Chapter 2 : FREESTYLE RAPPING
Sunday, January 9, 2011
, Posted by the InCrediBLe at 3:06 AM
Early on during the beginning of Hip Hop, Freestyle Rapping
(Freestyling) was rapping a written rhyme about no particular subject over
an instrumental or acapella. Usually its just a bunch of random lines and
phrases of the rapper jive talking about themselves. Freestyle Rapping
later evolved into rapping improvised lyrics known as rapping “off the top of
the head”.
In order to learn how to Freestyle Rap, there are a couple of fundamentals
that you have to learn and practice. These fundamentals include knowing
Bars, Rhyme Patterns, Keywords, Delivery, Flow and Style. This is the key
to rapping effortlessly in a Rap Battle or in a recording session. Here's a
breakdown of the fundamentals.
1. Bars:
Bars is a unit of measure for music. It's a term used in the measurement of
music. The format of that measurement is called a Time Signature. The
natural Time Signature of Rap music is 4/4 and the first number represents
the number of Counts in one unit measurement. 1 Count equals 1 unit of
time within that one unit of measurement, similar to how seconds are to a
minute. The second number represents the number of unit measurements
in 1 bar. Therefore, a time signature of 4/4 is considered a 4 count done 4
times which equals 1 Bar. In Rap music one verse in a song is usually 16
Bars and this is why having knowledge of what a Bar is can be critical to
having perfect timing when rapping.
2. Rhyme Patterns:
Rhyme Patterns (also technically called Rhyme Schemes) are the patterns
of all the locations of the rhyming words that are created between two or
more lines in a rap. Rhyme Patterns are very similar to Rhyme Schemes in
poetry. The major difference between the two is that Rap Rhyme Patterns
are always influenced by a consistent rhythm or beat.
3. Keywords:
Keywords are a collection of words that rhyme together. During a Freestyle
that is “off the top of the head” Keywords are used to keep the Rhyme
going without hesitation. A rapper must always have a collection of
keywords that he can refer to at any given moment during his Freestyle.
4. Flow:
Flow is a word used to described the characteristics of how a person
rhymes and how a person says their rhyme. The main two characteristics
that contribute to a rappers flow is their rhythm and their cadence. A
rappers rhythm can be categorized in many different ways. For instance,
some rappers rap in a bouncing rhythm, a melodic rhythm, a rapid rhythm
or a chant rhythm. The cadence plays a big part in flow as a whole
because its a term used to describe how a rapper uses their flow to end or
link phrases together. Which in turn gives a verse or multiple lines a
complete rhythm as a whole. Cadence lets your listeners know when a rap
and flow begins, when its going to keep continuing between lines and
when it going to end. And when it ends the correct Cadence makes it
sound like its ending with a sense of closure.
5. Delivery:
Delivery is a combination of having Breath Control, Emotional Performance
Vocal Presence. Breath Control is having the ability to breath while rapping
without it interrupting the rhythm of your Flow. Emotional Performance is
the ability to communicate the emotion that supports the words that you
are saying in your rap. Vocal Presence is the texture and characteristics of
your voice. It is important that all three of these characteristics work in
harmony with each other in order for you to communicate the message you
are trying to make and for it to be believable.
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