Section.80

Ronald Reagan Era (His Evils)

Kendrick Lamar

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

End

128

Internal

Multi

127

Slant

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & RZA]

That Compton^✦ Crip niggas^✦ ain't nothin'^✦ to fuck with

Bompton^✦ Pirus^✦ ain't nothin'^✦ to fuck with

Compton^✦ éses ain't nothin'^✦ to fuck with

But they fuck with me, and bitch, I love it

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop^✦

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop^✦ (California^✦ Dungeons)^✦

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop^✦

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop^✦ (California^✦ Dungeons)^✦

[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]

Let's hit the county^✦ buildin', gotta^✦ cash my check

Spend it all on a forty-ounce to the neck

And in retrospect, I remember^✦ December^✦ being the hottest

Squad cars, neighborhood wars, and stolen^✦ Mazdas^✦

I tell you motherfuckers that life is full of hydraulics

Up and down, get a six-four, better^✦ know how to drive it

I'm drivin'^✦ on E with no license or registration

Heart racin',^✦ racin'^✦ past Johnny^✦ because^✦ he's racist

1987, the children of Ronald Reagan^✦

Rake the leaves^✦ off your front porch with a machine blowtorch (I'm really^✦ out here, my nigga)^✦

He blowin'^✦ on stress, hopin'^✦ to ease the stress (Like, really^✦ out here)

He coppin'^✦ some blow, hopin'^✦ that it can stretch

Newborn massacre

Hoppin'^✦ out the passenger with calendars 'cause your day comin'^✦

Run him down and then he gun him down, I'm hopin'^✦ that you fast enough

Even^✦ the legs of Michael Johnson don't mean nothin',^✦ because^✦

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & RZA]

Compton^✦ Crip niggas^✦ ain't nothin'^✦ to fuck with

Bompton^✦ Pirus^✦ ain't nothin'^✦ to fuck with

Compton^✦ éses ain't nothin'^✦ to fuck with

But they fuck with me, and bitch, I love it

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop^✦

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop^✦ (California^✦ Dungeons)^✦

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop^✦

Woop-di-woop,^✦ woop-di-woop-woop^✦ (California^✦ Dungeons)^✦

[Refrain: Kendrick Lamar & Ab-Soul]

Can't detour^✦ when you at war with your city,^✦ why run for it?

Just ride with me, just die with me, that gun store right there

When you fight, don't fight fair, 'cause you'll never^✦ win

(Right, I had the yopper,^✦ and I tore they ass up)

Can't detour^✦ when you at war with your city,^✦ why run for it?

Just ride with me, just die with me, that gun store right there

When you fight, don't fight fair, 'cause you'll never^✦ win, yeah, yeah, yeah

[Bridge: Kendrick Lamar]

Woah, woah, woah-woah-woah-woah^✦

[Outro: Ab-Soul]

We really^✦ out here, my nigga^✦

You niggas^✦ don't understand, my nigga^✦

I'm off a pill and Rémy Red, my nigga^✦

Trippin', my nigga^✦

Technical Breakdown

7.4

Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm5.5

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.5

Performance and control

Computed Score7.37

Production

— TaeBeast, LATE NIGHT RICKY

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Critic Analysis

RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Kendrick utilizes the 'Ronald Reagan' era as a historical lens to frame systemic instability, balancing gritty, street-level narrative with sharp, politically charged wordplay.

B+

9.5

Multisyllabic

9.5

Internal Rhymes

5.5

Cadence / Flow

Vocabulary

Wordplay

8.5

Delivery

Metaphorical extended narrativePhonetic wordplayHistorical allusionInternal rhyme densityStaccato rhythm variation

Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on heavy internal rhyming and multisyllabic clusters, specifically the 'A-E' vowel chain in 'Reagan/Rake/Racin/Rasin' and the 'O' assonance in 'blow/blowtorch/coppin/blow/hopin'.

Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Life is full of hydraulics"

① A reference to the 'six-four' lowrider culture prevalent in Compton.② A metaphor for the volatile, unstable, and unpredictable 'up and down' nature of life in an impoverished, gang-ridden environment.

"He blowin' on stress, hopin' to ease the stress / He coppin' some blow, hopin' that it can stretch"

① Physical act of smoking marijuana (stress) to relieve mental anxiety (stress).② The practice of diluting narcotics (blow/cocaine) to increase product volume for resale profit.

"Hoppin' out the passenger with calendars 'cause your day comin'"

① Literal calendar tracking time or appointments.② A grim allusion to prison sentences or 'death dates,' implying that the day of reckoning or death is marked on the calendar.

Powerful integration of historical context with immediate, visceral urban storytelling.

High-density rhyme scheme that maintains a conversational yet urgent cadence.

Effective use of double entendres to bridge personal struggle with societal decay.

Some imagery (like the machine blowtorch) leans toward hyperbole, which slightly clashes with the otherwise grounded realism of the verse.

The 'woop-di-woop' chorus section, while rhythmic, lacks lyrical density compared to the verses.

Ronald Reagan Era (His Evils)

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

Technical Breakdown

Production

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