Lyricist Manual Vol. 1 "The Flow"

When perfecting one's lyricism the key principles of the emcee must be maintained.

1- verbal clarity (i.e. don't try to spit the impossible: at least not until you're ready)

2- energy (this does not necessarily mean how live or loud you are but more or less the impact of your delivery)

3-point of focus (how well can you stay on one point and how well can you transition from one point to another)

4- animation ( is this shit boring?)

5- cadence (stay on beat)

There are more but these are what I see to be the KEY fundamentals to have mastered when tackling all lyrical challenges.

What raises a lyricist beyond the heights of the basics is flow. Now there are many artist who aren't Gods when it comes to this particular attribute but have another special magic that seems to see them through. Unfortunately, I don't know this particular witchcraft so we're going to assume that you don't either and continue to move with the flow. There seems to be some confusion about what exactly that is. If there were a Webster's definition for rapper's I think
it would be described as "A seamless execution of verbal cadence" (lol what do you think?). Flow
is when an emcee can rhyme down a predetermined path with almost effortless precision. There
is no folly in his choice of words, syllable placement, or even pronounciation. When you hear a dope flow you know it because you can feel it. It's what makes you hang on to an artist's every word. Words will become instrumental to the song as much as any other component of the musical composition. NOTE: Many of the most revered emcees happen to be quite dangerous at this. In my own personal opinion, it's what separates T.I. from Gucci Mane, and Jay-Z from Diddy. It should sound easy, like a stroll in the park. It should lay down smooth filling every crevice of the beat. Cadence is key. If you want the people to follow you, then don't lead them down a rocky road.

Many people like to compare rapping to singing. There is NO comparison between the two. But instead rap is most like dance. LOL Sounds crazy right? Yes rap is more like dancing, or
playing an instrument. In the sense that rapping is governed more so by the beat or metronome, singing is not so much the case. If the movement of your words are compared to the movements of the most graceful dancer, then meeting your match in the field of rap will come too few and far between. This is far from easy to obtain, and takes much work. Rapping to me is like trying to walk through a tight room full of fragile glass antiques while wearing a fat suit. Like trying to manuver through the rain without getting wet. Each movement must be precise in order to get me through. Each syllable being a particular movement, I can now navigate the beat. Sometimes
it is called for to twist or distort a word/syllable/thought's pronounciation to lay a smoother verse. "Word Play" is a witty display and adds animation to a verse. I like when a rapper comes off with so much ease it's almost like they're just holding a conversation with me. Good examples of this would be Nas, Raekwon, Jigga, 3000, and Ludacris.

Lyrical flow has been around through all eras and genres of music, but only really evolved and blossomed with the birth of hip hop. This I believe to just be from the fact that spoken word was the main tool of the emcee but the goal was to appeal to the crowd. Thus lyricism really took
off as it was the main focus of the emcee. In the earlier years flows were a more choppy as they were being more or less dictated by the pattern of the beat. A rapper usually hit his points with the rhyme at every other snare. It wasn't until rappers used the beat as more of a guide rather than a guard rail that they could really loosen up and then the fun really got started. I began to notice it first with Kool Moe Dee and then Rakim and Big Daddy Kane. With this now smooth and form-fitting flow information could come across from rapper to listener at a much greater rate.

By information I simply mean ideas derived from the verse. How many mental pictures you are now gathering from the words. By now listeners almost feel a certain suspense
from the artist throughout the duration of the verse. This is when a rapper does what I call
"bending time". Bending time is what makes some songs seem longer than they really are.
While music can have a time signature it really doesn't have to. Since time is relative music knows nothing of it. In this when you are listening to your favorite song time can only be measured by how much info your brain is processing from it. That is, if you're into the song enough to even be processing it. Lol Keep in mind that I speak from my perspective as an artist myself who knows that I listen to music a little more deeply than the average ear. But, this is
very similar to the "no hook" principle. A song that is 3 minutes 30 seconds (typical song length),
with no hook can seem like an eternity, as oppose to the song that's the same length with a hook.
Because the listener usually needs a common break point to refer back to. You can't bombard with information. That could make the most liquid flow obsolete.

Hip Hop had it's "Golden Age" and gave birth to some of the most gracious of flows of which the likes of many of today's rappers can't seem to match. In becoming great in any
craft, you must study those who came before you in that field, who were great in that field. Not
for the purpose of immitating, but to gather a make up of all the best attributes. A rappers flow is like his fingerprint, it's like his dna code. There maybe even a twin that can come real close to a match, but there is no match. A rapper can even evolve or change up his flow, but the signature of how his key principles are broken down will remain. You should be able to tell your favorite emcee by his flow and not by his voice.

Now let's just say for shit's sake, You're a moderately decent rapper. Intermediate level. You know who's time enough for you but it's still some heads that ain't on your level out there. And rappers: I'm bein' real right now so be real with yourselves for a moment. You know where you stand at as a lyricist. You know how long you been doing this and how much work you put in to it. And only you know your level of passion for it. So with that said let's say you're not the main attraction but you on the come up. You have all of the key principles mastered. The trick now is to apply them while relaxing.

Relaxing and Breathing

Relaxation is the main objective for formulating a seamless verse. Not as easy as it sounds. Many times an artist is overwhelmed by his own energy or does not know where to focus it. The trick is in NOT trying so hard, even if it is an amped up vibe of song, in the creation process, the relaxed mind composes the best thought. Focus well on what you want to say, but focus extra heavy on HOW you want to say it. Go with the thought that best fits. This is usually the one that feels best. It seems to roll better off the tongue, keeps the point or makes a good transition in to the next point, and your mouth can handle the task of spitting it. These factors supercede phonetic grammar! Trust if the main point is in your statement, you could omit or distort almost any word you want and the listener won't miss a beat. If they're really into it they'll probably smile. Relax, think clearly, be cool, and then pick it up. Let your cadence develope. It's almost better to come up with your cadence before your actual words, because now you know how it should flow. And all you got to do now is fill in the blanks. As you continue
to build cadence along with words, the energy level naturally rises. I guess it's just the excitement when you know you ridin' the beat. Don't over-do it and try to kick into hyper drive. You may lose the listener. A good measure of simplicity is always a good thing. The goal is to make the un-spittable sound like childsplay. Not just to spit but to hear and understand as well.Try to channel that energy into the other key principles. Remember: relax. When you master controlling that surge of energy and staying focused it allows you to develope a steady momentum now. And you do what I like to call "rolling".

Ok so now you got this killer fuckin' verse and it's time to record. Take every recording very seriously. This is you on that record so how do you want it to be? But how do I go about spitting this craziness with out sounding like a raving mad man? First of all I think it is very beneficial to you and every one involved in the recording to know your verse inside and out
before going to record. This cuts down on time and hokey suggestions from engineers who don't have a clue of what it is you're trying to do. You should know every nook and crevice of your lyrics. Backwards and forwards (this takes some people longer than others, everyone is different). You should know every adlib, beat drop, and emphasis word.Reading is fundamental. But not when it's time to record. Most people can't read and rap simultaneously, and it shows in the finished product. You can hear them reading. Already knowing your rhymes cuts all the bullshit, and you'll sound like a rapper. Reading causes an unnecessary delay from your eyes to the microphone. It's like your eyes are on beat and you're a split second behind them. Cut the middle man. When I step to the mic I should be able to shut my eyes and focus on breathing.

If you cant breathe, you can't rap. It's very simple. Any lyricist with half of a vocabulary can tell you, sometimes in lyricism, you can come to a stretch of words that require every atom of air in your body. But you must be prepared for it. Knowing your rhyme ahead of time is a good remedy. Formulating your rhyme to avoid such obstacles is an even better one.
As you get nice with it, you begin to test your limits, "rolling" at wild tempo's and maintaining a seamless cadence and pulling in air from the most minute gaps in the verse making it sound like I didn't breathe at all. But I am not opposed to the "Pause for the Cause" ploy.

Well I guess I won't get too carried away with this for now. This is my first blog and really just a tester. But I'd love to hear what you think so far of my "Lyricist Guide Manual Vol. 1" lol

hell, shameless plug, check me out and tell me if I'm takin' my own advice.