People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

Can I Kick It?

A Tribe Called Quest

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

13

End

60

Internal

16

Multi

72

Slant

7

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Phife Dawg]
Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!)
Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!)
Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!)
Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!)
Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!)
Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!)
Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!)
Well, I'm gone (Go on then!)
[Verse 2: Phife Dawg]
Can I kick it? To my Tribe that flows in layers
Right now, Phife is a poem sayer
At times,✦ I'm a studio conveyor
Mr. Dinkins, would you please be my mayor?
You'll be doing us a really✦ big favor✦
Boy this track really✦ has a lot of flavor✦
When it comes✦ to rhythms, Quest is your savior✦
Follow✦ us for the funky✦ behavior
Make a note on the rhythm we gave ya
Feel free, drop your pants, check your ha-ir
Do you like the garments that we wear?
I instruct you to be the obeyer✦
A rhythm recipe✦ that you'll savor✦
Doesn't matter✦ if you're minor✦ or major✦
Yes, the Tribe of the game we're the player
As you inhale✦ like a breath of fresh air
(Can I kick it?)

Technical Breakdown

7.5
Multisyllabic Rhymes7.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres5.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm8.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity5.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.0

Performance and control

Computed Score7.48

Production

— A Tribe Called Quest

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

The verse prioritizes rhythmic consistency and an iconic call-and-response cadence over dense linguistic complexity, anchoring its impact in the 'flavor' and fluid delivery style characteristic of 1990 jazz-rap.

B+
7.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
8
Cadence / Flow
5
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
monorhyme schemeinternal rhymingrhythmic syncopationalliterationcall-and-response
Rhyme Architecture: A persistent AAAAA monorhyme scheme based on the 'ayer/avor' sound, utilized as a percussive device to maintain the track's steady, laid-back momentum.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Mr. Dinkins, would you please be my mayor?"

① A direct political reference to David Dinkins, the then-mayor of New York City.② A social signifier of the group's local New York identity and cultural participation.

"A rhythm recipe that you'll savor"

① A metaphorical mapping of music creation to cooking, equating sound to taste.② An invitation to the listener to engage with the auditory experience in a pleasurable way.

exceptional flow and rhythmic pocket

charismatic and confident vocal delivery

strong structural cohesion

masterful use of monorhyme as a musical instrument

lack of complex metaphors or intricate lyrical puzzles

reliance on repetitive rhyme endings which can limit thematic depth

some lines feel slightly forced to maintain the forced rhyme sound

User Scores