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How to Write Rap Lyrics and Improve Your Rap Skills
How to Master Multis

Multi-Syllable Rhymes

Once a rare treat, multis are now being used in hip-hop more and more frequently as lyricists constantly try to outdo each other. Multis aren’t necessarily harder to write than normal rhymes. They just take extra effort. You’ll find that the effort is well worth it. Spit multis, and get your vitamin C.

What are multis?

Multi is short for “multi-syllable rhyme.” Multis are phrases in which more than one syllable rhymes. Multis can be double, triple, quadruple (etc…) rhymes.

Normal rhyme: cat / hat
Multi rhyme: my cat / hi-hat
Or a longer multi: bit my cat / hit the hi-hat

Southern rapper Ludacris loves featuring multis in his verses. His trademark delivery (in which he slows down and emphasizes the rhyming words above all others) works well when he slips in clever multis. Check out any Ludacris song for quality multis, or check out the lines below, which he spit during a freestyle while performing at Yale University.

My life savings, I made it in shows,
Then lost it on my way to Yale, ‘cause I paid it in tolls

What’s the difference between multis and in-rhymes?

In-rhymes:
The fact is I kick phat raps, so know that
Not just one, I roll with my crew, you step back

Multis:
Ain’t no need for wondering who’s the man,
Staying looking right always an exclusive brand
– Big Daddy Kane, “One Day”

Both Together:
This is a job – I get paid to sling some raps,
What you made last year was less than my income tax

Why Use Multis?

Multis are hallmarks of all the dopest flows, and all the best rappers use them. They are more complex and more impressive than normal rhymes and so command a lot more respect. Multis add variation to your verse and will help you craft better rhymes.

How To Write Multis

Multis aren’t that much harder to write than typical rhymes; they just take more time. Step one is to take one line that you want to use. Take this line for example:

The elite force like army rangers and navy seals,

Now, to create a multi with “navy seals” the first thing you want to do is list all the words that rhyme with “navy.” The easiest way to do this is by using a rhyme dictionary and listing the results, but keep in mind that this will only give you the ‘perfect’ rhymes, not the slant rhymes. Slant rhymes are very important because they allow you to write more creative lines. This is especially true when you’re writing multis, because otherwise your lines might come out contrived and stupid. In the Ludacris example above, “tolls” and “shows” are slant rhymes.

The other problem with rhyming dictionaries is that they do the work for you. If you take the time to actually think of all the rhymes for the word for yourself, you’re more likely to get those rhymes in your head for future freestyles. That’s why I don’t recommend rhyme dictionaries unless you’re really stuck.

perfect rhymes for navy:
gravy
wavy

slant rhymes for navy:
maybe
baby
lady
rabies
weighty
etc.

Then repeat this process for the second word, in this case, “seals.”

perfect rhymes with seals:
deals
eels
feels
heels
meals
peels
reels
squeals
steals
wheels

slant rhymes for seals:
stales
whales
beans
etc.

Now we go through the process of linking up navy-rhymes with seals-rhymes. There are lots of combinations, so try to pick some that make some sense:
Baby meals
Wavy eels
Lady squeals
Gravy feels
Weighty whales

Then we pick one and write a line that makes sense using it:

I kick it operatic ‘til that fat lady squeals
or
your lyrics are stuffing, so now I know how gravy feels
or
I’ll call you Gerber ‘cause ya spittin’ up some baby meals

Write a bunch of them, and then use the one that you like best. Or use a bunch of them in a row like this:

The elite force like army rangers and navy seals,
I kick it operatic ‘til that fat lady squeals
Your lyrics are stuffing, so now I know how gravy feels,
I’ll call you Gerber ‘cause ya spittin’ up some baby meals

That’s the simplest way to write multis. If you master that simple technique, you should immediately notice your lyrical skills improving. You can find find the continuation of this lesson in The Rapper's Handbook. Spit fire.

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