allusion – 21 Questions was originally a game show in the 1960s. The term 21 21 Questions questions has since come to mean asking someone a lot of questions. Note that there are more than 21 questions in the song. - by 50 Cent speaker – the voice that is talking to us in a poem [50 Cent] The speaker in the poem shifts between 50 Cent and Nate Dogg. New York City! 1 You are now rapping...with 50 Cent 2 Stanza – group You gotta’ love it... assonance – repetition of vowel sounds 3 of consecutive I just wanna’ chill and twist a lot 4 lines in a poem Catch suns in my 7-45 allusion to a BMW 5 that form a single unit You drive me crazy shorty I 6 Need to see you and feel you next to me 7 I provide everything you need and I 8 Like your smile I don't wanna’ see you cry 9 Got some questions that I got to ask and I 10 Hope you can come up with the answers babe 11

[Nate Dogg] assonance Girl...It's easy to love me now 12 Would you love me if I was down and out? 13 Would you still have love for me? 14 Refrain – a Girl...It's easy to love me now 15 repeated group of lines Would you love me if I was down and out? 16 Would you still have love for me? 17 Girl...

[50 Cent] alliteration If I fell off tomorrow would you still love me? 18 If I didn't smell so good would you still hug me? Onomatopoeia – use of a 19 word whose sound If I got locked up and sentenced to a quarter century, imitates its meaning 20 Could I count on you to be there to support me mentally? 21 Parallelism If I went back to a hoopty from a Benz, would you poof and disappear like 22 – repetition some of my friends? of words If I was hit and I was hurt would you be by my side? Couplet – two 23 that create a consecutive lines of similar If it was time to put in work would you be down to ride? poetry that rhyme 24 structure I'd get out and peel a xxxx cap and chill and drive 25 I'm asking questions to find out how you feel inside 26 If I ain't rap 'cause I flipped burgers at Burger King 27 would you be ashamed to tell your friends you feelin' me? 28 And in bed if I used to my tongue, would you like that? 29 If I wrote you a love letter would you write back? 30 Now we can have a lil' drink you know a nightcap 31 And we could go do what you like, I know you like that 32

[Nate Dogg] – Chorus/Refrain

[50 Cent] Now would you leave me if you're father found out I was thuggin'? 33 Do you believe me when I tell you, you the one I'm loving? 34 Are you mad 'cause I'm asking you 21 questions? 35 Are you my soulmate? 'Cause if so, girl you a blessing 36 Do you trust me enough, to tell me your dreams? 37 I'm staring at ya' trying to figure how you got in them jeans 38 If I was down would you say things to make me smile? 39 I treat you how you want to be treated just teach me how 40 If I was with some other chick and someone happened to see? 41 And when you asked me about it I said it wasn't me 42 Would you believe me? Or up and leave me? 43 How deep is our bond if that's all it takes for you to be gone? 44 And always remember girl we make mistakes, to make it up I do whatever it take 45 Simile – a I love you like a fat kid love cake 46 comparison using You know my style I say anything to make you smile 47 like or as Internal rhyme – rhyme within a line [Nate Dogg] - Refrain rhyme scheme – pattern of rhymes Could you love me in a Bentley? A 48 Could you love me on a bus? B 49 I'll ask 21 questions, and they all about us B 50 Could you love me in a Bentley? A 51 Could you love me on a bus? B 52 I'll ask 21 questions, and they all about us B 53

Interpretation Stanza 1 – 50 Cent begins by rousing the crowd as he sings in NY. Then he turns his attentions to a girl that he really likes (shorty). He tells her how much he cares and tells her he has some questions to ask her.

Stanza 2 – Nate Dogg sings the refrain, which contains the central message of the poem. The message (which is in the form of a question) is that it is easy for her to love him since he is rich and famous, but would she love him if he were just a nobody. The rest of the questions in the song revolve around this central question.

Stanza 3 – 50 Cent asks a series of hypothetical questions to determine how much the girl really cares for him. Would she still love him if he drank (fell off the wagon), if he was imprisoned, if he drove a junky car (hoopty), if he had a less respectable job (flipping burgers), and so on.

Stanza 4 – 50 Cent continues with the same line of questioning to see if she truly loves him for who he is, not what he has. At the same time, he is professing his love for her (I treat you how you want to be treated just teach me how and I love you like a fat kid love cake).

Stanza 5 – 50 Cent finishes the song similarly to how he began. He says that he has a lot of questions to ask the girl “and they all about us” (meaning they all are questions asking if she loves him for who he is and not what he has).