NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Freestyling

Freestyle rap is, strictly speaking, rapping that is done in the moment at pure free flow, with no previously composed lyrics, and reflecting a direct mapping of the mental state and performing situation of the artist. It is similar in this sense to improvisational music or acting. This article is on the art and practice of rapping. ... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... Improvisation is the act of making something up as it is performed. ...

Due to the improvised nature of freestyling, rules for meter and rhythm are usually relaxed relative to conventional rap. Genuine ability to freestyle completely improvised is very rare, however, and most artists keep to the spirit of freestyle by basing their set on the situation and mental state, but have a ready supply of prepared lyrics and rhyme patterns they can use as filler or even around which they can build their set. This is similar to the way in which instrumental improvisatory musicians have a mental database of licks, techniques and melodies that they use to aid their improvisations. Often, freestyling is done in a group setting (called a cypher) or as part of a freestyle battle. In these cases, freestyle verses are often prepared in the rapper's head as the other rappers in the cypha or the opponent in the battle take their turn. Freestyling is also often used by many rappers when beginning to write a song, in order to get a feel for the beat and to brainstorm lyrical ideas. Metre or meter is the measurement of a musical line into measures of stressed and unstressed beats, indicated in Western notation by a symbol called a time signature. ... Rhythm (Greek ÏÏ…Î¸Î¼ÏŒÏ‚ = tempo) is the variation of the duration of sounds or other events over time. ... Look up Melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In music, a melody is a series of linear events or a succession, not a simultaneity as in a chord. ... Freestyle battles are usually contests (though they can occur spontaneously) where rappers battle each other in the form of improvised raps. ...

Freestyles have been mostly an underground phenomenon since the early nineties, partly due to rap lyrics becoming considerably more complex in terms of rhyme scheme and meter. Furthermore, many rappers often deliver standalone written verses on radio shows that are referred to or labelled on records or on filesharing programs as freestyles, which has somewhat distorted the meaning of the term. There is often confusion as to whether or not "freestyle verses" are in fact freestyled, with many rappers' written lyrics being simple enough to seem freestyled and many of the best freestylers' improvised lyrics being complex and confident enough to seem written. In the early 21st century, freestyling (particularly freestyle battling) experienced a resurgence in popularity of sorts as successful freestyle battle competition TV shows were shown by both BET and MTV, and Eminem's movie 8 Mile brought the excitement of the freestyle battle to mainstream movie audiences. A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming lines in a poem or in lyrics for music. ... File sharing is the activity of making files available to other users for download over the Internet, but also over smaller networks. ... Template:Squirrels The 21st century is the century that began on 1 January 2001 and will last to 31 December 2100. ... Black Entertainment Television (BET) is a cable television network target towards the African-American demographic. ... MTV (Music Television) is a cable television network which was originally devoted to music videos, especially popular rock music. ... 8 Mile is a movie starring Eminem (Marshall Mathers) as the young white rapper Jimmy Smith Jr. ...

See also

Freestyle battles are usually contests (though they can occur spontaneously) where rappers battle each other in the form of improvised raps. ... Battle raps are raps written about the idea of freestyle battles. ...

External links

Category: Rapping Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ... This USPS stamp depicts an 80s breakdancer and a boombox. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Graffiti on the banks of the Tiber river in Rome, Italy. ... This article is on the art and practice of rapping. ... Hip hop music, which is the engine of hip-hop culture, is currently the most popular and lucrative music in America. ... . Collaborations between hip hop artists is a frequent occurrence and one of the defining features of the genre. ... This is a list of rappers, MCs, DJs, and record producers that create, record, and/or perform hip hop music. ... Alphanumeric List 1-9 1200 Techniques 2 Live Crew Fresh Kid Ice Luke Skyywalker Mr. ... Hip hop fashion is, according to KRS One, one of the nine extended elements of hip-hop culture. ... Feuds and rivalries have existed since the dawn of hip hop, which originated in the 1970s in New York City, United States. ... Hip-hop music uses a varied accumulation of slang terms that have changed as hip-hop itself has evolved and changed. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Hip hop music can be subdivided into subgenres, fusions with other genres and regional hip hop scenes. ... In the early 1990s, two styles of hip hop were popular. ... In the 1980s, hip hop music began to break into the mainstream of the United States. ... It has been suggested that Dirty South be merged into this article or section. ... Midwest rap is a style of hip hop that originated in the midwestern United States, in areas including Cleveland, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. ... Abstract hip hop is a genre that differs from other hip hop music largely in the content of the lyrics. ... Alternative hip hop is a style of hip hop music distinguished by beats, samples, and lyrics that differ from the general template of popular commercial hip hop. ... Hip hop has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to widespread American influence. ... Chopped and screwed or Screwed and Chopped or just plainly Screw is a term that refers to a certain technique of remixing hip-hop music by slowing the tempo and applying various DJ techniques such as skipping beats, record scratching, stop-time, and sending portions of the music through stand... Christian hip hop, originally Gospel rap, but also known as Holy hip hop, or Christian rap is a form of hip hop music that uses Christian-themed lyrics to express the songwriters faith. ... Crunk music (also spelled Krunk Muzik) is a specific type of hip hop music, based out of the southern United States, particularly on the eastern side of Atlanta, Georgia, and Memphis, Tennessee. ... Electro hop is a form of dance music mixed with hip hop which arose in Southern California in the early 1980s. ... Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music which involves a lyrical focus on the lifestyles of inner-city thugs, criminals and gangsters. ... This article is about hip hop music from the country of France, and does not cover the hip hop scenes in other French speaking countries like Senegalese, Belgian and Canadian hip hop. ... G-funk, an abbreviation of Gangsta-funk, is a type of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. ... Hardcore hip hop is a form of hip hop music that has confrontational, often violent lyrics, and generally sparse, gritty urban beats. ... Killa C album cover Horrorcore (also known as Death Rap, Murder Rap, Acid Rap and Wicked Shit) is a sub-genre of hip hop music that evolved from pioneers such as Kool Keith, Insane Poetry, Ganksta NIP, Esham, The Flatlinerz, KGP, Brotha Lynch Hung and The Gravediggaz. ... Instrumental hip hop is hip hop music without vocals. ... Japanese hip hop (nip hop or j-hip hop) is said to have begun in 1983 when Charlie Ahearns Wild Style was shown in Tokyo. ... Jazz rap is a fusion of alternative hip hop music and jazz, developed in the very late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Latin rap is not a homogeneous musical style but rather a term that covers all hip-hop music recorded by Latinos, as in Chicano Rap, Hip Hop Latino, and Hip Hop en espanol. ... Memphis rap is a specific type of music that originated in Memphis, Tennessee. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Nerdcore hip hop, or geeksta rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music that is performed by nerds, and is characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds. ... New school hip hop is a rarely-heard term referring to hip hop created later in the forms development, contrasted with old school hip hop. ... Old school hip hop is the very first hip hop to come out of the block parties of New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s. ... Pop-rap is a variety of hip-hop that has pop,R&B, and dance influences. ... Turntablism is a subgenre of hip hop. ... Urban Pasifika is a sub-genre of hip-hop which combines American style hip-hop or R&B rhyming and beats with Pacific Island or Maori instrumentation (such as ukelele samples) and Pacific Island or Maori language singing/rapping. ...

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