Stankonia

I'll Call Before I Come

Outkast

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

37

End

154

Internal

60

Multi

163

Slant

20

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 2: Big Boi]
I'm a gentleman, I'ma✦ satisfy your soul
And then I'ma✦ get mine
Like Wimbledon, we back and forth across the court
Until✦ we give out, do you take it all or spit it out?
Are you faking✦ the funk and living✦ a lie?
Do you really✦ know what it feels like
To have no control over✦ the G spot?
It's like a brand new pair of Reeboks, or a junkie freshly detoxed
You feel the tingling all over,✦ like convulsions or the rooster pox
I used✦ to not give a damn
But now I make it a point just to please you
So you can go back and tell all your lil' buddies, I Pretty✦ D'd you
[Chorus: André 3000]
I'll call before✦ I come
I won't just pop over,✦ out the blue
I hope that you do too
I'll call before✦ I come
I won't just pop up over,✦ out the blue
No, after✦ you
[Verse 3: Gangsta Boo]
Let's see, what you wanna✦ do with the Gangsta✦ Boo?
Let's cut, nigga,✦ nigga,✦ what? I'll cut you too
Coming✦ through in a Escalade limo,✦ tint with shade
Purple haze in the ashtray, ready✦ to get a blaze
What the biz? Nigga✦ jump on in, relax✦ with a lady✦
With a reputation, known for sexing✦ niggas 'til they crazy✦
What you mean, dog? Telling a playa like Boo to call before✦ I come
You a game, I'm fucking on you for fun
Join the bandwagon, nigga,✦ it's a Gangsta✦ Boo party✦
Everybody✦ wanna✦ join come and freak with somebody✦
Riding✦ Jaguars, riding✦ Prowlers, all sports cars
Hitting strip bars with the top down, fuck y'all
Groupie, you need to be glad you even✦ knew me
Do me and tell all my friends you truly✦ blew me, bitch!
[Chorus: André 3000]
I'll call before✦ I come
I won't just pop over,✦ out the blue
I hope that you do too
I'll call before✦ I come
I won't just pop up over,✦ out the blue
No, after✦ you
[Verse 4: Eco]
Nigga,✦ you better✦ dial 404-485–, well, bump all that
But, shit, you'd better✦ call before✦ you get here, and that's a fact
Before✦ you get your feelings hurt
Because you caught me playing nurse
With a stethoscope, running around in one of those cute, short white skirts
I tried to tell you, but you just wouldn't respond to Aloysius
Peeped✦ in the window,✦ saw me cooking shrimp
In high heels and washing dishes for Daddy✦ Fat Sax
And it was something I couldn't explain
I know it's a dirty,✦ dirty✦ game
But you should've called✦ before✦ you came, uh-ye-yeah-uh
[Chorus: André 3000]
I'll call before✦ I come
I won't just pop over,✦ out the blue
I hope that you do too
I'll call before✦ I come
I won't just pop up over,✦ out the blue
No, after✦ you

Technical Breakdown

8.4
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm10.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control7.5

Performance and control

Computed Score8.41

Production

— Earthtone III

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Big Boi demonstrates high-level rhythmic agility and vernacular fluidity, utilizing internal rhyme density to mask a straightforward narrative, while Gangsta Boo provides a stark, aggressive tonal contrast that breaks the established pocket.

A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
7.5
Delivery
Internal rhyme chainingSimile stackingSyncopated cadencesDynamic register shifting
Rhyme Architecture: Big Boi employs a complex, multi-layered internal rhyme scheme using vowel-heavy multis (soul/wimbledon/control/detoxed/pox) that anchor the flow, while transitioning into a conversational, conversational directness for the closer.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Like Wimbledon, we back and forth across the court"

① A literal comparison of the sexual act to a tennis match sequence.② A cultural reference to the high-stakes, professional nature of the 'game' of seduction.

"I Pretty D'd you"

① A play on his alias 'Big Boi' / 'Daddy' to imply sexual satisfaction.② A localized slang verbing of his identity to characterize the specific quality of the sexual experience provided.

Exceptional rhythmic placement of multis

Cohesive imagery in Big Boi's section

Strong contrast between the melodic chorus and the percussive verse delivery

Occasional reliance on cliché similes for wordplay

The sudden switch to Gangsta Boo disrupts the lyrical through-line established by Big Boi

Limited semantic depth outside of sexual bravado

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