Rapping 101: Rhyming Part II

(Note: I'm considering changing the title from How to Rap to Rapping 101 because it conflicts with a well-established title that’s already been copyrighted. Additionally, I apologize for the font changes, I'm having trouble with the formatting.)

Now that you have gotten a foundation with rhyming, as well as the way to structure the content in your raps, I want to take you to the next step in rhyming. Chances are you will find that there isn’t a single good rapper who relies on single-syllable rhyming in all his songs. Time to move on to the next best thing, multi-syllable rhyming.

It initially may seem intimidating especially considering quadruple and quintuple rhyming, but start gradual. Double-rhyming is just as easy as single, especially when you keep in mind that the vowel sound matters more, just as long as the rhyming word coincides with a minimum of 2 vowels, it’s a multisyllable rhyme. But there are a few more tricks and more alternatives when you’re working with more syllables. (I’m going to stick with double in the examples though)

Alternative #1) The classic double-syllable:  Includes rhyming of two double (or more)-syllable words. Includes simple/easy words like “fire” and “power” but consider more original/thoughtful rhyme manipulations: ex. business/fitness/distance/vicious, deny/supply/collide/disguise, agent/station/complacent, etc.

Alternative #2) Build-up/split of single-syllables. Just as you can rhyme with big words, you can break up syllables back into small single-syllable words. Ex. “Get this, I’m reckless.”  “alone time/phone line.”

Alternative #3) Word foundation. Though you may not consider this as rhyming, professional rappers do it. The same word goes at the end of each line, but you rhyme with the word that comes before it. Examples of foundation words can be “me, you, up, down, in, out, again,” ex. “locked out, blocked out, knocked out.” It has the same effect as a double-syllable-rhyme, can easily be built to triple and quadruple-syllable rhymes, and it makes sense because all a rhyme really represents is a repeating vowel yet a similar beginning or ending consonant.

Don’t take my word for it? Here’s a professional example:

“Walk alone, talk alone, get my Charlie Parker on, make my mark alone, shed light upon the dark alone, get my sparkle on, it’s a mission I’m embarkin’ on. A kamikaze in a danger zone far from home.”

--Black Thought—The Roots—“Walk Alone”

One last tip: single-syllable rhyming can sound sophisticated when using big words. It also adds an element of unpredictability which I will talk about later. If you rhyme “key” with “conveniently”, for example, it makes for an unlikely yet effective rhyme. However, make sure you step-up your syllables. Arranging the larger word first or using two large words makes the single-syllable rhyme sound incomplete and unfulfilled.

So take up on this advice. Though triple-syllable+ is considerably more difficult than double, give multisyllabic rhyming a try. You’ll find it rewarding when you get the hang of it.

I’ll leave with one more professional example:

"I bomb atomically

Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses

Can't define how I be dropping these mockeries

Lyrically perform armed robbery

Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me" --Inspectah-Deck, Wu Tang Clan-- "Triumph"

And that's it. Happy rhyming!