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Kendrick Lamar

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

18

End

137

Internal

55

Multi

176

Slant

5

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & Peysoh]
Tell 'em Peysoh✦ did it, ayy, who showed✦ you how to run a blitz?
Tell 'em Peysoh✦ did it, who put the West back in front of shit?
Tell 'em Peysoh✦ did it, ayy, I'm trippin'✦ and I'm lovin'✦ it
Tell 'em Peysoh✦ did it, like, wha—
Hi, have you ever✦ been a joint and you know it?
Have you ever✦ had to flip your unemployment?
On the dead guys, nigga,✦ I ain't goin'
[Verse 2: Hitta J3 & Kendrick Lamar]
Hop out suicide doors, it's the Hitta,✦ man
You don't wanna✦ see them doors slidin'✦ on the Caravan
I know killers who was catchin' bodies✦ and not one fade
I was thirteen✦ up at Avalon, poppin'✦ chains
Fourteen,✦ ridin'✦ minibikes with some dead friends
Twenty-one, flag on my head like a Taliban
Twenty-five, feelin'✦ like the box, it was full of sand
At the cemetery, fuck that, that's where I could've been
142nd, I'm connected like I'm Rosecrans
Kinda✦ shit I seen, try and forget✦ and I will pop a Xan'
Uppin'✦ scores,✦ doin' files,✦ sacrifices like a boxing✦ ring
Can't throw in the towel, pistol-packin' since a child
Ayy, like it's Iraq, shooter name Hussein
Ridin'✦ with the dirty✦ blicky,✦ switchy, make a new flame
She said I been a dog all my life, bae, can you change?
True to my religion, Cuban✦ links, more than two chains
[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & Hitta J3]
Tell 'em Hitta✦ did it, ayy, who showed✦ you how to run a blitz?
Tell 'em Hitta✦ did it, who put the West back in front of shit?
Tell 'em Hitta✦ did it, ayy, I'm trippin'✦ and I'm lovin'✦ it
[Verse 3: YoungThreat]
It's gettin'✦ down to the wire
Get on my Bob the Builder shit, get down with the pliers
Been comin'✦ back-to-back hits, how this nigga✦ ain't tired?✦
I'm with some rockstar bitches, they want Lizzie McGuire
I'm switchin' gears, I pop the clutch, I'll send a nigga✦ up
A risk-taker, I'll call you niggas'✦ bluff
If they hangin'✦ out for real, we come deduct, tuckin'✦ tails, they out of luck
When it's wartime, they hidin'✦ in the cut
Y'all had y'all chance, y'all couldn't do it
I swear I'm comin'✦ worse than y'all baby✦ moms, I'm puttin'✦ niggas✦ through it
They hate to see me doin' it
Meal ticket,✦ I'm pursuin' it
I'm in the field for real, UCLA✦ Bruins
They askin'✦ how I do it, how a young nigga✦ so fluent
I kept my mouth closed✦ and I ain't never✦ leave no witness
D.O.A. up on the scene, tell 'em YoungThreat did it, nigga✦

Technical Breakdown

7.8
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres7.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm7.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity7.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.0

Performance and control

Computed Score7.81

Production

— Sounwave, Rascal, Kenny & Billy

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

The verse relies on a gritty, autobiographical narrative structure that utilizes sharp chronological markers and visceral imagery to establish street credibility, successfully bridging the gap between historical trauma and modern technical proficiency.

B+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
7
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Chronological pacingInternal rhyme densityVisceral metaphorMulti-syllabic linkage
Rhyme Architecture: The rhyme scheme is defined by a dense, repetitive internal structure that builds momentum through shared vowel sounds across clause boundaries, transitioning from a rigid rhythmic base into rapid-fire multisyllabic clusters.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"flag on my head like a Taliban"

① A literal reference to the red/blue color-based gang identification common in Los Angeles.② A provocative comparison using the imagery of Middle Eastern militia headwear to signal extreme, radicalized devotion to set identity.

"I'm connected like I'm Rosecrans"

① Reference to Rosecrans Avenue, a major arterial road in Los Angeles linking various neighborhoods.② A play on 'connected' in the illicit sense, positioning the rapper as a central hub of street information or infrastructure, similar to how the road connects multiple territories.

"Uppin' scores, doin' files, sacrifices like a boxing ring"

① A literal reference to gang retaliation and score-keeping.② A metaphorical mapping of street violence to the 'ring,' suggesting that in their environment, one is either the one sacrificing or the one being sacrificed, framing street life as a high-stakes sport.

High internal rhyme density creates a consistent, driving pocket

Chronological progression provides a narrative arc that grounds the technical delivery

Commanding, authentic vocal performance

Effective use of non-rhyming phonetic ties to sustain cadence

Relies heavily on genre-standard street tropes

Limited abstraction; heavily rooted in literalism

Minor sacrifice of lyrical complexity for rhythmic flow

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