How To Get Your Rhymes Up! Part 2.

Two words... rap school. Learn the craft, ask questions, be interactive. Find out what makes the technical MC's so efficient at writing, and which areas you need to improve on.

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Slick T. Beast
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How To Get Your Rhymes Up! Part 2.

Post by Slick T. Beast »

(Cont. from 1st Post)

There isn't an iron-clad way of doing things, a common mis-conception is that you NEED punchlines to win a battle...this is not true at all - well written, snappy punchlines are the most commonly used and the easiest way to learn how to win battles and are most important in short battles where you need every line to count...there are many ways to punch but what you need to remember to do is DISS your opponent...you don’t have to use wordplay, similes, metaphors or any other written device "you are a fucking loser" is a diss, the same diss can be made more interesting/effective by adding a simile "you are a fucking loser like saddam in the war" (the like part makes it a simile) you can also make the diss into a metaphor by changing the wording...a metaphor is EXACTLY the same as a simile APART from you don’t include the word "like" and instead same something "is" something else...in this example: "you are a bigger loser than Saddam in the war"...its important that you remember you need to include something to compare Saddam to...obviously when you take out the word "like" I have replaced it with "bigger" to form a different comparison...both are just as effective...Another common misconception is that multis are REQUIRED in a battle verse, like...if someone has better multis or more multis than someone else then their verse is somehow better (this is sometimes true but not always)...the key idea here is that multis are used to ASSIST your flow, exactly the same with a rhyme scheme, if you can flow well enough WITHOUT multis and WITH a basic rhyme scheme then there is really no need at all to include multis in your verses, and its better to flow with a simple scheme and have hard hitting battle verses than to have forced multis that do not rhyme fully or effectively (I wont lie, its much easier to flow by using multis but if you are sacrificing content for your multis you will rarely win a battle against someone that can use effective punches - obviously if your opponent can't flow that well and can't throw nice punches then its a system worth considering for some battles)...There are also other ways to make your verse more interesting...Personification is when you give a non-human object human qualities, for instance: "I'll leave your punchlines bleeding in the street" punchlines cant bleed but by using personification you give the impression that your going to beat your opponents punchlines they would be bleeding in the street...which introduces another important concept...YOU DONT HAVE TO STATE EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO, its better to leave your lines open to interpretation to the voters by not being over-specific, BUT on the flip side...you need to be specific enough for the voters to catch onto what you are talking about - a punchline that requires reams of explanation is not effective (a little explanation is ok but if you find yourself having to explain a lot then you should question how hard the punch really is - obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but in general this is a good guide)

The MOST IMPORTANT thing in a battle is to DISS ORIGINALLY...don’t use played wordplay, don’t use played disses, don’t use simple concepts for punches (whether its the diss, the simile, the metaphor) but DONT BE OVERLY COMPLEX...you need to be witty, and the wittiest lines and concepts are fluid moving from the diss to the "execution" of the diss in a witty/funny way...whether this is a simile or whatever...people sometimes think that the longer their lines and the longer there multis and the more complex there ideas the better their whole verses are...THIS IS NOT TRUE, the best ideas are complex but don’t appear so...Yes, using elements is an important aspect of any verse but don’t force your elements, its better not to bother...feel free to experiment, but listen to criticisms from the more experienced heads
Also, there are MANY styles you can adopt...an important thing to remember is QUALITY not QUANTITY...too much of a good thing in a verse lessens the effectiveness of the element you used...try to use a little bit of all the elements in an original way...and remember, some filler is a good thing...the longer the battle is, the more filler you want to see because when you have a punchline then its effect is increased...the key is that you need to make your filler interesting and occasionally dissing so that there is an actual point of it being there...which brings me onto:

Voting

When voting battles you need to realise every battle is different...both first and second spitters have advantages and disadvantages and you need to take into consideration how well each battler took advantage of those and how they limited the weakness of the disadvantages (assuming there are flips...which you should usually allow as a first spitter because you have certain advantages from dropping first)...You as a voter are BOUND to have different opinions from other voters, so you really shouldn’t bother reading other voters comments before you vote - they have already voted, if you take on board what they say then the voter you decided you agreed with may have well have had his vote counted twice - if you give an honest opinion on each battle and how you saw it there really aren't many people that will be annoyed with you, the majority of bitching that goes on are when people don’t justify certain opinions and comment on things they really aren't certain about - you don’t have to vote on every 'element' in your vote BUT if you aren’t certain about what certain elements are or how they are effective that’s ok,you should really try and take a battle verse as a battle verse...vote on what you know - if your not sure, don’t vote on it...

The thing about topical battles is that, everybody looks for different things which make it real hard to have a piece that appeals to everyone. Some prefer Metaphorical stories, some prefer regular stories, and some prefer the topic right in your face. So what's your best bet at pleasing everybody? Five simple things:
• Wording
• Concepts
• Title
• First & Last Lines

Wording:
Wording is basically the way that you write things down on paper. If you’re able to depict emotion through your words, create imagination through them, etc.

What is good wording? I can only give you examples. Good wording is something that you just gain as you progress as a writer. Everybody develops their own style, and their own usage of words.

Example:
Quote:
Darkness slowly masking on the room Dayouni slept in
The fervent perspiration of a marksmans Smith and Wesson-
Rested in his sweating palm the weight of a hundred men
In a drowsy state, the somber mood awakened once again..


^ That is an example of great wording. The words one after the other just connect so well. Notice how the words used clearly represents the emotion that is trying to be displayed. One word can affect the entire thing In the last line replace "drowsy" with "sleepy" and the four lines are less effective.

Concepts:
A simple explanation of a concept is, A scheme or a plan for your written piece; what it's about.

Almost every great story What does it have? An original or exciting concept. These can make or break you when writing a topical. When I write I try to always come in a creative manner. People are always more interested in the new than the old If your 30, you'd stop if you saw a hot 20 year old walking' down the road but who's going to stop for an 80 year old lady stripping' in a bar?

Examples of good concepts are The topic given is:
"What Champions Are Made Of" you go on to tell a story of your mother doing a heroic act.
"Hidden Within" - You tell the story of a man discovering love for something When he thought that he had no heart
And the list goes on Anything original and interesting is a great concept.

Notice how I said the word "Original". Remember that when writing your topical pieces Most people don't really want to read about how street you are, or how many guys that you've shot in the past year why? Because it's been done 20 billion times.

Title:
Don't think for a second that the title of a piece is overlooked this is basically what attracts people to your piece. If they see a dull title like "I’m sitting here saying fuck you" I doubt that anybody will give your written work a piece of mind unless you have an AIM voting ring or something. You have to have titles that will grab people’s attentions and make them want to look Here's an example a piece is entitled "I Have A Secret To Tell", Great title. Instantly makes the reader want to click on it and see it. If there were two books on a shelf One titled "It's coming!" or "just rhymed something cause I was bored" I'm pretty sure that any normal person would take the first one.

Usually a great title always leaves the reader not knowing what to expect. Remember, you only get one first impression.

First and Last Lines:
I preach this one a lot because I feel that they are very important to any piece. The First two or four lines are the first thing that the reader experiences from your piece and your last two to four lines are the overall impression that they are left with. Most people If a movie isn't interesting at the start, the future content will be ignored because of the lacking start. If a movie starts of great but has a horrible ending expect a lot of people to bash your ending.

Examples of great starting lines...

Quote:
...Taking a picture and then translating to words..
Can take years of interpretation explaining it's worth
And when you understand the complexity of my whole
You can begin to realize the complication of my soul


Quote:
Voilins humming, the sound of a faint yet clear voice
clearly venting through my thoughts, barely keeping poise
As my body trembles, palms sweaty & soul so dense
O how i long to smell the fragrance of a pure soul's scent


Quote:
I am a poem; the solitary thought of a master penman.
Cradled by the gutter, and forgotten in an instant


Examples of Great ending lines...

Quote:
Gasping for air, coughing out my own blood
"I hate you! I'm fucking proud of what i've done!"
My bloodly palm on my mirror, raged eyes, no fear...
I look...Then whisper......"You weren't meant to be here"....


Quote:
of a delicate bliss where the hits dont happen
he couldnt help himself and the stress from rappin
just an old mans past reminiscing about his ways
a tear drops an blots the writing on his diary page..
he'll keep on turning..

This is half of a very lengthy description. I've split this one into 2 because as a straight read, it's quite long.

In this chapter, many new and advanced concepts will be discussed and many "secrets" will be exposed. Please remember that I'm not telling you that this is the only way to elevate. These are simply the methods that I've found the easiest and most accessible. Some of these, you may not know how you put to use productively the first time or two, but after a while it'll be a priceless tool in self elevation.

*Self Elevation:

Self elevation is hands down the most important technique in rhyming. In order to elevate your self, you must first recognize your own problems and weaknesses. This is not something that can be achieved if you're of the mind set that your rhymes can not be improved upon. If you feel that you are already at your pinnacle, then there is no possible way you can elevate your self and there is nothing here that you can learn. This tutorial is intended for those who have realized that they are in need of improvement. Some don't learn this till defeat or near-defeat.

*An Emcee's arch enemy, "Writer's Block"

There are only two things that cause writer's block:
1: Nothing to say but a way to say it.
2: Something to say but no way to say it.

In situation 1, you're stuck in the zone where you want to write, but you can't think of what you want to write about. You're just saying things that you think sound great, but eventually you will run out of steam and rhyme your self into a corner as you realize you're not really saying anything. It becomes a good rhyme that doesn't have any real content.

In situation 2, you have an idea of what you want to say, or what you want to talk about, but the words just won't come to you. Situation 2 is far more common and paralyzing than situation 1. The cure for either of these, ironically enough, is exactly the same; reading. Diversifying your knowledge will exponentially expand your ability to write, and your content of what you write as well. You work will take on a more polished and professional feel to it as you can produce more adjectives or verbs which by extension will make the bridge between your concept and the execution of it much stronger.

*What and how to create:

Creativity is something we all have. Using it to paint a picture or write a rhyme is essentially the same. However there is a time where an individual will be bursting at the seems with creativity lyrically, and a time where there is substantially less creativity to be harnessed. All Emcees can observe rhymes that they've written that they've found to be a mark at their own pinnacles and they'll relish over it admiring their own ability to pull off complex wordplay or precision-guided flows. We all want to be able to consistently produce high quality work at all times and the means to do so are oddly enough, quite simple. Simply pick a style.

*What is a "style":

By default, we all write what ever we'd like in what ever format we'd like and let the words make things into what ever line formation that we see fit, but regretfully, this isn't a productive means to produce consistently hot rhymes. In order to harness creativity time after time, one needs to write their rhymes in a solid and defined structure of words, or a "style". There are only about 28 styles in existence based on 7 fundamentally different structures. Only 20 of them are considered usable and enjoyable to a listener’s ear/readers eyes which are based on 5 different structures. Those 5 are shown below. The remaining 15 are very easy to figure after reading the first 5, so I won't go to the extent to display them:

*You fronting; on me. Challenging' like it's something to see.
Fucking; with me? Niggaz don't want nothing with me.//
I'm up in a tree. Peeping through the sniper scope.
Try to spit your shit. I'll land the hollow point in your throat.// (1)

1: Eight short lines with the first 4 multing off of the end word. And the second four multing off of a different end word with a transition in the first sentence. 4 lines per bar couplet.

*Mutha fucka I ain’t dumb enough to really want to hear it.
That ain't a battle faggot. You should a posted it in "Lyrics".//
Now you know exactly why I don't take challenges from newbie’s.
Your lyrics are like wind to fat kids. They don't move me.// (2)

2: One long line, two short lines. One long line (different rhyming word) and two short lines. 3 lines per bar couplet.

*You must be suicidal to become my rival voluntarily.
Nothing about you or your copied flow is scaring me.//
If you ain't hearing me biter, then try-to turn it up.
Print out your rhymes, roll them and use my lighter to burn them up.// (3)

3: Four medium lines with the rhyming word at the end. 2 lines per bar couplet.

*Young pussies are kittens, my style you've bitten but you ain't winning a battle with that rhyme that you've WRITTEN.//
Even your most complex wrecks are basic same lame shit, face it you didn’t key style you copied-and-pasted.// (4)

4: Two long lines smothered in multis that rhyme with the end word. 1 line per bar couplet.

*It's impossible, if not highly improbable that you possess the power or knowledge to become an obstacle to such a monstrous marvel capable to break the cables Kain used to choke Abel but effortlessly uses such skills for stopping you.// (5)

5: One long sentence riddled with multis. Hands down the hardest style to use successfully. 1/2 line per bar couplet.

The other 15 styles are simply variants on where the multi hits or if there's a multi at all. Subconsciously, we all write in formats like these (if we write complete bar couplets) but we just let it fly all over the place uncontrolled and un-harnessed. As you can see, as you read through the styles, the overall feeling of the lines all felt different from one to another. They go from choppy to rhythmic. This can be used to ones benefit if they are trying to make a subconscious connection from their lyrics to a readers/listeners mind which makes the rhyme that much more vivid. If one were speaking of how shattered something is & like an opponents bones for example (in a battle) then a style like the first one shown here would relay that subconsciously. The short sentences relay a feeling of something that’s fractured or in pieces. If one were speaking of a snake, a style like the 4th or 5th one indicated here would relay a subconscious feeling of length and/or something cylindrical or a tube or tunnel. As you can see, the related use of the styles can completely alter someone’s perception of what your statement is and the feeling that they get from it. Rhymes seem more vivid when the image or concepts that they are trying to relay are matched with a style that conveys the same idea. There are other tricks you can use to make it even more vivid, aside from the structure of the styles such as how and where you multi within the line, but I'd rather let your own mind elevate to that knowledge. Keep in mind that the intentions of this manuscript are not to think for you, but rather to offer insight into how to think.

*A "bar" vs. a "Bar couplet".

*Redundancy & The silent killer:

Redundancy is what kills countless mainstream and underground Emcees. Although they do not realize it, they have repeated their message and/or style numerous times and people eventually get bored with hearing it. One can write two songs. One a ballad about their love for their mother, and another which could be a battle against their most hated nemesis, and both could sound exactly the same. Take an Emcee like "Slick Rick" for example, whose style is exactly the same on every song he's ever done in his entire life (Style number 3 above). A listener could be just as enthused after a song about his life on the mean streets of England as they'd be about him talking about a girl he met in a pizza parlour. The only difference is the content of these lines & but the overall structure is exactly the same every time. Using the same style over and over freed his mind to create lyrics to relay what ever he wanted to send across to the listener, but at the core, he lacked diversity in a horrible way. If you look back, you'll see that most of the 80's rappers used the exact same style in every rhyme. Fresh Prince, Tribe Called Quest, Kool Mo Dee etc. Notice that none of those artists are prominent today. Now look at today at the artists that use the same style over and over. Juelz Santana, Yung Buck, the Young Gunz. Freeway, etc. Mark my words that these artists will fizzle out just as the ones before them have. Diversity is most important if you want to survive, especially in internet battles like these where there's no beat to save you! I can't express it enough that you must constantly change your style & or just flat out use multiple styles. I'd recommend taking the time to review the rhymes that some of us have written here before and see how many of us on this board produce the same style, although we don't see it. Time to change it up!

The second half addresses even more advanced tactics to aide in rhyming

The continuation to part one we delve deeper into it in this second chapter and more "secrets" are exposed and explained.

*What flow is and why it's priceless:


Let's say that you are not content with your rhymes. You feel that they lack content and are terribly thinned out. You have a savior & flow. Some mainstream artists refer to it as & riding the beat. Flow is one's ability to make a rhyme land on beat. If you don't write a rhyme to a beat, be it mentally or an audible beat, then you have no flow. Your lines will be as long and as short as you want because you haven't disciplined your self to fit it to a beat or make it flow. The more precise you land a multi or a rhyming word at the end of a line, the more powerful your flow is. The words that lead up to the rhyming word (be it multi or sentence ending) just build up to that point. Lots of rappers who get the opportunity to rhyme over hot beats let the beats write the song. They don't compete with it, they simply ride with it. Some rappers build their entire careers on beats and their ability to flow with it or ride the beat. See G-Unit. The difference is that for lyrics alone, you have no audible beat to go with. You actually establish the beat in the first two lines. The pace of the first two lines will be the pace for the entire rhyme, weather you like it or not so don't fight it. Simply work with it. Establish a flow and stick to it. You'll be able to stray from it from time to time, but you always have to return back to it. Here's an example of a solid flow:

I invented methods that get in your mouth like dentists.
I ghost-wrote battles. The Ghost Hazard. - "Phantom Menace".//
Your plans I end it. Jaws dented - "inner stress" brings Cruel "in-tensions". (in-tension = inner stress)
This "pro" takes down flows. Peep how you "cons" "descended".// (condescended meaning spoke down to)
I'm beyond the mention. Dimensions end transcended.
Deep Blue brings south niggas to their North Endings.//
You clowns connected. You change flows, but you're the same though.
Rock you round my necklace cuz I can see that you clowns "are-mended"//(amended meaning "to change" as in the prior line "change flows")
I grip seams and rip teams just to hear your bitch screams.
Bitch please. I expose you pussies like strip tease.//
Dis me?? Infinite Abyss RIPS teams. We RIP regimes.
I rhyme hard enough to make my dick rip my jeans!//
You under pressure like my zip, you see?
Where your dogs at?? Cuz you ain't shit but a bitch to me.//
I break "J's" physically and vandalize your iris visually.
Around the time I clown you and drown you lyrically.//
You F students suck my dick in geography.
That's how you go down as the dumbest nigga in history.//
Niggaz alter when I crush'em Keep the "change" nice.
Suck my dick with your scalp off. I'll peep your brains twice.//
Think you gonna come back when I diss ya? Nigga keep it.
Weak bitch. Rip you faster than a Twista. - Peep it//

Although it's quite complex, you can see that this rhyme above here is extremely vivid. Every single multi and rhyming word lands on the beat that was in my head, which is subconsciously established by the first two lines. As just text, we don't have the luxury of a beat to save us from a horribly empty verse or lacklustre rhymes so we have to master flowing. After some time, you'll be able to know how to throw things *slightly* off so that the rhyme doesn't sound repetitious just a little something to pep it up a bit, but the main intention should be to stay on beat and with the flow. Abusing the off entering of the rhyming word will work against you as a bad flow. I can't stress enough how much that mastery of this is absolutely important. It's one of the 2 major factors that make the skeleton of a rhyme.

*Rhyme Content:

Content. The other half of the two pillars that make up a rhyme's skeleton. Content speaks specifically about what a rhyme is saying, or trying to say and it's relevance to it self. Someone could write a 20 bar rhyme and every bar has a different topic. The content in that case would be anything and everything and it'd really go nowhere. On the other hand, if all 20 lines were all relating to the same topic or painting images about it, then the content there is absolutely bullet-proof. To build up content, simply think about the aspects of what ever it is you're talking about. Think of the things that make it, things that describe it, what makes it tick, what its; composed of etc. You can write 10 rhymes about 1 topic and every one of them be different if you can observe enough about it. The information is there, you simply need to find it. You can train your self on this considerably easily. Pick any appliance device in your home, like a blender, a TV, a radio, a mic, anything like that. Then jot down as many things about it as you can. What it looks like, sounds like, shape, what it does, etc. Then realize that you have only written about the things on the surface. Think of all the components on the inside that make it operate. Think about why it does what it does. How, What powers it. What it can do. What it can't do. How did it get to you? What makes this one different form the other 10,000 exactly like it. And you haven’t even analyzed it on a molecular level! Now jot all those ideas down. You can imagine already that you can have literally hundreds of points about this device and you can certainly make hundreds if not thousands of bars on that device alone and all the organized chaos that happens when you press it’s on button.

Also, don't be afraid to do a little research the internet is a powerful tool that'll teach you nearly everything about anything and any of it can be utilized.

*Reverse thinking or thinking backwards:

Reverse thinking is the art of writing your concepts backwards. Most basic rhymers will write rhymes where they think of what they want to say, then say it, then fill in the rest of the line with things just to carry it to the next concept (known as filler). Reverse thinking does the exact opposite. The concept comes as the goal in the line, and everything else is simply built to build up to it. The difference here is tremendous. Reverse thought lines will have a point that they make, where as forward thought lines generally don't. It's nearly impossible to tell an adequate story without thinking backwards. To simplify: Forward Thinking = good concepts with bad execution. Reverse Thinking = good concepts with great execution. All the lines are clear, concise and relevant.

* Increasing rhyme consistency/capacity/endurance.

After all the skills you've learned consistency is the key. In order to write more and more quality lyrics, you simply need to write more and do it under all conditions you can think of. Force your self to rhyme. Write. Write. Write. Write when you're sleepy as hell, write when you're sick, write when you're happy as hell, write when you're horny, write when you're bored, write when you have a headache, write when you're depressed, write when you're sober, write when you're not. JUST KEEP WRITING!! It'll start off looking like shit, and you'll know it. Fortunately, you'll recognize it. Eventually, your mind will scan for topics and you'll be writing about them then it'll hook into something and not let go of it. Lots of freestyles, ciphers, battles, etc start and end off like this. But you don't have to post those rhymes anywhere. Keep them to your self. But keep on writing. After a while, you'll see that you live in a position where you're never really in/out of the zone to write, because it comes so effortless to you. You'll find your own situations which you won't be able to write under (my personal one is headache and sickness but I can do all the others) you'll just be in different degrees of fire. Always ON fire, but just a matter of how much. You'll also see that you never have writers block. You'll just become more selective of the rhymes you don't like.

There was a time where I used to force my self to write 200 bars every single day. Writing 200 bars is easy as hell (if you wanted to be able to do something like that) once you've trained your mind to observe different facets of your subject matter. It's not something you do because you need to or anything like that, just because you can and as a result, your overall rhyme capacity is increased massively.

The easiest way you increase that capacity is to start off just rambling rhymes. Say what ever you want, and rhyme it. You'll start off talking about all sorts of crap, then eventually you'll start to focus in on a topic. That's the start of the end!! That's when you really start honing your potential. You'll feel that nagging feeling in the back of your head like "damn, know I an do better than this" so you just keep on going and going and I guarantee that it'll come to you. Just don't stop before it does. After a while, you'll be able to get your mind to jump straight to that every time. Needless to say that this is a good thing.

* What does it all add up to??

The ability to easily produce lyrics of what ever type and complexity that you'd like and do it without limitations.

THE USELESSNESS OF LONG LINES

Line compression seems to be a big problem with a lot of cats. Long lines deteriorate flow, bore the reader, and while some may give you props for complexity, that’s complete and total bullshit. Long lines are not and should not be mistaken for complexity. Complexity comes from a combination of advanced rhyme schemes, vocabulary, and lines that are put together in an elaborate form.

METHODS OF LINE COMPRESSION

So now that we know long lines are good for absolutely nothing, let’s move on to how to get rid of them. I’ll list this is steps for anyone to follow when trying to trim a bar:

1. First get rid of all the excess wording, anything that isn’t absolutely necessary for the line knock it, just leave the core of the punch.
2. Now you’ll have the core of the line in bad wording, so mess with the wording, if you must then change rhymes or flip the line if it hits harder that way, you may need new multis but get over it!
3. To make it hit harder you’ll want a decent rhyme scheme, make sure the line flows well and goes well with the next line to complete the bar.
4. Fine-tune the little glitches, add in any italics you want to emphasize with (try to stay away from colours, bold, capitalization, underlining works, but I prefer italics, makes it look cleaner in the end)

There’s two things people generally need to shorten after keying:

1. PUNCH REWORDING

BEFORE:
check the Intel on this nigga like a dog pregnant with females you’ll see he has bitch inside/
AFTER:
check the Intel with kitchen knives/ like pregnant dogs, he’s half bitch inside/

Strip the line and word it as best you can. Generally if the line just can’t be reworded right then you need to scrap the bar. Don’t naturally assume anything can’t be worded correctly, but some things just can’t. When stripping all you need to leave are the phrases that are necessary for the punch, this will allow you to reword easier.

2. BAR REWORDING

BEFORE:
attacking on all fronts I’m leaving no stone unturned like Mick Jagger doing three-sixties/ like children constantly sleeping in class we learned you would fail ve-ry quickly/
AFTER:
sleeping in class, fail-your scene quickly/ (failure seen)
leaving no stone unturned like Jagger three-sixties/

You can sometimes shorten bars just by adding wordplay, which worked here. When shortening bars pay attention to how the lines come together, if done right a good flow can be achieved and still have the same meaning as the original raw punch. Once again follow the formula and word as best you can, you may have good results you may not, if not scrap the bar.

SUMMARY

Long lines bring down verses; if they can’t be helped they should be shot before they invade the punch gene pool.

INTRODUCTION


I’m sure there’s thousands upon thousands of actual ways to construct a battle verse, but this tutorial should enlighten you to using punches, wordplay, metaphors, imagery, fillers, etc EFFECTIVELY. Yes, fillers can be used effectively too, especially in key style verses, but that’s complicated right now. We’ll start with a basic guide to actually writing a battle verse.


QUINTESSENTIAL BATTLE VERSE MUST KNOW’S!!!


First off, KNOW YOUR STYLE if you’re using something you relate to more as an emcee then that gives you emotional power to excel. Know what your good at and work on what you’re not before you go throwing it into important battles.

Secondly, BE CREATIVE don’t flip the same lines over and over again, it gets bombastic after a while. Also don’t use lines that are, can be, or sound played. That can deduct a lot from how hard lines hit. An OK to mediocre punch can hit 10x harder if it’s on a original topic.

Now with that behind us, let us address the categories of battling:

PUNCHES:

FAQ

Why do you use punches? To make verses hit hard.

Why do people like punches? Because they diss like little else can.

How often should I use punches in a verse? Any line that doesn’t have one SHOULD be setting the next line up for one. That is, unless you have some other special use for that line.

How do I come up with punches all the time? Halfway from experience and halfway through knowledge, if you’re taking classes then use what you learn to make punches out of, observe the world and flip it into a punch, it doesn’t matter. The point is there are millions of ways to diss someone, just pick one and go with it at least every 4 lines.

WORDPLAY:

FAQ

Why do you use wordplay? To make shit more clever, plain and simple.

Why do people like wordplay? It puts a whole new school of thought through their monitor, people love to go “damn That was ill”!. And wordplay is one way to do that.

How often should I use wordplay in a verse? It is by no means necessary to use wordplay at all, but I personally choose to use it at least 3-4 times in one verse (20 lines), you can use it as often or spontaneous as you like, just don’t go forcing it.

How do I come up with wordplay all the time? There is no way to constantly come up with wordplay without talent at picking words apart, but if you’re really lame there ARE homonym dictionaries out on the internet, I don’t ever use them, but hey you got to do what you got to do right?

METAPHORS:

FAQ

Why do you use metaphors? To add deepness and creativity to writing. Metaphors can present a sense of mind process no other quality can.

Why do people like metaphors? It makes them think, but in a good way.

How often should I use metaphors in a verse? Again, not something that is necessary but most certainly a quality that once mastered can come off as very potent line for line. Can be used as often or infrequently as desired though.

How do I come up with metaphors all the time? You can’t even cheat on metaphors like you can wordplay. Metaphors either come or they don’t, Simile’s are a lot easier to express because “like” is one syllable, but expressing comparisons as metaphors generally takes longer than a one syllable word. That’s what makes them so difficult to master. But VERY effective once time has taken it’s toll.

IMAGERY:

FAQ

Why do you use imagery? To exaggerate or express something creatively by using description over raw dope thought.

Why do people like imagery? Instead of ouch that was really creative, imagery paints a picture for the scene then twists it into pure ingenious, a true artist’s choice of expertise.

How often should I use imagery in a verse? Since the past three qualities go hand in hand with punches, again, as often or infrequent as desired. I try to throw in at least 1 imagery line per verse just to display skill.

How do I come up with imagery all the time? Mainly creativity and common knowledge. Get a picture and describe it better than you see it and you’ll know when you’ve mastered it.

PERSONALS:

FAQ

Why do you use personals? For several reasons, #1 especially in key styled battles, it shows authenticity, #2 it shows thought and personal ridicule, #3 it just hits hard because it’s directly relevant to the person, kind of like sentimental value for a watch or something.

Why do people like personals? For all the reasons above.

How often should I use personals in a verse? As often as you like, if every line was personal you would win a lot of battles.

How do I come up with personals all the time? If you know the person then you can take past events or things of that nature and expose them in a dissing manner, if you don’t then people generally flip avatars, signatures, custom text, etc. into punches.

COMPLEXITY:

FAQ

Why do you use complexity? Complexity, first off, is a combination of how you put together your lines; the originality of your lines, the rhyme scheme, etc all bundled into one. A simple verse makes for a simple reaction, and a simple reaction isn’t what most cats want.

Why do people like complexity? It makes them feel the person put more thought into a verse and keeps your own image looking sharp and on point. No one likes to read boringly simple verses.

How often should I use complexity in a verse? ALWAYS at least make an attempt to use a bit of complexity. *NOTE: complexity is NOT long lines, but rather thought put into lines*

How do I come up with complexity all the time? Put your lines together without simple, mediocre formats, elevate vocabulary, and use creative lines as opposed to played out ideas.

FILLERS AND SETUPS:

FAQ

Why do you use fillers and setups? For several reasons, #1 being a sacrifice of illness for rhyme scheme, #2 being to elaborate on a punch with a pre-punch, #3 being you just got tired of writing, said fuck it and wrote something that rhymes.

Why do people like fillers and setups? Generally people frown upon just straight filler, but setups can be very useful when a punch is specific and slightly hidden, you can use setups to manipulate the reader’s mind into thinking in the same area you are, hence a better understanding and harder hit from your ending punch.

How often should I use fillers and setups in a verse? I always like to setup my punches, just for rhyme scheme purposes if nothing else, but 50% of my verse in general is setups. As for the rest, punches of some sort (be it punch play, imagery, metaphors, etc).

How do I come up with fillers and setups all the time? All you got to be able to do is rhyme and get a lil’ relevant, these are by far the easiest lines to write, not much thought involved.


HOW TO PUT A VERSE TOGETHER:


Step 1, GET IDEAS, If you have topics then thinking up punches is a breeze. Think up a list of topics before you write and punches will be much less scarce

Step 2, FLIP IDEAS TO PUNCHES, Flip your ideas however you wish, but make it clever and diss your opponent at least 50% of the time. Self-righteous punches may hit sometimes but rarely will they make quotable unless it’s just REALLY clever.

Step 3, RHYME IT, You got punches, take a good rhyme scheme and put a flow to it sometimes you may have a lack of multies. If so switch-up the rhyme scheme or re-flip the punch (there’s always at least two ways for a punch to go)

Step 4, READ AND CORRECT, go over your finished verse and correct spelling mistakes, italicize whatever wordplay or something you want to highlight, whatever. But most definitely check your shit and make sure it isn’t wack’ This step has saved my ass I do not know how many times! I’ll finish a verse and be like damn that was wack, then re-flip some shit and it be good to scoot.

Wordplay is a concept that a lot of people stretch and misuse. Hopefully by the time you finish reading this the uses as well as misuses will be distinctly more apparent. It’s hard to tell someone how to wordplay, as this has to be done on your own. But what I can tell you is how to properly use wordplay and how to keep from forcing it.

DOUBLE MEANING
Example: make you O², like the oxygen you wasted/ (0-2)
Example: titanic’s the sixth sense, icy dead people/ (I see)
Example: make you shake in your boots, like cowboys at baskin robins/

This is my most effective punch play method. By use of double meanings you are connecting two homophones (your wordplay) into a punch. Notice that I said homophones. This does not include words that pretty much sound like another. To find out if your own creations are forced, go through syllable by syllable and if any one syllable doesn’t match its counterpart, it is indeed forced…

WORD FISSION
Example: what took you twenty? I in-ten-did/ (intended)
Example: all new? All blue? this kid’s walking crip-tonight/ (kryptonite)
Example: wearing you out, jus another casual-tee/ (casualty)

When splicing a word into two separates you must use a hyphen to show connection. These are the easiest wordplays to start with considering all you are essentially doing is dividing a word into syllables and connecting the different syllables in altered ways. Again, go syllable by syllable to find any forces. It isn’t required that any homophones be found in these wordplays to justify it as wordplay, but they do make it that much more inventive.

WORD FUSION
Example: like pregnant Christians, you never de-fetus kids/ (defeat us)
Example: must be on the budget phone service cause your clique inactive/ (click in active)

When combining words you may or may not find it necessary to use hyphens, strictly up to the emcee. These can pack a powerful punch just as all wordplay can, but once again, be careful not to force. All that is required form this type of wordplay is that words be adjoined, though homophones within help periodically.

WHAT WORDPLAY ISN’T
Example: like night of the living dead, I’m laying off this coroner/
Example: forfeit? Nah, split you up like divorces/
Example: watch my fist kiss your jaw like holy matrimony/

These are punches, clever ones at that, but they aren’t wordplay. A punch is generally a comparison of some sort poking fun at someone or something, or making a clever statement of some sort. But a punch by definition is, DISSING YOUR OPPONENT!

There is a massive misconception going around on internet messageboards pertaining to the measurement of "1 bar".

Most people thinks 1 bar is as such:

Quote:
The cat had a bat and thought he was all that. He use the bat to smash the hat flat as a mat.//(1)


This is not one bar. This is two lines together known as a "bar-couplet" which is two bars. The correct format would have been like this:

Quote:
The cat had a bat and thought he was all that.(1)
He use the bat to smash the hat flat as a mat.//(2)


There are two bars here indicated in the proper format. The technically accepted definition of a rap bar is 'one line that sets up a word to be rhymed upon or rhymed with'. A lot of people think 2 bars = 1 bar because a "bar-couplet" doesn’t sound complete without the other bar, but it's not one bar. In music (which is what lyrics are written to) a "bar" = two snares or one "measure". The BPS is going to determine how many words per snare hit you can fit. Keep in mind that the rhyming word is delivered at the end of a beat hit (which is the snare in this case) which is where you get the bar from. If a beat only lasted 16 bars, your last rhyming word will be at the exact time the song ended, assuming you have anything that resembles a "flow". But to get on the more technical side, you can break it down into this simple formula:

Quote:
one line = one bar = one measure = 2 snares = 1 snare -&- 1 high hat.


Once again, the terminology that a lot of us use as a "bar" is actually a Bar Couplet. I'll get some help from my good friend the official on the English Language; Miriam Webster to help clarify further:

Quote:
bar: (bär)

a. A vertical line drawn through a staff to mark off a measure.
b. A "measure". <---I included the definition on the bottom of this post.

Couplet: (küplît)

1. A unit of verse consisting of two successive lines, usually rhyming and having the same meter and often forming a complete thought or syntactic unit.
2. Two similar things; a pair.
3:\Coup"let\ (-l?t), n. [F. couplet, dim. of couple. See Couple, n. ] Two taken together; a pair or couple; especially two lines of verse that rhyme with each other.


That's an excerpt from Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary which you can find online with ease. I'll even throw in the definition of the word "measure" in the musical sense so you can see what a fucking absolute jackass you've made of your self:

Quote:
Measure: (mézhér)

17: Music. The metric unit between two bars on the staff; a "bar".


With this knowledge, it's quite easy to observe other mainstream rappers. Many rap Collabos and individual verses are divided into 16 bars. Each is given 16 bars with the finisher usually given 22 or 32. This is just the simple formula studios use. Now go turn on any hip-hop collabo where a shitlaod of mainstreamers come together, and start counting the lines. Count the lines per verse: 16. Always has been and always will be 16. Very few labels and recording studios deviate from this formula because all - and I mean ALL- rappers get paid per 16. You'll even hear them talk about it sometimes.

If for what ever reason you were offered a spot on a track, you'd be getting paid for 16. If you got paid for 16 bars, you'd be getting paid for 16 lines. If you submit 32 (as you would with the incorrect 2lines/bar format), half of them won't be recorded. That's a basic fact of studio time.

Basic Definition Of A multi - basically a multi is when you have a bar in your verse that has everything rhyming.
The multis can sometimes winn battles for you...if your punches, flow, etc are in shape.

Example:

you couldn't sweet talk peet rock into a beet box
hanging from treetops like ewoks landing cheapspots on your weakspots.

Notice how almost EVERY thing in that one bar was rhyming with the precious fragment. That really determines a veteran from an upcoming emcee.

Some rules of thumb when typing your verse:

When i am keying a verse, i like to use the 'old school style' of rhyming.
what i do is when i think of a punch, i use the basic lettering style of multis.
As follows:

(A) spazing with (B) Taz in the (C) Back of my (D)Lac...just making a point
Then on the next bar i try and go along with the A, B, C, and D.
This really helps some with your technique of multi, along with your ability to prove them.
One of the best ways of improving your skill of multis is Cyphering. Go to the cypher zone on here and do any cypher that is there. Try and make yourself do it in a certain amount of time.

OK, if you think you have the talent to become a good emcee (Not just text emcee) then this tutorials will help you elevate your skills. This particular tutorial will come in sections.

1.) Writing lyrics.
2.) Bar formats.
3.) Construction/Delivery.
4.) Subject matter.

1.) Writing Lyrics:

If you're any kind of emcee then you're good at writing lyrics. But, you should know how to write lyrics.
There's ways to write lyrics so that you can leave them and when you come back, still understand the flow of them just in case they had to be rapped a certain way. For example:

Instead of writing:

Walked down the street, to the beat, holding heat.

You would write:

Walked down the street. / To the beat. / holding heat.

You may ask, "Why can't you just use commas?" Well, to the people that use punctuation when they write, it'd confuse them.
This is how I separate my bars when writing lyrics. It helps me out. It helps me know what I need to say before the end of the bar. I know to rap until I get to the next "/".

2.) Bar formats:

This varies with each person, and each flow. For the faster rappers:

Faster rappers spit more words in one bar, than the average speed, and slower rapper does in one bar.
When you're a fast rapper you have to make sure that you can spit out lots of words, but control your length so that it all makes sense and words don't slur together.
If there are too many words to get the sentence out without two words sounding like one, then speed rapping isn't the thing for you.

Also, you need to know how you talk, and how much spit your mouth produces. You don't want long bars if your mouth produces lots of saliva, because then it's almost like you're drooling while waiting for the bar to be over, for a chance to swallow.
And if you have lots of words in the next bar, you might not have a chance to swallow..and you might actually drool.
You don't want that. You want everything to seem smooth, and come together perfectly as if you're doing it without effort at all.

For the average/slower rappers:

It's easier for you, because there's not much to worry about. You have to ride the beat more carefully, though.
You have to know when to add in a rhyme word, and where a word would fit better at.
Like Eminem, perfect example he rides every beat he's on to perfection. For any audio examples, listen to "Patiently Waiting" by 50 Cent, featuring Eminem or "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.
On both songs, he rides the beat well. He puts emphasis on certain beats. Like when the snare hits, he'd say his rhyming word, and the next time the snare hit, he'd say the word that rhymed with it.
It sounds a lot better when you ride the beat well, instead of just flowing to the beat.

Also, you shouldn't have to take pauses that don't seem necessary. Fabolous take pauses normally, but his come in transition.
If yours come in the middle of the bar, you might need to add words. BUT, be careful when doing this because you could over-crowd the bar, and it won't sound as well.
Make sure that it sounds nicely when you rap it to the beat, and doesn't sound as if you're trying to rush something out.

3.) Construction/Delivery:

This is a very important part of rap. Some of the best rappers have very distinctive deliveries that make them who they are.
The Notorious B.I.G. has a delivery that sounds nothing like the way that Tupac works. One of the most noticeable deliveries is Freeway's.
Oh my god, his is so good that no one else can pull it off like him. He switches his rhyme scheme so that he rhymes every other bar, but it's nice with him.

You need to have your own delivery. Try to be original. The best way to do it, is to rhyme in a way that no one else is doing right now.
Just think of something crazy, and then work on it until the point that it fits you well, and you're good at doing it.
Some deliveries don't work well in text battles. Most of this tutorial goes for actual emcees.

4.) Subject matter:

Man, if you rap about something make sure it's something worth rapping about. 50 Cent has an ok rhyme, but he raps about the same thing and you don't want that to happen to you. Rap about the life you live.
And make sure you do it well. Use detail. Paint pictures. Don't always focus on vocabulary.
Focus more on using the simple words to paint the complex pictures. That's when your flow is at it's best. Have a point when you rap. Don't do it just to do it.
Make sure that you're rapping about something that a person can sit back, and think about.
Of course, you'll feel like putting out that one or two party songs, but that can't be your whole album, or you won't be regarded as an artist with substance. You'll be Lil' Jon and the Eastside boys.

Countering

Countering is when you use the other persons verse for material...

Example

Verse by first emcee:

I hit your ass so hard your hair will come off...

Verse by second emcee:

No way my hair will come off blah blah blah...

Basically the no countering rule most of us use is to take down the whole who spits first thing because it really don't make a difference who does because whatever the other person spits shouldn't effect the verse you write.

What is a multie?

Multies are a method of rhyming more than one syllable together. Before we go into what a multi is, however, you will need to know what is not a multie, because there are a lot of people out there that think they use them, but really don't...I've seen it many times.

These two examples are not multies

Example 1:

Grabbing the four, bust through the door to murder a whore
Smash the slut with a board and lay her head on the floor

Example 2:

If I catch you fussing you get busted in the nugget with muskets
Tucked in the mud with your fingers thrown in a bucket

The first one was just rhyming words together more than once (four, door, whore, board, floor).
Though it "seems" that would be multiple rhyming, it is not. Multie is short for multi-syllable rhyming, which is exactly what it says: rhyming together multiple syllables.
The second example is not a multie either. The reason? Musket, bucket, fussing...these are all suffixes...suffixes do not count as a rhyming syllable.
The mud with, or tucked in, those would count as a multie, but I try to stay away from using words such as is, in, the, if...as a multie.
It sounds better when you use full words. These are not "prominent syllables" (keep reading).

This next example IS a multie

Example 1:

Snatched off your feet, breaking-your-neck, stick a stake-in-your-chest
Then start choking you soul, fuck your life, i'm taking-your-death

You see how breaking-your-neck, stake-in-your-chest, taking-your-death all rhyme together at more than one point?
Break, stake, take...and neck, chest, death. Words do not always have to rhyme EXACTLY.
Rhyme, crime, time would be exact rhymes. Nine, life, five are not. However, in rap, they both work just as well, though exact rhymes do sound ever-so-slightly better to the ear.

You do not have to put three multies in one bar (two lines)....You can put only one in each line, or as many as you want, as long as you don't stretch your lines!
You will see in rhyming multies that not every syllable has to rhyme. It so happens that the two middle syllables in the example above are all in and your.
That's great if it happens to be, but take for example exit-wounds, next-to-you, wrecking-crew.

What has to rhyme and what doesn't.

You will notice in rhyming that you have both "prominent" and "silent" syllables.
In the example above, in and you would be silent. You hear them, however their sounds are not prominent or stressed when spoken.
In two syllable multies (wu-tang, blue-flame), of course, either syllables will rhyme, or it wouldn't be a multie!
In three syllables, usually the first and last syllable rhyme (stomp-his-back, drop-the-bats, cocking-macs).
You can variate on this, such as (babbling, travelling, abdomen, javelin, snatching-men).
The same applies to four syllables as with three. Most often the first and last syllable rhyme, though if the ones in between rhyme as well, more power to you!
When you get into five syllables, usually the first, second and last, or the first, fourth and last rhyme: (shit-in-your-stomach, ripping-them-from-it, spit-when-I-gut-him...these are all first, fourth, fifth).
You also have your first, second and last (slap-bitches-wit-bats, my crack-itches-so-bad, cats-spitting-like-fags).
As always, if more than those syllables rhyme, more power to you. You may ask what about six syllables and so on, but after you get to five syllables, anything more doesn't flow right.
It's too long for your brain to really pick up on when you hear it. I suggest keeping it at five or under.
Of course, it should go without saying; the first syllables will always rhyme, because that is the start of the multie!

How do I get better at multies?

The best thing you can do to get better at multies is to read the dictionary. This sounds pretty simple, but I mean literally read it once, all the way through.
There are rhyming dictionaries out there as well, but I personally feel as if it takes away my own style and personality...I also feel like I'm cheating, so I have never used them. I couldn't even tell you where to find them.
I have read most of the dictionary, almost the whole thing. Just skim-read it...you'll be surprised how much you retain.
Vocabulary is the key, because no one wants to see you rhyme the same things over and over again.

Another great way, probably the best if done in supplement to reading the dictionary and thesauruses, is to practice them.
Take a certain rhyme scheme, such as...rhyme scheme! Now sit down without a dictionary, and make as many multies as you can out of it.
When you can make about fifty multies in one scheme, you know you've got it.
Do this with various rhyme schemes. Not writing verses, just lists of rhyming words.
I have notebooks full of rhyming words and almost nothing else besides some wack verses written as a newbie.

Finally, just experiment. Don't use the same rhyme schemes but different rhyming words all the time...mix it up....Mix up how many syllables you use, etc.
player haters play this in cell blocks and rock stages.
winkin' at some, female cops with cocked gauges.
really it's papers im addicted to.
wasn't for rap, then i'd be stickin you,
the mac inside the triple goose.
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Shawnmd
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Re: How To Get Your Rhymes Up! Part 2.

Post by Shawnmd »

Good info, im sure a lot of people needed to read that.
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