The Seventh Seal

Walk These Streets

Rakim

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

31

End

197

Internal

76

Multi

156

Slant

10

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Tracey Horton]
I walk these streets, wit my mind on my plan
It's alright✦ if you don't understand✦
I walk these streets, think like I got a gun in my hand
Cause hatin✦ is the nature✦ of man
(Sometimes✦ I wanna,✦ stop the cameras,✦ just pop the hammer✦
Box the innocent✦ bystander✦ and his man up)
I walk these streets, think like I got a gun in my hand
It's alright✦ if you don't understand✦
Just stay outta✦ my waaaay
[Verse 2: Maino]
Yo, one for my comrades, two for my family✦
Three for the day that I run into✦ my enemies
We gon' make a movie, the world gon' remember✦ me
I survived it all dawg, what the hell you tellin✦ me?
I remember✦ days when, I was young and aging
Cutting class, chasing ass, couldn't pass grades✦ and
Chilling on the block then, listening to Rakim
Back of his album cliqued up with Killer✦ Ben
Supreme Magnetic✦ and I wasn't athletic✦
But I ran around with the Tre-8 Magnetic✦
Money✦ on my mind, crack vials in my Levi's✦
Been a thug since I had the C.R.E.A.M. colored Filas
Yeah, yeah, we fly, seen it all with these eyes
Gunplay and drugs if you put my mind on rewind✦
Fast forward my life, ya boy done made it
If I could do it over,✦ I wouldn't change it
[Chorus: Tracey Horton]
I walk these streets, wit my mind on my plan
It's alright✦ if you don't understand✦
I walk these streets, think like I got a gun in my hand
Cause hatin✦ is the nature✦ of man
(Sometimes✦ I wanna,✦ stop the cameras,✦ just pop the hammer✦
Box the innocent✦ bystander✦ and his man up)
I walk these streets, think like I got a gun in my hand
It's alright✦ if you don't understand✦
Just stay outta✦ my waaaay
(Ay, good looking out my dude)
[Verse 3: Rakim]
Aiyo Maino,✦ it's the same ol' same ol'
Don't matter✦ if you in it for the fame or you lay low
Haters gon' hate but it's okay✦ though
The angle is make sure the payroll stay swoll
Big faces,✦ cake dough and di-nay-ros
Rubles,✦ yen yang, euros✦ and pesos✦
Seven✦ digit✦ figures, tryna✦ make more zay-ros✦
Spray holes✦ in whoever in the way so (Stay outta✦ my waaaay)
While I count the next bundle
"All means necessary," Malcolm X hustle
A threat yet humble, about✦ to flex muscle
Get a big amount✦ then I'm in and out the next jungle
'Cause every✦ other✦ day, I'm in another✦ state
It's like I cross the thin line between love and hate
But I gotta✦ eat, gotta✦ get another✦ plate
So I'm on my cake walk for the cake
[Chorus: Tracey Horton]
I walk these streets, wit my mind on my plan
It's alright✦ if you don't understand✦
I walk these streets, think like I got a gun in my hand
Cause hatin✦ is the nature✦ of man
(Sometimes✦ I wanna,✦ stop the cameras,✦ just pop the hammer✦
Box the innocent✦ bystander✦ and his man up)
I walk these streets, think like I got a gun in my hand
It's alright✦ if you don't understand✦
Just stay outta✦ my waaaay
[Outro]
Just stay outta✦ my waaaay..
(It's what they do..)
Just stay outta✦ my waaaay..

Technical Breakdown

8.0
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres5.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm9.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity8.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control6.5

Performance and control

Computed Score7.98

Production

— Jermaine Coleman

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Maino utilizes a nostalgic, rhythmic storytelling approach that relies heavily on internal rhyme chains rather than dense metaphor, effectively grounding the verse in personal history and street-level authenticity.

B+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
9
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
6.5
Delivery
Multisyllabic internal rhymingList-based progressionHistorical allusionAssonance-heavy phrasing
Rhyme Architecture: The verse employs a consistent AAAA/BBBB internal rhyme structure, utilizing 'long-i' and 'ee' vowel sounds as anchors across the lines to maintain flow density.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Money on my mind, crack vials in my Levi's"

① The literal preoccupation with financial gain and the storage of narcotics in clothing pockets.② A stark juxtaposition of standard adolescent aspirations with the illicit reality of the drug trade.

"Been a thug since I had the C.R.E.A.M. colored Filas"

① A reference to the specific aesthetic of Fila footwear (cream color).② An allusion to the Wu-Tang Clan's 'C.R.E.A.M.' (Cash Rules Everything Around Me), framing his early lifestyle through the lens of hip-hop cultural currency.

Strong rhythmic consistency

Effective use of internal rhyme to maintain forward momentum

Relatable autobiographical narrative

Strong vocal presence and conversational flow

Lack of complex metaphorical layers

Reliance on standard street tropes

Predictable rhyme outcomes

Limited variation in thematic depth

User Scores