mc tutorial

mc tutorial - Part 1
source:http://www.online-hiphop.com/feature...al/index.shtml
Introduction
Emceeing in Hip Hop is the most demanding form of lyricism, it's intricacy and depth is unrivalled in any musical genre. It's a hard game to master, so whether you a veteran that been down for years or you ain't even started, whether you wanna rhyme for the love or you wanna go triple plat in your first week, you gonna need to know the ins and outs to develop your style and bring something new to the table. This tutorial is designed to offer yall cats advice in all aspects of emceeing, it's been split into four main sections with sub sections for easy access to the topics you're most interested in. Remember, no matter how much you know about the game - there's always more to learn and tighten, and we hope that, on your own level, this tutorial is of use to you.

As with most things in life, a higher learning develops from a solid understanding of the basics, which brings us to the first topic...

Structure
What is structure?

When you build a house, it is important that you plan carefully from the foundation to the roof. If there's a weak link anywhere along the way the whole thing could collapse. The same applies when writing a verse, the structure of it consists of the placement and use of words, which can be covered in two sub sections...

Flow
Many things contribute to the formation of your flow, it is certainly something that defines your style as an emcee. Your flow is basically how your words form a rhythm over the beat. This derives from your own unique perception of timing, along with the pace and placement of syllables.

The pace of a beat is defined by the spacing of the hi hats which give it a certain BPM, as an emcee you can choose how you want to create the rhythm that sits over this pace. Conventionally, the emphasised rhyming words will always appear on the 4th beat in each bar, so what makes emcees distinct in their flow if this rule is followed 99% of the time?

There are many things to consider. Firstly, to remain on-beat you have to follow the pace of the hi hats, conventionally there are 8 hi hits in a musical bar, but how you approach each hit can change the pace of the rhythm and therefore define the flow. For example, you have 4 beats in a bar and 2 hi hits per beat, you have the option to follow the beats pace by placing 2 syllables per beat - one on each hat, through this you could achieve a solid, yet painfully simple flow. Alternatively, you could distribute the syllables differently throughout the bar to intricate the flow and add variance - so on the 4th bar you could place 4 syllables, treating the hats in double time, while placing a syllable per hat in the first 3 beats. The distribution of syllables in this way forms your cadence, it is important to keep a consistency in syllable structure, as having 12 syllables in one bar and 22 in the next will sound very uneven to the listener's ear and will not provide an attractive and presentable flow/rhythm. However, through consistent cadence and sticking to the hi hats alone we are still left with a very basic rhythm and structure. Another factor that plays a large part is assonance. Assonance is determined by the amount of rhyming words/sounds in each bar, we all know that the main rhyme will be placed on the 4th beat in the bar, but if we place more of those rhyming words throughout the bar in different places, this will contribute to the fluidity of the flow and the complexity of the structure, due to the repetition of the rhyming sound and how accustomed the listener is to hearing it. For example, to place a rhyming word on the 2nd and 4th beat in each bar will double the amount of rhyming sounds and in effect - increase the consistency of the structure to the listener's ear. We now have the basic theory on cadence and assonance, all that is left is syncopation. When you hear a rapper spit, there is a noticeable difference in emphasis of the rhyming words in comparison to the words that are used to present the rhymes. For example, if you rhymed "streets is watching" over 2 beats with "streets" on the first and "watch..." on the second, you'd almost certainly place emphasis on those two words: "STREETS is WATCHing" opposed to "streets IS watchING". It is this emphasis that will allow you to rhyme minor non-rhyming words such as "a", "the", "and" and "is" in disc ordinance with the pace of the hi hats, and therefore intricate the variance of your flow further to keep the listener on their toes with the rhythm and pace and create a more unique and interesting structure.

So flow is achieved through cadence, assonance and syncopation. How you choose to develop these three criteria is down to your own perception of time and rhythm, and this will create a style personal to yourself.

Syllables
It's all gravy to talk about rhyming and where you should be rhyming, but how in the fuck are yall supposed to rhyme in the first place? There are many ways to do so, and again, it depends on your perception of rhythm and what you plan to achieve with your rhymes.

The main thing to consider is the use of syllables when rhyming, if you are rhyming a word with 2 syllables in it, emphasis will only be placed on one of the syllables for the rhyming sound, so through assonance you can make your rhymes as complex or as direct as you intend to. The trick is to find a balance between your flow/use of syllables and your lyrics, it's all very well to place 8 rhymes per bar but this will restrict what you are trying to say as it limits the words you are able to use to express your point, similarly, if you decide to place only one rhyme per bar, you may be able to express yourself effectively, but your flow will suffer and sound more basic as a result.

Throughout Hip Hop various distinguishable levels of emceeing have emerged, each with differing use of syllables:

- One rhyme per bar, and that rhyme is one syllable long. in this case 'Legacy' would rhyme with 'Anarchy'.

- More than one rhyme per bar, the rhyme is still one syllable long.

- One rhyme per bar, but the rhyme would be a word long. In this case 'Legacy' would rhyme with 'Enemy'.

- More than one rhyme per bar with the rhyme being a word long.

- One rhyme per bar, the rhyme is a multi-syllable. in this case 'Legacy Made' would rhyme with 'Enemy Blade".

- Multi syllable rhyming with more than one rhyme per bar.

These levels cover the progression of lyricism from old school acts like Sugar Hill to syllable masters like Big Pun, to people that mix the levels like Canibus. There are many ways to use syllables in your rhymes and progression comes through practise. Also you'll find that your use of syllables vary depending on what approach you have toward lyrics, bringing us to the second main section.

Lyrics
How is it possible to give advice on how to write lyrics? As with structure, it's a very personal thing that ultimately is improved through practise and personal development. What you choose to express and how you approach the topic, along with how you use words to express it, is unique to you, but there are several lyrical styles that require a different approach in theory of composition.

Batteling
Battle rhymes are some of the most enjoyable to write and perform, they really act as a chance to show off your skills. Your approach and topic is completely up to you. You can bring it to someone by name, vent aggression through an imaginary opponent, brag about how dope you are, create dazzling imagery and just generally say what you're feeling. You don't necessarily have to stick to any topic, it's a chance for you to be creative with your rhymes in a loose lyrical format. It's advisable to be as tight as you can with the structure of the verse to ensure that you skills back up the lyrics, and it's very important that you come with original ideas and lines, recycling other people's ideas will get you NO love.

Storytelling
With story telling, it's important to plan out a script and structure before you start writing. You'll have to stick to topic throughout the verse and be straight to the point with your lyrics, any babble or irrelevant rhymes with stand out tremendously in a story and may destroy the effect. It's advisable to plan out what you want to express is happening in the script to each bar so you stay on point and present the imagery of the story to the listener. When rhyming a story, a sacrifice of structure is expected in order to keep the story on topic.

Concepts
As with stories, a concept rhyme will have to be planned out in order to put across your point effectively, it's imperative that you present an original concept and know exactly how you want to express it. Concepts are very hit and miss, a successfully made concept rhyme could go down in history, whereas a poorly made one could come off cheesy/wack and be a big embarrassment.

Do's and don'ts
Some general guidelines when writing rhymes:

DO be creative, don't allow anything to restrict your content, write how you want in your own way.

DON'T use other peoples ideas for songs/lines/punchlines, rapping is primarily about self expression, trying to be an imitation will get you nowhere, you'll never be able to surpass the original style you try to recreate.

DON'T be corny, weak similes like "i'm hot like fire" are boring and played. Saying "i'm a killer" over and over again is boring and played. There's PLENTY of room for violence and it gets much love, but if you gonna do it, then do it in an interesting and entertaining way.

Memory
Aiight, so you're writing rhymes. Fuck it, you got 100's of rhymes, but shit... you can't remember a single line that you've written. This is a problem, to be able to show and prove you gotta be prepared to rhyme at any given moment. So how do you remember lyrics?

The ideal way is to make a basic recording of your newly written rhyme - and play it back to yourself over and over until the lyrics seep into your brain permanently. We all know our favourite rappers rhymes through listening to them so much, listening to your own shit works in a similar way. Failing this, a cheap alternative is to just recite the lyrics from paper over and over again until you know the verse off by heart and don't need it in front of you anymore. This also helps you to understand the workings of the verse and how you want it to sound. Thus leading us to the third main section.

check out part 2

mc tutorial - Part 2

Delivery
Cool, so now you're writing rhymes and on paper, they are perfectly structured and the lyrics are perfect, but when you spit them they sound like shit. Why's that? Writing is only half of what it takes to be an emcee. The other half lies in your delivery and how you present the rhymes you write. There are five main things to consider.

Voice
Your voice is something that can make you instantly recognisable to the listener. Remember, as an emcee performing on a piece of music you are really adding another layer to the track, and therefore your voice should be used as a musical instrument. The best way to develop a delivery is just to rhyme non stop, you'll soon learn what you're able to do with your voice and become comfortable with a certain way of projecting it. With your voice, don't allow anyone to tell you how you're supposed to sound, there are a million emcees that sound exactly the same and none of them will shine in a crowd simply because there's nothing new happening. Use your voice in ANY way that it works on a track so that you're happy with the result.

breath control
One of the most neglected things in Hip Hop these days is the ability to perform a verse in a single take. Most commercially released tracks are usually comprised of 12 takes that are seamlessly pasted together in the studio. Breath control is really dealt with when writing, as you become experienced you learn to understand your lung capacity and you should spend extra time adding the necessary spaces to your verses in order to catch a breath. The alternative is to practise Tai Chi for 10 years and master diaphragm breathing, this way - you could prolly perform 100 bars without breathing once.

Infliction
Another important aspect of delivery is your infliction and tone. You could be spitting the most violent and aggressive rap ever written, but if you don't sound like you mean it then the effect will be lost. Also, you could be spitting some smooth shit but if you sound like a rabid dog then ain't no one gonna be getting down to it. As you write and become more experienced and confident in your delivery, you'll learn how to project your voice in the appropriate way for the verse you're performing. You need to bear in mind that infliction and emphasis takes more breath to hold down and you should write accordingly. It really is a confidence issue, at first it's likely you'll be monotonous in your tonal range because you don't understand your own delivery 100% and you're not confident enough to play the part in your verse, and consider the fact that rap is entertainment.

Character
This is prolly the most important aspect of emceeing. The character you present in your rhymes and delivery separates "emcees" from "artists". There are thousands and thousands of emcees capable of spitting a verse, but how many of these emcees actually have anything more going for them? How many can actually create an image for themselves which people want to be a part of? How many of them are true artists? If you look at all of Hip Hop's legends and respected emcees, they are far more than just rappers... when you listen to their verses, even if they are spitting theatrical shit, there's a piece of their character in the verse and it takes listening to the next level. Developing character comes with experience and a deeper confidence. At first it's unlikely that you'll really be able to express the person you are in your raps and give the listener an image of your persona, as you become more confident as an emcee it's likely you'll want to get more personal with the listener and present to them more than just dope lines - you'll want to present to them the person you are. There are plenty of rappers doing songs by numbers in that - they have a dope beat and spit dope rhymes, but beyond that there's nothing to listen for and the listener will walk away from the track with an empty feeling. If you truly think that you have worldwide appeal - you need the character and image to enforce it.

Full songs
OK, so now you've got some theory on all the aspects of composing and performing verses, beyond that you're gonna need to be able to transform those verses into complete songs. There are four main topics to address.

Continuity
Doing a complete song requires more than just throwing two or three verses on a track. The verses have to fit in with each other, for example, if your opening verse was a violent battle rap, which you then followed with a club verse for the ladies, shit is gonna sound ridiculous back to back. It's important to keep continuity in theme and style throughout a song. Additionally, the length of your verses should be the same throughout to make the song sound balanced to the listener, for example, if your opening verse was 16 bars and you followed this with a 32 bar verse, the song would sound very lob sided and would sound more like a mix tape cypher. The last thing to think about is your tone throughout the song, for example, if in one verse you sounded amped up and aggressive, then in the next you sounded bored and monotonous, the song will not sound complete, it would be unbalanced. There are 3 T's that need continuity throughout a full song: Theme, Time and Tone.

hooks
You're making full songs now? You're gonna need a chorus to blend it all together, in addition to giving the listener something to grab onto immediately upon first listen to your song, it blends everything together in a track to make sure the continuity is perfect. In addition to this, if you ever find yourself writing an album, you'll find that choruses can cut down the amount of writing you need to do as a chorus can unnoticeably be half the song's time. What makes a good chorus and how do you write one? A good chorus does not sound like a short rhyme repeated, this is the laziest way of trying and it seldom comes off as dope. A good chorus is usually something that stands out on a track and is catchy, it usually ties in with the theme of the song and is something that can sum up the topic of the song. It's best to write choruses specifically to the beat in order to maintain the feel of the track. Bear in mind though, that a chorus isn't necessarily on every full song you make, it depends on what you want to achieve with the track.

Choice of beat
Another important aspect in becoming an artist is the ability to choose a beat that is suited to your style of emceeing. Very few emcees have the versatility to change their approach for different beat styles, so it's important that you find a niche that you know sounds good with your voice and compliments your style and lyrics.

Orginality
When making full songs, it's always good to be able to flip shit and come with something unexpected and original. No matter how dope you are, repeating the same theme over and over again can become tiresome. Even Canibus has received criticism for extensive battle on his albums. So when approaching a full song, you should consider having a concept for it, that can remain throughout the track and be presented to the listener in a unique way. This is how classic Hip Hop gets made. The key advice is "be creative".

Final note
On a final note, lyricism is something that is so deep, it is impossible to just follow a certain set of rules and equations for guaranteed success. This tutorial provides you with theory on how to get started or how to improve your game, but the key to success lies with your own determination and commitment. A lot of improvement lies in your own development, something that can't be taught. We hope that all aspiring emcees reading this stay committed, and hopefully become doper, but ummm... never as dope as me yall... haha, never that.

Peace & Props

source:http://www.online-hiphop.com/feature...al/index.shtml

lmao thats all i have to say

if u have to learn how to rap u dont need to be rapping mcing isn't to be learned it is a way of life

was just tryin to help
i just found it and thought some people wanted to know it

i mean i aint mad at you for trying to help im mad at tha asshole that tried to come up with a mcing help file you gotta jus feel emceeing

true*

good post for the newbies none-the-less... props

this is kinda funny lol efdouble is riight if u need this you shouldnt be rapping...anything in there...even the thing about tha syllables..even if itz useful...these are things you gain by experience

yeah but a little help is always welcome.

a lot of this shit you should learn just from practice and listening...

but I do give it props for offering some terminology...it's good to have a title to explain something when you know what it is but not how to explain it.

you no whats even more funny some kid who listens to the radio and watches mtv that can do basic rhyme schemes can read this and study it and start wit cat and da hat raps and transcend to levels most emcees wouldn't ever touch because they do rapping in tha technical form lol

shit if u think about it LL was hot in his hay day for raping the dictonary for his vocabulary he has read tha whole damn dictionary

haha :D lmao

yea a emcee tutorial should be a cryme. either u can or you cant, aint no lemme read something to learn this. that goes against the whole culture of self expression.

but there is some stuff in there these commercial rappers should see. man they suck