The Love Movement

Pad & Pen

A Tribe Called Quest

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

28

End

176

Internal

64

Multi

181

Slant

16

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Q-Tip & Phife Dawg, D-Life]
My pad and my pen (Uh-uh,✦ you didn't go there)
The beat and the blend (Say word, you didn't go there)
The party✦ won't end (You know, we got to be there)
Just keep gettin'✦ ends, buildin'✦ with friends, yo
My pad and my pen (Uh-uh,✦ you didn't go there)
The beat and the blend (Say word, you got to go there)
The party✦ won't end (Uh-uh,✦ we will be there)
Just keep gettin'✦ ends, buildin'✦ with friends, yo
[Verse 2: Q-Tip, Phife Dawg & D-Life]
One love, one life and one destiny
It seems that the devil keeps testin'✦ me (Uh-huh)✦
Got the illest part of the recipe✦
Yo, tell your homegirl to stop stressin'✦ me (Stop it)
Undressin'✦ me is the part you really✦ like
Brothers hold the cracks, now they holdin'✦ mics
Concussions you get, fillin'✦ up the steady✦ rights
Marauders, we did that shit at Midnight, a-aight (Aight)
I love it when my honey✦ dip be slobbin' me
Don't take it personal, it's just comedy✦ (Comedy)✦
My comedy✦ completely turned to tragedy✦ (Tragedy)✦
I sense some of these rappers still be mad at me (Got to be mad)
Sweatin' her because of her anatomy
When I bang you, it'll be assault and battery✦ (Battery)✦
Don't make me discombobulate your microphone
Talkin'✦ trash will only✦ get you freakin' head flown (Uh)
Buy 'em out the box, never✦ batty✦ ones✦ (Uh-huh)✦
Get in that ass like karate,✦ son (Uh-huh)✦
My outlook on life, sometimes✦ it's lookin'✦ grim (Uh-huh)✦
We manage✦ a smile, sometimes✦ we slip it in (Say word)
My Tribe be worldwide like the Nike swoosh
Emcees✦ be soundin' moist like vagina✦ juice
The top of the world, we pursuin' it
Don't worry✦ about✦ a thing, 'cause we doin' it, doin' it, doin' it
[Chorus: Q-Tip & Phife Dawg, D-Life]
My pad and my pen (Uh-uh,✦ you didn't go there)
The beat and the blend (Say word, did you go there?)
The party✦ won't end (Uh-uh,✦ we got to be there)
Just keep gettin'✦ ends, buildin'✦ with friends, yo
My pad and my pen (Uh-uh,✦ did you go there?)
The beat and the blend (Say word, why did you go there?)
The party✦ won't end (Uh uh, we got to be there)
Just keep gettin'✦ ends, buildin'✦ with friends, yo
My pad and my pen (Uh-huh,✦ uh-huh,✦ uh-huh)✦
The beat and the blend (Say word, say word, say word)
The party✦ won't end (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Just keep gettin'✦ ends, buildin'✦ with friends, yo
My pad and my pen (I got my pad and my pen)
The beat and the blend (So the beats and the blend)
The party✦ won't end (And the party✦ never✦ ends)
Just keep gettin'✦ ends, buildin'✦ with friends, yo
[Outro: D-Life]
That's the way we do, c'mon
That's the way we do
It's the nigga✦ D-Life
With T-C-Q
That's the way we ride
And the beat won't stop
Got to blow it up for the top
Didn't think you know how we rock
Word

Technical Breakdown

8.6
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 / Rhythm10.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity5.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.5

Performance and control

Computed Score8.55

Production

— The Ummah

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Q-Tip and Phife exhibit high-level rhythmic precision and structural flow, grounded in the era's jazz-rap aesthetic, though the lyrical content relies more on cadence and internal rhyming density than complex metaphorical layers.

A
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
5
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
internal rhyme chain saturationrhythmic syncopationcall-and-response vocal layeringvowel assonance
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies heavily on continuous multi-syllabic end-rhymes (destiny/testin' me/recipe/stressin' me) underpinned by dense, consistent internal rhyme clusters, prioritizing flow over stanzaic variation.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Brothers hold the cracks, now they holdin' mics"

① A shift in lifestyle from the illicit crack cocaine trade to professional recording.② A transformation of power, where street-level influence is replaced by cultural influence through the microphone.

"My comedy completely turned to tragedy"

① Literal narrative: lighthearted rap banter turning into serious beef or negative reality.② A structural play on Shakespearean motifs, noting the decline of the persona's lighthearted state into a darker, more serious 'theatrical' position.

exceptional rhythmic pocket and breath control

seamless transition between internal and end-rhyme structures

vocal chemistry through effective use of ad-lib/call-and-response

highly fluid delivery that enhances the track's jazz-informed tempo

lyrical content remains largely surface-level compared to the technical proficiency of the flow

some punchlines rely on dated tropes that lack longevity compared to the group's best narrative work

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