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How to Write a Hip Hop Meter

Rap is the most wildly popular new form of poetry since Shakespeare helped to popularize the sonnet in 16th century England. This comparison might seem shocking since rap and English poetry are generally seen as separate things, yet both use very strict forms. A major part of most poetic forms is a regular meter, that is, a regular division of a line of poetry into groups of syllables based on whether those syllables are stressed or unstressed. So, when writing hip hop, or rap, meter is just like writing any other poetic form. You just need to know the rules.

Instructions

    • 1

      Decide on a topic that you want to write about. Describe a scene. Tell a story. Share an emotion. Make notes on this topic.

    • 2

      Write out two lines (sometimes called bars) about your topic.

    • 3

      Take the two lines that you have written and make sure that they are 14 and 13 syllables long respectively. Shorten or lengthen your lines as necessary.

    • 4

      Read your lines slowly and out loud. While doing this listen to see if every two syllables sound like this: da-DUM (like two beats of a heart). This is the sound of having unstressed and stressed syllables side by side, and is formally known as an iamb (or iambic foot). This is also the most common meter in rap lyrics.

    • 5

      Make notes about what you need to change to get your lines to fit the unstressed, stressed syllable pattern.

    • 6

      Make the necessary edits to your lines to get them to fit the iambic feet of the rap meter.

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