Bars are used to pace the structure of a rap beat. Most rap songs consist of two main parts: the verse and the hook. The hook, which is often constructed of eight bars, is often repeated various times throughout the song after the verse.
While most verses consist of 16 bars, they can vary up to 24. For example, the lines "I love to write raps/ it helps me to stay on track" are considered two bars. Note that both of the end words, "rap" and "track," rhyme.
If you want to learn how to count the number of bars in a rap song, you must know the format. While song formats may vary, bars determine where the hooks of a song start and the verses end. Play a rap song and listen to the amount of bars within a verse or song by noting the pause between sentences. When a rapper pauses between a set of two lines, he is simply saying one line that will rhyme with the next.
Count the number of bars in the verse by locating where the "hook" of the song starts and ends. The hook of the song will repeat at least two times in a row. Use the name of the song, as a guideline, to find the hooks; most artists name their songs based on what's being said in the hook. After the hook has played, begin counting the amount of bars according to the method indicated in Section 3. While some bars may not rhyme every two lines, the format remains the same: every line is considered a bar.