MCing is one of the primary elements in Hip-Hop music and serves as a stylistic device that Hip-Hop artists use to create narratives. MCing is also an art that allows Hip-Hop artists to use language and alter it in a way that suits their flow and delivery and separates them from other MCs. The process MCs undergo to alter the words and sounds of those words is evident through their choice of rhyme. The various types of rhyme MCs use provide a lyric intensity that contributes to the artist’s style. Each rhyme is significantly different and used for a specific purpose when the MC wants to stimulate the minds of their listeners. Flow as a key element in the art of MCing is an artist’s rhythmic pattern and how it is performed in time to the beats. Using a rhythmic pattern forces the audience to listen attentively to the arrangements of lines and syllables that are broken down into different combinations. These combinations serve as different verses that are examples of these various types of rhyme such as chain rhyme, overdetermined rhyme, and transformative rhyme. The rhyme technique of an MC depends on three factors, the artist’s use of diction, style, and their structure of both.

The first step for an MC when developing their own rhyme technique is choosing the words to include in their rhymes. An MC has a huge selection of words to choose from when they want to write a verse and must decide on which words they should use to convey a particular message. In order to convey a particular message, the MCs use of diction should be formulated in a way that accurately expresses their thoughts, opinions, and sometimes their actions. The MCs use of diction allows the listeners to comprehend what the MC is saying and actually fulfill a request that the MC wants which is receiving positive feedback for their lyrics through their audience’s dance moves.

In addition to subliminally getting an audience to accept their request, a MCs use of diction also affects how the MC plans on structuring their verse and which rhyme they plan on using for their verse. Therefore, it is important that an MC chooses their words carefully because it can influence their flow as they rap on a microphone. An MC has the ability to play with the structure of their words and certain phrases to present their verses in a clever way. Using this strategy gives an MC the opportunity to branch out of the simplicity found in their verses and create complex ones. Whether a MCs diction is simple or complex, an MCs diction has the potential to progress by the MC deciding to use conventional poetic forms to explore unconventional themes or unconventional forums. The use of conventional poetic forms also encourages MCs to experiment with them to create something new that they can use in their own rhyme technique. Once an MC has the words that they want to use in their rhymes, they can proceed to the next step and structure them in a way that fits the rhyme of their choice.

Style is another component that influences a hip hop artist’s rhyme technique. Style refers to the type of rhyme that the artist chooses to use while reciting their lyrics. An MCs choice of rhyme can determine if their flow will be identified as phenomenal or completely terrible. An MCs choice of rhyme will also determine if their listeners will accept it or reject it. If a listener can finish your rhyme, then your choice of rhyme has been used frequently which means that it is time to switch it up and become innovative. To avoid a listener from finishing your rhyme, it is best to select a rhyme that the listener has not heard of before and apply it to your lyrics. MCs who are not afraid to take a risk and are willing to experiment with different forms of rhyme are more than likely to be remembered for their rhythmic pattern.

An MCs choice of rhyme varies from the conventional end and perfect rhymes to the unconventional rhymes such as chain rhyme. An MC carefully chooses which type of rhyme to use based on the sound that it creates in the verse. Syllables in certain words might be stressed more than others or words may rhyme with words that are in the middle or at the end of a line. There are many rhymes that an MC can choose from like the rhymes I aforementioned, but it is up to the MC to choose a rhyme that perfectly stresses the words in the verse in the way the MC sees fit. For an MC, rhyme is very important because it can make a huge difference between a verse that is expressed artfully and a verse that is expressed very poorly. For the audience, rhyme is important because it allows them to separate talented and iconic MCs from the mediocre and undeveloped MCs. Overall, the choice of rhyme can make or break an MC which can affect not only their career, but their reputation.

MCs who use unconventional forms of rhyme and use them creatively in their lyrics are often acknowledged for taking a risk in the right direction. Although there are plenty of MCs who have used chain rhyme, an MC I chose to highlight is Fabolous. An example of chain rhyme was demonstrated in Fabolous’ song called “Baby Don’t Go”:

Through the time I been ALONE, time I spent on PHONES

Know you ain’t lettin them climb up in my THRONE

Now, baby, that lime with that PATRÓN

Have me talkin’ crazy, it’s time to come on HOME

Now, I talk with someone ABOVE

It’s okay to lose your PRIDE over someone you LOVE

Don’t lose someone you LOVE though over your PRIDE

Stick wit’cha entrée and get over your SIDE

Fabolous’ rhythmic effect in this verse is very strong as he rhymes on more than a single sound. In this verse, he goes a step further and intertwines three different rhymes including the last two which is pride and love. Fabolous uses chain rhyme effortlessly while adding a spin on it to invent his own rhyme technique and style. In the hands of unskilled poets and MCs alike, rhyme can be an impediment, an awkward thing that leads to unnatural sounds and unintended meanings. It is evident that rhyme is not an impediment for Fabolous because he uses chain rhyme to transform unnatural sounds and unintended meanings to sounds that are natural and meanings that are clear for the audience to understand through their unique choice of pronunciations.

Combining both diction and style not only forms a MCs rhyme technique, but it also develops a structure within an artist’s verse. It is important for an MC to choose wisely when it comes to their diction and style because the structure of their diction and style can affect how their audience listens to their lyrics and comprehends them. Although rap has undergone profound shifts in the range and variety of rhymes that MCs create, the development of forms of rhyme will continue as long as MCs experiment with their diction and style. Through the use of chain rhyme, MCs like Fabolous show that it is possible to break through the restrictions of rhyme. As a result, he shows other upcoming MCs that by breaking through the restrictions of rhyme, they too can develop their own rhyme technique.