Superhero Polysyllable Rap…

blk tht

This is my favorite track off the new Roots album. The drum x voice hits hard like Colossus from the X-Men. I had to do a polysyllabic word count on Black Thought’s verses to see how he matches up with some of the greats…

Black Thought uses a total of 298 words for his verses and the number of polysyllabic words is 20. Thought’s average is 1 polysyllabic word every 14.9 words. That average is better than Eminem on the ‘Forever’ track where Em merc’ks Drake on his own shit along with KanYe West and Lil’ Wayne.

I timestamped this drop at 20 minutes after 8pm EST which in military time is 20:20 for those of you niggas what can’t see straight.

[Chorus: John Legend]
I keep it doin’ it again
Oh, I’m doin’ it again
Yes, I’m doin’ it again
I said it would end

[Black Thought]
Uh, remix, rising up out of the flames like a Phoenix
Straining to carry the weight of my brain like a genius
Knowing I’m sowing seeds, let’s see whose thumb is the greenest
If I said I mean it, I did it because I need it
Eat, sleep it or bleed it, write it down and then read it
Asphalt to the cement, your trash talk, delete it
I blast off then lay ’em out like a Tempur-Pedic
It’s Black Thought, for certain I’ma win eventually
This unsung, underrated, under-appreciated
The one them underachievers had underestimated
Finally graduated, I’m one of the most hated
Something that’s so sacred, nobody gon’ take it
Face it, I keep doin’ it well
Doin’ it sans assistance, just do it yourself
Doin’ it below the radar, we doin’ it stealth
Doin’ it again for Illadelph, yo who else?
We gon’ do it again!

[Chorus]

[Black Thought]
Yeah, aiyyo I’m on a job, see my eyes focused where the prize be
Even though they tried to rob me and sabotage the spot
Just like ‘Pac when they got him in the lobby
Try to tax and fine me like Ronald Isley
I is a changed man, hanging with fans are probablies
Niggas used to know me, they don’t even recognise me
Yep, the P-5-D is who the repertoire be
Doin’ it again just like Poitier and Cosby
I’m like Martin Luther King, you like Rodney
The difference is I give it everything inside me
Dear diary, the fans still swear by me
Even though I’m Late Night now like “Here’s Johnny”
Swimming with them Great Whites now, that’s where to find me
Funny how it break right down, but never mind me
Forever grimy, I guess it’s just Philly shining
Rock roller, bi-polar like Phyllis Hyman

[Chorus]

10 Responses to “Superhero Polysyllable Rap…”

  1. BIGNAT says:

    do your breakdown on 75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction) from rising down. wait i think you did that already.

  2. Amadeo says:

    This album has jumped up higher on my list than most.

  3. “…bipolar like Phylis Hyman.”

    Ha.

  4. sllIMMills says:

    This is the verse he spit on BET cypher…and that’s all the evidence I needed to know he could (did) kill Marshall.

  5. 4 real says:

    ^^^ it sounds better acappella too, crushed that cypher ( with mos def and em ) standing next to him wow

  6. 4 real says:

    he also embarrasses the clipse on jimmy fallon lol

  7. $yk says:

    “he also embarrasses the clipse on jimmy fallon lol”

    ^ LOLZ

    Things like is how I know they don’t want certain cats to shine. They be picking and choosing which good, AND bad performances they want to “internet”/report. Wheelchair Jimmy on the Tonight Show was not a good look and that was suppressed.

    But if I was Thought I would do the same thing, tear dudes up on the mic (II) on some “you’re just here today, I do this all the time…here even…”

  8. clbobe says:

    Black Thought = Goat

  9. Mark Dub says:

    “This is the verse he spit on BET cypher…and that’s all the evidence I needed to know he could (did) kill Marshall.”

    ^^^^ Truest. Shite. Evar. The funny and sad part is once the awards were over, I kept hearing about how dope Em’s and Nicki’s verses were. I was lokie, yo…you didn’t hear that muhfugga who RIPPED before Em? Not taking anything away from Em, but I wouldn’t have even wanted to hold that mic after Tariq Trotter scorched the muhfuggin Earth with it.

  10. FrankTalkDC says:

    KanYe murdered er’body on that Drake track.
    Thought is cold as a mugg tho.

Leave a Reply for Mark Dub