Hip Hop Is Dead

Hip Hop Is Dead

Nas

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

15

End

117

Internal

61

Multi

175

Slant

7

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Nas & will.i.am]
If hip hop should die before✦ I wake
I'll put an extended✦ clip and body✦ 'em all day
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
If hip hop should die before✦ I wake
I'll load an extended✦ clip and body✦ 'em all day
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
(Hip hop just died this morning✦
And she's dead, she's dead)
[Verse 2: Nas]
The bigger✦ the cap, the bigger✦ the peeling
Come through, something ill, missing the ceiling
What influenced my raps? Stick-ups and killings
Kidnappings, project buildings, drug dealings
Criticize✦ that – why's that?
'Cause Nas rap is compared to legitimized crack
'Cause we love to talk on nasty✦ chickens
Most intellectuals will only✦ half-listen
So you can't blame jazz musicians
Or David Stern with his NBA fashion✦ issues✦
"Oh, I think they like me, in my white tee"
You can't ice me, we here for life, B
On my second marriage, hip hop's my first wifey✦
And for that, we not taking it lightly
If hip hop should die, we die together✦
Bodies✦ in the morgue lie together,✦ all together✦ now
[Chorus: Nas & will.i.am]
If hip hop should die before✦ I wake
I'll put an extended✦ clip and body✦ 'em all day
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
If hip hop should die before✦ I wake
I'll load an extended✦ clip and body✦ 'em all day
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
Roll to every✦ station,✦ wreck the DJ
(Hip hop just died this morning✦
Hip hop just died this morning✦
Hip hop just died this morning✦
And she's dead, she's dead)
[Verse 3: Nas]
Everybody sound the same, commercialize✦ the game
Reminiscing when it wasn't all business
It forgot where it started✦
So we all gather✦ here for the dearly✦ departed✦
Hip-hopper, since a toddler
One homeboy became✦ a man, then a mobster
If it dies, let me get my last swig of vodka✦
R.I.P. – we'll donate✦ your lungs to a rasta✦
Went from turntables to MP3's
From Beat Street to commercials✦ on Mickey✦ D's
From gold cables✦ to Jacob's
From plain facials✦ to Botox and face lifts
I'm looking over✦ my shoulder
It's about✦ 80 people from my hood that showed✦ up
And they came to show love
Sold out concert and the doors are closed✦ shut

Technical Breakdown

7.7
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 / Rhythm7.5

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity7.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control7.5

Performance and control

Computed Score7.66

Production

— will.i.am

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Nas uses his signature street-level reportage to bridge the gap between cultural commentary and legacy preservation, leaning on a punchy, mid-tempo delivery to emphasize the grit of his content.

B+
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
7.5
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
7.5
Delivery
AssonanceMultisyllabic rhyme stringsInternal rhyme chainsCultural allusion
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on strong AAAA internal patterns followed by distinct couplets, using AABB structure to anchor the flow, particularly evident in the 'killings/buildings/dealings' tri-rhyme.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Nas rap is compared to legitimized crack"

① His music is as highly addictive as narcotics.② His music, like crack, is a commodity that is unfairly criminalized or scrutinized by the establishment.

"You can't ice me"

① You cannot kill me or stop my progress.② You cannot disregard or 'freeze out' my influence in the culture.

Excellent use of rhythmic internal rhyme chains

Strong, authoritative vocal cadence that commands listener attention

Clear, incisive cultural critique regarding the state of hip-hop

Effective use of 'staccato' delivery to match the thematic intensity

Some metaphors remain surface-level compared to his 'Illmatic' era

Occasional filler phrases to accommodate the rhyme scheme

Reliance on established tropes rather than subverting them

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