Rap is urban poetry
Don't let modern rap fool you - rap is a poetic art form.
You might be surprised to hear this, but it's true!
Rhyme scheme rap is one of the largest components of hip hop and for good reason.
Did you know that Nas's Illmatic is studied in Ivy League Universities?
Every rapper can dream of having that privilege.
I can't promise you that, however, I can help you improve your rhyme scheme rap.
You're going to learn the ins and outs of building solid and basic rhyme schemes.
(TAP HERE to improve your rap flow as well!)
You'll have rich amazing rhyme patterns throughout all your new music releases.
Let's get started with the rhyme scheme rap guide!
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PLANNING YOUR RAP RHYME SCHEME
If you don't understand your rhyme scheme rap at a fundamental level, you're screwed.
To simplify, the rap world uses letters to break down a rhyme scheme.
The letters A, B, and C are the most common rhyme scheme signals.
Rhyme scheme rap example: ABAB rhyme scheme.
This rhyme scheme means that the first and third lines in a bar rhymes (The A's) and that the second and fourth lines end-words rhyme (The B's)
Did this confuse you yet?
Look at this image that explains the rhyme scheme:
Obviously, this is a very basic rap scheme - not a rhyme scheme to brag about.
Don't get too cocky now, how about this rhyme scheme: ABBA BACBACBAC BABA.
Looks like I spammed my keyboard, eh?
The more complex rhyme schemes get, the more letters are at play
A complex rhyme scheme example is: The world is yours - Naz.
Nas uses many different rhyme schemes throughout, each rhyme scheme is color-coded.
As you can see there are 6 colors in the rap verse.
That means this scheme has the letters: ABCDEF
Wow...
Let's not get ahead of ourselves with this rhyme rap business.
Let's simplify these rhyme schemes so you can understand them.
Different types of rhyme schemes
Let's get into the fun part.
Only a fool tells you that all rhyme schemes are the same!
Think of rhyme schemes like audio tracks in your song.
You have drums, keyboard, vocals, etc.
Each has a different purpose and usage, it's the same with rhyme scheme rap.
If you don't understand these basics, you're just lost.
No worries, I'll help guide you through this.
The different types of rap rhyme schemes
These are a few different types of rhyme scheme rap.
- Internal rhyme
- Identical rhyme
- Interlocking rhymes
Pro tip: focus on rhyme schemes one at a time.
Rather than forcing yourself to master many rhyme schemes, pick the most basic rhyme
schemes then move on from there.
Ideally, the ABAB is a great place to start.
How to use Interlocking rap rhymes
If you've ever freestyle rapped before, you've definitely used interlocking rap verses.
Here, the first and third lines rhyme.
Example:
It also works if the fourth lines rhyme with the first.
Ideally, you want if the fourth lines rhyme with the first AND the first and third lines rhyme.
A good practice is to select a random item in your house and format a rhyme scheme rap out of it.
The traditional song structure
Most songs have a similar strong structure.
It's not that the traditional schemes are necessarily better than others -it's just been proven to work.
When your hip-hop track deviates from the standard, we call it experimental hip-hop music.
This is the traditional song structure:
- Intro
- Verse
- Pre-chorus
- Chorus
- Bridge
- Outro
Ideally, have simpler rhyme schemes in the chorus and complex rhyme schemes at the end.
USING NOTABLE rhyme schemes in your verses
You should know exactly which rhyme scheme to use in your verses.
If you choose to use fewer rhyme schemes then the wordplay and pines need to stand out.
An example of this is Drake or Big Sean.
Sometimes their verses contain only one rhyming scheme and a few non-rhyming lines in between.
This is fine since the flow/delivery can really add power to the verse!
Choose one simple element to go deep on whether it's the rhyme schemes or other rap elements.
(TAP HERE to improve your rap flow as well!)
MERGING POETRY TO RAP rhyme schemes
Let's merge poetry and rhyme schemes!
Hip-hop music is not that different from poetry.
This is why the best rappers can be considered modern-day poets.
Understanding stanzas in your rap rhyme scheme
The common understanding and hip-hop is that a verse is either 8, 12, or 16 bars.
A bar is simply a line that you write when making your hip-hop music.
In poetry terms, lines are called stanzas.
Rather than the common four-line stanza, you can expect to use 8 line stanzas.
You can use so many fewer rhyme schemes if you're going to have many stanzas.
Sense of verse counts as 16 bars - the total amount of four-line stanzas should be four as well.
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More on Rhyme schemes in rap
There are more elaborate related forms of stanzas too!
The three-line stanza is great, only other possibilities of rhyme sequences can work to make it flow well.
In this case, the second and fourth lines won't rhyme (there is no fourth line.)
Three-line s-rhyme schemes have put the rhyming words at the beginning and end of two lines, and there are no internal rhymes.
You can try different possible rhyme schemes, when the end rhymes start with the same letter it sounds pretty damn good.
Having different stanzas with two different rhyme schemes can add complexity to your freestyle rap songs.
Numerous rhythmic elements are happening with the main rhyme schemes, as well as the alternate rhyme.
The conventional rhyme has two, two-line stanzas.
That doesn't mean you can't employ extra rhymes within the four-line poem.
Think of rhyme schemes as poems
It's not about how many syllables you have in your rap verses - It's about how well the poem flows.
Treat each verse as its own poem!
These are the standard poem sizes for your raps:
- One line poem
- Two line poem
- Three line poem
- Four line poem
Even common rhyme schemes - the small poems added together to create the full four-line stanza in most of rap's rhyme schemes.
Having the lines rhyming is just the beginning!
The real magic is mixing the common rhyme schemes for true effectiveness!
Chorus rhyme schemes stanza - Example #1
Your chorus is often times the intro in your rap song as well so you need to get the rhyme scheme perfect!
Let's look at an example of a rap rhyme scheme chorus.
The song is Mercy by Kanye West.
As you can see highlighted the chorus has two different stanzas - together!
For the first stanza, It would not be fair to say that the lines rhyme (since it's the exact carbon copy) but it's still considered an ABAB scheme.
The second and fourth lines are the exact same, just like the first and third lines.
The reason why this rap song contains such a simple chorus is because it's a very simple rhyme scheme for the fan to remember.
Want to keep it as simple as possible!
Chorus rhyme schemes stanza - Example #2
The next rap's rhyme schemes are going to seem kind of funny.
The song I chose is HYFR by Drake and Lil Wayne.
If you notice it's just a simple ABAB rhyming scheme.
That said there is an internal rhyme, by repeating the exact words "hell yeah" 3x per bar the rhyming words increase.
Then it's the same exact words repeated - it is extremely simple but the simplicity alone makes it easier to remember and fans to die for!
The idea for the chorus is not for it to be super complex is supposed to be memorable.
The more internal rhyme there is, the better in certain cases.
Using stanzas in hip-hop verses
I'll start this off with an example so you have an idea of how different stanzas and rhyme schemes can be used.
Song Beware by Big Sean such a variety of rap rhyme schemes.
The first six lines in his first verse have the same rhyme scheme.
This is an AAAAABB rhyme scheme.
The enclosing rhyme is the same six times in a row!
For this to work, you need to make sure that the first and last lines in the bar are different.
The last line rhymes with the second-last line.
Big Sean then switches it up on this rap's rhyme schemes, not using the same scheme multiple times.
You should consider this when you are writing lyrics.
Using an enclosed rhyme scheme
An enclosed rhyme scheme is where the lines designated in the middle are rhyming with each other back to back.
Here is an example:
You can consider every rhyme scheme it's on a poem so this game is practically a three-line poem.
Big Sean simply took the idea turned it into three-line poems and then made it rhyme from there.
This is a great way to start writing when you feel writer's block and can't put something on paper yet!
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