Life After Death
I Love the Dough
The Notorious B.I.G.
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
41
End
291
Internal
79
Multi
280
Slant
8
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse 1: JAŸ-Z]
We push the hottest V's, peel fast
Through the city,✦ play Monopoly with real cash
Me and Biggie, and the models be shakin'✦ they saditty ass
And Prada✦ be somethin'✦ you cats got to see
And the watches be all types✦ and shapes✦ of stones✦
Bein' broke is childish, and I'm quite grown
Run up in the club with the ice on, me and paisan✦
Scope the spot out, see somethin'✦ nice, and I'm gone
You cats is home, screamin' "the fight's on"
I'm in the fifteen hundred seats, watchin' Tyson
Same night, same fight
But one of us cats ain't playin' right, I'll let you tell it
People, place yourselves in the shoes of two felons
And tell me you won't ball every✦ chance you get
And any✦ chance you hit, we live for the moment
Makes✦ sense, don't it? Now make dollars
Cats pop bottles, bone chicks that favor Idalis✦
And rack up frequent flight mileage
[Chorus: Angela Winbush]
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey
I love the dough, more than you know
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey
[Verse 2: The Notorious B.I.G.]
I'm poppin'✦ Magnums while Jigga✦ bag somethin'✦
Watch is platinum, got jet lag from
Flights back and forth, pop corks of the best grapes✦
Make the best CDs and the best tapes✦
Don't forget✦ the vinyl; take girls, break spinals
Biggie be Richie like Lionel,✦ shit
You seen the Jesús dipped,✦ two H classes
Ice project off lights, chick flashes
Blind your broke asses✦
Even✦ got rocks in the beards and mustaches; rock top fashions
Ain't shit changed, 'cept the number✦ after✦ the dot on the Range
Way niggas✦ look at me now, kinda✦ strange
I hate y'all too
Rather✦ be in Caribbean sands with Rachel✦
It's unreal,✦ out the blue, Frank White got sex appeal✦
Bitches used✦ to go, "Ewww!"
Still tote steel, I'm tryin' to see five mill' off the single, for real
You ain't fazin'✦ the amazin'✦
While your gun's raisin',✦ mine is blazin'✦
See you wan' see me all talkin'✦ to sweetness
Take it for weakness and leave quick
Blocka,✦ Roc-A-Fella, Bad Boy collabo
Two MCs with mad dough, you know
[Chorus: Angela Winbush]
I love the dough, more than you know
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey (I love the dough)
I love the dough, more than you know (Gonna✦ let it show)
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey
[Verse 3: JAŸ-Z]
Miraculous, pockets stay full
Niggas✦ skip the bull 'cause we matadors
Snatch the P89s that we pack in the drawers
And we clap the doors of your Acuras✦
Snap like, cameras on amateurs
Make you all dance, hold a hammer✦ to yours
Jig and Big rock ice, no cracks or flaws
Everybody got a part to play, back to yours
Run up in your crib now, crack your doors
Watch the real players live, it's a habit✦ to floss
Play the charts like The Beatles, y'all adapt you lost
And toast Cristal on behalf✦ of y'all
Too bad for y'all
Ain't too many✦ as bad as yours truly✦
Do we, we laugh at y'all
Little bastards, y'all
[Verse 4: The Notorious B.I.G.]
Uhh, uhh
We hit makers✦ with acres✦
Roll shakers in Vegas,✦ you can't break us
Lost chips on Lakers,✦ gassed✦ off Shaq
Country house, tennis✦ courts and horseback
Ridin',✦ decidin' cracked crab or lobster (Uh-huh)✦
Who say mobsters don't prosper?
Niggas✦ is actors,✦ niggas✦ deserve Oscars
Me, I'm – critically acclaimed (Uh-huh)✦
Slug pass your brain
Reminisce on dames✦ whose coochie used✦ to stink
When we'd rock house pieces✦ and puffy✦ Gucci links
Now we buy homes✦ in unfamiliar places✦
Tito✦ smile every✦ time he see our faces✦
Cases,✦ catch more than outfielders
Half these rappin'✦ cats ain't seen war
Couldn't score if they had point game, they lame
Speak my name, I'll make 'em Dash like Dame
(We love the dough...)
[Chorus: Angela Winbush]
I love the dough, more than you know (Gonna✦ let it show)
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey
I love the dough, more than you know (Gonna✦ let it show)
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey
I love the dough, more than you know (Ah yeah)
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey
I love the dough, more than you know
Gotta✦ let it show, I love the dough, hey
Technical Breakdown
8.3
Multisyllabic Rhymes7.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres7.5
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm9.0
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 Score8.31
Production
— Easy Mo BeeBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Biggie employs a conversational, high-fidelity delivery that prioritizes rhythmic pocket-sitting over excessive density, allowing the narrative of high-end consumption to serve as its own stylistic anchor.
A
7.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
9
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
7.5
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
Conversational cadenceInternal rhyme clustersDynamic flow modulationColloquial tone setting
Rhyme Architecture: Primarily AABB/CC coupled with multi-syllabic internal rhyme chains that link phrases across the bar lines to maintain momentum.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"play Monopoly with real cash"
① Playing the board game Monopoly using literal US currency instead of game money.② A metaphor for treating high-stakes corporate/street business deals as a game where the accumulation of properties and capital is the primary objective.
"fifteen hundred seats, watchin' Tyson"
① A literal reference to the expensive ringside floor seats at a Mike Tyson boxing match.② A status signal establishing the speaker's proximity to the elite, separating them from the 'cats' watching the same event on television at home.
Naturalistic command of the pocket
Exceptional rhythmic placement of vowel sounds
Effective use of contrast between aspiration and reality
Vocabulary complexity is secondary to atmospheric storytelling
Limited reliance on complex linguistic tropes compared to high-concept metaphor