Nasir

Not for Radio

Nas

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

13

End

82

Internal

35

Multi

108

Slant

4

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 2: Nas & Puff Daddy]
To Catholics, Moors and Masons
John Hanson was not the first Black pres' to make it (Lies)
Abe Lincoln did not free the enslaved (Lies), progress was made
'cause we forced✦ the proclamation✦ (Fuck your proclamation!)✦
SWAT was created✦ to stop the Panthers
Glocks were created✦ for murder✦ enhancement, for hunting men, circumstances
Edgar✦ Hoover✦ was black, Willie Lynch is a myth
Colombians created✦ crack, the government made stacks (Welcome to America, niggas!)✦
Reagan✦ had Alzheimer's, that's true
Fox News was started by a Black dude, also✦ true (Fuck you too!)
Convinced my experiences were meant to be
Helps me navigate✦ as they validate✦ they treachery
Felt established, fake as he smile, handshake questionable✦
"Am I good?" he ask, thinkin', "But is he testin'✦ you?" (Is he testin'✦ you?)
In my hood, fear does a few things, make you pussy,✦ make you a snitch
Make irrational moves✦ or even✦ turn you to food
[Chorus: 070 Shake & Puff Daddy]
I think they're scared✦ of us, yeah
I think they're scared✦ of us
I think they're scared✦ of us, yeah
I think they scared✦
I think they scared✦ of us, yeah
I think they scared✦ of us (See, we don't care about✦ what you think about✦ us)
I think they scared✦ of us, yeah (What you say about✦ us)
I think they scared✦ (You bitch ass! Yeah, yeah, yeah)
[Outro: Puff Daddy]
Ayo, that's why they be killing us and shooting us
That's why they feel uncomfortable✦ around us
'Cause of our greatness
You're lucky✦ God made us compassionate✦
And forgiving
Pssh
Man, they scared✦ of us, Nas
We see that bitch in your eyes

Technical Breakdown

7.6
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm7.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.5

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control7.5

Performance and control

Computed Score7.59

Production

— Kanye West, MIKE DEAN, johan lenox, Dot Da Genius, benny blanco, Cashmere Cat

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Nas utilizes revisionist historical critique as a rhetorical tool, blending factual subversion with personal paranoia to construct a landscape of institutional distrust.

B+
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
7
Cadence / Flow
6.5
Vocabulary
8
Wordplay
7.5
Delivery
Revisionist historyInternal rhyme densityStaccato deliveryPolitical allegoryHyper-specific cultural allusion
Rhyme Architecture: Dense, multi-syllabic internal rhyming clusters (e.g., 'Masons/pres' to make it/proclamation') integrated with traditional AABB-adjacent couplets, allowing for narrative fluidity.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Glocks were created for murder enhancement"

① The literal function of a firearm to increase lethal capabilities.② A sarcastic play on 'enhancement' as a positive corporate or social term applied to the morbid context of systemic violence.

"Make irrational moves or even turn you to food"

① Physical consumption or violence resulting in death.② Metaphorical dehumanization where the vulnerable are consumed by the socioeconomic system of the hood.

High density of historical subversion

Excellent rhythmic placement of polysyllabic historical figures

Strong command of tone through shifting perspectives

Pacing is occasionally interrupted by the collaborative ad-libs which can distract from the technical flow

The density of the historical claims may occasionally overshadow the structural cohesion of the verse's conclusion

User Scores