until✦ next time)
[Outro: Cowboy (Jeff Bass)]
And so, that's the story✦ of when Bad meets Evil✦
Two of the most wanted✦ individuals in the county✦
Made Jesse James✦ and Billy✦ the Kid look like law-abiding citizens
It's too bad they had to go out the way they did
Got shot in the back comin'✦ out of that old saloon✦
But their spirits still live on 'til this day
Shh, wait, did y'all hear that?
Technical Breakdown
8.7
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm8.5
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 Score8.73
Production
— Bass Brothers, EminemBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
The verse utilizes extreme internal multisyllabic rhyming structures and shock-value lyrical content to establish a 'Bad Meets Evil' persona defined by nihilistic intensity and technical precision.
A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
8.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
8
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Multisyllabic rhyme chainsInternal rhyme densityShock-value imageryEnjambment for rhythmic tension
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on a dominant 'ee-uhl' vowel sound scheme (legal, eagle, lethal, needle, people) sustained throughout the intro and initial bars, transitioning into dense multi-syllabic strings focused on percussive 'ai' and 'oh' sounds.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Above the law 'cause I don't agree with police either"
① A reference to the Steven Seagal film 'Above the Law', establishing the character's tough persona.② A literal statement of anti-authoritarian sentiment where the speaker places themselves outside the reach of the law.
"I serve any stranger with money"
① A literal reference to a waiter's job, serving food to customers.② A violent metaphor where the speaker 'serves' (shoots or attacks) anyone who has 'money' (who is a target).
"Kill my soul after I'm dead"
① A surrealistic take on extreme violence, suggesting an afterlife of persistent suffering.② A hyperbolic expression of nihilism where the destruction of the self extends beyond biological death.
Unrivaled density of internal rhymes
High-energy, aggressive vocal delivery
Cohesive maintenance of thematic nihilism
Advanced phonetic manipulation of multisyllabic strings
High reliance on hyperbole and shock value
Occasional narrative fragmentation due to rhyme obsession
Some metaphors are forced for the sake of rhyme completion