Street's Disciple

Bridging the Gap

Nas

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

End

140

Internal

Multi

154

Slant

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight

[Chorus/Hook: Olu Dara & Nas]

See I come from Mississippi^✦

I was young and runnin'^✦ wild (Uh huh)

Ended^✦ up in New York City^✦ (New york)

Where I had my first child (That's me y'all)

I named^✦ the boy Nasir^✦ (Yeah!)

All the boys call him Nas (That's what's up!)

I told him as a youngster^✦

He'll be the greatest^✦ man alive^✦

Greatest^✦ man alive^✦ (Yeah, turn it up!)

Gre-Gre-Gre-Gre-Greatest^✦ man alive!^✦

[Verse 2: Nas]

The blues came from gospel,^✦ gospel^✦ from blues

Slaves^✦ are harmonizin' them ah's and ooh's

Old school, new school, know school rules^✦

All these years I been voicin'^✦ my blues

I'm a artist from the start, Hip-Hop^✦ guided^✦ my heart

Graffiti on the wall, coulda^✦ ended^✦ in Spoffard, juvenile^✦ delinquent

But Pops gave me the right type'a^✦ tools to think with

Books to read, like X and stuff

Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia

In art class I was a compulsive sketcher of

Teachers in my homeroom, I drew pix to mess them up

Cause none'a^✦ them would like my style

Read more books than the curriculum profile^✦

Said, "Mr. Jones^✦ please come get your child

Cause he's writin'^✦ mad poems and his verses^✦ are wild"

[Chorus/Hook: Olu Dara & Nas]

I was born in Mississippi^✦

I was young and runnin'^✦ wild

Moved^✦ to New York City^✦

Where I had my first child

I named^✦ the boy Nasir^✦

All the boys call him Nas

I told him as a youngster^✦

He'll be the greatest^✦ man alive^✦

Greatest^✦ man - The great-greatest^✦ man alive^✦ (Tell 'em!)

[Verse 3: Nas & Olu Dara]

Hey-Hey-Hey -- My Poppa^✦ was not a Rollin'^✦ Stone

He been around the world blowin'^✦ his horn, still he came home

Then he got grown, changed his name to Olu^✦

Come on, tell 'em 'bout all the places^✦ you gone to

I been to Saudi Arabia,^✦ Mozambique (Yeah)

Madagascar, Paris,^✦ Greece (Uh huh)

But little Africa^✦ is where we live (Yeah)

Better known as Queensbridge

Nas, Nas you don't stop

Olu^✦ Dara^✦ in the house, you don't stop

Muddy^✦ Waters' Howling Wolf you don't stop

From the Blues to Street Hop you don't stop

Tell 'em Pop

[Chorus/Hook: Olu Dara & Nas]

See I come from Mississippi^✦ (Let 'em know)

I was young and runnin'^✦ wild (Runnin'^✦ wild)

Ended^✦ up in New York City^✦ (Yeah!)

Where I had my first child (That's me)

I named^✦ the boy Nasir^✦ (Yeah, Daddy!)^✦

All the boys call him Nas (Luh ya, boy)

I told him as a youngster^✦

He'll be the greatest^✦ man alive^✦ (You the greatest,^✦ Pop)

Greatest^✦ man alive^✦ (You the greatest,^✦ Pop)

Gre-Gre-Gre-Gre-Greatest^✦ man alive!^✦

[Outro: Olu Dara]

Rest In Peace Ray Charles

Technical Breakdown

8.1

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 / Rhythm9.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control7.5

Performance and control

Computed Score8.06

Production

— Salaam Remi

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Critic Analysis

RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Nas effectively bridges generational musical history with personal narrative, utilizing a conversational yet rhythmically tight delivery that grounds abstract lineage in concrete autobiography.

8.5

Multisyllabic

9.5

Internal Rhymes

Cadence / Flow

Vocabulary

6.5

Wordplay

7.5

Delivery

Multisyllabic internal rhyme chainsHistorical allusionConversational cadence variationEnjambment

Rhyme Architecture: The verse utilizes an AABB-style couplet framework that expands into dense internal rhyming clusters (e.g., 'blues/gospel/tools/rules/schools'), emphasizing phonetic continuity across bars.

Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Old school, new school, know school rules"

① Reference to the progression of musical eras and generational evolution.② A play on 'know school rules' implying an academic and street-wise mastery of the industry's unspoken codes.

"Cause the schools said the kids had dyslexia"

① A literal reference to being mislabeled by an failing educational system.② A sonic play on 'like X and stuff' preceding it, linking the phonetic 'ex' in dyslexia to the influence of Malcolm X.

Authentic integration of ancestral history with modern hip-hop.

High level of technical consistency in rhyme placement.

Strong narrative flow that avoids becoming overly didactic.

Vocabulary choices lean toward the literal rather than complex metaphorical abstraction.

Punchline impact is minimized by the biographical focus of the verse.

Bridging the Gap

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

Technical Breakdown

Production

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