Define Being Lyrical

[BlakeJay]

Many people have a different view on what being lyrical is. Whenever I debate with someone about rappers and who is the best, "Lyricism" always comes up and they'll say "oh he or she is more lyrical"..but they never say what they mean by lyrical..is it just metaphors and similes, is it having meaningful lyrics? Define Lyrical

[SerjTank]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

by definition, "lyrical" is
- Expressing deep personal emotion or observations: (a dancer's lyrical performance; a lyrical passage in his autobiography.)
- Highly enthusiastic; rhapsodic: (gave a lyrical description of her experiences in the South Seas.)

Most people here are gonna respond with something like wordplay or extensive vocabulary but in reality its just being really expressive with whatever shit youre trying to convey. for example, if i hear a hard flowing verse where every line has me saying 'damn' id see that as good lyricism

[weezy f baby]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

Lyrical to me is when I get chills, every time I hear it

[codys]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

Lol @ the answers.

Being lyrical is alot of things. Punchlines, metaphors, extensive vocabulary, substance, staying on topic, Wordplay, rhyme schemes, creativity with meanings, and the list goes on and on. People think being lyrical is using huge ass words but that's just part of it, there are many elements to being lyrical and that's what makes each artist different and unique, they are all different lyrically. Nowadays though being lyrical doesn't mean shit if your trying to make money, which is sad, hip hop isn't what it used to be, nor will it ever be the same. I just hope it doesn't continue down the road it's on.

[BlakeJay]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

We still have those "lyrical" rappers though..its just that all of them aren't at the forefront of hip hop right now..thats because most music fans prefer to here the Waka Flockas of the rap game instead of the J. Coles and Lupe Fiascos

[ymcmb]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

lyrical is when you play a song for the 500th time and STILL have a random "oh shit" epiphany when you discover a new meaning of a line.

"these bitches in my HAIR like the fucking po-LICE" - Lil Wayne, Gossip. been a top 5 favorite song of mine since 2008 and that line just hit me a few weeks ago while I was driving around. that's lyrical.

[A$AP YAMS]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

"these bitches in my HAIR like the fucking po-LICE" - Lil Wayne, Gossip. been a top 5 favorite song of mine since 2008 and that line just hit me a few weeks ago while I was driving around. that's lyrical.

I disagree

Lyricial for me is when you can feel the rappers passion...like when a rapper is able to reflect his current emotional state on a song

[codys]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

Lol just because a rappers song gives you chills doesn't make him lyrical. That's retarded

[Cli-City]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

Lyrical comes in different forms

Tupac: Passion...you could feel the realness in his words
Eminem: Story Telling...in another life he would have been an author because his storytelling abilities are unmatched
Big L: Metaphors and Similes....Comparing shit to other shit....has always been in hip hop
Jay Z: Flow: What you say is just as important as how you say it.....
Nas: Subject Matter: Connecting what we know to be and how we grew up and educating through words
Lil Wayne and Jadakiss: Voice and Sounds: Your voice being able to sound great on any record give that extra lyrical booth
Lupe: Complexity...sometime not getting something the first time makes getting the second or third that much better
+ Wordplay...etc

Lyrically can't be defined......but its a mixture of components.........

[BlakeJay]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

Lol just because a rappers song gives you chills doesn't make him lyrical. That's retarded

I think they are kinda saying the same thing you said in your definition..like all the components of being lyrical such as Punchlines, metaphors, extensive vocabulary, substance, staying on topic, Wordplay, these things "give them the chills"..u just defined it better..i agree with your definition

---------- Post added at 10:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 AM ----------

Lyrical comes in different forms

Tupac: Passion...you could feel the realness in his words
Eminem: Story Telling...in another life he would have been an author because his storytelling abilities are unmatched
Big L: Metaphors and Similes....Comparing shit to other shit....has always been in hip hop
Jay Z: Flow: What you say is just as important as how you say it.....
Nas: Subject Matter: Connecting what we know to be and how we grew up and educating through words
Lil Wayne and Jadakiss: Voice and Sounds: Your voice being able to sound great on any record give that extra lyrical booth
Lupe: Complexity...sometime not getting something the first time makes getting the second or third that much better
+ Wordplay...etc

Lyrically can't be defined......but its a mixture of components.........

I agree for the most part..except the part about voice and sound..i think that can contribute to being a good rapper as far as having presence and sounding good on a track but i heard some people with a great rapping voice but are nowhere near lyrical..(Gucci comes to mind) he has a decent *rappers voice* but i wouldnt define him as lyrical..but the voice does contribute to being a good rapper..But everything else u said makes perfect sense..

[T-dotClassic]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

Being lyrical is basically just expanding the subject your rapping about and connecting them with different words , to make a line lyrical . It could be a simple line , but if you take it to that next level, where you just think of it and expand . Like Lil wayne's simple life is a bitch, he expanded that in 6 foot 7 a lot, which is a lyrical line. Thats why lil wayne can be named as not compeltely a lyrical rapper, but when he does that he is on his lyircal game. Nas makes a simple topic, into something bigger , which is very lyrical, mos def keeps you in a flow of words, thats ryhming and then drops that dope line, then comes with another dope line after that which is lyricall. T

ps im high

[ymcmb]

Re: Define Being Lyrical

I disagree

Lyricial for me is when you can feel the rappers passion...like when a rapper is able to reflect his current emotional state on a song

nah that's definitely more through the tone of the voice imo. not the actual words (aka lyrics) themselves.