The direct rhyming technique was dominant throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, and is a prominent theme in what is now considered "old school" rap. To employ this technique, the artist must rhyme the end of each line with the end of the next, creating a more predictable rhyming scheme. LL Cool J, who started in the mid-'80s, used this technique in the song "I Need Love."
"As I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall
And in the back of my mind, I hear my conscience call
Tellin' me I need a girl who's as sweet as a dove
For the first time in my life, I see I need love."
Notice the end words on the first and second line rhyme, as do the end words on the third and fourth.
This rap technique employs rhyming but doesn't require that the rhyme catch at the same beat in the following line. A word can rhyme with another word in the same line to create a cadence, or flow. Jay-Z is one rapper that employs this technique often. In his popular song "Sunshine," Jay-Z rhymes several words in the same line:
"Who be, in a Japanese restaurant, eating sushi
Drinking sake, it's me, and my mami with the doobie."
Notice that "be" and "sushi" rhyme in the first line. In the second line, he changes the flow a bit and rhymes the words "sake," "me," "mami" and "doobie" on every downbeat.
The rapper Eminem employs this technique often, which has allowed him to craft a unique ability to tell stories in his rhymes. In this popular song "The Real Slim Shady," Eminem rhymes a word in the middle of the sentence with one in the middle of the next sentence.
"And Dr. Dre said...nothing you idiots!
Dr. Dre's dead, he's locked in my basement!"
Notice the rhyme between "said" and "dead" in the middle of each line.
Many rappers use this technique to keep the pace of the song. This is especially useful when no lyric is available to rhyme with the word at the end of the preceding line. Common, in his song "I Used to Love H.E.R.," employed this technique in the first verse with the word "her." Lines 8 through 11 all end with the word "her."
"But she was there for me, and I was there for her
Pull out a chair for her, turn on the air for her
And just cool out, cool out and listen to her."
Jay-Z also employed this technique in his hit song "Change Clothes." In the second verse, he repeats very specific words -- "back," "at" and "rap."
"Yeah ma, your dude is back, Maybach coupe is back
Tell the whole world the truth is back
You ain't got to argue about who could rap
Cause the proof is back just go through my rap
New York New York yeah where my troopers at?
Where my hustlers, where my boosters at?"