Float

The Future

Styles P

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

26

End

196

Internal

91

Multi

217

Slant

13

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
I said gangstas✦ ride (Ride with me)
Gentlemen✦ live your life (Live it up)
'Cause gangstas✦ die (We all gon' die)
It's only✦ a matter✦ of time (The clock tickin')✦
I said gangstas✦ ride (Ride with me)
Gentlemen✦ live your life (Live it up)
'Cause gangstas✦ die (We all gon' die)
It's only✦ a matter✦ of time (The clock tickin')✦
[Verse 2]
It was 1986 and I was twelve years old
That's right around the time when crack came out
It was the best thing that happened to me
I swear to God 'cause I was gettin'✦ everything that I was askin'✦ about✦
First we started off baggin'✦ up, me and Garf
Then shit start addin'✦ up, we gettin'✦ smart
Now we on Broadway, coppin'✦ our own base
Bring it home and put it in bottles, sit in Serato✦
Drink an OE and scramble like it wasn't tomorrow
I'm gettin✦ kicked✦ out of Junior✦ High, thinkin' I'm grown
Garf bust with the yellow✦ rabbit✦
And I had every✦ color✦ Delt we was gettin'✦ it on
I was out robbin'✦ Mexicans six in the morn'
Mom said I had a F again,✦ riffin'✦ I'm gone
Nigga✦ get a little looted✦ and grown, soup in the dome
Fuck me up worst when I went to the group home
[Chorus]
I said gangstas✦ ride (Ride with me)
Gentlemen✦ live your life (Live it up)
'Cause gangstas✦ die (We all gon' die)
It's only✦ a matter✦ of time (The clock tickin')✦
I said gangstas✦ ride (Ride with me)
Gentlemen✦ live your life (Live it up)
'Cause gangstas✦ die (We all gon' die)
It's only✦ a matter✦ of time (The clock tickin')✦
[Verse 3]
I'm leavin'✦ out a lot of shit, nigga,✦ it's too real
My alcoholic backround, the welfare motels
Abuse✦ that I had to take, struggle that my mom's went through
How the fuck I'm gon' bond with you?
And the cases I got up to date told you that I bust an eight
Got niggas✦ I can't name, out of state niggas✦ fuck with weight
Little brother gone but I got a bigger✦ angel
You fuckin'✦ with a dirty✦ game, don't let these niggas✦ change you
The present's what you get and the past is what make the man future✦
I can't tell you I'm God or no Superman
No there ain't a 'S' on my chest, but it's a 'D' on my block (D-Block)
'Cause in life, the deepest lesson✦ is death
I'm determined✦ and I'm disciplined✦ and destined✦ to rep
I'm a Gangsta✦ and a Gentleman,✦ Panero✦ the best
When I pass I'm like gas, motherfuckers
'Cause I'ma✦ leave a stink that you'll never✦ forget✦
[Chorus]
I said gangstas✦ ride (Ride with me)
Gentlemen✦ live your life (Live it up)
'Cause gangstas✦ die (We all gon' die)
It's only✦ a matter✦ of time (The clock tickin')✦
I said gangstas✦ ride (Ride with me)
Gentlemen✦ live your life (Live it up)
'Cause gangstas✦ die (We all gon' die)
It's only✦ a matter✦ of time (The clock tickin')✦
[Outro]
This gangsta✦ and this gentleman✦ shit, is about✦ being humble
But at the same time, let niggas✦ know what's real
And when I say you real, I could flip
But at the same time, I could talk to a nigga✦ at the same time
If he don't respect✦ that, then you gotta✦ show 'em you're gangsta✦
He respect✦ that you show 'em you're gentleman✦
'Cause you respect✦ him as a man
That's what a gangsta✦ and a gentleman✦ is about✦

Technical Breakdown

8.9
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 / Rhythm10.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity7.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.5

Performance and control

Computed Score8.86

Production

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Styles P utilizes a gritty, autobiographical narrative that blends historical socioeconomic context with sharp, rhythmic internal rhyme clusters, effectively framing the 'crack era' as a defining, paradoxical catalyst for his personal trajectory.

A+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
Autobiographical storytellingMultisyllabic internal rhyme clustersNarrative anchoring through specific cultural markersRhythmic syncopationTonal shifting
Rhyme Architecture: The verse employs a sophisticated mix of end-line rhymes ('old', 'out', 'about') and dense internal multisyllabic chains ('baggin' up', 'addin' up', 'gettin' smart') that propel the narrative forward with a conversational yet urgent cadence.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"That's right around the time when crack came out / It was the best thing that happened to me"

① A literal reference to the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic arriving in the neighborhood.② A dark irony where the destruction of the community provides the narrator with financial freedom and social 'growth'.

"Garf bust with the yellow rabbit"

① A specific reference to a brand of narcotics or packaging (the yellow rabbit stamp).② A double entendre on the 'rabbit' as slang for moving fast or jumping into street life.

Exceptional rhythmic consistency within the cadence

Authentic, grounded lyrical imagery

Effective use of nostalgia to establish moral ambiguity

Strong structural arc from childhood innocence to criminal enterprise

Vocabulary breadth is standard for the subgenre

Limited usage of complex figurative metaphors beyond the narrative reality

Relies heavily on literalism which limits broader poetic scope

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