The Seventh Seal
How to Emcee
Rakim
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
30
End
259
Internal
48
Multi
218
Slant
18
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Hook: Rakim]
It don't matter✦ if I ain't on the page you want
Tell me what you want, I give it to you the way you want
Show you how to flow and how to flip any✦ phrase you want
You just keep your eye on me, I show you how to emcee
If it's swag or the lyric✦ display✦ you want
Tell me what you want, I give it to you the way you want
Show you how to throw and how to rip any✦ stage you want
I can show you how to emcee like you got a degree
[Verse 2: Rakim]
Forever✦ sick like catchin'✦ AIDS is
In a class for greatness for matchin'✦ phrases
My predicates last for pages✦
Every✦ letter✦ fit, trendsetter like fashion✦ statements
Recruits get a shine and they hope forever✦
I wrote some of the illest rhymes✦ ever✦ put together
Soon as I make 'em rappers✦ take 'em
Analyze 'em for days and paraphrase 'em
I'm back, hip-hoppers'll back my scripts and documents
Raps hit the block, it's a wrap, it's the apocalypse
The hood give my rap flow names✦
Like 9/11 and crack cocaine
I hit the building, it get hotter✦ in 'em
It's like birds, most rappers✦ don't know how to flip 'em
I gotta✦ hip 'em, get hop and show 'em how to spit 'em
I bust a rhyme and I school 'em for free, I scholarship 'em
[Hook: Rakim]
It don't matter✦ if I ain't on the page you want
Tell me what you want, I give it to you the way you want
Show you how to flow and how to flip any✦ phrase you want
You just keep your eye on me, I show you how to emcee
If it's swag or the lyric✦ display✦ you want
Tell me what you want, I give it to you the way you want
Show you how to throw and how to rip any✦ stage you want
I can show you how to emcee like you got a degree
[Bridge: Tracey Horton]
Competition✦ know the deal, you're not ready✦ now
Because you're dealin✦ with the R, know how it's goin down
This is it, if you so sick, where your skills at?
No sir, ghostwriter, you can kill that
[Verse 3: Rakim]
It's hard, this intricate✦ flippin' it isn’t it bars is infinite
So Ra deliver it far different
Part lyricist, part instrument
Start spittin' it the more articulate✦ y'all rhythms get
Till every✦ syllable✦ you drop it pivotal
If it's not original it's not as memorable✦
Ill lyrical✦ till you're so popular they sick of you
Pandemical✦ threat, level 5, it's critical✦
Kill 'em off with a word like euthanasia
Till it spread to the youth in Asia✦
In the booth I'm major, my music's monumental, I'm a mogul
You wanna✦ make sense? I'mma✦ show you
You gotta✦ put your life in them lines✦
Make the deaf hear, give sight to the blind
Make your flow tighter, brightest designs
So if the mic is your grind then biting's a crime
Especially if a ghostwriter's writin✦ your rhymes✦
[Hook: Rakim]
It don't matter✦ if I ain't on the page you want
Tell me what you want, I give it to you the way you want
Show you how to flow and how to flip any✦ phrase you want
You just keep your eye on me, I show you how to emcee
If it's swag or the lyric✦ display✦ you want
Tell me what you want, I give it to you the way you want
Show you how to throw and how to rip any✦ stage you want
I can show you how to emcee like you got a degree
Technical Breakdown
8.9
Multisyllabic Rhymes7.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity6.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control9.5
Performance and control
Computed Score8.95
Production
— SlyceBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Rakim displays a masterful command of internal rhyme density and temporal manipulation, prioritizing rhythmic pocket-perfection over simplistic punchline-heavy structures.
A+
7.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
8
Wordplay
9.5
Delivery
Multi-syllabic internal rhyme clustersDynamic cadence variationSophisticated enjambmentExtended metaphorical consistency
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB/AABB-CC structures with heavy reliance on feminine rhyme endings that emphasize internal syllables, creating a cascading rhythmic effect across the bar line.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"I hit the building, it get hotter in 'em"
① A literal reference to entering a location or stage and generating excitement/intensity.② A kinetic metaphor where the emcee is a source of physical heat or catastrophic energy upon arrival.
"Like birds, most rappers don't know how to flip 'em"
① Referring to the drug-trade vernacular of 'flipping' a product (product = product/rap).② A literal avian metaphor describing how amateur rappers lack the technical 'wingspan' or skill to manipulate and iterate on a concept effectively.
Exceptional rhythmic elasticity
High internal rhyme density that avoids feeling forced
Commanding presence through confident, instructional delivery
Occasional reliance on dated cultural metaphors
Vocabulary complexity is prioritized second to flow efficiency