Post by Drastik on Feb 24, 2007 12:52:55 GMT
1. Introduction
Battling has many elements(punches, wordplay, disses, flow, multis, complexity, metaphors, disses, personals, and rhyme scheme). Of course, the two most important elements are punches and flow. Flow is important because that’s what makes it rap, and if the flow is bad, then that’s just bad rap. Punches are important because that’s what battles are all about, which is making fun of your opponent. I will explain each element in detail; give examples of each, and tips to help you with each element.
2. Flow
if you want good flow there are several things you're going to need to do. The most important thing to do is make sure your lines have similar length.
ex:
you've got to know that i'm the illest kid one mic//12
because i’m spittin' these rhymes that I know you'll like//12
Notice the numbers after each line. These are the number of syllables each line has in it. You don’t have to count syllables to make your flow good, but if you make your all your lines 12-15 syllables, then your flow should be good. Here are some things that have bad flow and I’ll explain why they have bad flow.
Ex1:
I’m going to kill all and murder you especially//14
I’ll do it easily because your not better than me//13
This one isn’t too bad, but I wouldn’t advise doing this. If you don’t see what’s wrong with this, then I’ll tell you. In the first line, the syllable that rhymes, “ly” is not accented, but in the second line the word that rhymes, “me” is accented. This is bad because when it’s spit, it sounds forced and sloppy.
Ex2
Damn man you are seriously wack as anything I’ve seen//15
With your immaturity it’s obvious that you’re a teen//15
The flaw in this is something I’ve always hated. Both of these lines should only be half a line, but they’re stretched out to make a bar.
One last thing that can improve your flow is multis. I will go over these further down in the tutorial.
3. Punches
This is the most important part of a battle. It’s what makes a battle verse good. A good punch is creative and will humiliate the opponent. A punch is a line that often incorporates metaphors or wordplay to make fun of an opponent. There are several different types of punches. One is the kind that Chino XL uses often. This is taking things with current events and using them to make a punch. For example, here is a punch I used against South Skillz in a battle.
for showin' to a battle against me you must be quite the darin-bitch//
but its too bad your pitiful ass was ‘doomed from the start’ like Jlo’s marriages//
The first line isn’t a punch, but it isn’t a filler. It sets up the punch. These lines ARE better than fillers, but it’s always better to just have another punch. Another type of punch is the oh so popular “you couldn’t blah blah if you blah blah”. I’ll give an example of this.
You couldn’t blaze tracks packing lighters in your cross trainers
This example is quoted from logiXskillatory. It was used in a battle against memoir. In this type of punch the first part is usually a metaphor, which I’ll go over later on in the tutorial. Many punches incorporate wordplay and punches. Multis can also improve the effect of a punch. A good technique for making punches is just getting a notebook and jotting down ideas whenever you think of them. The best way to write them is probably this “The Price Is Right/1 dollar”, but if you do this, make sure you scratch out the ideas after using them to avoid recycling the punches. That technique is a good way to stay away from writer’s block. Another type of punch is taking a well known catch phrase and flipping it to diss you’re opponent. For example, I could take a quote from the Cheers theme song, “Sometimes you just want to go where everybody knows your name”(not exactly that…but its close enough). Then, I could flip to a good punch, “you wont get your cheers because nobody knows your name”. This can be a very effective type of punch when done right.
4. Wordplay
There is different types of wordplay. One of the easiest is a simile. A simile is when you compare 2 or more things by using “like” or “as”. This is a good thing to use to make a just plain insult a punch. For example, I could just say, “You’ve got no chance”, but a better way to put it is, “You’ve got no chance like missing monopoly pieces” (this was a punch from someone. I forget who though. sorry). Another type of wordplay is less commonly used. but when done right it can be very effective. It’s is breaking up words to have a double meaning between a word and a phrase, for example “leavin' me no choice but to empty a mag-n-‘em (magnum)”. This can be more difficult to use but when used right it can make a punch a lot better (the example I gave was not a punch, just an example of this type of word play). The third and least commonly used type of word play is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of a word. Here’s an example of alliteration “passionate past-times positively portray potential perpetual pestilence”(example written by neeko). Although alliteration isn’t as good as the other types of wordplay for punches, it can improve a punch, but do not force the alliteration.
5. Metaphors
[/i]Battling has many elements(punches, wordplay, disses, flow, multis, complexity, metaphors, disses, personals, and rhyme scheme). Of course, the two most important elements are punches and flow. Flow is important because that’s what makes it rap, and if the flow is bad, then that’s just bad rap. Punches are important because that’s what battles are all about, which is making fun of your opponent. I will explain each element in detail; give examples of each, and tips to help you with each element.
2. Flow
if you want good flow there are several things you're going to need to do. The most important thing to do is make sure your lines have similar length.
ex:
you've got to know that i'm the illest kid one mic//12
because i’m spittin' these rhymes that I know you'll like//12
Notice the numbers after each line. These are the number of syllables each line has in it. You don’t have to count syllables to make your flow good, but if you make your all your lines 12-15 syllables, then your flow should be good. Here are some things that have bad flow and I’ll explain why they have bad flow.
Ex1:
I’m going to kill all and murder you especially//14
I’ll do it easily because your not better than me//13
This one isn’t too bad, but I wouldn’t advise doing this. If you don’t see what’s wrong with this, then I’ll tell you. In the first line, the syllable that rhymes, “ly” is not accented, but in the second line the word that rhymes, “me” is accented. This is bad because when it’s spit, it sounds forced and sloppy.
Ex2
Damn man you are seriously wack as anything I’ve seen//15
With your immaturity it’s obvious that you’re a teen//15
The flaw in this is something I’ve always hated. Both of these lines should only be half a line, but they’re stretched out to make a bar.
One last thing that can improve your flow is multis. I will go over these further down in the tutorial.
3. Punches
This is the most important part of a battle. It’s what makes a battle verse good. A good punch is creative and will humiliate the opponent. A punch is a line that often incorporates metaphors or wordplay to make fun of an opponent. There are several different types of punches. One is the kind that Chino XL uses often. This is taking things with current events and using them to make a punch. For example, here is a punch I used against South Skillz in a battle.
for showin' to a battle against me you must be quite the darin-bitch//
but its too bad your pitiful ass was ‘doomed from the start’ like Jlo’s marriages//
The first line isn’t a punch, but it isn’t a filler. It sets up the punch. These lines ARE better than fillers, but it’s always better to just have another punch. Another type of punch is the oh so popular “you couldn’t blah blah if you blah blah”. I’ll give an example of this.
You couldn’t blaze tracks packing lighters in your cross trainers
This example is quoted from logiXskillatory. It was used in a battle against memoir. In this type of punch the first part is usually a metaphor, which I’ll go over later on in the tutorial. Many punches incorporate wordplay and punches. Multis can also improve the effect of a punch. A good technique for making punches is just getting a notebook and jotting down ideas whenever you think of them. The best way to write them is probably this “The Price Is Right/1 dollar”, but if you do this, make sure you scratch out the ideas after using them to avoid recycling the punches. That technique is a good way to stay away from writer’s block. Another type of punch is taking a well known catch phrase and flipping it to diss you’re opponent. For example, I could take a quote from the Cheers theme song, “Sometimes you just want to go where everybody knows your name”(not exactly that…but its close enough). Then, I could flip to a good punch, “you wont get your cheers because nobody knows your name”. This can be a very effective type of punch when done right.
4. Wordplay
There is different types of wordplay. One of the easiest is a simile. A simile is when you compare 2 or more things by using “like” or “as”. This is a good thing to use to make a just plain insult a punch. For example, I could just say, “You’ve got no chance”, but a better way to put it is, “You’ve got no chance like missing monopoly pieces” (this was a punch from someone. I forget who though. sorry). Another type of wordplay is less commonly used. but when done right it can be very effective. It’s is breaking up words to have a double meaning between a word and a phrase, for example “leavin' me no choice but to empty a mag-n-‘em (magnum)”. This can be more difficult to use but when used right it can make a punch a lot better (the example I gave was not a punch, just an example of this type of word play). The third and least commonly used type of word play is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of a word. Here’s an example of alliteration “passionate past-times positively portray potential perpetual pestilence”(example written by neeko). Although alliteration isn’t as good as the other types of wordplay for punches, it can improve a punch, but do not force the alliteration.
5. Metaphors
A metaphor is a lot like a simile, but with a metaphor, you’re comparing things WITHOUT using “like” or “as”. A metaphor is a great way to make a punch better. In rap, a metaphor is also considered a word with a double meaning. Many people mark the metaphors by quotes. A good way to brainstorm ideas for metaphors is to write down double meaning words and write both definitions. For example, if I were doing this, I would write this:
Slug
1.fired bullet
2.insect
Doing this can make it easier to write lines, but try not to use the played double meanings. Try to find the double meanings that you’ve never even seen before.
6. Disses
I know you think that this is that same thing as punches, but there’s a difference. A diss is just a straight out insult. Disses are normally pretty weak, but when delivered right they can be very effective (and even more effective when used with personals). Although I said they can be effective, it’s rare so unless you know how to deliver them right, I wouldn’t suggest using just plain Disses.
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