Taste of Chocolate
A Job Ain't Just Work
Big Daddy Kane
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
46
End
219
Internal
72
Multi
195
Slant
12
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 2]
Mo' money,✦ mo' money,✦ mo' money✦
Gotta✦ get made to get paid in this trade
And I believe✦ that I can achieve✦
To make ends meet like a hair weave
Survivin' in this economy, people in the world they gotta✦ be
Stayin' in the upper✦ class, so you're the path
The rich gets the most and the poor gets a little
And only✦ Monie Love can make it in the middle
I can't let life get the best of me
I gotta✦ take, take control✦ of my own destiny
Control✦ what I hold and of course be the boss of myself✦
No one else will bring me wealth
I gotta✦ hit them streets to make ends meet
So just bust the style of a hustler
Run a scam, 'cause damn, many✦ people pockets✦ get hurt
And a job ain't nothin'✦ but work
[Pre-Chorus]
Workin'✦ everyday✦
All the damn week
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work
Workin'✦ everyday✦
On the subway✦
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (That's what I said)
[Chorus]
Nothin'✦ but work (Work)
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (Give it to me now)
Uh, check it out, check it out
Work (Nothin'✦ but work), c'mon, c'mon
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (I need a break)
I need a break (I need a break)
A check it, check it, check it out
[Bridge]
No more workin'✦ overtime
You get yours and I'll get mine
I won't stop at any✦ cost
I won't stop 'til I'm the boss (Show 'em the way)
Workin'✦ (Alright, uh)
Workin'✦ (Come on, come on, come on, come on, yeah)
Workin'✦ everyday✦
All the damn week
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (Check it out)
Workin'✦ everyday✦ (Every✦ day)
On the subway✦ (Subway)✦
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (A job ain't nothin'✦ but work)
Juggling numbers
You get an hour
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (Said a job ain't nothin'✦ but work)
You're not respected
Your boss is trippin'
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (Said a job ain't nothin'✦ but work)
[Chorus]
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work (C'mon, c'mon)
Work (Yeah)
Work
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work
You got to work (Come on)
Come on, come on, come on, come on
A job ain't nothin'✦ but work
You got to work (Give it to me now), I need a break
I need a break
When you work, sometimes✦ you sweat
And when you sweat you're gonna✦ get wet
I need a break, I need a break (Check it, check it out)
[Verse 3]
Straight outta✦ the ghetto
Not out of Beverly Hills or Flushing Meadows
Yet through, I made it this far and had to gamble, scramble, peddle
Ain't no shame in my game and I came through like a thoroughbred
But still there's✦ more ahead
I'm not the greedy,✦ I'm the needy✦ seekin'✦ a financial status
That put my pockets✦ to be the fattest
I don't wanna✦ be employed when times✦ are hard
I'm so against workin'✦ I wouldn't even✦ take a blowjob
I'd rather✦ do my own thing
I gotta✦ be the one in charge to make myself✦ live large
A J-O-B is not for me, I don't want no parts of it
So take this job and shove it
[Outro]
When you work, sometimes✦ you sweat
And when you sweat you're gonna✦ get wet
When you're wet, when, when you're wet (Don't give up)
Keep on rockin',✦ hey-hey✦
When you work, sometimes✦ you sweat
And when you sweat you're gonna✦ get wet
When you work, sometimes✦ you sweat
And when you sweat you're gonna✦ get wet
Technical Breakdown
8.1
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres5.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity5.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control7.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.08
Production
— Big Daddy Kane, Lo-Key?Be the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Big Daddy Kane utilizes his signature rhythmic pocket and internal rhyme density to elevate a relatively straightforward socio-economic narrative, turning standard observations into a fluid, propulsive performance.
A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
5
Vocabulary
5.5
Wordplay
7
Delivery
internal rhyme chainingrhythmic syncopationAABB-adjacent couplet structuresthematic anchoring
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies heavily on dense internal rhyming (e.g., 'made/paid/trade', 'achieve/weave') coupled with steady end-rhyme chains, maintaining a consistent 4/4 pocket throughout.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"To make ends meet like a hair weave"
① The idiomatic expression of earning enough money to cover one's basic financial necessities.② A literal reference to the physical process of joining two sections of hair together to complete an extension or weave.
"A job ain't nothin' but work"
① A redundant statement reinforcing the grueling nature of employment.② A subversion of the common phrase 'it's just a job,' suggesting that employment offers no deeper value or satisfaction, only the labor itself.
Exceptional rhythmic consistency and flow
High density of internal rhymes providing a percussive quality
Strong vocal presence that commands the track
Effective use of repetitive structures to reinforce the song's theme
Lyricism leans toward colloquial truisms rather than complex metaphorical abstraction
Lack of high-tier wordplay or complex multi-layered entendres
Thematically predictable for the era's social commentary standard