Lyricism Part 1.

This is one topic every MC finds them self inexorably debating about, so I thought I should cover it and share what I have observed.

Lyricist Lounge.

There are MC's who claim to "keep it real" and for them it means rapping about topics of daily struggles and hardships and this is what they coin as REALITY since the content is based on what everyone can see. Which is great but unfortunately, done to death plus it lacks insight and never engages the listener, MC’s who rap about space are also keeping it 'real' in their own whimsical way, just because someone used the word SPACE in his line does not mean that he is talking about it, he/she could be using a metaphor using space as a direct comparison to something, so even dungeon rappers aren't always talking hogwash. Besides, reality can be relative so let us please avoid using the term "keeping it real".

A key to good criticism in hip hop is listening and doing it well, I've heard people say "Big words don't make an MC tight", I agree with this statement but most of the time these people are unable to decode the message because they more than likely have no frame of reference for the word(s). I say, at least listen to HOW it used, what they are trying to communicate and whether or not that word was selected to sound intelligent and if you still fail to comprehend LOOK IT UP!!!. There are many aspects to this particular point but one thing I've learned is that people dislike being perplexed and so they are quick to say something is whack... Some even say it’s tight because it sounded so (a classic case of applauding at what you don't understand). Comprehension is, ergo, key before you can say some things are tight or not. So read listeners, have a good general knowledge and then analyse before you crush or applaud, besides, I thought hip hop heads were supposed to be the most informed listeners of music.

Right, now we come to the manner in which one can express a message. Good lyricists express themselves in the most unorthodox of ways with the use of picture painting vocabulary and/or puns or similes metaphors. Small tweaks to deliverance and vocab make a monumental difference here in other words, you can say you ''hurriedly went to the shop'' or alternatively say that you ''teleported to the shop'', it all depends on skill. Most MC's are too lazy to put effort to such tweaks as it requires a deeper understanding of language and description, that's why Proverb said MC's are teachers...get it?

My aim is to avoid making this long winded and endless, I shall end it here and continue once you have fully digested this...please feel free to share your opinions :-)....to be continued......part 2 coming soon!!

by: Donald Neosapien Mokgale