Musical Mondays Week 32 Hustle & Flow

[grudlian. 4725]

I also meant to ask: What is "flow"? I had never heard the term (being whiter than Wonder Bread) but the movie didn't explain it either. Djay says something like "Remember when I would flow over the PA at school" but the lyrics he records don't "flow" as I would think of it.

PollyDarton is right. DJay is just saying Ludacris was just good at rapping.

 

But "flow" can also be a bit more nebulous if you're talking about rapping. It's also about the way a rapper constructs words over the beat. The rhythm, cadence and how the words relate to each other.

 

Here's a really good example in my opinion on flow using different versions of the same song. Listen to the first 30 seconds of this video.

 

http://www.youtube.c...Q2T_FR8Nk=0m19s

 

It's Soulja Boy, so, it sucks in general but it sounds perfectly fine. Nothing notable. But listen to the exact same rap over a different piece of music.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRCEgD1nRRM&t=0m15s

 

Doesn't Soulja Boy sound like he was born to rap over that beat? He emphasizes every beat so well. It just flows better. That's flow.

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

I also meant to ask: What is "flow"? I had never heard the term (being whiter than Wonder Bread) but the movie didn't explain it either. Djay says something like "Remember when I would flow over the PA at school" but the lyrics he records don't "flow" as I would think of it.

The best way to describe it is to show what rap was like before people flowed:

 

 

Brakes on a bus, brakes on a car

Breaks to make you a superstar

Breaks to win and breaks to lose

But these here breaks will rock your shoes

 

Pretty simple. Rhymes at the end of each line, rhyming in pairs (car:star, lose:shoes). Nothing longer than a few lines. No internal rhymes. No linking concepts, It's also what pretty much every layman does when they try to rap.

 

Okay, compare to this, basically the first track where someone really flowed:

 

 

Thinkin of a master plan

'cause ain't nuthin but sweat inside my hand

So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent

So I dig deeper but still comin up with lint

So I start my mission- leave my residence

Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents

 

Still the same basic rhyme structure, but there's an actual story. And there are no pauses between lines. Plus there are some compound rhymes and other weird tricks. It still sounds old to modern ears but you can see how the lyrics *flow*. It takes incredible skill to do that. It's why you don't hear about anyone from before that time anymore (except in a Macklemore video).

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

The best way to describe it is to show what rap was like before people flowed:

Brakes on a bus, brakes on a car Breaks to make you a superstar Breaks to win and breaks to lose But these here breaks will rock your shoes Pretty simple. Rhymes at the end of each line, rhyming in pairs (car:star, lose:shoes). Nothing longer than a few lines. No internal rhymes. No linking concepts, It's also what pretty much every layman does when they try to rap. Okay, compare to this, basically the first track where someone really flowed:

Thinkin of a master plan 'cause ain't nuthin but sweat inside my hand So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent So I dig deeper but still comin up with lint So I start my mission- leave my residence Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents Still the same basic rhyme structure, but there's an actual story. And there are no pauses between lines. Plus there are some compound rhymes and other weird tricks. It still sounds old to modern ears but you can see how the lyrics *flow*. It takes incredible skill to do that. It's why you don't hear about anyone from before that time anymore (except in a Macklemore video).

 

Thanks everyone! This was very educational. I loved the Eric B. and Rakim video.