Life Is Good

Stay

Nas

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

6

End

58

Internal

33

Multi

49

Slant

5

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
Stay (Oooh-oooh-ooooh-ooooooh✦
Oooh-oooh-ooooooh,✦ ooh-ooooh)✦
Stay (-oooh-ooooh-ooooooh✦
Oooh-oooh-ooooooh,✦ ooooh-ooh-oh)✦
[Verse 2]
Even✦ though I don't like you
Next Friday✦ night can't wait to fight you
Locked✦ up I would knife you, don't fuck with you
Last month I even✦ bucked✦ at you, you got locked✦
I felt bad, wait, do I got love for you?
I might kill you but do I got love for you?
I want you dead under✦ six feet of soil
At the same time, want you here to witness me while you in misery✦
We hate each other✦ but it's love, what a thug mystery
Years ago✦ they ate the hearts of a slain enemy✦
We enemies but your hatred✦ could never✦ enter✦ me
Some seek fame 'cause they need validation✦
Some say hating is confused admiration✦
Spotlight on me, I still look twenty✦
Still get money,✦ lady✦ killer✦ pushing a Bentley
Maybe niggas could see too much of their failures
Through a nigga who realer✦
I don't like you near bruh, but I need you to
Stay
[Chorus]
Stay (Oooh-oooh-ooooh-ooooooh✦
Oooh-oooh-ooooooh,✦ ooh-ooooh)✦
Stay (-oooh-ooooh-ooooooh✦
Oooh-oooh-ooooooh,✦ ooooh-ooh-oh)✦

Technical Breakdown

7.5
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres7.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm6.5

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.0

Performance and control

Computed Score7.54

Production

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Nas uses a volatile, obsessive internal monologue to deconstruct the paradoxical nature of street rivalry, framing it as a codependent, almost fraternal relationship.

B+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
6.5
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Internal rhyme chainsConflicting affective syntaxAnthropological allusionStaccato cadence variation
Rhyme Architecture: Complex multi-syllabic internal rhyming ('-ight you', '-ock/ -ot') integrated into a fluid, conversational narrative that prioritizes rhythmic pulse over fixed bar structures.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Some say hating is confused admiration"

① The literal definition of projection where a hater is obsessed with the subject's success.② A psychological diagnosis suggesting the antagonist identifies so strongly with the protagonist's lifestyle that their hate is merely a corrupted form of wanting to be them.

"your hatred could never enter me"

① The subject is invulnerable to the physical or emotional harm intended by the enemy.② A play on the previous line about 'eating hearts'—Nas refuses to internalize or consume the negative energy ('the heart') of his rival.

Visceral portrayal of emotional duality

High-density rhyme clusters that maintain natural phrasing

Strong structural arc transitioning from overt aggression to philosophical introspection

Vocabulary choices are serviceable rather than inventive

Some punchlines lean on established street-rap tropes of the era

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