AZ’s, first verse on “Life’s a B—”, on Nas’s album Illmatic Notorious B. I. G, “Notorious Thugs. " Black Thought, “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction), on The Root’s Rising Down. Rakim on “As the Rhyme Goes On,” on Paid in Full. Kendrick Lamar, “Backstreet Freestyle” Lupe Fiasco, “Murals” Eminem, “Lose Yourself”
Uptempo songs (Das Racist, “People are Strange”) usually require fast verses with lots of words, while slower beats (50 Cent, “P. I. M. P. “) usually have laid back verses. This rule is not hard and fast, however (see Twista on “Slow Jamz,” for example). Your verse should fit the mood of the song whenever possible. On A$AP Rocky’s “One Train” for example, the beat is moody, dark, and cinematic. Accordingly, all 5 rappers with a verse talk about their struggle from poor, difficult neighborhoods to international superstar.
You do not need to stick completely to this backbone, but it will help you come up with ideas and keep your verse cohesive. If you are supplying a verse to another artist, talk to them about the themes of the song. Brainstorm for ideas and write them in a notebook, without filtering. Later, you can use your initial ideas to fill out gaps or holes in your verses.
A bar is a measure of beats. Every time you count “1, 2, 3 , 4,” you’ve counted out 1 bar.
Don’t worry just yet about making your lines perfect – this first stage is used to create material to build your verse out of.
Most rappers have mixed rhyme schemes, rhyming 2-3 lines together right before a longer string of 4-5 lines (Nas, “NY State of Mind”). Don’t feel beholden or trapped by a rhyme scheme – use it instead to help you build your verse.
Alliteration/Assonance: Words with similar sounds that are placed close together, like “Two tip-top teacher” or “apple attitudes. " Listen to Joey Bada$$’s “Waves. “[5] X Research source Internal Rhyme: Rhyming words that do not come at the end of a line but in the middle of it. For example, Madvillain’s “Rhinestone Cowboy:” “Made of fine chrome alloy / find him on the grind he’s a rhinestone cowboy”[6] X Research source Simile/Metaphor: Closely connected, this is when writers compare two objects that aren’t usually alike to make a point or joke – listen to any Lil’ Wayne song to hear verses composed almost entirely out of similes and metaphors. [7] X Research source Refrain: A line that is repeated at various points for emphasis. For a master class in how to use a refrain, see Kendrick Lamar’s “The Blacker the Berry. " Anaphora: When the first half of a line repeats, but the rest of the line changes, like in Eminem’s “If I Had” where ever line begins with “Tired of. . . . " [8] X Research source
Listen again to A$AP Rocky’s “One Train,” where five unique rappers have verses over the same beat. Note how each one approaches the song differently: some urgent, some joyful, some angry, some contemplative. If you know about poetic meter, a traditional rhythm for poetry, you can use these to help design your flow. Eminem famously used Shakespearean meter for his verses on “Lose Yourself. "
