The Low End Theory

Everything Is Fair

A Tribe Called Quest

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

8

End

80

Internal

47

Multi

112

Slant

3

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Refrain: Funkadelic sample]
"Everything✦ is fair when you're livin'✦ in the city"✦
"Everything✦ is fair when you're livin'✦ in the city"✦
"Everything✦ is fair when you're livin'✦ in the city"✦
"Everything✦ is fair when you're livin'✦ in the city"✦
[Verse 2: Q-Tip]
She's not a big kahuna,✦ wish I met her sooner✦
Instead, I met her later,✦ my love is much greater
Put me on her roster,✦ to rid her of imposters
And to sell the buddha✦ for the sexy✦ drug ruler✦
Love is my motive,✦ now I'm drug promotive
Plus I needed✦ duckets,✦ to fill up my buckets✦
Supplied me with the squeezy, to make my life easy✦
Now I'm missing action✦ for this fatal attraction
But don't you let me catch you with your joint up in these bitches
And don't you even✦ dare to plan a plot upon✦ my riches✦
'Cause if you play me out, I think I'll let ya be
I'll be damned✦ if I let a brotha✦ try to gas me
I played my cards well, try to live swell
For the G, I would sell, 'cause I was deep in hell
But then I really✦ wasn't, she had a fly cousin✦
Who would give me booty,✦ on the side of my cutie
Elaine,✦ she kinda✦ knew, that I would do the do
But she didn't tear, I did my work with care
That's all that really✦ mattered,✦ her money✦ never✦ splattered✦
As long as she was paid, she was in the shade
You can't really✦ blame her, for holdin'✦ on a flamer✦
Society taught her, but they didn't tame her
A ten clip salute,✦ honey,✦ here's✦ a troop
She will never✦ stop, until she reach the top (Top... top...)

Technical Breakdown

6.6
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres5.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm5.5

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control6.5

Performance and control

Computed Score6.57

Production

— Skeff Anselm, A Tribe Called Quest

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Q-Tip utilizes an AABB-adjacent internal rhyme-heavy structure that prioritizes rhythmic flow over lyrical density, functioning as a narrative portrait of urban entanglement rather than a showcase of high-concept wordplay.

B
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
5.5
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
6.5
Delivery
Internal multi-syllabic rhymingNarrative storytellingColloquialism integrationStaccato phrasing
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on a highly consistent AABB or AAAA-style multi-syllabic end-rhyme structure, heavily augmented by dense internal rhyming clusters (e.g., kahuna/sooner/later/greater) that bridge the lines together.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"sell the buddha"

① A reference to distributing marijuana ('buddha' as slang for cannabis).② A play on the spiritual icon to suggest a trade of 'enlightenment' for material gain.

"do the do"

① A common colloquialism for engaging in sexual intercourse.② A recursive linguistic loop referencing the act of performing the previously established relationship dynamic.

Exceptional rhythmic pocket and internal rhyme density

Effective establishment of narrative stakes

Conversational but rhythmic flow that fits the era's jazz-rap aesthetic

Wordplay is functional rather than layered

Narrative resolution feels abrupt

Lacks high-level structural tension or thematic payoff

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