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  3. Rhymes in the Flow: How Rappers Flip the Beat

Rhymes in the Flow: How Rappers Flip the Beat

Macklin Smith and Aurko Joshi
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  • Overview

  • Contents

Despite its global popularity, rap has received little scholarly attention in terms of its poetic features. Rhymes in the Flow systematically analyzes the poetics (rap beats, rhythms, rhymes, verse and song structures) of many notable rap songs to provide new insights on rap artistry and performance. Defining and describing the features of what rappers commonly call flow, the authors establish a theory of the rap line as they trace rap's deepest roots and stylistic evolution—from Anglo-Saxon poetry to Lil Wayne—and contextualize its complex poetics. Rhymes in the Flow helps explain rap's wide appeal by focusing primarily on its rhythmic and thematic power, while also claiming its historical, cultural, musical, and poetic importance.
  • Cover
  • HalfTitle (page i)
  • Title (page iii)
  • Copyright (page iv)
  • Preface (page vii)
  • Acknowledgments (page ix)
  • Introduction (page 1)
  • Hot Vinyl (page 16)
  • Beat (page 42)
  • Rhythm (page 57)
  • Rhyme (page 82)
  • Modes and Genres (page 109)
  • Verses, Songs, and Albums (page 152)
  • Style (page 176)
  • Appendix 1: Flow Variants (page 205)
  • Appendix 2: Variants by the Years (page 207)
  • Root Terminology for Rap Poetics (page 213)
  • Notes (page 221)
  • Discography (page 275)
  • Index (page 283)
Citable Link
Published: 2020
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN(s)
  • 978-0-472-07389-4 (hardcover)
  • 978-0-472-12404-6 (ebook)
  • 978-0-472-05389-6 (paper)
Subject
  • Music:Popular Music
  • American Studies
  • African American Studies
  • Literary Studies:Poetry and Poetry Criticism

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  • Chapter 33
  • Chapter 78
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  • Joshi, Aurko17
  • Smith, Macklin17
  • B., Eric3
  • Rakim3
  • Wayne, Lil2
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Fig. 2. Bar graph showing layering between the beats and dips.

Fig. 2. Layering between the beats and dips

From Chapter 2

Fig. 2. Layering between the beats and dips.

Fig. 3a. Sheet music of “I Know You Got Soul” by Eric B. & Rakim for drum set and electric guitar, measures one through three.

Fig. 3a

From Chapter 2

Fig. 3a. Snare patterns in “I Know You Got Soul” by Rakim and Eric B. from Paid in Full
(transcribed).

Fig. 3b. Sheet music of “I Know You Got Soul” by Eric B. & Rakim for drum set and electric guitar, measures four through six.

Fig. 3b

From Chapter 2

Fig. 3b. Rakim’s fow and backloadedness over more than four beats in “I Know You Got
Soul” by Rakim and Eric B. from Paid in Full (transcribed).

Fig. 3c. Sheet music of “I Know You Got Soul” by Eric B. & Rakim for drum set and electric guitar, measures seven through nine.

Fig. 3c

From Chapter 2

Fig. 3c. More backloadedness in “I Know You Got Soul” by Rakim and Eric B. from Paid
in Full (transcribed).

Fig. 4. Sheet music of “A Milli” by Lil Wayne for drumset, bass, and a sample, measures one through eight.

Fig. 4a

From Chapter 2

Fig. 4a. “A Milli” by Lil Wayne from Ta Carter III.

Fig. 4. Sheet music of “A Milli” by Lil Wayne for drumset, bass, and a sample, measures one through eight.

Fig. 4b

From Chapter 2

Fig. 4b. “A Milli” by Lil Wayne from Ta Carter III.

Fig. 5. Table describing rap’s metrical model in terms of full and half-line units, versification, and meter.

Fig. 5. Rap’s metrical model

From Chapter 3

Fig. 5. Rap’s metrical model.

Fig. 6. Table showing the average length of rap lines from 1979 to 2009, showing maximum, minimum, and median lengths. Includes non-syllabic vocal events.

Fig. 6. The average length of rap lines from 1979 to 2009, showing maximum, minimum, and median lengths

From Chapter 3

Fig. 6. Te average length of rap lines from 1979 to 2009, showing maximum, minimum,
and median lengths. Averaging about thirteen syllables, rap line length has remained
roughly stable, ticking up slightly in recent years, but range has expanded, as has the
variation within these lines. (Note: the graph includes non-syllabic vocal events.)

Fig. 7. Line graph showing the percent variation of average length of rap line length by year from 1979 to 2009.

Fig. 7. Percent variation of average length of rap line length, by year, indexed to 1979

From Chapter 3

Fig. 7. Percent variation of average length of rap line length, by year, indexed to 2009.

Fig. 8. Bar graph showing average dip lengths by region (East Coast, Midwest, South, and West Coast).

Fig. 8. Average dip lengths by region (East Coast, Midwest, South, and West Coast)

From Chapter 7

Fig. 8. Average dip lengths by region (East Coast, Midwest, South, and West Coast).

Fig. 9. Bar graph comparing dip lengths of ten West Coast rappers. The bar at the left shows the averages of all ten. Shaded regions represent average dip lengths.

Fig. 9. Comparing dip lengths of ten West Coast rappers

From Chapter 7

Fig. 9. Comparing dip lengths of ten West Coast rappers. Te bar at the left shows the averages of all ten. Shaded regions represent average dip
lengths; they are stacked here but do not sum to represent lines as a whole.

Fig. 10. Hexagonal graph comparing average dip lengths of Los Angeles-based rappers with New York City-based rappers.

Fig. 10. Comparing average dip lengths of Los Angeles-based rappers (solid line) with New York City-based rappers (dotted line), with range of average dip length from .5 to 2.0 syllables

From Chapter 7

Fig. 10. Comparing average dip lengths of Los Angeles-based rappers (solid line) with
New York City-based rappers (dotted line), with range of average dip length from .5 to
2.0 syllables. Length from the center signifes the number of syllabic events within the
dip > 0.

Fig. 11. Hexagonal graph comparing Biggie with other New York City-based rappers.

Fig. 11. Comparing Biggie (dashed line) with other New York City-based rappers (dotted line), with range of dip length from .2 to 1.5 syllables

From Chapter 7

Fig. 11. Comparing Biggie (dashed line) with other New York City-based rappers (dotted
line), with range of dip length from .2 to 1.5 syllables. Length from the center signifes the
number of syllabic events within the dip > 0.

Fig. 12. Hexagonal graph showing a closer look at “Who Shot Ya?” by Biggie through the lens of average dip length.

Fig. 12. Biggie: A closer look at “Who Shot Ya” (solid line) through the lens of average dip length

From Chapter 7

Fig. 12. Biggie: A closer look at “Who Shot Ya” (solid line) through the lens of average dip
length. Biggie is represented by the dotted line; New York City-based rappers by dashed
line. Range of dip length from .2 to 1.8 syllables. Length from the center signifes the
number of syllabic events within the dip > 0.

Fig. 13. Hexagonal graph showing a closer look at “Hit ’Em Up” by Tupac through the lens of average dip length.

Fig. 13. Tupac: A closer look at “Hit ‘Em Up” (dotted line) through the lens of average dip length

From Chapter 7

Fig. 13. Tupac: A closer look at “Hit ’Em Up” (dotted line) through the lens of average
dip length. Tupac’s overall style is represented by the contiguous black line; Los Angelesbased rappers by the dashed line. Range of dip length from .5 to 2.5 syllables. Length from
the center signifes the number of syllabic events within the dip > 0.

Fig. 14. Hexagonal graph showing average dip length of “Who Shot Ya?” by Biggie versus “Hit ’Em Up” by Tupac.

Fig. 14. Average dip length of “Who Shot Ya” (solid line) versus “Hit ‘Em Up” (dotted line)

From Chapter 7

Fig. 14. Average dip length of “Who Shot Ya” (solid line) versus “Hit ’Em Up” (dotted
line). Range of dip lengths from .5 to 2.5 syllables. Length from the center signifes the
number of syllabic events within the dip > 0.

Fig. 15. Hexagonal graph showing Lil Wayne’s varied style compared to Los Angeles-based rappers, New York City-based rappers and Atlanta-based rappers.

Fig. 15. Lil Wayne’s varied style (indicated by the dashed grey line) compared to Los Angeles-based rappers (dotted line), New York City-based rappers (dashed line) and Atlanta-based rappers (hybrid dashed and dotted line)

From Chapter 7

Fig. 15. Lil Wayne’s varied style (indicated by the dashed gray line) compared to Los
Angeles-based rappers (dotted line), New York City-based rappers (dashed line) and
Atlanta-based rappers (hybrid dashed and dotted line). Range of dip length from .5 to 2.5
syllables. Length from the center signifes the number of syllabic events within the
dip > 0.

Fig. 16. Bar graph showing the ten most common line variants and their average line length.

Fig. 16. The ten most common variants (in rank order reading from left to right, including all line types) and their average line length

From Appendix 1

Fig. 16. Te ten most common variants (in rank order reading from left to right,
including all line types) and their average line length.

Fig. 17. Bar graph showing the number of syllables per line, and percentages of each, during 1979-82.

Fig. 17. 1979-82 (e.g. Sugar Hill Gang, Melle Mel). Number of syllables per line, and percentages of each, during this period.

From Appendix 2

Fig. 17. 1979–1982 (e.g. Te Sugarhill Gang, Melle Mel). Number of syllables per line, and
percentages of each, during this period.

Fig. 18. Bar graph showing the number of syllables per line, and percentage of each, during 1983-86.

Fig. 18. 1983-86 (e.g. Kurtis Blow, Cold Crush Brothers). Number of syllables per line, and percentage of each, during this period.

From Appendix 2

Fig. 18. 1983–1986 (e.g. Kurtis Blow, Cold Crush Brothers). Number of syllables per line,
and percentage of each, during this period.

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