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Let's begin by saying that freestyle rap and battling is not unique to hip hop. Freestyling is nothing more than a form of improvisation using rhyming words, and battles are as old as man himself.

Now, freestyle rap battles as we know them today are also not as new as some may think. Though modern hip hop freestyle battling's origins are obscure, there is evidence that shows the custom being practiced in tribes from Africa to South America.

The idea is the same as it is today; to outwit your opponent(s) through the use of clever and rhythmic wording.

Rap battles of today, however, have gotten a lot more sophisticated...

The practice has been around in various forms in earlier types of "black music" but as it pertains to hip hop, freestyle rap battles began to gain popularity almost simultaneously with the rise of hip hop itself.

Street corner battles are a corner stone of hip hop culture. The hunger, drive, and competitiveness of any emcee are exemplified by and maybe even rooted in this custom.

Hip hop battles remain important to the culture because unlike in other professions, fans are not satisfied in determining who is the better emcee by Soundscan figures or Billboard rankings, this is especially true for amateur rappers. If you want to see who the better emcee is...battle it out. And though this may not be the most effective way of determining who is better, it usually is the most turned to.

Never do more than a few months go by before another couple of rappers, either mainstream or underground, are throwing verbal punches at eachother.

And though in many inner-urban areas street corner ciphers and rap battles are still widely popular today, with the new millenium came the latest and greatest rise in popularity of freestyle rap battling.

The major success of the movie "8 Mile" starring rapper, Eminem, propelled the popularity of this art into the mainstream. And art it definitely is. There are a multitude of factors that play a role in what makes or breaks a good freestyle battle rapper. 











Note: You should make sure that you're comfortable with each phase before moving on to the next. Also, this section is just a brief overview of how one could go about improving their battle rap skills. A further breakdown will be made available later. Check back often for more details.

PHASE 1:

FREESTYLE RAP TIP #1: Write down your freestyle rap practice sessions.

I was driving around the city last week and threw on a mix tape of instrumentals. I started messing around freestyling when I suddenly came up with something like "...that didn't rhyme cuz I'm in the frame of mind, to simply fuckin say a line..."

Now I thought that was kinda funny so I kept a mental note of that line. So that the next time I don't rhyme a line in a freestyle rap, I can throw in that bar or a variation of it. And that's where writing down your best lines during your practice sessions come in handy.

At first just stick to listening to an assortment of instrumentals, slow, fast, everything, and keeping a notepad to jot down dope lines you may accidentally come up with...then just quickly forget them and keep freestyling. Then repeat the cycle. Over time you will have a nice thick notebook, move on to your next one.

FREESTYLE RAP TIP #2: Be patient, there's no need for perfection.

Don't feel obligated to use every single one of the lines your write down in your notebook. Those lines are just for reference. You should review your notebook every now and then to keep those lines fresh in your head if you ever need them and they fit in during a freestyle rap battle.

PHASE 2:

FREESTYLE RAP TIP #3: Become a master at observing your 
surroundings.

In a real freestyle battle, you can't just throw out an endless barrage of writtens (sometimes that may be acceptable in a radio station freestyle, but not a battle).
I remember a particular 106 & Park Freestyle Friday where one contestant who was battling spit a line against his opponent that went something like this:

"My sound scorches suckers when it comes out the speakers/ Everybody moment of silence: (pause) look at her sneakers."

That line got a roar out of the crowd because of many reasons, one being the tension that built up during the quick pause, another being the battler's keen observation that his opponent had on a pair of very worn out sneakers...
                                                                                                                              


Eminem did the same at the Rap Olympics in '97 when he spit "I don't give a fuck, I slaughter boys/ Especially wack ass emcees that would wear fake ass corduroys." 

Needless to say, these are the things that put a battle rap emcee over the top. 

Your observations should pay attention to a persons most prominent features, clothing, movements, actions, etc. (try to stray from disses that are in bad taste such as those based on race, they will likely backfire).


FREESTYLE RAP TIP #4: Understand your public.

In a Braggin' Rites battle Tonedeff came up with a line something along the lines of:

"And I shouldn't battle pansies/ You're style's flimsier than the dress Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammy's"

Now that would probably be a mediocre rhyme at best nowadays, but at the time (just a few months after Jennifer Lopez wore her revealing green dress to the Grammy's) that line had the crowd going crazy. Not including delivery, here are a few things that made that line hot at the time:

A) It had just happened, the J. Lo event was fresh in people's minds. = Recency.

B) The event brought with it an accompanying visual. = Visual connection.

C) Everyone knew what he was talking about (but no one would ever be thinking about J. Lo's Grammy dress during a freestyle battle) = An unexpectance/surprise.

That's where the importance of knowing your public lies. You should keep in mind recent events without applying overused subject matter. The goal is to shoot for using material broad enough so that a large portion (if not all) of your audience understands it, but with specific details that make your audience feel unique about understanding it.

(i.e. "What you sound like on the mic?/ There was only one 2pac, your whole style's just one Big Syke" -Eminem)

Nevertheless, Eminem, again at the Rap Olympics of '97, did once say something like "Tell your boys you're about to suffer a team loss/ When you go into a coma longer than Vladamir Konstantinov."

Predictably this got no response from the crowd. In a room full of hockey fans, however, it would likely have been a different story.

Again, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE! Take advantage of shared knowledge you and your public may have and use it in your rhymes.

PHASE 3:

FREESTYLE RAP TIP #5: A good freestyle battle doesn't involve luck; OUTLINE!

Much like in a written battle, (for example, "2nd Round K.O.") in a freestyle rap battle you need to have an outline. The only difference is you have less time to structure it.

By this point, you should have enough freestyling under your belt, enough rhymes in your head and sharp enough observation skills...the last thing you need to work on is THINKING FAST.

Look at your opponent. Think! Quickly! What can you say about him or her?

What does he or she appear like?...how can you attack him in that angle without it being a cheapshot?

What did he say in a previous battle that was stupid or contradictory?...how can you use that against them?

What is his or her body language like? How can you attack this...or what can you conclude from their body language that you can attack?

What will their response to your disses likely be? How can you defend yourselves from these before they go after you with them? Etc...

Now...remember depending on the battle you may only have a minute or less to answer questions like these in your head (by no means should you try to answer specific questions, these are just guidelines, you will know what to ask yourself the more battles you watch or attend). Therefore, try and gather as much information as you can about your competitor(s)before you start the battle.

Once you have 2-4 ideas floating around in your head, organize them...again, QUICKLY.

What is a smooth introduction? (maybe something that follows up their verse or something that involves the crowd?) Which rhyme should you end it with? (usually the strongest rhyme.) What must you establish in this battle? (That you CAN take this opponent, that you are NOT what he may have called you out to be, etc.)

Finally think of the best order for these disses. Usually just think of what to start out with and how to end it and the rest can fill itself in.

In between the 2-4 or so disses you have outlined, just kick a freestyle trying to find ways to match your coming words with words that can smoothly rhyme with the content of your planned attacks.

That's it. In less than a minute or so you would have delivered an impressive and seemingly off the cuff, freestyle diss...