rapjitsu

Recording Practice Times with Compound Time

In the last few months, I’ve been using the Compound Time music practice app (available and usable at compoundtime.com)  to record my rap practice times.  It has three features that help me.  

One is I can set practice hour goals for a number of days I choose.  This is a bit motivating.

Second, the app not only records the time length I practiced but also serves as a stopwatch to measure the times.  And finally, it allows me to easily write a description of what I practiced.

This replaces most of the functions of two apps I was using before - onlinepracticerecord.com and online-stopwatch.com.  I still use the onlinepracticerecord.com as a backup and a way to easily see my total week hours.  If Compound Time makes a few tweeks I won’t need onlinepracticerecord at all.  I’ve completely stopped using online-stopwatch.com.  I recommend the Compound Time app.

Follow me - http://www.compoundtime.com/KangMunir

Beating Writer’s Block Part I: The Beat Circle

One problem I haven’t had as a rapper and songwriter is the infamous “writer’s block”.  Every day, I can do some quality writing if I want to.  The Beat Circle is one method I use to makes sure I don’t get stuck writing.  It stimulates my creative brain with variety.                                                                                                    
To do a Beat Circle, I make a repeating playlist of five instrumentals for my writing session.  I play one beat and start writing to that one.  When the track ends, I go to the next beat and start writing a different verse until the beat ends.  I continue this with each of the five beats playing to the end.  That is one Beat Circle.

I continue Beat Circles, adding more to each beat’s verse until that beat ends and then going to the next.  When I finish a verse on one beat, I take that beat out the circle and work with the remaining ones.  I keep going around the circle until I get a decent quality correct length verse for each beat.  

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Fascinating: Stat Analysis of Rappers

A fascinating way to compare rappers and their rhymes.  I read all the entries last night.  http://rapmetrics.wordpress.com/ via http://tumblinerb.com/ .

White Gutz by Big Boi (the real lyrics + slang defintions)

White Gutz (Verse 1 Big Boi on Dungeon Family’s Even in Darkness)

The Dungeon Family rappers on White Gutz presaged the imagery rap presently rocked by fellow ATLiens like Gucci Mane and Young Dro.  The leadoff Big Boi verse stood out with odd rhythms and creative visuals.  I’m 99%n sure these lyrics are 99% accurate.

In the rap, he says “from the tiptop”.  If it is true he improvised, I’m even more impressed.

lyrics after jump

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Kool G Rap talks about rapping

One of the architects of lyricism gives insight into his technique.  Go hiphopdx.com.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1544/title.kool-g-rap-teaches-rapping

Transcription Tricks 2

After transcribing 30 or so verses, I’ve developed a system of transcribing now.

First I cut the verse in Audacity or Soundforge with 2 bars before and after the verse.  Audacity is free but Soundforge is better at realtime adjustment.

I save and play that verse with Winamp using the  Pacemaker plug in.  Pacemaker works with mp3s but not wavs. With Pacemaker, I slow the tempo as much as allowed and loop play the verse.

I play the verse repeatedly and write the lyrics without pausing or rewinding the song til I have all of them. 

If there are lyrics I can’t figure out, I put the verse in Soundforge or Audacity and loop those particular lyrics.  I may EQ out frequencies that aren’t vocals to hear the vocals clearly.  I also may slow them down if that is necessary.

If I can’t figure out a lyric I will go on youtube and see if I can find a live version of the song.  Live versions helped me with the lyrics and breathing of Ghostface’s “One” and Black Thoughts “Web”.  Another trick is to try different words while rapping to with the verse to see which one matches perfectly.

After I type all the lyrics, I put them roughly into the bar structure of the verse with 1 line equaling a bar.  I then write in my breaths using “0” to represent a breath.

Then I go to ohhla.com see if their transcription of the verse makes more sense than mine.

If there’s any parts to change I change them.  Then I’m finished.

Fucking wow - Great rhyme writing freeware - VersePerfect/McGill Dictionary of rhyme

Yesterday, I ran across this freeware verse writing program, Verseperfect/ McGill Dictionary of Rhyme.  I’ve constantly used it since.

 The feature I’ve like most is the instant rhyme dictionary.  So when I type the word “thought” in the right bar this happens -

Fucking wow!  Rhymes in the top box and related concepts in the bottom box.

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Victory or Death by Twista (lyrics with slang definitions)

“Murder” (Verse 1 Twista on Legit Ballaz’ Legit Ballin)

Back when biting was one of the deadly sins of hiphop, beef brewed over who originated the triple time flipping melodic style of rapping.  Triple 6 Mafia, Bone Thugs and Harmony, Crucial Conflict, Freestyle Fellowship and Twista all feuded while Jay-Z boldly declared that he “invented this shit”. 

The first verse of Victory or Death, Twista proved once and for it all that it didn’t matter who invented the style because he was the best at it.  This has been my most challenging rap to learn so far.  Here’s the transcription followed by slang definitions

The ohhla.com transcription is not accurate.  If you’re a rapper do not read until you’ve transcribed it yourself.  ”0” represents a breath

Chi-town’s murderous mob Gothic hard knock it give me the muthafuckin ammunition I’ll cock it 0

respected like I’m one of God’s prophets 0 gotta put it down for Legit Ballers and you don’t think that I”ll rock it 0

annihilate the nigga  0

cuz like a lamb I will sacrifice fa dis verbal murder religion imprisoned by my hunger to succeed

by the heart I be drivin no shakin no shiverin get your shit to bleed recitin street integer 0

shall I spit the creed 0

who the muthafuckas talkin bout bitin go get me the pump out my trunk I’m finna bust

yall better run punk 0

fuck where you got your style from my mitee won

rippin the track and a (I’m) murderin and I’m in the middle a(of) killin em off when the guns dump 0 bully up pump 0

two to the brain don’t even honor you fuckin up every part of you won’t even startle you the harder crew of

lyrical giants turnin muthafuckas like you to microscopic particles

to hype to stop at the modules on cruise control 0 ride out on these niggas 0 biches 0 hoes

aint takin no titles I instantly bruise ya soul talkin that shit to me triggas 0 vicious 0 flows

get to rippin my clothes and start snappin like I’m sniffin shit up the nose and catchin convulsions til I’m tremblin

no surrenderin 0 start shootin and knockin muthafuckas out like Benalyn reminiscin on that adrenaline

now you rememberin 0  overdose em on poisonious poetry from the west to the wild yall 0

gangbangin like Gotti rockin the party straightup shockin your body doing it kamikaze style yall

the only lyric i’m not sure of is “my mittee won”

Chi-town - a nickname for Chicago

legit - legal or authentic (short for legitimate)

baller - rich person

pump - a pump action shotgun

mittee - short for comittee

hoes - alternative pronunciation of whores

flows - raps; fluid rapping

snappin - a violent or erratic shift in behavior or mental stability

gangbangin - attempting to assert dominance over rivals through violence or aggression

straightup - no frills