I just came across this article and had to share it with all peeps in the hizzle…
I from time to time have been known to bust a rhyme…okay not really but I do like to make drum noises with my mouth (otherwise known as “vocal percussion” or “beat boxing”). So I have a little spot dedicated in my heart to free stylin’ rap. I like to think I’m cool and break out with a little rhyme every now and then, but I always need to rehearse it for awhile before I try and get spontaneous on anyone.

So, this morning I found this article in the inbox in my rss reader.

“How to Survive a Freestyle Rap Battle” Wow! Does it get any better than that? You can click on the link for the full details but let me give you the basics.

  1. Listen to great freestylers
  2. Practice, practice, practice (there is no substitute for this-ever)
  3. Start writing rhymes (that would be lines and words that sound alike, here is an example…Jesusa loves me, this I knowa, for thee-ah Bible tells me-a so-ah…) That last example works best if said with a little caribbean flava.
  4. Once you can “spit on the spot” (spitting is a another term for freestyling), try and “spit” about more specific things. (hmmmm, sometimes when I am on a bridge or a tall building I try and spit on a spot.)
  5. Jump in and battle someone
  6. Here is my favorite tip…and I am not making this up…okay ready? Make sure your first battle is against someone you dislike – it will make it easier for you to throw in denegrating metaphors (a key staple in any rap battle), personal disses, and punch lines (a combination of the two.) Here is an example. “Yo, you be trippen on yo wal-mart drawers, and you eat garbage from a can cause you so poor. Word.” My CD will be out in the late fall…watch for it.
  7. And last, don’t worry if you lose your first few battles. Again practice is the key.

If you do read the article I would like to direct your attention to the warning near the bottom of the page. “Spitting, as refered to in the article does not refer to “saliva expulsion” but rather a poetic combination of wordage.

I would invite all you to try out your mad skills and throw out some mad spits here on the comments. Keep it clean yo. I’m out.