Bigger and Deffer
The Breakthrough
LL Cool J
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
46
End
239
Internal
96
Multi
296
Slant
16
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
Knuckleheads✦ spreadin'✦ gossip all over✦ town
Every✦ time I drive by you're just standin' around✦
Hundred-bottles in your pocket,✦ forty-dog in your hand
Don't you know you're just a worker✦ and your boss is my man?
L.L. this, L.L. that, soon as I walk in the place
I wanna✦ take my gun and shoot you in your motherfuckin' face
You're playin' me too close with the schemin' and games✦
I guess the beef and the bullshit is the price of fame
Movies,✦ records, goin' on tour
Twenty-thousand✦ people hip-hoppin' on the floor
Whole parties✦ body-rockin', and everything's chill
Get back to New York, and the suckers✦ act ill
See I fought with the devil,✦ made a promise to God
I have experience in goin' all the way to the top
It's harder✦ harder✦ than hard
All the suckers✦ are barred✦
You used✦ to try to talk down now your ego✦ is scarred
See the problem is you want what another man has
His car, his wife, or his razzamatazz
But that's weak, you gotta✦ do work on your own
'cause when you're rich you got friends
But when you're poor you're alone✦
So get your own on your own, it'll strengthen your soul
Stop livin'✦ off your parents like you're three years old
Instead of walkin'✦ like you're limp and talkin'✦ yang about me
Why don't you take your monkey-ass and get a college degree?
Or write a rhyme and ride a bike and try to live carefree✦
Hope my message reaches you before✦ you're seventy-three✦
A old man, when people ask you what you did with your life
You'll say "I hated✦ L.L. and I carried a big knife"
Every✦ day is a chase, every✦ day is a race
And every✦ day you're being overpowered by my bass
Too much juice to be a deuce, I had to be a ace
It's like the fire's✦ in my eyes and the gun's in my face
I'm stompin' stupid✦ knuckleheads✦ until✦ they bleed
I'm the leader✦ of the show, so it's up to me to lead
I'mma✦ lead you away✦ from drugs and petty✦ crime
Lead you away✦ from wack beats and rhyme
Lead you to that ticket✦ line
So you can come in my show and watch the stars shine
Get busy,✦ not dizzy,✦ wanna✦ teach the young
The last man who didn't listen✦ ended✦ up gettin'✦ hung
Not that I killed✦ him, it's just
He didn't wanna✦ trust
The words of a master✦ that's why you must
Take heed to the speech, it's gonna✦ reach your ear
Don't try to say you can't hear 'cause the words are clear
Throwin' flurries,✦ punks scurry✦ and I bury✦ the rest
You better✦ hurry✦ up and rock a rhyme and give it your best
'cause tonight's the night we gonna✦ see the big fight
Twelve-gauge on the stage in case it don't go right
E-Love✦ drives✦ a tank, he's strong like a truck
If you're cryin' while you're dyin' we ain't givin'✦ a fuck
L.L. Cool J is on the microphone
Tellin'✦ all you punk ducks "Leave me the hell alone"✦
'cause I'm rated✦ X, born to snap necks
Straight up and down, no special effects
I'm the professor, the teacher, the hip-hop✦ dean
If Russia✦ bombed✦ the U.S., they'd be scared✦ to touch Queens
'cause that's where I live, and this is what I give
Turnin'✦ top-notch crews into✦ fugitives
They run, they frightened, they hide from King Titan✦
Like a sniper✦ when he's shootin' or a viper✦ when he's bitin'✦
Here I am, tellin'✦ the truth
And I'm spreadin'✦ the word to my fellow✦ youth
It goes man-to-man and jam-to-jam
I got hip-hop,✦ rock, and love song fans
All you petty✦ MC's in the state of New York
Gettin'✦ a thousand✦ for a show but you still wanna✦ squawk
Can't get a decent contract, your beats ain't workin'✦
Dogged-out Pumas plus you're manager's jerkin'✦
Your mic sounds weak, remember that skeezer
I'm badder✦ than Napoleon, Hitler✦ or Caesar✦
I'm a hitman,✦ but I'm not for hire
Fly girl's desire,✦ the man you admire✦
Not only✦ on the stage, I rock in the park
And I'm a killer✦ in the daytime, and worse after✦ dark
So don't never✦ ever✦ mess with the king of the sound
L.L. Cool J, the baddest around✦
Technical Breakdown
8.2
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 / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity6.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control7.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.23
Production
— L.A. Posse, LL Cool JBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
LL Cool J utilizes a conversational, authoritative flow typical of the early 90s, leaning heavily on rhythmic cadence and direct address rather than dense metaphorical wordplay.
A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
7
Delivery
AABB rhyme coupletsInternal rhyme chainsDirect addressRhythmic pacing
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on a foundational AABB couplet structure with high-density internal rhyme patterns embedded within the lines to maintain forward momentum.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"Hundred-bottles in your pocket"
① Literal reference to low-level street hustle or petty theft② Metaphor for someone lacking financial status, holding small-change items
"all the suckers are barred"
① Excluded from the venue or the success he describes② Blocked from lyrical competition by the 'harder' nature of his verses
Excellent use of rhythmic pocket
Consistent, aggressive delivery style
Effective use of internal rhyme to bridge couplets
Limited metaphorical depth
Vocabulary relies on period-specific tropes
Punchlines are literal rather than clever