University of Michigan needs your feedback to better understand how readers are using openly available ebooks. You can help by taking a short, privacy-friendly survey.
Rhymes in the Flow: How Rappers Flip the Beat
Macklin Smith and Aurko Joshi
You don't have access to this book. Please try to log in with your institution.Log in
Despite its global popularity, rap has received little scholarly attention in terms of its poetic features. Rhymes in the Flow systematically analyzes the poetics (rap beats, rhythms, rhymes, verse and song structures) of many notable rap songs to provide new insights on rap artistry and performance. Defining and describing the features of what rappers commonly call flow, the authors establish a theory of the rap line as they trace rap's deepest roots and stylistic evolution—from Anglo-Saxon poetry to Lil Wayne—and contextualize its complex poetics. Rhymes in the Flow helps explain rap's wide appeal by focusing primarily on its rhythmic and thematic power, while also claiming its historical, cultural, musical, and poetic importance.
Fig. 6. Te average length of rap lines from 1979 to 2009, showing maximum, minimum,
and median lengths. Averaging about thirteen syllables, rap line length has remained
roughly stable, ticking up slightly in recent years, but range has expanded, as has the
variation within these lines. (Note: the graph includes non-syllabic vocal events.)