Aquemini
Y'all Scared
Outkast
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
19
End
196
Internal
72
Multi
230
Slant
5
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Refrain: Khujo]
If you scared...✦ say you scared✦
[Verse 3: André 3000]
Yo, paragraph indent✦ – I make intense sense
Niggas✦ on that Gil Scott dope—hint, hint
At age fifteen,✦ they start smokin'✦ Billy✦ Clint'
Now he's twenty-one✦ and wants to know where the time went
"Hey, hey, hey, what's the haps?"
Well, see – your time elapsed
Have you ever✦ thought of the meaning of the word "trap"?
Baboon✦ on your back, but what's sad is that crack
Was introduced to Hispanic communities✦ and Blacks
But then it spread to White and got everyone's undivided–
Attention,✦ 'cause your daughter is on it, and you can't hide it
Maybe your son tried it
Rehab too crowded
You scared,✦ she scared,✦ they scared,✦ I said –
They scared,✦ they scared✦ to talk about✦ it
'Bout it, 'bout it, 'bout it, 'bout it, 'bout it
[Refrain: Khujo]
If you scared...✦ say you scared✦
[Verse 4: Big Boi]
February 1st, 1975's my birthdate
The player, the B-O-I, was brought onto✦ this Earth on Thursday
I think, see – my cap, I twist it back from all the dank
But if you see me on the ave, you betta✦ believe✦ I tote that shank
So what y'all thought, bruh?
I gotta✦ protect my name and what we fought for
'Southernplayalistic' 'ATLiens' in your sock drawer✦
No lockjaw
We got that raw shit, and all the trimmings
Even✦ though we got two albums, this one feel like the beginning – the intro✦
The Goodie, we kinfolk
Nigga,✦ it's fin' to jump off, but now it's time I lay low
'Cause I believe✦ the track gon' cut off
Sike – the track is bumpin',✦ like pussies✦ on some dykes✦
So if you scared,✦ say you scared,✦ 'cause everybody can die tonight
'Cause my heart don't pump no Slushee
You touch my niggas,✦ you touch me
I blow up the microphone,✦ like Marilyn Manson✦ – you can't hush me
Yeah!
[Verse 5: Khujo]
Heat'll make anything move
Even✦ Tyson✦ can get laid down with this tool
Just 'cause the name say Goodie, you take us for fools
Out they rabbit-ass mind, don't give me mine?
I go off like mines,✦ blowin'✦ suckers to smithereens
We was never✦ folks if we fell out over✦ this lil' cream
Or let some soft legs come in between✦ our dreams
We live like kings, and die like fuckin'✦ men
I don't care how rough you roll, we can't be shut down
Ain't no openin'✦ up shop, we already established
You lap doggin',✦ we boss hoggin'✦
Grown men, don't beg for attention✦
Keep wishin',✦ high heels clickin'
Paper✦ champions, leavin'✦ with they feet behind✦
Zap 'em for the pumpkin, at twelve – on the bottom bunk
Holla✦ at me – six to the left, last one
Can't turn over✦ with dirt on ya – slain dead (Dead)
Devils, don't have enough✦ to purchase my essence
(Sick) in da head, missin'✦ ounces✦
Zip code, eight miles✦ – suckas✦ think I got they package
But they still eatin'✦ moo-moo,✦ oink-oink
And fowl-fowl-fowl-fowl...
[Outro: Khujo]
The truth hurts, but you can't be scared✦ of it...
So remember that – OutKast, Goodie Mo-B
Still standin' for somethin', while y'all fallin'✦ for nothin'✦
Stop dyin' over✦ this lil' concrete and lil' paper✦
We get this shit together, power's in numbers
You can deny✦ the lie, but you can't deny✦ the truth
You scared!✦ You scared!✦ Say you scared!✦
(Yeah...)
Technical Breakdown
7.7
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm6.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity8.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.0
Performance and control
Computed Score7.70
Production
— David "Mr. DJ" SheatsBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
André 3000 effectively utilizes the 'trap' metaphor to transition from personal observational critique to a systemic social indictment, using a fluid, conversational cadence that contrasts with the heavy subject matter.
B+
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
6.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
8
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Multisyllabic enjambmentConversational cadenceSocial commentary via metaphorInternal rhyme densityRhythmic repetition
Rhyme Architecture: The scheme utilizes a mix of AAAA structures (e.g., 'sense', 'hint', 'Clint', 'went') that transitions into fluid, conversational clusters, ending in a repetitive rhythmic cadence ('bout it') that mirrors the refrain.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Gil Scott dope"
① A reference to the poet Gil Scott-Heron, whose work focused on socio-political awareness and the struggles of Black communities.② A clever linguistic play on 'dope'—implying that the knowledge/consciousness provided by such poets is the true substance people need, versus the literal drugs mentioned in the subsequent lines.
"Baboon on your back"
① A play on the idiomatic expression 'monkey on your back', which refers to a drug addiction or an intractable burden.② A deliberate animalistic metaphor that dehumanizes the condition of addiction, highlighting the primal, parasitic nature of crack cocaine on the individual.
"Billy Clint"
① A colloquial shortening of Bill Clinton, referencing the 1990s political era.② Used to denote the timeframe of the youth referenced; aligning the character's 'age fifteen' and 'twenty-one' with the cultural context of the Clinton administration.
Sophisticated use of rhythmic repetition for thematic emphasis
Strong structural arc transitioning from individual time-wasting to collective systemic decline
Effective use of a 'hint, hint' cadence to draw the listener into a socio-political critique
Commanding vocal delivery that shifts from analytical to urgent
The rhyme density occasionally forces the syntax to feel slightly compressed
Some social observations rely on the listener's pre-existing cultural knowledge rather than fully developed internal context