Jay-Z

Style markers
- Unprepared even-bar rhymes

Style marker

Unprepared even-bar rhymes

Jay-Z often interrupts a previously-established rhyme class on an even-numbered bar (bar 2, 4, 6, etc.), where the ear expects a finished couplet. It's "unprepared" in that the highlighted words don't rhyme with anything that came before.

Public Service Announcement (2003)

Jay-Z

ODD

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

Hov

not

D

O

C

but

sim

i

lar

to

the

let

ters

no

one

can

do

it

bet

ter

Izzo (H.O.V.A.) (2001)

Jay-Z

ODD

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

look

outs

on

the

corn

er

foc

used

on

the

ave

lad

ies

in

the

win

dow

foc

used

on

the

kin

folk

Still D.R.E. (1999)

Dr. Dre (wr. Jay-Z)

ODD

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

it's

still

Dre

Day

n---

a

A

K

n---

a

tho'

I've

grown

a

lot

can't

keep

it

home

a

lot

Hard Knock Life (1998)

Jay-Z

ODD

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

hard

knocks

we

don't

take

ov

er

we

bor

row

blocks

burn

it

down

and

you

could

have

it

back

dad

dy

I'd

rath

er

that

'03 Bonnie & Clyde (2002)

Jay-Z

ODD

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

wor

kin'

that

Herm

ès

Bir

kin

bag

Man

o

lo

Blah

nik

Timbs,

A

vi

a

tor

lens

Heart of the City (2001)

Jay-Z

ODD

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

I'm

on

my

grind

cous

in

ain't

got

time

for

fron

tin'

sen

sit

ive

thugs

y'all

all

need

hugs

Takeover (2001)

Jay-Z

ODD

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

You

bring

in'

em

Boys

II

Men

how

them

boys

po

win?

This

is

grown

man

B

I

get

you

rolled

in

to

tri

age

Dead Presidents II (1996)

Jay-Z

ODD

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

fac

tions

from

the

oth

er

side

would

love

to

kill

me

spill

3

quarts

of

my

blood

in

to

the

street

let

a

lone

the

heat

Renegade (2001)

Jay-Z

ODD

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

I

had

to

hus

tle

my

back

to

the

wall

ash

y

knuc

kle

pock

ets

filled

wit'

a

lot

ta

lint

not

a

cent

He might take this move from Biggie. It peaks on The Blueprint album (2001), where it appears in every song. It drops off sharply and mysteriously on 2007's "American Gangster", and it's rare in his catalogue from then on.