GNX

heart pt. 6

Kendrick Lamar

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

9

End

111

Internal

51

Multi

178

Slant

3

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Sam Dew & Ink]
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby,✦ just relax✦ your mind)
If you got time, then I got time (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
Use your heart and not your eyes
[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]
Punch played Phil Jackson in my early✦ practices
Strategies✦ on how to be great amongst✦ the averages✦
I picked✦ his brain on what was ordained, highly✦ collaborative
RET pushed✦ the label the same, amongst✦ the savages✦
Moose kept my name in the function✦ that he would run in
TEEZ kept the vultures✦ away✦ from me that was comin'✦
Sounwave let me borrow✦ his clothes for shows as a hype man
To cook up in this room 'til the night ends
Time flies, I'm carryin' debates of a top five
Buryin'✦ my opps and allies✦
But I'd done a half job communicatin' feelings of being stagnant
Life was gettin'✦ bigger than just rappin'✦
The business,✦ what I was lackin'✦
Top used✦ to record✦ me back when it was poor me
And now we at the round table for what assures✦ me
I guess my motivation✦ was the yearnin' for independence
Poured✦ everything I had left in the family✦ business✦
Now it's about✦ Kendrick, I wanna evolve,✦ place my skillset as a Black exec'
I jog my memory,✦ knowin'✦ Black Hippy✦ didn't work 'cause of me
Creatively, I moved✦ on with new concepts in reach
Top, remember all them sessions✦ we would strategize
To hit the streets, then come back, record✦ three records? Ah
To tell the truth, it fucked✦ me up when D-Man passed✦
The motive✦ was the condolences,✦ but the pride crashed
I had to bypass old mythologies✦ I had
Put my heart on display like it was an iMac
To all my young niggas,✦ let me be the demonstration✦
How to conduct differences✦ with a healthy conversation✦
If that's your family,✦ then handle it as such
Don't let the socials gas you up or let emotions✦ be your crutch
Pick up the phone and bust it up before✦ the history is lost
Hand-to-handshake is good when you have a heart-to-heart
[Chorus: Sam Dew & Ink]
Use your heart and not your eyes (Baby,✦ just relax✦ your mind)
If you got time, then I got time (Yeah, yeah)
Free your thoughts and watch them fly
Use your heart and not your eyes (Mm-hmm)

Technical Breakdown

6.8
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm5.5

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity8.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control6.0

Performance and control

Computed Score6.81

Production

— Sounwave, Jack Antonoff

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Kendrick utilizes narrative density over traditional punchline structure, focusing on industry memoir and structural evolution, though the technical execution is occasionally hindered by a conversational, less rhythmically urgent delivery.

B
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
5.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
6
Delivery
Multisyllabic internal rhyme chainsAutobiographical narrative flowColloquial industry-insider terminologyStaccato phrasing
Rhyme Architecture: Kendrick employs a high-density, multi-syllabic AAAA/BBBB internal structure, utilizing extended vowel sounds at the end of every line to maintain momentum while shifting the subject matter from historical mentorship to corporate evolution.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Buryin' my opps and allies"

① The literal act of defeating opponents in a rap feud.② The metaphorical act of cutting off or moving past former associates ('allies') who no longer align with his evolution.

"Punch played Phil Jackson in my early practices"

① A literal reference to a mentor figure guiding Kendrick's early career moves.② A sports allusion comparing the mentor to Phil Jackson, the coach known for managing 'great' individual talents and team dynamics.

Excellent narrative coherence

High density of internal rhyme chains

Effective transition from past to present tense

Clear thematic resolution

Delivery lacks dynamic variation

Underutilization of complex metaphors in favor of direct confession

Punchline impact is muted by the prose-heavy cadence

User Scores