Distant Relatives

Nah Mean

Nas

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

38

End

169

Internal

66

Multi

169

Slant

30

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 2: Nas]
We celebrate like I finished probation, boy-boy✦
Knotty✦ Head with no chaser,✦ boy-boy✦
From the mouth, I can spit out a razor,✦ boy-boy✦
Open✦ up your facial✦ like your boy Roy in his prime
Eat food, dinnertime, Jr. Gong, pass the Guinness
Handle business, black Velvet✦ sippers
Females never✦ bid us farewell, they with us
'Cause we arrive✦ on the scene just like a high beam, nah mean?
Don't let us have to make the 9 scream, nah mean?
At your racial✦ policin' regime,✦ nah mean?
Spiritual like a Elohim, nah mean?
In a casino✦ or a yacht, wherever I'm seen
My brothers and sisters are never✦ forgot,✦ nah mean?
Don't wanna✦ hear another✦ soldier drop, nah mean?
Another✦ dope addict get shot with the morphine✦
And Feds are indictin' my block, nah mean?
They're wearin'✦ red from they shoes to they top, nah mean?
I'm wishin'✦ that all the violence would stop, nah mean?!
[Verse 3: Damian Marley]
We nuh like the sound of siren,✦ nah mean?
And some bwoy soft like ice cream, nah mean?
From a bwoy mek the Feds intervene,✦ nah mean?
We send a bwoy go tek intravene,✦ nah mean?
Parabellum dem a itch up inna✦ spleen, nah mean?
Inna✦ Queens, gunman✦ reign Supreme, nah mean?
Kingstonians are real blood fiends, nah mean?
The world is a big crime scene, nah mean?
[Bridge: Damian Marley & Nas]
Yo, yo, Mr. President✦ (Yo, a-Mr. President)✦
What you doin' for my residents?✦
(What you doin' with my residents?)✦
Yo, Mr. Minister✦ (Mr. Minister)✦
Why you bein' sinister,✦ hey? (Hey)
Yo, yo, Mr. President✦ (Yo, yo, Mr. President)✦
What you doin' for my residents?✦
(What you doin' with my residents?)✦
Yo, Mr. Minister✦ (Mr. Minister)✦
Why you bein' sinister?✦
[Verse 4: Damian Marley]
Say man a di real Buffalo inna✦ Rastafari regime✦
Bush Bungalow is where mi dwell with mi queen
Trash to the bone down inna✦ camouflage green
Nuff a dem that can't go the places✦ we been
Nuff a dem that can't see the sights that we seen
That's why them face all a twist up and a lean, nah mean?
Dem better✦ mind we kick it off clean, nah mean?
Man a gangster just like Gambin',✦ dat mean
Dem can't serve "Congo✦ dread" court subpoen', nah mean?
A who you want come in convene,✦ nah mean?
Attorney haffi rock and come in, nah mean?
Mi pocket✦ dem green like Spiruline,✦ nah mean?
Mi regular fly out and fly in, nah mean?
The stadium pack like sardine,✦ nah mean?
Can't catch mi speed, a fassy✦ hole need caffeine,✦ nah mean?
Run out a breath and antihistamine✦ (Nah mean?)
Wash over✦ gold dem come in like Listerine✦ (Nah mean?)
You think a lie we badder✦ than Al Pacin'✦ (Nah mean?)
[Outro: Nas]
It's genocide,✦ it's a genocide✦
It's a genocide,✦ it's a genocide✦
Fifth floor, cookin'✦ raw, had my own supply✦
'Cause of capitalist ways, that was back in the days
So now I do rap and it pays

Technical Breakdown

8.6
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 Control8.0

Performance and control

Computed Score8.63

Production

— Damian Marley

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Nas utilizes a hypnotic, repetitive call-and-response refrain ('nah mean?') to anchor a complex, non-linear flow that bridges street reportage with spiritual commentary, effectively using cadence as a percussion instrument.

A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Anaphoric refrain (epistrophe)Multisyllabic internal rhyme chainsVocal layeringRhythmic syncopation against a static refrain
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on an insistent 'boy-boy' rhyme suffix followed by a pervasive 'ean' (long 'e' sound) mono-rhyme scheme that stretches across nearly the entire verse, unified by the constant 'nah mean?' refrain which serves as a structural heartbeat.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Open up your facial like your boy Roy in his prime"

① A direct physical threat to cause injury to the face.② A cultural reference to Roy Jones Jr.'s dominant boxing style, suggesting a knockout-caliber lyrical assault.

"Spiritual like a Elohim"

① A reference to the divine/God, indicating a higher level of consciousness or status.② A stylistic nod to the Five-Percent Nation/Nuwaubian terminology prevalent in 90s/00s New York hip-hop, establishing a 'God-body' posture.

"They're wearin' red from they shoes to they top"

① Literal description of gang attire (Bloods).② Metaphorical allusion to the 'bloody' nature of the environment or the literal blood spilled on the clothing of those in the lifestyle.

Exceptional rhythmic consistency

Effective use of the 'nah mean?' refrain to control the listener's anticipation

Strong command of multisyllabic pocket placement

Thematic unity between street survival and social critique

Occasional reliance on simpler rhyme endings to facilitate the 'nah mean?' structure

Some imagery lacks the dense metaphorical layering seen in Nas's earlier career output

The heavy repetition of the tag can overshadow more subtle lyrical innovations

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