Really, to be the best you should be counting your syllables in entire lines and shit. I've never went to that effort but I know topical wise, a lot of the best really focus on it and it definitely comes off flow wise.

What Rohan's saying about my bars is that they are simple. I've never understood the meaning of being "complex". That's a mainstay word on Letsbeef as a positive. For me there's a more appropriate word; unpredictability.

Complexity implies that it's not easy to get. It requires attention to detail, noticing little points, perhaps having to re-read to understand elements. But this is a battle. When you watch a live battle, who wants to have to rewind to get a line? And if you do, who actually feels the full impact of it? You never would. It has to come off first time, boom, headshot. That's why expos are typically a weaker aspect to rely on to.

Unpredictability however is different. I always talk down on this "reference style", but after a 2 and a half lines before the main punch, and I've read like 3 references already, typically...I know the punch before it even comes. It's not a surprise. I see it now. So when it hits, I knew it was going to, weakening it.

I think that people need to rely on the merit of their bars. It's harder now because so much has been done. Something becomes played every day. But also, new things happen every day, opening the opportunities for topical bars and punchlines.

Instead of thinking "How do I deliver this in an original way to make it harder hitting?", simply make sure the punchline will hit hard no matter what beforehand. Then, once your idea and concept are aligned, deliver it in the absolute most simple way possible. Hard hitting punch, delivered cleanly, boom, job done.

---------- Post added at 05:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------

@Esso, a problem with reading it out loud beforehand is that people tend to alter their pace, tempo and timing to their own suiting. Sometimes I saw a topical written to a beat, and I was like "How the fuck do I know when you speed up and when you dont?". When Snoop says "Aint nothing but a G thing baby", he says Baby in a completely different way to the rest, a different tempo and an elongated way. Readers would never pick up on that. So if you can get a basic balance down, then reading it out loud works, but it's not exactly as simple as just doing it.

Really, to be the best you should be counting your syllables in entire lines and shit. I've never went to that effort but I know topical wise, a lot of the best really focus on it and it definitely comes off flow wise.

What Rohan's saying about my bars is that they are simple. I've never understood the meaning of being "complex". That's a mainstay word on Letsbeef as a positive. For me there's a more appropriate word; unpredictability.

Complexity implies that it's not easy to get. It requires attention to detail, noticing little points, perhaps having to re-read to understand elements. But this is a battle. When you watch a live battle, who wants to have to rewind to get a line? And if you do, who actually feels the full impact of it? You never would. It has to come off first time, boom, headshot. That's why expos are typically a weaker aspect to rely on to.

Unpredictability however is different. I always talk down on this "reference style", but after a 2 and a half lines before the main punch, and I've read like 3 references already, typically...I know the punch before it even comes. It's not a surprise. I see it now. So when it hits, I knew it was going to, weakening it.

I think that people need to rely on the merit of their bars. It's harder now because so much has been done. Something becomes played every day. But also, new things happen every day, opening the opportunities for topical bars and punchlines.

Instead of thinking "How do I deliver this in an original way to make it harder hitting?", simply make sure the punchline will hit hard no matter what beforehand. Then, once your idea and concept are aligned, deliver it in the absolute most simple way possible. Hard hitting punch, delivered cleanly, boom, job done.

---------- Post added at 05:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------

@Esso, a problem with reading it out loud beforehand is that people tend to alter their pace, tempo and timing to their own suiting. Sometimes I saw a topical written to a beat, and I was like "How the fuck do I know when you speed up and when you dont?". When Snoop says "Aint nothing but a G thing baby", he says Baby in a completely different way to the rest, a different tempo and an elongated way. Readers would never pick up on that. So if you can get a basic balance down, then reading it out loud works, but it's not exactly as simple as just doing it.