14 Rapping Tips From TV Show Rhythm + Flow On Netflix

I rewatched Netflix show Rhythm And Flow on Netflix and jotted down the best rapping tips from the judges and guest judges on the show. Here is what I learned. 

This show is FULL of golden nuggets and hip hop wisdom. Especially from people like Chance the rapper and King Los. They are giving rapping tips ON THE SPOT and revealing what they are looking for when they see a talented hip hop artist.

I highly recommend watching, and seeing what you should and shouldn’t do when you want to make a career in rap music.

1. “With a punchline, you gotta slow it down and emphasize to bring that joint in.” – Chance the Rapper                                                                                                            

This is key. When you write punchlines in a four bar sequence, you can leave a space or use less syllables in the 3rd and 4th bar to really show the wordplay or punchline. Also using less words is an art in itself. Try trimming the fat when you write a punchline. Don’t just cram every syllable you can. This will create contrast and space to let the words you want paid attention too. Solid rapping tips below. 

2. “Interesting flows. Pattern switches. Likes how not every word rhymes with the next one.” – Anderson Paak 

I used to be obsessed with multis and multi-syllable rhymes. But the repetitive nature of multi’s can be monotonous and boring. Changing up flows, switching patterns and changing up the rhyme scheme are all ways to make your rap songs more interesting. 

You can also purposely adjust the amount of syllables your rhymes have to throw off the pattern on purpose. You can still use assonance and consonance, but if your multi is “dopamine” you can rhyme with “coke fiend” and skip the middle syllable on purpose. Also you can add a syllable like “soak in the theme” to throw off the pattern. 

Mixing these in can really add some contrast and flavour to your rapping.

3. “Delivery – using speed as a gimmick. When you use a gimmick people can hear that.” – Chance 

Chance the rapper gives some hella good rapping tips on rhythm + flow. There is one contestant who does well in the show, but leans on his fast rapping as a gimmick. 

Almost every bar he spits a triple time to start like he’s Das Efx in the 90’s. 

Not that this is a bad skill to have. But when you’re competing against stuff competition, you have to be well-rounded as a rapper. Punchlines, metaphors, content, flow, pattern switches, multis, writing skills and more. 

4. “These kids nowadays really like simple stuff. Everybody can rap but not everybody can make a song. And it’s songs that sell.” – Cardi B

This isn’t entirely true in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I have no grounds to disrespect Cardi haha. But I do feel like you can create buzz and money from being a dope rapper on YouTube freestyling or just ripping bars. Even battle rappers make money on Spotify and YouTube. 

For example, look at Harry Mack or Mac Lethal. That’s a lot of mac… but seriously. Mac Lethal has never been a song maker. I mean he makes songs, but they are not what Cardi B is referring too that’s for sure. 

I think the point here is that the spiritual, lyrical miracle bars are not going to hack it in mainstream rap in 2020.

5. “Every rapper has to learn how to dance at least a little bit. Gotta have some rhythms” – Chance 

This is not something I talk about that often. And thinking back, this is hugely important. Physical presence and awareness of your body posture is vital to rap stage presence. 

Now I don’t know how to dance. But there are some channels that can help you get your moves down to have at least a little bit of stage presence. Or just go watch your favorite rappers live shows for some stage rapping tips. 

6. “You was bent down, man you gotta stand up. Let them see you up there. Like how you looking now with your head up. Perform like that.” – Snoop

Again, body posture is important for more than just breath control in hip hop. People really want to SEE the person rapping. 

They want to see the emotion on your face, the window to your soul and more. 

I have a full series on breath control and posture you can check out here on my YouTube channel. 

7. “You don’t wanna be a snooze fest” – Cardi B 

You need to perform and rap your bars with conviction. Ways to not be a snooze fest: 

• Voice inflection
• Slow down and speed up
• Change patterns often
• Unique punchlines and wordplay
• Rhymes no-ones heard before
• Interesting concept
• Strong confident voice
• Energy

8. “You gotta have at least a little bit of choreography and know where your first step is going to be at least so you don’t look like an idiot.” – Tip 

This is very overlooked in terms of classic rap tips. This is the third time this has been brought up in the Rap tv show rhythm + flow on Netflix. 

Learn some moves! They don’t have to be crazy dance moves perse. You can have body awareness and not know how to dance. 

Just practice your body posture and footsteps in the mirror while you’re rapping. You will be weirded out by the way your face looks. You might bend over and deepthroat the mic like me too haha. 

9. “Your look and your sound match each other” – Snoop 

He’s saying your appearance can affect the audience’s perception of your music. In terms of authenticity, it can be important. Not to say that you can’t and shouldn’t just wear whatever you want. Just keep that in mind when you choose your attire when performing. 

Know that you will be judged for what you wear and how it relates to your music. The only thing that should matter is how you react to those judgements. 

If someone tries to shot on your aesthetic, let it bounce of your armour. Like it didn’t even phase you. Even better, make a joke about it back. People are just testing your status. 

10. “I couldn’t understand exactly what you were saying” – Tip (enunciation) 

Snoop also has a great quote in regards to enunciation and speaking clearly while rapping. He says, “the clarity of your voice. You gotta work on that. I like to let shit breathe let it breathe so we can feel your whole get down.” – Snoop 

Sometimes rappers forget that we need to allow for space in between our lyrics in order to let US breathe, but also let our listeners breathe and digest what was just said. Listeners will often start to compare what you’ve said to their own lives and what they’re going through. If you fill every single syllable with a lyric or word or sound, then it can lose depth. 

Think about negative space in graphic design. The same thing applies to rap lyrics as well. Making sure to pick the right words so they ‘roll off the tongue’ instead of cramming a bunch of harsh syllables together that you can’t get out properly. 

11. “I didn’t hear any quotable. It felt very aggressive.” – Cardi B 

The “felt very aggressive” portion is a write-off because hip-hop music and art is subjective, so you can be aggressive if you want to be. 

But the quote about quotables is quite intriguing because it lets us know that people ears are keen to hear a “QUOTABLE”. WTF is a quotable? A line, punchline, wordplay, hard-hitting bar that stands out to the listener. 

For me, I love wordplay and punchlines. But other people might just be listening for current events, trending topics and famous people in order to say, “OHHHH, he said two girls one cup, WOOT”. 

This also falls under clarity because the listener needs to actually HEAR the quotable. A great example of quotable rap is BIG L in his 7 Minute freestyle. It’s a bunch of quotables one right after another. 

12. “Talking loud don’t exude confidence necessarily.” – Tip

Just because you rap loud doesn’t mean that you’re dope. Sometimes the most confident people are the ones who speak quietly so you have to lean in to hear them speak. I love this tip because I tend to rap aggressively, and this helps calm me down when I’m feeling like I need to overpower the room or the beat in order for people to hear my voice. 

We should be focused on blending in with the beat of our choice in order to maximize both the feeling and the harmony between lyric and instrumental. 

13. “Who’s the most prepared for the opportunity” – Tip

This. This is something I never did and regret it until this day. You should have at least 10 different verses memorized and locked in your brain vault ready to go at any time. 

Recite your stuff over and over and over again until you can’t help but remember it. Then when some random person asks you to rap right there in front of them, you can prove your skill level. And even throw out some freestyle lines on top to add a little flavour. 

14. “Content, delivery, performance. You have to engage with the crowd regardless what genre you’re in.”  – Chance 

I’ll leave you to ponder with this one. With the age of digital distribution and artists almost never being seen live anymore, it’s important to take this to the next level with social media and engaging with your following. 

I might be terrible at this, but I know how important this is. This could make or break you as a rap artist. 

I hope some of these rapping tips are useful for you as you figure out your own hip hop style. Hit me up if you have any questions about how to get started, or if you just want to shoot the shit about rapping.