What is flow in rap

Example 9. These lines are characterized by a 4-against-3 rhythm that appears twice. Its most obvious appearance is in measure 9, where Young places four accented syllables in quadruple proportion to the last three beats of the bar.

Here, the syllables are similarly grouped in three-sixteenth units, but the accented syllable comes at the end of those units, rather than at the beginning. Example 9 illustrates the correspondence between measure 9 and measure 3.

In the example, accented syllables are given as noteheads. These syllables are further indicated by larger numbers in the row of sixteenth-note beats underneath the bar. In the 4-against-3 groups, the placement of the accented syllables is shown within the three-sixteenth-note groups of which they are a part rather than in relation to the quarter-note beats.

Although it is not part of the lyrics, I have included the sampled scream on the fourth beat of measure 3 since it forms a counterpart to the first beat of measure 9. This pattern also weakens two syllables that do fall on the beats. These assessments of rap were most likely based on a lack of understanding of the techniques and goals of rap music, something recent scholarship has done much to rectify.

This type of investigation is significant because the textual delivery in rap and its relationship to the musical accompaniment are quite different than they are in Western art music. Leaving aside text-painting, the text in Western art music finds musical support primarily in its own melody and in the harmonic structures of the accompaniment. In rapping, on the other hand, that musical support is found primarily in the rhythmic, metrical, and syntactic arrangement of syllables—that is, in the components of what rap musicians call flow.

Third St. Bloomington, IN kyadams indiana. Adams, Kyle. Adler, Jerry et al. Alapatt, Eothen. Crossley, Scott. Untitled Interview with Blackalicious. Everett, Walter. The Foundations of Rock. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Frere-Jones, Sasha. Keyes, Cheryl. Rap Music and Street Consciousness. Kinzie, Mary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Krims, Adam. Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lacasse, Serge. Lipsitz, George.

Dangerous Crossroads. London: Verso. Nuzum, Eric. Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America. New York City: Harper Collins. Shusterman, Richard. Spicer, Mark. Walser, Robert. My thanks to Nancy Nguyen-Adams, Peter Ermey, Stan Fink, and the anonymous readers for their insightful comments on previous drafts of this article. Return to text. The chart shows the rhythmic placement of syllables in the lyrics, following the practice established by Adams Each column in the chart represents a sixteenth-note subdivision of the beat; these columns are labeled with the number of the beat or the letter x, y, or z.

Each row therefore represents a full bar of music, with syllables placed in the box corresponding to their rhythmic location. Each line of lyrics is numbered on the left-hand side of the chart; these are also the measure numbers. My thanks to Robert Hatten for his help with poetic terminology, which I took from his personal notes and from Kinzie The techniques of flow described here are based on my own observations. Ideally, one would talk to rappers themselves to understand how they conceived of flow, but it has proven impossible to contact any of the artists discussed in this article.

See Adams Lacasse also argues for the consideration of elements unrelated to the meaning of the text in the analysis of popular song. The drumbeat was presumably created using a drum machine. This technique is also used in Example 8a, and is quite common in rap. These types of techniques are important, however, and deserve future exploration. Unlike alternative rockers, alternative rap groups typically do not position themselves in opposition to mainstream rap although some artists, such as Madvillain, Talib Kweli, and Jurassic 5, do critique its values.

Rather, they tend to view themselves as torch-bearers for traditional rap practices, such as the use of a DJ and of sampled music. Based on interviews and other statements in the media, it seems clear that the music for Madvillainy existed prior to the lyrics. Over time this has morphed and evolved into a complex set of rhymes mixed in with the rhyme on the 4th beats. This is where multi-syllable rhymes come into play. Internal rhymes, skipping a rhyme on the 3rd bar and so on.

Super simple but all of rap flow is based around the premise that you have to bar sequences in order to get your point across. The idea is that four bars generally gets across your main idea, and the verses are usually made up of bars.

So, you can have two or four sets of four bars to get across four different ideas. Then bam you have a full bar verse. Or do 8 bars of the same rhyme scheme or even 16 bars of the same rhyme scheme. Get creative , this is meant to teach the fundamentals. So that you can venture off and create something new and exciting. Many times doing a full 16 bar verse with the same rhyme scheme can get quite boring. Many rappers will change up the sound of the pattern because if you keep the same assonance the whole time for 16 bars it can get quite annoying to listen too.

Poetic meter and what it can teach you about rap flow. But understanding this will make you a better rapper. So, if you understand rhythm and words, then you can apply it over a beat as well. This will allow you to change up your rap flow.

All you need to know for hip hop and how to apply it to rap flow is there are five different types of meter to understand. As long as two syllables follow each other in this order it is iambic. First an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed. Here is an example of iambic being repeated 5 times consecutively. And is an example of Iambic pentameter. The pent for repeated 5 times. Trochaic is two syllables.

First, a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. Or in regards to a phrase it would look something like this if repeated 4 times. Spondaic is two stressed syllables back to back. This is what we call Spondaic. Anapestic is three-syllable.

First, an unstressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable. But in theory, this can be used to create new and unique patterns of flow over beats. You can fall off the beat and use pauses and sharp stops in certain bars to change up your patterns. You can combine dactylic with anapestic and then switch back. Follow the post to learn 16 tips on how to flow in rap and some important information to help you as an artist.

Here are 16 easy-to-follow tips to help you improve your flow, as well as your rapping skills in general. It may seem to a lot of people that having flow in rap is an inborn kind of talent.

Sure, it may take time to get to the level of A-list rappers, but with the proper mindset and practice routine, it is totally possible. Apart from developing your rap flow, practicing freestyle rapping can make you better ready for situations where you have to think fast in order not to ruin the whole performance.

Most famous rappers can freestyle. You can find a lot of type beats to rap to on YouTube. If you wanna go an extra step, record your freestyle rapping sessions so you can hear yourself more precisely and be aware of the areas where you need to improve and, who knows, end up with a song idea.

Always have a notebook or note app ready so you can write a verse or two when the creativity strikes. The practice of being an avid writer will have a very positive effect on your rap flow. Tip: for some great tips on how to write effective punchlines, check out our How to Write Rap Punchlines guide. The best strategy to improve your rap flow is to start with simpler and slower lines and build up overtime. Try, for example, freestyling to a metronome and increasing the tempo by 5 BPM each day or when you feel ready.

You will be amazed by how better your skills will be after a week. The next time you listen to music, try tapping your feet along with the drum beat: you will notice that we have a natural instinct towards rhythm and patterns. With that being said, you can use these divisions to fit your lyrics into the beat.

Pay special attention to how the syllables interact with the bars and the cadence of the song. That is one of the first steps to ensure you have a good rap flow in your track. The most important metric on rap lyrics is the syllable division. As said before, the syllables need to tie to the beat perfectly in order for a rap flow and its cadence to work with each bar of the song.

A great rule of thumb is writing a punchline to a beat and counting how many syllables it has. Then, you can write the next verses using the same number of syllables. This is a technique widely used, especially in pop music.