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.

In many of Adele's songs, including some of her biggest hits, she embellishes a vocal line by rising from the 2nd to the 3rd scale degree, often accompanied by a shift to head voice. Sometimes the 2 is in the underlying chord and the 3 is dissonant, but other times it's the reverse.

Set Fire to the Rain (2011)

Adele

6

5

4

3

2

1

watch

5

it

1

burn

2

as

1

I

1

touch

5

your

5

fa

2

ace

3

Hello (2015)

Adele

4

3

2

hel

2

lo

2

o

3

He Won't Go (2011)

Adele

4

3

2

can't

3

do

3

it

3

on

3

my

2

ow

2

wn

3

Someone Like You (2011)

Adele

4

3

2

1

hi

2

i

1

ide

2

from

2

the

1

li

2

ight

3

Easy On Me (2021)

Adele

6

5

4

3

2

e

5

e

4

e

3

e

4

e

3

e

2

eas

3

y

3

on

3

me

2

bab

2

y

3

She also makes a similar move from 1 to 2 or from 5 to 6.

Adele is not the only singer who does this, but she does it a lot, and it distinguishes her from some of her most-cited influences, e.g. Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald. Amy Winehouse (another favorite of Adele's) occasionally does it, as in "Valerie" (2007).

It was common in the '80s (and late '70s, and very early '90s) to end a rap line with this rhythmic figure on the third beat of a measure:

It fell out of favor by the mid-'90s.

Rapper's Delight (1979)

The Sugarhill Gang

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

now

what

you

hear

is

not

a

test

Basketball (1980)

Kurtis Blow

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

bas

ket

ball

I'm

Mist

er

Kurt

is

Blow

Peter Piper (1986)

Run-D.M.C.

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

now

Pet

er

Pip

er

picked

pep

pers

but

Run

rocked

rhymes

F*** Tha Police (1988)

NWA

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

and

when

I'm

fin

ished

bring

the

yel

low

tape

My Adidas (1986)

Run-D.M.C.

2

&

3

&

4

&

stan

din'

on

two

5th

street

Microphone Fiend (1988)

Eric B. & Rakim

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

I

grab

the

mic

and

try

to

say

yes

y'all

Ain't No Half Steppin' (1988)

Big Daddy Kane

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

put

words

to

geth

er

like

Let

ter

Man

Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)

LL Cool J

2

&

3

&

4

&

un

less

you

say

my

name

'80s Parody Freestyle (2025)

Lil' Yachty

4

&

1

&

2

&

3

&

4

&

my

moth

er

said

that

my

fath

er

left

when

I

was

three