im going to teach u about wordplay with help from flocabulary
Wordplay
Wordplay has been used by everybody from Shakespeare
to Atmosphere to make audiences
ooh and ahh
. The
best rappers combine wordplay and metaphors to
create amazing lines that people remember and tell
their grandkids about.
Pro Example
What you get on, it’s fam you can’t trust,
Words and Punch
make rappers March like the third month
Punchline, “Twice Inna Lifetime”
What is Wordplay?
An instance of wordplay in rap is when words signify
two or more different things that make sense in the
context of the line. Wordplay is literally just playing
with the meanings of words.
This is made possible by the fact that words in the
English language (and most languages) can have
multiple meanings. Words can have multiple dictionary
definitions, scientific definitions, colloquial definitions
and slang definitions. The skilled rapper can bounce
between these meanings to create a line that knocks
a crowd off their feet. This is another way in which
having a big vocabulary is a real benefit to your rhymewriting.
In the example that opened this chapter, Punchline
plays on the two definitions of the word “march”
(meaning ‘to walk’) and “March” (‘the month after
February’). In doing so, he creates a line that stops
you in your tracks, because it’s so damn clever. You’ll
notice that most instances of wordplay in rap involve
metaphors as well. Here’s another example from
the same song. This is Wordsworth playing with the
meaning of “stereotype”:
Revive or ruin, my theories of mics,
Sony or Aiwa, black or white, I fit in all stereotypes
Creating Wordplay
How are you supposed to write lines like that? Follow
these steps and don’t do too many drugs.
Step 1. Pay Attention to New Words
Pay attention to words and their meanings in your life.
When you read or hear words that you don’t know,
write them down and then look up their definition.
Step 2. Look for Multiple Definitions
When you do look up a word, don’t just read the first
definition in the dictionary, read all the definitions.
This is crucial because wordplay is based on messing
around with multiple definitions.
Creating Wordplay
How are you supposed to write lines like that? Follow
these steps and don’t do too many drugs.
Step 1. Pay Attention to New Words
Pay attention to words and their meanings in your life.
When you read or hear words that you don’t know,
write them down and then look up their definition.
Step 2. Look for Multiple Definitions
When you do look up a word, don’t just read the first
definition in the dictionary, read all the definitions.
This is crucial because wordplay is based on messing
around with multiple definitions.
3. Think About Words You Already Know
Do this exercise: look around you wherever you are
and make a list of the things you see. You could write
it down, or do it in your head. Now go through each
object and try to think if there are alternate meanings
for that word. If there are, take note of them.
For example, say I’m on the bus. This is my list, with
possible wordplay listed after each one:
Bus
– a bus is a big vehicle for moving people. It’s
also the nickname of Jerome Bettis, the former
running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A
busboy busses tables; he clears them. Bus’ (short
for bust) can mean a lot of things: bust off, shoot,
rhyme, break out.
Driver
– a driver is a person who is steering a car
or bus. A driver is also the club you use in golf
to hit the ball off the tee. Driver also sound like
“drive her.”
Seat
– a place where you sit. [Now I couldn’t think
of any for ‘seat,’ so I went to the dictionary, and
this is what I got:] A seat can be your “buttocks”
(that’s what the dictionary says). A seat can also
be a position on a board of trustees or committee.
A member of congress also runs for a seat.
I could keep going, but I’ll stop there. In general, the
more you train yourself to think this way, the more
easily these double-meanings will come to you.
Step 4. Create a Line Using Double-Meanings
Take a double meaning that you’ve observed and try to
craft some lines out of it. Here’s what I can do with the
three above. These lines don’t rhyme together, they
would be used apart:
I’m a driver like what Tiger Woods holding,
I used to be a busboy like Jerome Bettis’ son,
Missed the bus, like a senator I’m running for a seat.
None of those are the kind of wordplay that would
make you stop in your tracks. If I was writing a song I
probably wouldn’t use any of those. But I did that with
three random words. As with everything, you’re going
to create a lot of bad, unusable lines before you find the
rhymes you like.
Step 5. Study Slang
You can also start with a slang word and look at the
different meanings. A lot of slang terms have dictionary
definitions along with their street definitions:
Word
– slang def / dictionary def
Ice
– diamonds / frozen water
Cheddar
– money / cheese
Sick
– good / physically ill
Dope
– good / somebody stupid / drugs
Then take these and write lines playing on the different
meanings:
I’ve got more cheddar than a Wisconsin farmer
Rhymes sicker than lyme disease and gangrene
– Pharoah Monch, “Right Here”
I’m diarrhea ni**a, you ain’t ready for this sh**
– Little Brother, “Flash and Flare”
Step 6. Use Idioms
You can also create wordplay by studying idioms.
Idioms are phrases in a language that have a meaning
other than what they say literally. For example,
“piece of cake” means both literally a piece of cake
and something that’s easy. Idioms are a great place to
start for wordplay because they inherently have double
meaning. The rapper Legacy from Little Brother uses
the idiom “hold my own” (meaning to be as strong as
anyone else on a team) and raps: “
I hold my own like
masturbation
.” Get the idea?
Flip to the back of the book to
Appendix I – Idioms
for a
long list of idioms that you can use to create wordplay.
Step 7. Put It All Together
Then just put it all together to write some lines:
This is
off the top
like the foamy head on your beer,
my metaphors are
over your head
like your wack
ass hair,
stand clear
like Casper the ghost waiting in line,
like Geoffrey Rush or shoe polish, dawg, I’m ready to
Shine
In the above lines, I play with the meanings of words
in each line, creating four different metaphors with
wordplay. Here’s another example from the underground
rapper Session, on Tonedeff’s “Quotables.” He plays
with the double meanings of “bug” and “spotted.” You
can usually count on the best underground rappers to
drop some high quality wordplay and metaphors, and
Session is no exception.
Pro Example
Puff an L and bug, cause I won’t be swatted
I can’t be seen –
I’ll be a Dalmatian and still won’t be spotted
Session, “Quotables”
don't sweat the technique 