rap lyrics
Flow over beats
Rap lyrics are the words to a rap song—typically rhymed verses delivered rhythmically over a beat.
The term often appears in discussions of content: The rap lyrics were criticized for glorifying violence.
Unlike sung lyrics, rap lyrics foreground wordplay, internal rhyme, and rhythmic complexity, making them closer to poetry in their technical demands.
- rhymesMatching word endings
- barsRods, taverns, or measures
- versesLines of poetry
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- double timeAccelerated pace or pay
spitting · mic · mic check · beats · trap beats · freestyle · punchlines · wordplay · cyphers · hooks · diss · braggadocio · slang · real talk · street · street cred · hustle · swagger
- pop poetryslam poetry, spoken word, performance poetry, beat poetry, street poetry
- songwritingverse, verse-chorus, refrain, song structure, melody
- musical writinglibretto, refrain, chorus, folk song, anthem
- Informal Writingslang, colloquialism, text messages, blog posts, tweets
- street liturban fiction, street poetry, urban romance, street wisdom
- poetrypoem, poems, poetry, verse, verses
vocal delivery style
rap lyricsoperatic arias
Songs from musical dramas
crooning · bel canto · choral music · hymns · art song
rap, lyrics, raps, rapped, rapping, rapper, rappers, lyric, lyrical