Untitled
N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave and the Master)
Nas
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
11
End
145
Internal
73
Multi
241
Slant
6
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
They say we N-I double G-E-R, we are
Much more, still, we choose to ignore✦
The obvious,✦ man, this history✦ don't acknowledge✦ us
We were scholars✦ long before✦ colleges✦
They say we N-I double G-E-R, we are
Much more, but still, we choose to ignore✦
The obvious,✦ we are the slave and the master✦
What you looking✦ for? You the question✦ and the answer✦
[Verse 2]
Do I mean it like a slave master,✦ nigga?✦
No, I'm gangsta, gotta✦ eat rappers
My abbreviation✦ was young when I caught the cases✦
That should mean the court could see my changes
Take off the bracelets
Savage✦ when broke, smoke sour diesel, need no Bowflex
My chest still cut up like a bag of dope
Thought patterns consist of boss matters
Spit Moses'✦ lost commandments like a gross sandwich out my mouth
Toast to government cameras peeping us, every✦ week I must
Have my cars, homes✦ and phones✦ sweeped for bugs
But this is what I was dreaming of
Between cutting hard coke with new razors, slicing my fingers up
They used✦ to string us up, we wanted✦ everything
But the one bringing us cake be the snakes✦ like the
Like the New Jack City✦ wedding scene
No time for mistake, tryna✦ get it like Medellin
[Chorus]
They say we N-I double G-E-R, we are
Much more, still, we choose to ignore✦
The obvious,✦ man, this history✦ don't acknowledge✦ us
We were scholars✦ long before✦ colleges✦
They say we N-I double G-E-R, we are
Much more, but still, we choose to ignore✦
The obvious,✦ we are the slave and the master✦
What you looking✦ for? You the question✦ and the answer✦
[Verse 3]
My nig', what up my nig'? Yep!
People afraid of criticism
But I always✦ put myself in a sacrificial position✦
They been know I ain't just rapping for fame
I got my old homie's✦ half-sister father✦ asking✦ for change
Yep, I'd give the cash up, this paper✦ don't matter✦
They see me from skinny✦ to fatter,✦ when I rap about✦ war
They got a tendency to scatter, they ain't my backup no more
So now my enemies are at my front door
'Cause anytime we mention✦ our condition,✦ our history✦ or existence
They calling it reverse racism
Still, to this day, the street's torn - my brother Jung'
I'll always✦ have a seat for him - not behind✦ me, beside✦ me
You'll always✦ know where to find me
They say the close ones✦ will hurt you
So let's keep a small circle
On the road to riches✦ and diamond rings
In the land of the blind, the man with one eye is the king
[Chorus]
They say we N-I double G-E-R, we are
Much more, still, we choose to ignore✦
The obvious,✦ man, this history✦ don't acknowledge✦ us
We were scholars✦ long before✦ colleges✦
They say we N-I double G-E-R, we are
Much more, but still, we choose to ignore✦
The obvious,✦ we are the slave and the master✦
What you looking✦ for? You the question✦ and the answer✦
Technical Breakdown
8.2
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres8.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm7.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity8.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.19
Production
— DJ ToompBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Nas utilizes historical dissonance and internal rhyme density to contrast the systemic dehumanization of the titular slur with the self-determined evolution of the black experience.
A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
7.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
8.5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Historical revisionismMultisyllabic enjambmentPhonetic wordplayThematic pivot
Rhyme Architecture: Dense internal rhyming with heavy reliance on long-vowel A-sounds (cases/changes/bracelets) transitioning into complex multi-syllabic patterns (commandments/sandwich, cameras/peeping us/sweeped for bugs).
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"We were scholars long before colleges"
① Historical reference to ancient African civilizations and centers of learning.② A direct critique of the Western educational system's claim as the originator of intellectual merit.
"Spit Moses' lost commandments like a gross sandwich out my mouth"
① The delivery of profound, divinely-inspired or hidden knowledge.② The physical act of repulsion or rejection of 'gross' societal norms and misinformation.
"They used to string us up, we wanted everything"
① Reference to the historical practice of lynching (stringing bodies up).② The transition from being victims of violence to the aspirational, capitalistic hunger for ownership and agency.
Exceptional density of internal rhymes
Coherent thematic arc moving from sociopolitical commentary to personal narrative
Masterful use of historical allusion
Some internal multi-syllabic chains sacrifice immediate clarity for phonetic density
Delivery cadence occasionally feels rushed due to syllable density