Looking for some pointers.

I figured we should get like a starters thread pinned up or something. Like personally what do you guys do to create flow and rhythm? And what helps you pick which words you want to do and slant rhymes? I was thinking of either starting a helpful tip thread or like a beginners thread. Just some ideas to help get this place off the ground. Or like a limit battle where you can only post 16 bars. I like to freestyle with you guys, but I don't have time to reply to a two page long freestyle. :P

I'll offer a few tips and thoughts on flow, incase they're of any use.

I recommend researching assonance and consonance, aliteration, polysyllabic rhyming, internal rhyme schemes (rhymes occuring within lines, other than just at the end). notice the ways in which you tend to use those techniques naturally and then develop from there.

some multisyllable rhymes sound much more satisfying than others without it being obvious why.. this is usually down to syllable durations and placement of emphasised syllables. also, assonance beyond the rhyme scheme.

thinking of each line as being split in half can be a useful exercise.
treat each half line as if it were a whole (short) line for the rhymescheme and you can double up rhymes within each line.
this doubles the rate of rhyme repetition. like doubletime rap but without needing to be delivered any faster than normal.
that's a simple example of 'internal' rhymescheme, you can juggle more than one different rhyme at a time or split off smaller sections from the main syllable string for complex internals.
try thinking of the first half of each line as being split in half again.. so there are two quarters and then a half. see what you can do with that.
for example..
two lines finishing with four-syllable rhymes, the first two syllables of the ending rhyme can be rhymed with again over each of the quarter-length sections which come before.. making a couplet of eight-syllable lines in which every syllable is active in the rhymescheme.
A2/A2/A2B2,
A2/A2/A2B2.

I never start writing a piece from the beginning or finish at the end, I tend to build it up piecemeal and keep a lot of different possibilities written down whilst I add to the sections and do some rewrites and rearrangements.
I usually start with a multi syllable word which I like, brainstorm rhymes for it and think about possible ways which those candidates could interact with each other and with sections of the piece which I've already written.

Heck yeah! Thanks SBU! That helps a lot man! I'll definitely look into all of it and practice. I just think if we added a little bit more to the rap thread than just a battle thread it would get this place going a little more! Thanks man!!

@_SBU - yo, if there's gonna be an official advice thread or whatever it's probably better if you created it and stickied it. and called it "Official Advice Thread for Newbs" or whatever, cuz atm this just looks like Tyler asking for help.

ps. will get back to you on that PM you sent soon, just been hella busy with work the last few days

Lol. No. Yeah what SBU said I will take into consideration. But, I want to get this place off the ground. I've been here for almost two years now and I want a bigger group of people in here. Like Paul Jeffs when he was here, when he was here we had a huge crowd that did more than freestyle. We helped each other out, we actually gave criticism on the raps that people posted, and it was a decent community. Now it just seems as if people are coming here to spit at each other and leave. I like Freestlying as much as the next guy but what I really enjoy is criticism or thoughts on the raps that I post. Something that people can relate to, which is what use to happen. I feel as if we should make an Official Advice thread, but not just for noobs. Everyone can learn something from someone, it doesn't matter if they are new or not. As when I write I have to have a beat to rap to unless I'm starting out acapella. But. We should also start different levels of battles. Such as new, intermediate and expert.

mu bad, I forgot sarcasm doesn't translate well in text. I agree with what you said.

Haha my bad man. Been edgy lately, I apologize!

Yea no I agree with Tyler, and it only looks like its him asking for help because no one else has proven to show any interest in this thread. But it's a good one. And now the board has a bunch of solid, useful recommendations courtesy of Chris. Thank you to both Tyler and _sb