Freestyle Battles – Win More Rap Battles
Freestyle battles are a cornerstone of hip hop culture. Generally, two opponents square off against each other in battle of wits. Each MC gets two rounds (usually a minute long) to verbally humiliate the other using a variety of punchlines about their appearance, history or rap style. A battle is a great way for up and coming rappers to get noticed (Eminem, for example, took second place at the Freestyle Olympics, an effort that got him picked up by Dr. Dre).
So what takes for thriving freestyle rap combats? There are a number of contributing factors: the specificity of the punchlines (the more particular the better), the delivery (clean and well enunciated) and the flow (unique style, or just hurling insults?) are all imporant considerations for a battle rapper. Let’s look at each in more detail:
Specific punchlines. Obviously, we’ve all heard a million “Yo Mama” jokes, and while some are really funny “You mama so fat she bleeds gravy” they’re also very generic. After all, everyone has a mother. While you can certainly win using general punchlines such as fat jokes or skinny jokes, the more specific the better. If you can reference the words on your opponents shirt, all the better for you.
Delivery. Freestyle battles are a lot of showmanship, and the MCs demand to carry their lines cleanly. I’ve seen rappers make great hand clapping from a crowd not because the punchline was that special, but because they stated it like they implied it! Conversely, a deadly punchline is worthless if you’re extending the mic with your hand. Focus on delivery.
Flow. Don’t confuse flow with delivery, which is the more technical side. Whereas delivery is about articulating your words, flow is how you put words together. In General, in freestyle battles, the most deadly form of flow is the use of multiple internal rhymes that consist of a set up and a punchline. Nevertheless, some rappers fall into the habit of applying the same bored format, and can be beaten by somebody on style points.
The key thing to realize is that freestyle battles are seldom won on one aspect alone. it’s usually a combination of the three that leads to victory, which is why you need to work on your lyrics, your delivery and your flow to stay at the top of your game. Watch Jump off TV freestyle rap battles and take notes on what works, and try to incorporate that into your own style.
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