Nasir

Cops Shot the Kid

Nas

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

36

End

127

Internal

14

Multi

132

Slant

16

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Slick Rick]
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
I still hear him scream
[Verse 2: Kanye West]
Stay tuned up and down your timeline
This fake news, people is all lyin'
Money✦ is bein' made when a mom cries
Won't be satisfied 'til we all die
Tell me, who do we call to report crime
If 9-1-1 doin' the driveby?
It's certain things I can't abide✦ by
I ain't bein' extreme, this is my side
Talkin'✦ big shit, ready✦ to die
I know every✦ story✦ got two sides✦
Claimin' he paranoid by the black guy
Cop wanna✦ make it home by nighttime
Just a good kid, he wasn't that guy
Had a little hit, he wasn't that high
Cop gon' claim that it was self-defense
Say he was ridin'✦ dirty✦ so the case rests
[Chorus: Slick Rick & Kanye West]
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot– (Workin'✦ nine-to-five)
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot– (Tryna✦ stay alive)✦
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot– (Makin'✦ ends meet)
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot– (Shot him this week)
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
The cops shot the kid, the cops shot–
The cops shot the kid
I still hear him scream

Technical Breakdown

8.0
Multisyllabic Rhymes5.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres7.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm10.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity3.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.0

Performance and control

Computed Score7.96

Production

— Kanye West, Andrew Dawson, Noah Goldstein

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Kanye West utilizes a minimalist, aggressive cadence to mirror the erratic, traumatic nature of police violence, anchored by a structural inversion of the '911' institution.

B+
5.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
3
Vocabulary
7
Wordplay
8
Delivery
AABBCC rhyme schemeEpistropheEnjambmentStructural juxtaposition
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on a consistent monorhyme/slant rhyme structure using the 'ine/y/i' vowel sound across all six lines, creating a claustrophobic effect that matches the tension of the subject matter.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"If 9-1-1 doin' the driveby?"

① A direct rhetorical question regarding the breakdown of institutional authority where the emergency service becomes the perpetrator.② A subversion of the cultural expectation of emergency services, turning the 'protector' symbol into the agent of death.

"Money is bein' made when a mom cries"

① Literal implication that news cycles and media profit from the exploitation of tragedy.② A sociopolitical observation on the 'grief economy' where the commodification of police violence generates revenue for media outlets.

High-impact rhythmic delivery that emphasizes the desperation of the subject

Strong structural payoff in the final couplet

Effective use of minimalist phrasing to convey urgency

Low lexical variety compared to complex multi-syllabic contemporaries

Heavy reliance on a single rhyme sound which limits melodic range

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