Editing Rapping (section)

==Flow==

"Flow" is defined as "the rhythms and rhymes"{{sfn|Edwards|2009}}{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=inside cover, 10, 17}}{{sfn|Krims|2001|pp=48–49}} of a hip-hop song's lyrics and how they interact – the book ''[[How to Rap]]'' breaks flow down into rhyme, [[rhyme scheme]]s, and rhythm (also known as [[cadence (music)|cadence]]).{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=63-130}} 'Flow' is also sometimes used to refer to elements of the delivery ([[Pitch (music)|pitch]], [[timbre]], [[Loudness|volume]]) as well,{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=44}} though often a distinction is made between the flow and the delivery.{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=inside cover, 10, 17}}{{sfn|Edwards|2009}}

Staying on the beat is central to rap's flow{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=63–79}} – many [[Master of Ceremonies#Hip hop|MCs]] note the importance of staying on-beat in ''How to Rap'' including [[Sean Price]], Mighty Casey, [[Zion I]], [[Vinnie Paz]], [[Fredro Starr]], [[Del the Funky Homosapien]], [[Tech N9ne]], [[People Under the Stairs]], [[Twista]], [[B-Real]], [[Mr Lif]], [[2Mex]], and [[Cage (rapper)|Cage]].{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=63–79}}

[[Master of Ceremonies#Hip hop|MCs]] stay on beat by stressing syllables in time to the four beats of the musical backdrop.<ref name="Attridge, Derek 2002, p. 90">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UbALbvMiM6UC&dq=Poetic%20Rhythm%3A%20An%20Introduction&pg=PR13 |title=Poetic Rhythm: An Introduction |author=Derek Attridge |via=Google ספרים |date=September 28, 1995 |access-date=August 25, 2014 |isbn=978-0-521-42369-4 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504101448/https://books.google.com/books?id=UbALbvMiM6UC&dq=Poetic%20Rhythm:%20An%20Introduction&pg=PR13 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=71–72}} Poetry scholar [[Derek Attridge]] describes how this works in his book ''Poetic Rhythm'' – "rap lyrics are written to be performed to an accompaniment that emphasizes the metrical structure of the verse".<ref name="Attridge, Derek 2002, p. 90"/> He says rap lyrics are made up of, "lines with four stressed beats, separated by other syllables that may vary in number and may include other stressed syllables. The strong beat of the accompaniment coincides with the stressed beats of the verse, and the rapper organizes the rhythms of the intervening syllables to provide variety and surprise".<ref name="Attridge, Derek 2002, p. 90"/>

The same technique is also noted in the book ''How to Rap'', where diagrams are used to show how the lyrics line up with the beat – "stressing a syllable on each of the four beats gives the lyrics the same underlying rhythmic pulse as the music and keeps them in rhythm ... other syllables in the song may still be stressed, but the ones that fall in time with the four beats of a bar are the only ones that need to be emphasized in order to keep the lyrics in time with the music".{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=72}}

In rap terminology, 16-bars is the amount of time that rappers are generally given to perform a [[Guest appearance|guest]] verse on another artist's song; one bar is typically equal to four beats of music.<ref>{{cite book|last=Palmer|first=Tamara|page=188|title=Country Fried Soul: Adventures in Dirty South Hip-hop|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]]|year=2005|isbn=978-0-87930-857-5}}</ref>

===History===
Old school flows were relatively basic and used only few syllables per bar, simple rhythmic patterns, and basic rhyming techniques and rhyme schemes.{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=44}}<ref>{{cite web| url =https://www.allmusic.com/explore/genre/d1| title =Allmusic| website =[[AllMusic]]| access-date =December 22, 2005| archive-date =December 7, 2010| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20101207023619/http://www.allmusic.com/explore/genre/d1| url-status =live}}</ref>
Melle Mel is cited as an MC who epitomizes the old school flow – [[Kool Moe Dee]] says, "from 1970 to 1978 we rhymed one way [then] Melle Mel, in 1978, gave us the new cadence we would use from 1978 to 1986".{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=325}} "He's the first emcee to explode in a new rhyme cadence, and change the way every emcee rhymed forever. Rakim, [[The Notorious B.I.G.]], and [[Eminem]] have flipped the flow, but Melle Mel's downbeat on the two, four, kick to snare cadence is still the rhyme foundation all emcees are building on".{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=334}}

Artists and critics often credit [[Rakim]] with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows near the beginning of hip hop's [[New school hip hop|new school]]{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=224}} – Kool Moe Dee says, "any emcee that came after 1986 had to study Rakim just to know what to be able to do.{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=324}} Rakim, in 1986, gave us flow and that was the rhyme style from 1986 to 1994.{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=325}} From that point on, anybody emceeing was forced to focus on their flow".{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=326}} Kool Moe Dee explains that before Rakim, the term 'flow' was not widely used – "Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn't called flow. Rakim created flow!"{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=328}} He adds that while Rakim upgraded and popularized the focus on flow, "he didn't invent the word".{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=324}}

Kool Moe Dee states that Biggie introduced a newer flow which "dominated from 1994 to 2002",{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=325}} and also says that [[Method Man]] was "one of the emcees from the early to mid-'90s that ushered in the era of flow ... Rakim invented it, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, and [[Kool G Rap]] expanded it, but Biggie and Method Man made flow the single most important aspect of an emcee's game".{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=206}} He also cites [[Craig Mack]] as an artist who contributed to developing flow in the '90s.{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=39}}

Music scholar Adam Krims says, "the flow of MCs is one of the profoundest changes that separates out new-sounding from older-sounding music ... it is widely recognized and remarked that rhythmic styles of many commercially successful MCs since roughly the beginning of the 1990s have progressively become faster and more 'complex'".{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=44}} He cites "members of the [[Wu-Tang Clan]], [[Nas]], [[AZ (rapper)|AZ]], [[Big Pun]], and [[Ras Kass]], just to name a few"{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=49}} as artists who exemplify this progression.

Kool Moe Dee adds, "in 2002 Eminem created the song that got the first Oscar in Hip-Hop history [[Lose Yourself#Legacy|[Lose Yourself]]] ... and I would have to say that his flow is the most dominant right now (2003)".{{sfn|Kool Moe Dee|2003|p=325}}

===Styles===
There are many different styles of flow, with different terminology used by different people – [[stic.man]] of [[Dead Prez]] uses the following terms –
*"The Chant", which he says is used by [[Lil Jon]] and [[Project Pat]]{{sfn|stic.man|2005|p=63}}
*"The Syncopated Bounce", used by Twista and [[Bone Thugs-n-Harmony]]{{sfn|stic.man|2005|p=63}}
*"Straight Forward", used by [[Scarface (rapper)|Scarface]], [[2Pac]], Melle Mel, KRS-One circa [[Boogie Down Productions]] era, [[Too Short]], [[Jay-Z]], [[Ice Cube]], [[Dr. Dre]], and [[Snoop Dogg]]{{sfn|stic.man|2005|p=63–64}}
*"The Rubik's Cube", used by Nas, [[Black Thought]] of [[The Roots]], [[Common (rapper)|Common]], [[Kurupt]], and [[Lauryn Hill]]{{sfn|stic.man|2005|p=64}}
*"2-5-Flow", a [[pun]] of [[Kenya]]'s [[List of country calling codes|calling code]] "+254", used by [[Camp Mulla]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://willpress.blogspot.com/2011/04/camp-mulla-cool-kids-on-edge-of-new.html |title=Open Mic: Camp Mulla: Cool Kids on the Edge of A New Frontier? |publisher=Willpress.blogspot.com |date=April 29, 2011 |access-date=August 25, 2014 |archive-date=December 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235638/http://willpress.blogspot.com/2011/04/camp-mulla-cool-kids-on-edge-of-new.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Alternatively, music scholar Adam Krims uses the following terms –
*"sung rhythmic style", used by [[Too Short]], [[Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five]], and the [[Beastie Boys]]{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=50}}
*"percussion-effusive style", used by [[B-Real]] of [[Cypress Hill]]{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=51}}
*"speech-effusive style", used by Big Pun{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=51}}
*"offbeat style", used by [[E-40]], [[Outkast]]

===Rhyme===
MCs use many different rhyming techniques, including complex rhyme schemes, as Adam Krims points out – "the complexity ... involves multiple rhymes in the same rhyme complex (i.e. section with consistently rhyming words), [[internal rhyme]]s, [and] offbeat rhymes".{{sfn|Krims|2001|p=49}} There is also widespread use of [[multisyllabic rhymes]].<ref>Shapiro, Peter, 2005, ''The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition'', Penguin, p. 213.</ref>

It has been noted that rap's use of rhyme is some of the most advanced in all forms of poetry – music scholar Adam Bradley notes, "rap rhymes so much and with such variety that it is now the largest and richest contemporary archive of rhymed words. It has done more than any other art form in recent history to expand rhyme's formal range and expressive possibilities".<ref>Bradley, Adam, 2009, ''[[Book of Rhymes]]: The Poetics of Hip-Hop'', Basic Civitas Books, pp. 51–52.</ref>

In the book ''How to Rap'', [[Masta Ace]] explains how Rakim and Big Daddy Kane caused a shift in the way MCs rhymed: "Up until Rakim, everybody who you heard rhyme, the last word in the sentence was the rhyming [word], the connection word. Then Rakim showed us that you could put rhymes within a rhyme ... now here comes Big Daddy Kane — instead of going three words, he's going multiple".{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=105}} ''How to Rap'' explains that "rhyme is often thought to be the most important factor in rap writing ... rhyme is what gives rap lyrics their musicality.{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=xii}}

===Rhythm===
Many of the rhythmic techniques used in rapping come from percussive techniques and many rappers compare themselves to [[percussionist]]s.<ref>Edwards, "Gift of Gab" (2013). ''How to Rap 2'', p. 3.</ref> ''How to Rap 2'' identifies all the rhythmic techniques used in rapping such as [[Triplet (music)|triplets]], [[Flam (drum rudiment)|flams]], [[16th note]]s, [[32nd note]]s, [[syncopation]], extensive use of [[rest (music)|rests]], and rhythmic techniques unique to rapping such as West Coast "lazy tails", coined by [[Shock G]].<ref>Edwards, "Gift of Gab" (2013). ''How to Rap 2'', pp. 1–54.</ref> Rapping has also been done in various [[time signature]]s, such as [[3/4 time]].<ref name="Edwards, Paul 2013 p 2">Edwards, "Gift of Gab" (2013). ''How to Rap 2'', p. 53.</ref>

Since the [[2000s in music|2000s]], rapping has evolved into a style of rap that spills over the boundaries of the beat, closely resembling spoken English.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Edmondson|first1=Jacqueline|title=Music in American Life: an encyclopedia of the songs, styles, stars, and stories that shaped our culture|date=October 30, 2013|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0-313-39347-1|page=1270}}</ref> Rappers like [[MF Doom]] and [[Eminem]] have exhibited this style, and since then, rapping has been difficult to notate.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Justin|title=The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop|series=[[Cambridge Companions to Music]]|date=April 6, 2015|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-64386-4}}</ref> The American hip-hop group [[Crime Mob]] exhibited a new rap flow in songs such as "[[Knuck If You Buck]]", heavily dependent on triplets. Rappers including [[Drake (rapper)|Drake]], [[Kanye West]], [[Rick Ross]], [[Young Jeezy]] and more have included this influence in their music. In 2014, an American hip-hop collective from [[Atlanta]], [[Migos]], popularized this flow, and is commonly referred to as the "Migos Flow" (a term that is contentious within the hip-hop community).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Drake|first1=David|title=Tracing the Lineage of the Migos Flow|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2014/03/tracing-the-lineage-of-the-migos-flow|website=www.complex.com|access-date=April 29, 2015|archive-date=May 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507193533/http://www.complex.com/music/2014/03/tracing-the-lineage-of-the-migos-flow|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Groove classes ===
Mitchell Ohriner in "Flow: The Rhythmic Voice in Rap Music" describes seven "groove classes" consisting of archetypal sixteen-step accent patterns generated by grouping notes in clusters of two and/or three.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ohriner |first=Mitchell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yAqlDwAAQBAJ&dq=flow+rhythmic+voice+%22groove+classes%22&pg=PA86 |title=Flow: The Rhythmic Voice in Rap Music |date=2019-08-01 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-067042-9 |language=en |access-date=March 8, 2024 |archive-date=August 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808235058/https://books.google.com/books?id=yAqlDwAAQBAJ&dq=flow+rhythmic+voice+%22groove+classes%22&pg=PA86#v=onepage&q=flow%20rhythmic%20voice%20%22groove%20classes%22&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> These groove classes are further distinguished from one another as "duple" and "nonduple". Groove classes without internal repetition can occur in any of sixteen rhythmic rotations, whereas groove classes with internal repetition have fewer meaningful rotations. 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Groove class
!Duple or nonduple?
!Internal repetition?
|-
|2222_2222
|duple
|yes
|-
|332_332
|nonduple
|yes
|-
|332_2222
|nonduple
|no
|-
|323_2222
|nonduple
|no
|-
|333322
|nonduple
|no
|-
|333232
|nonduple
|no
|-
|3223222
|nonduple
|no
|}

===Rap notation and flow diagrams===
The standard form of rap notation is the flow diagram, where rappers line-up their lyrics underneath "beat numbers".{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=67}} Different rappers have slightly different forms of flow diagram that they use: [[Del the Funky Homosapien]] says, "I'm just writing out the rhythm of the flow, basically. Even if it's just slashes to represent the beats, that's enough to give me a visual path.",{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=68}} [[Vinnie Paz]] states, "I've created my own sort of writing technique, like little marks and asterisks to show like a pause or emphasis on words in certain places.",{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=67}} and [[Aesop Rock]] says, "I have a system of maybe 10 little symbols that I use on paper that tell me to do something when I'm recording."{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=67}}

Hip-hop scholars also make use of the same flow diagrams: the books ''How to Rap'' and ''How to Rap 2'' use the diagrams to explain rap's triplets, flams, rests, rhyme schemes, runs of rhyme, and breaking rhyme patterns, among other techniques.<ref name="Edwards, Paul 2013 p 2"/> Similar systems are used by PhD [[musicologists]] Adam Krims in his book ''Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity''{{sfn|Krims|2001|pp=59–60}} and Kyle Adams in his academic work on flow.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.09.15.5/mto.09.15.5.adams.html |title=MTO 15.5: Adams, Flow in Rap Music |journal=Music Theory Online |date=October 2009 |volume=15 |issue=5 |publisher=Mtosmt.org |access-date=August 25, 2014 |last1=Adams |first1=Kyle |doi=10.30535/mto.15.5.1 |doi-access=free |archive-date=October 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014003755/http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.09.15.5/mto.09.15.5.adams.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Because rap revolves around a strong 4/4 beat,{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=69}} with certain syllables said in time to the beat, all the notational systems have a similar structure: they all have the same 4 beat numbers at the top of the diagram, so that syllables can be written in-line with the beat numbers.{{sfn|Edwards|2009|p=69}} This allows devices such as rests, "lazy tails", flams, and other rhythmic techniques to be shown, as well as illustrating where different rhyming words fall in relation to the music.<ref name="Edwards, Paul 2013 p 2"/>