Nastradamus
Nastradamus
Nas
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
20
End
111
Internal
68
Multi
212
Slant
7
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 2]
I let y'all niggas✦ bang my shit before✦ Saddam✦ hits
Let Nastradamus✦ tell us what time it is
I was the first one on that Don shit
First nigga✦ to sing a hook on some TJ Swan shit
Black ski masks up in the projects, camouflage, full clips
Run up in your crib, tie up your bitch
Weigh the bricks and we loco,✦ so broke, brown coke won't sell
Spending your money✦ on weed smoke and hotels✦
Hood rats and bullet✦ wound up females
Got babies✦ by hustlers and niggas✦ in jail
Slinging for chips, the fiends with burnt fingertips
Base heads killed✦ cab drivers just for a hit
A week later,✦ sporting Gators, getting thrills
By honeys✦ wearing Gucci✦ high heels, she come to scoop me, y'all chill
Leave the streets alone✦ for a sec
Hit the sky bar on sunset,✦ then the sex is so high-tech, uh
[Chorus]
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
[Verse 3]
Now lounge, homeboy, you in the Godly✦ zone
Rest in peace, Ill Will, now your name's✦ on the throne
And we gon' rep it the best that we can
Physically,✦ you was killed✦ by the weapons of man
But where you at now, you lamp, laid and max now
Where Bravehearts✦ put their rap down in honor of your name, you a legend
And they don't understand✦ how you CEO from Heaven✦
But that's another level, brethren
Two G's, we got the type fam with MAC-11s
We do squeeze, though it's not right, but that's the zone that we left in
Bentleys, Porches, Piaget✦ watches
Sick with the bread, Lamborghini trucks topless
Laptops with a hundred gigabytes, ninja✦ bikes✦
And we all roll dice for each other's ice
Now, how did one guy multiply to more than five wise guys
But all in one man? Only✦ the mind's eye can understand✦ that I'm...
[Chorus]
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
Nasty✦ Nas to Esco✦ to Escobar✦
Now, he is Nastradamus✦
[Outro]
Ill Will
Nastradamus✦
New LP for the 2G
Uh
Bravehearts✦
Nation✦
Big Things
Lucciano
Oh, the Lord again
M-O-B-B Deep
Zaire
Jungle
Wiz, horse
L-E-S, L-E-S
[Skit]
We are trapped in a millennial war between God and his angels✦
And men, totally✦ energized by the Devil✦ and the power✦ of demons
[Produced by L.E.S.]
Technical Breakdown
7.2
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes8.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres5.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm7.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity7.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control6.5
Performance and control
Computed Score7.15
Production
— L.E.S.Be the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
The verse functions primarily as a rhythmic, biographical catalog of street survival and rap evolution, relying on direct observation rather than dense metaphorical layering.
B
8.5
Multisyllabic
8.5
Internal Rhymes
7.5
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
6.5
Delivery
Multisyllabic internal rhyme stringsNarrative chronological mappingList-based imageryAlliterative cadence
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB or AAAA mono-rhyme clusters that sustain momentum through dense internal assonance and vowel consistency within the line.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"I let y'all niggas bang my shit before Saddam hits"
① The artist is releasing his music ahead of the global geopolitical threat posed by Saddam Hussein.② A play on the phonetic similarity between 'Saddam' and 'Nas-radamus', positioning his own arrival as the primary 'impact' event.
"I was the first one on that Don shit"
① Being the first rapper to adopt the persona of a powerful crime boss or 'Don'.② A subtle nod to the stylistic influence he pioneered in the Queensbridge rap scene, influencing the adoption of luxury mob tropes.
Strong command of narrative rhythm
Consistent, grimy atmospheric world-building
Effective use of internal rhyme to mask end-line predictability
Lack of complex figurative language or multi-layered entendre
Relies on established genre tropes common to the 1999 era
Linear delivery lacks significant dynamic variation