Ye

I Thought About Killing You

Kanye West

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

19

End

97

Internal

33

Multi

124

Slant

10

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Verse: Kanye West]
I called✦ up my loved✦ ones,✦ I called✦ up my cousins
I called✦ up the Muslims, said I'm 'bout to go dumb
Get so bright, it's no sun, get so loud, I hear none
Screamed so loud, got no lungs, hurt so bad, I go numb
Time to bring in the drums, that prra-pa-pa-pum
Set the NewTone on 'em, set the nuke off on 'em
I need Coke with no rum, I taste coke on her tongue
I don't joke with no one, they'll say "He died so young"
I done had a bad case of too many✦ bad days
Got too many✦ bad traits, used✦ the floor for ashtrays
I don't do shit halfway,✦ I'ma✦ clear the cache
I'ma✦ make my name last, put that on my last name
It's a different type of rules✦ that we obey✦
Ye, Ye, Ye season,✦ nigga,✦ we Old Bay
We was all born to die, nigga,✦ DOA
Niggas say they hero,✦ mm, I don't see no cape
Mm, I don't see no, mm, yeah, I don't see no, mm, mm
If I wasn't shinin'✦ so hard, wouldn't be no shade
Buckwheat-ass nigga,✦ it's gon' be o-tay✦
Sorry,✦ but I chose not to be no slave
Young nigga✦ shit, nigga,✦ we don't age
I thought I was past my Deebo✦ ways
Even✦ when I went broke, I ain't break
How you gon' hate? Nigga,✦ we go way back
To when I had the braids and you had the wave cap
Drop a pin for the fade and I'm on my way ASAP✦
Don't get socked✦ in the mouth, you know homie don't play that
Pay the fire marshal bill 'cause this shit done got way packed✦
They wanna✦ see me go ape (Ape, ape)
All you gotta✦ do is speak on Ye
All you gotta✦ do is speak on Ye
Don't get your tooth chipped like Frito-Lay✦

Technical Breakdown

8.3
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 / Rhythm9.0

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 Score8.29

Production

— Kanye West, Francis and the Lights, Benny Blanco, Mike Dean, Andy C, Aaron Lammer

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

The verse relies on stream-of-consciousness confessionals delivered with an increasingly erratic, manic cadence that captures the psychological volatility of a bipolar episode rather than traditional rhythmic perfection.

A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
9
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Assonance and Consonance chainsInternal rhyme clustersManic pacingCyclical repetitionVocal delivery variation
Rhyme Architecture: The verse utilizes dense, multisyllabic end-rhymes (cousins/Muslims/dumb/none/lungs/numb) that transition into rapid, monosyllabic staccato bursts, favoring raw intensity over a rigid, long-form narrative structure.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"I'ma clear the cache"

① A reference to clearing computer memory to improve performance② A play on 'cash,' referencing his financial status and the desire to scrub his reputation

"If I wasn't shinin' so hard, wouldn't be no shade"

① Physical light creates a shadow② His success and visibility inevitably invite criticism and negativity from peers

"I thought I was past my Deebo ways / Even when I went broke, I ain't break"

① A reference to the character Deebo from the film 'Friday' who intimidates and bullies others② A play on 'break' as in folding under pressure versus becoming insolvent

Exceptional use of phonemic repetition to mirror manic emotional states

Highly effective vocal performance that emphasizes the vulnerability of the subject matter

Strong use of internal rhyme to maintain momentum during sections where the beat recedes

Lyrical content occasionally relies on shock value over cohesive thematic development

Some metaphors are transient and lack long-term narrative payoff

The rhyme density occasionally forces syntax that borders on filler

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