It usually repeats a statement or something really simple. It’s there to assist the rap hook, which is typically comprised of lyrics that are so repetitive that you’ll be repeating it in your head as soon as the song ends. This is also known as the after hook or before hook. If you plan on using the story telling structure here, you’ll be using the 24 bars so that you have more room to tell your story rather than using the normal 16 bar verse that only contains 16 bars. So, a verse can have 8 bars, 12 bars, 16 bars, and up to 24 bars in total. 24 bars are usually used in a story telling structure, since it gives you more room to talk, but you’ll have to cut down on the hook unless you want a really long song. These days, you see verses with as little as 8 bars and as long as 24 bars. This is where you usually show freestyle rapping ability you have to flow with the beat of your hip hop instrumental. Using The Notorious B.I.G.’s song “Big Poppa”, he alongside with Puff Daddy can be heard in the intro of the song.Ī typical rap verse is usually 16 bars in length, typically repeated three times in a song and has less instruments than in a hook. Older rappers usually use this component compared to newer and upcoming artists. These sounds can be literally be anything you want: a small speech, some car noises, mumble sounds, etc., depending on the song. With most artists, they would usually include a small section of rap lyrics here that lasts for about 4 bars or as long as 8 bars. These are:Īs with every song, the introduction is just that, an introduction. Now with that out of the way, we can get into what composes a song structure. It basically sets how the lyrics of the song will go in order of what they are. A rap song structure is the order or template pattern in which sections of the song such as the verse, hooks, and bridges are presented or repeated. There are numerous structures and each of them have their own advantages and disadvantages so it’s best to weigh their pros and cons before deciding what to use.įirst, we’ll need to know what a song structure is and what goes into it. We’ll be looking at what you need to create a song structure is and exactly what kind of structure you’ll want for your rap songs.