HOW TO WRITE A SOLID 16 BAR VERSE This article is about developing bars as a technique in writing raps.I have received the question, What are bars? on many occasions and have briefly touched on the subject in a previous MC Improvement Article/visitor e-mail. In this article I will expand on the topic as well as describe an effective way of writing a solid 16 bar verse. First of all…what are bars, exactly? Well bars are simply a form of dividing a verse into segments. Each segment, or bar, consists of one line. The following is an example of two bars byJay-Z: And all you other cats takin shots at Jigga/ You only get half a bar, F*ck yall niggas As you can see both lines or bars rhyme at the end. This is usually the case, but as verses are created more and more organically by artists (read: freestyled) they many times wont end so picture perfect…but dont worry about that for now. In case youre a little confused, youll get a clearer picture through future articles. So Why 16 bars? If youre a hip hop fan, you have undoubtedly heard the term, 16 bars at some point. Maybe something along the lines of, Nas dropped a sick 16 bars on that mixtape. The reason that 16 became the standard is because the music industry strategically determines the most effective duration of a typical song. Usually the shorter the song is, the better for the records success. The shorter the song is, the more times that it can be played on the radio, the more times that it can be played on the radio, the more popular the song will become, the more popular the song becomes…you get the picture. Also taken into account was the average amount of time a run-of-the-mill listener would wait between hooks before becoming tired. You have to keep in mind that not all listeners are looking out for the real substance of the song (the verses) but instead merely tune in to listen to the beat and the chorus. A verse thats too short will leave something to be desired (substance) and/or may grow old fast (since the hook/chorus will be played more frequently). A verse thats too long will lose many mainstream listeners attention. So in time, the typical 16 bar format was created. About the same time, the typical 8 bar chorus came into popularity in hip hop. This was long ago…dates mean little. Dont get this confused, though…not every song sticks to the 16s and 8s formula. Ghostface Killah came out with the single, All That I Got Is You which was one long verse…with one long hook at the end. Therefore, a lot of songs vary from the classic 3 verse and 3 hook layout, and they even vary from the classic 3-minute-a-song set-up. Some songs are 7 minutes long. But if you pay attention, most of these odd songs are usually not released as singles and if they are, they are usually released by more well-known artists with a well established fan base. The fact is that most pop or popular songs still follow the typical format most preferred by the radio and recording industry…and that is the 16-bar verse and the 3 verse format. (Note: Actually, with the increased popularity of catchy breaks bridges and hooks, artists are increasingly neglecting the 3rd verse of their songs.) In case youre wondering, the radio industry prefers shorter songs so that they can vary their playlist in order to reach more listeners. Reaching more listeners and keeping more listeners is important to radio stations so that the advertising spots they offer are attractive to advertisers. There are even radio stations that have been known to speed up the pace of their songs so as to shorten their length of play…of course these songs tend to sound nothing like they were intended to, but thats the cost they are willing to take. Writing 16 Bars: Part 1 So how should you go about writing the actual 16 bars? Well, theres two broad methods; to a beat, or without a beat. I recommend you write any verse to a beat. Firstly, because a lot of beats follow very similarly timed or even exactly similar drum patterns, therefore,oneof your verses may be able to adapt very smoothly to various beats. Second, and more importantly, when you write to a beat that youre listening to, you can more easily play with your bars. By that I mean you can stretch your words or adjust your flow and say something like: Shopping sprees, coppin three, deuce Beamer ISs/ Fully loaded…ahhhhh yes! (haha) -Jay-Z That was from Cant Knock The Hustle and when Jay-Z was at the top of his game lyrically (in my humble opinion). But, you can see how his pause during that second bar built up the punch line to that lyric. This is facilitated by listening to a beat while putting together your verse. You can also choose to just write. Forget the beat, just write. A lot of times we dont have the luxury of having a beat playing when creativity strikes. Thats ok…you can make it work anyway. If you are intending to put together a whole verse, however, it is best to at least have a beat in your head if not in your ears. And I dont mean a popular rap beat, necessarily…just a simple drumbeat will do. The idea is to have something in mind that you can bounce to…literally…if you find yourself bopping your head while youre formulating a rhyme…thats good! Writing 16 Bars: Part 2 When you write lyrics, there is a very important principle which will benefit many of you to understand. It has already been made clear that bars tend to rhyme at the end (mostly). But what about the center? Though rhymes dont necessarily need to rhyme in the middle (meaning the middle of the first bar rhymes with the middle of the second), there does many times seem to be a pattern to the emphasis throughout bars. By this I mean that there are usually two emphasis (or accents) in each bar. Usually, somewhere during the middle of a bar there is a break, a pause, or an emphasis in a syllable, and then there is another similar emphasis towards the end of the bar. A good example would be 50 Cents second verse from In Da Club: (Note: Thebolded letters indicate the emphasis I spoke about) And you should love it, way more then you hate it Nigga you mad? I thought that youd be happy I made it Im thatcatby the bar toastin to thegoodlife You thatf*ggot-*ss nigga tryin topullme back right? When myjoint get to pumpin in the club its on I wink my eye at ya b*tch, if shesmilesshe gone If the roof on fire, let the motherf*cker burn If youtalkin about money homie,Iaint concerned Imatellyou what Banks told me Cous goheadswitch the style up If the nigga shate then let em hate thenwatchthe money pile up Or we go upside yourheadwith a bottle of bub They know where we f*ckinbe... Hopefully you have a better idea of what I mean by now. If you simply think about each individual bar as having two parts then you can attempt to pause at thebeat-break(the drum beat or bass tends to pound twice per bar) present around the middle of each bar and allow your flow to synchronize with the beat. This is CRITICAL. Treat your voice/words like an instrument that like any other instrument must be in tune with the beat. Dont be afraid to adjust your flow by using emphasis, stretching out your words, shortening words, chopping words in mid sentence and continuing them in the next bar, accenting syllables, (by that I mean accenting certain syllables even when they normally shouldnt be) etc…just to make them fit appropriately to the end of the beat. You might even consider using synonyms to make the bar fit the beat. Your Lyric Content There are many ways to start a verse. You can tell a real story, describe an event, narrate a fictional scene, etc. Your approach will vary depending on your style. Lets say youre writing literally about what youre doing at the moment...actually writing a rhyme… (or at least thats how you choose to begin)…you can say something like: It cost me more to be free than a life in the Penn/ Makin money off of cus words, writin again/ Learn how to think ahead so I fight with my pen/ Late night down Sunset, likin the sin -2pac Or perhaps you can say it like this… F*ck a pad and a pen, I write rhymes on the IBM/ Ebonics is dead and binary language is in -Canibus Obviously, both of these approaches are distinct. The hardest part about writing a verse, though, is starting it. Once you begin, and you know your style, its just a matter of keeping it going. Now, as far as ending or wrapping up a verse…you can do many things with that as well. You can follow the example from 50 Cent (above) and end your verse half-way (and allow the beginning part of your chorus or hook to end the last part of your final bar for you). You can also just complete the bar but on the same vibe as that of your chorus, for example: Whats the worst they can do to a nigga, got me lost in Hell/ To live and die in L.A., on bail…(and my angels sing) -2pac2 Live and Die in LA The idea is to let your verse end on a vibe that easily flows into the mood that your hook provides. Final Note Playing around with your voice or tone (intonation) is also a great way to add a bit of flare. Adding something unique to your flow seems more and more necessary in this highly competitive market we call the rap industry. It is not necessary to create a gimmick (there is a fine line between a gimmick and a unique style…but interestingly, most mass consumers of media dont notice or care what that difference is) but it is important to have something distinctive about your flow to help you stand out and be remembered. More on that and other tips to come in future articles. Until then, take a look at our otherMC Improvement Articlesas well as ourHustling Hip Hop Articlesand all our other free content atT heStateofHipHop. f youre interested in a complete course on MC improvement you should definitely consider checking out RapFundamentals. #Tipsy
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:44:59 +0000
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