Lady:
“John Paul, why don’t you entertain us with something as well? 
Why don’t you rap for us!”

JP:
“Oh, very well.”

Lady:
“Oh goody!”

JP: 
“But hold my martini.  I have to do those hand gestures.”

- The Coup, “Pimps”(aka Freestylin at the Fortune 500 Club)

Everybody knows that a rapper without hand gestures is like Swiss cheese without the holes, but you'd be surprised to know that no one has launched a study of hip-hop hand gestures.  Until now!  Flocabulary's presents the Guide to Hip-Hop Hand Gestures, which is also featured in The Rapper's Handbook: A Guide to Freestyling, Writing Rhymes, and Battling.

To emcee is to move the crowd, and to do that, rappers use their hands.  Whether it’s a loose-fingered wag or tight, staccato pointing, hand gestures add an important element to performing.  Why do rappers use them?  Hand gestures give your verses more energy, they work to emphasize certain words, and they add a visual element to a listening experience.

The first rappers used hand gestures to pump up a crowd at a party.  Battle rappers use their hands to visually cut down an opponent.  Freestylers often use hand gestures to help them concentrate and stay flowing.  Most rappers have certain gestures that they use more often than others, but the best emcees have a full arsenal of eye-catching movements that they pull out whenever their verse needs it.

Use this guide as a reference for your knowledge, or try out the movements yourself.  You might find something that sticks.  Obviously not every hand gesture can be included in this list.  If you think we're missing some big ones, let us know in the Flocab Rhyme Boards.

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