Clyde Allen 10/16/12 Prof. Turman No Comedians, No Laughs I Aint No Joke, the second single from Eric B.

and Rakims Paid in Full album peaked to number thirty- eight in the year 1987. The song has been described by terms such as legendary and monumental by hip-hop heads. Needless to contest, those words describe this body of work perfectly. By this being an earlier hip-hop song, the word play and direct message delivered in the song are well constructed. On the contrary, though it is an upbeat record, are the lyrics designed to make you want to party? With the use of many animated metaphors, Eric B. and Rakim are certainly not joking. The total that I gave this song described this song as a hip hop classic. In other words, I was impressed by every aspect. Each category on the rubric received the maximum amount of points except lyrical content. The only reason that it was scored slightly below the maximum amount of potential points was due to the fact that Ive heard larger words in hip-hop verses. Yet, I understand with the beat being structured the way that it is, maybe larger vocabulary wouldnt have fit. This explains how Eric B. and Rakim were able to control their word play and how they transitioned from line to line. They think that I'm a new jack/ but only if they knew that/ They who think wrong are they who can't do that/ Style that I'm doing, they might ruin.. Do that and Style actually should have been within the same line, but the words were broke apart into different lines to compliment the beat and the flow of the record. Originality and delivery were both executed properly, by the way the subject was revealed. Not only was the subject leaning towards demands of respect, but also the demanding of receiving proper credit. Eric B. and Rakim rhymed about other hip-hop artists stealing styles and flows. Rakim rhymes, You like to

exaggerate, dream and imaginate, Then change the rhyme around that can aggravate me. They really wanted their fans and audience to understand that they were original with their product. A major literary device used in I Aint No Joke, is defeinitely imagery. In every verse Rakim rhymes, he paints a picture in the listeners mind. His opening lines to this song were, I ain't no joke, I use to let the mic smoke/ Now I slam it when I'm done and make sure it's broke. Not literally, setting microphones ablaze or purposely breaking them, he explains the level in which he rhymes. Stating that he used to let the mic smoke, depicts how he would kind of take it light with hip-hop, but now he goes all in and makes sure the microphone is broken. Hyperbole was also used a good amount during this record. The art of exaggeration was exemplified throughout Rakims verses. Hyperbole is shown when he said I got a question, as serious as cancer/ Who can keep the average dancer Hyper as a heart attack?/ Nobody's smiling. Using two illnesses to describe the seriousness of his rhyming ability was a good tactic. Cancer happens to be receptive of a lot of questioning and heart attacks are extremely hyper active. Have you ever thought who is smiling during a heart attack? No one is, victims nor witnesses. This song opened a new lane in hip-hop. Not pioneering songs that make the artists seem intimidating or having a rugged look, but putting rough lyrics over a b-boy instrumental. That was a pretty dope concept by giving us a song to dance to, but passing on a message that would stick. Eric B. and Rakim sound enthusiastic, but not corny or comical. The lyrics worked well with the beat pattern, listeners just have to check out the song before and after they dance to it to receive the full message. Listen when youre feeling positive and rebellious!