This article is about developing bars as a technique in writing raps.
I have received the question, "What are bars?" on many occasions and
have briefly touched on the subject in a previous MC Improvement Article/visitor
e-mail. In this article I will expand on the topic as well as describe
an effective way of writing a solid 16 bar verse.



First of all?what are bars, exactly?



Well bars are simply a form of dividing a verse into segments. Each
segment, or "bar", consists of one line. The following is an example
of two bars by Jay-Z:



"And all you other cats takin' shots at Jigga/

You only get half a bar, 'F*ck ya'll niggas'"



As you can see both "lines" or "bars" rhyme at the end. This is usually
the case, but as verses are created more and more organically by artists
(read: freestyled) they many times won't end so picture perfect?but
don't worry about that for now. In case you're a little confused, you'll
get a clearer picture through future articles.



So Why 16 bars?



If you're a hip hop fan, you have undoubtedly heard the term, "16 bars"
at some point. Maybe something along the lines of, "Nas dropped a sick
16 bars on that mixtape."



The reason that "16" became the standard is because the music industry
strategically determines the most effective duration of a typical song.
Usually the shorter the song is, the better for the record's success.
The shorter the song is, the more times that it can be played on the
radio, the more times that it can be played on the radio, the more popular
the song will become, the more popular the song becomes?you get the
picture.



Also taken into account was the average amount of time a run-of-the-mill
listener would wait between hooks before becoming tired. You have to
keep in mind that not all listeners are looking out for the real substance
of the song (the verses) but instead merely tune in to listen to the
beat and the chorus. A verse that's too short will leave something to
be desired (substance) and/or may grow old fast (since the hook/chorus
will be played more frequently). A verse that's too long will lose many
mainstream listener's attention.



So in time, the typical "16 bar" format was created. About the same
time, the typical 8 bar chorus came into popularity in hip hop. This
was long ago?dates mean little. Don't get this confused, though?not
every song sticks to the 16's and 8's formula. Ghostface Killah came
out with the single, "All That I Got Is You" which was one long verse?with
one long hook at the end. Therefore, a lot of songs vary from the classic
3 verse and 3 hook layout, and they even vary from the classic 3-minute-a-song
set-up. Some songs are 7 minutes long. But if you pay attention, most
of these "odd" songs are usually not released as singles and if they
are, they are usually released by more well-known artists with a well
established fan base. The fact is that most pop or "popular" songs still
follow the typical format most preferred by the radio and recording
industry?and that is the "16-bar verse" and the "3 verse" format. (Note:
Actually, with the increased popularity of catchy "breaks" "bridges"
and "hooks", artists are increasingly neglecting the 3rd verse of their
songs.)



In case you're wondering, the radio industry prefers shorter songs so
that they can vary their playlist in order to reach more listeners.
Reaching more listeners and keeping more listeners is important to radio
stations so that the advertising spots they offer are attractive to
advertisers.



There are even radio stations that have been known to speed up the pace
of their songs so as to shorten their length of play'of course these
songs tend to sound nothing like they were intended to, but that's the
cost they are willing to take.



Writing 16 Bars: Part 1



So how should you go about writing the actual 16 bars? Well, there's
two broad methods; to a beat, or without a beat. I recommend you write
any verse to a beat. Firstly, because a lot of beats follow very similarly
timed or even exactly similar drum patterns, therefore, one
of your verses may be able to adapt very smoothly to various
beats. Second, and more importantly, when you write to a beat that you're
listening to, you can more easily play with your bars. By that I mean
you can stretch your words or adjust your flow and say something like:




"Shopping sprees, coppin' three, deuce Beamer IS's Fully loaded??ahhh
yes! (haha)" - Jay-Z



That was from "Can't Knock The Hustle" and when Jay-Z was at the top
of his game lyrically (in my humble opinion). But, you can see how his
pause during that second bar built up the punch line to that lyric.
This is facilitated by listening to a beat while putting together your
verse.



You can also choose to just write. Forget the beat, just write. A lot
of times we don't have the luxury of having a beat playing when creativity
strikes. That's ok?you can make it work anyway. If you are intending
to put together a whole verse, however, it is best to at least have
a beat in your head if not in your ears. And I don't mean a popular
rap beat, necessarily?just a simple drumbeat will do. The idea is to
have something in mind that you can bounce to?literally'if you find
yourself bopping your head while you're formulating a rhyme?that's good!




Writing 16 Bars: Part 2



When you write lyrics, there is a very important principle which will
benefit many of you to understand. It has already been made clear that
bars tend to rhyme at the end (mostly). But what about the center? Though
rhymes don't necessarily need to rhyme in the middle (meaning the middle
of the first bar rhymes with the middle of the second), there does many
times seem to be a pattern to the emphasis throughout
bars. By this I mean that there are usually two emphasis (or accents)
in each bar.



Usually, somewhere during the middle of a bar there is a break, a pause,
or an emphasis in a syllable, and then there is another similar emphasis
towards the end of the bar. A good example would be 50 Cent's second
verse from "In Da Club":



(Note: The "bolded" letters indicate the emphasis I spoke about)




"And you should love it, way more then you hate it

Nigga you mad? I thought that you'd be happy I made it

I'm that cat by the bar toastin' to the good life

You that f*ggot-*ss nigga tryin' to pull me back right?

When my joint get to pumpin' in the club it's on

I wink my eye at ya b*tch, if she smiles she gone

If the roof on fire, let the motherf*cker burn

If you talkin' about money homie, I ain't concerned

I'ma tell you what Banks told me "Cous' go 'head switch
the style up

If the niggas hate then let 'em hate then watch the money
pile up

Or we go upside your head with a bottle of bub'

They know where we f*ckin' be..."



Hopefully you have a better idea of what I mean by now. If you simply
think about each individual bar as having two parts then you can attempt
to pause at the beat-break (the drum beat or bass tends to pound
twice per bar) present around the middle of each bar and allow your
flow to synchronize with the beat. This is CRITICAL. Treat your
voice/words like an instrument that like any other instrument must be
in tune with the beat.



Don't be afraid to adjust your flow by using emphasis, stretching out
your words, shortening words, chopping words in mid sentence and continuing
them in the next bar, accenting syllables, (by that I mean accenting
certain syllables even when they normally shouldn't be) etc?just to
make them fit appropriately to the end of the beat. You might even consider
using synonyms to make the bar fit the beat.



Your Lyric Conent



There are many ways to start a verse. You can tell a real story, describe
an event, narrate a fictional scene, etc. Your approach will vary depending
on your style. Let's say you're writing literally about what you're
doing at the moment...actually writing a rhyme? (or at
least that's how you choose to begin)?you can say something like:



"It cost me more to be free than a life in the Penn/

Makin' money off of cus words, writin' again/

Learn how to think ahead so I fight with my pen/

Late night down Sunset, likin' the sin" - 2pac



Or perhaps you can say it like this?



"F*ck a pad and a pen, I write rhymes on the IBM/

Ebonics is dead and binary language is in" - Canibus



Obviously, both of these approaches are distinct. The hardest part about
writing a verse, though, is starting it. Once you begin, and you know
your style, it's just a matter of keeping it going.



Now, as far as ending or wrapping up a verse?you can do many things
with that as well. You can follow the example from 50 Cent (above) and
end your verse half-way (and allow the beginning part of your chorus
or "hook" to end the last part of your final bar for you). You can also
just complete the bar but on the same vibe as that of your chorus, for
example:



"What's the worst they can do to a nigga, got me lost in Hell/

To live and die in L.A., on bail?(and my angels sing)" - 2pac
"2 Live and Die in LA"



The idea is to let your verse end on a vibe that easily flows into the
mood that your hook provides.



Final Note



Playing around with your voice or tone (intonation) is also a great
way to add a bit of flare. Adding something unique to your flow seems
more and more necessary in this highly competitive market we call the
rap industry. It is not necessary to create a gimmick (there is a fine
line between a gimmick and a unique style?but interestingly, most mass
consumers of media don't notice or care what that difference is) but
it is important to have something distinctive about your flow to help
you stand out and be remembered.



More on that and other tips to come in future articles. Until then,
take a look at our other MC Improvement Articles as well as our
Hustling Hip Hop Articles and all our other free content at TheStateofHipHop.com