The most important thing an MC can do during a performance is . . .

A

A_Str8

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be understood. Seriously, this seems painfully obvious, but apparently it's not. I've lost count of the number of performances I've seen where you can't make out the words no matter how hard you try. Sometimes it's because there are problems with the sound, but most of the time it's at least partially because of the performer. You've spent a whole bunch of time working on these lyrics that you're proud of, so what's the point of performing if people can't hear them?

- Some people's voices project better than others, so it's easier for some to be understandable. The thing is, if it is naturally harder for you to be heard, you need to take that into consideration. If you plan to perform a song live, choose music that complements your voice without overpowering it.

- A super fast flow where you pack 130 words into each line but still manage to stay on beat can be impressive, but no one knows what you're saying. I'm not saying that you should completely cut out dense lines, but you should know how they will be recieved. If you have a song where all the verses are extremely dense, that might be a better candidate for a CD (where people can take the time to decipher what you're saying) than for alive performance.

- Enunciate. When you practice your rhymes, be sure to enunciate. There's nothing good about the mumbles. If you find that there's a line that you can't get out clearly, rewrite it so you can.
 
i think the most important thing that an MC can do is make a connection with his audience... you can have a dope CD, but if you put on a live show you have to be more than a rapper... you have to entertain... and, i agree, part of it is being understood and not shouting in the mic... the best show that i ever went to was Jay-Z in Mannheim, Germany... he killed it!!
 
I think as an MC spitting live (if there are no technical difficulties) a couple of main things in my opinion would be breath control and vocal presence.

The breath control is a huge thing because if someone's mumbling their words into a mic or simply don't have the skillz to fully control their breathing during a live set nobody's gonna understand them AND they may even have to pause now and then and leave out a few words here there during their verse. In the studio anyone without breath control can lay down an air tight verse with no problem because they can simply piece the verse together in a way in which nobody would have a clue that they can't spit it all together at once. Great breath control will make an MC spit clearly and pace the verse with no problem.

The vocal presence is big too because any MC who can really project their voice right when they're rhyming will just grab the crowd's attention. There are a lot of MCs who may be really great at rhyming, but have no vocal presence because their voices are just laid back and at a live show that can bore the crowd. There has to be some type of energy there ;)
 
breath control?? i think the only breath control a nigga need is makin' sure that **** don't stink!! vocal presence?? wtf?? i guess that goes along with the "how can i feel you if you're not feeling yourself" rule...
 
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TonYBolognE said:
breath control?? i think the only breath control a nigga need is makin' sure that ahit don't stink!! vocal presence?? wtf?? i guess that goes along with the "how can i feel you if you're not feeling yourself" rule...
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No. It's basically from the EXPERIENCE of being an MC. If you were an MC then you'd know what these simple basics are ;)

Also, for you to even put comments like that just shows that you have ZERO knowledge of being an MC or experience of spitting in front of crowds because any real MC who's been doing their thing at shows knows what these simple things are. But even aside from that...a true Hip Hop listener of lyricism from MCs will know what these things are.

Why reply to threads unless you're really trying to help or connect with the person who started the thread?? Your response was just crap and didn't help anyone or hold any weight.
 
mrbeatzdyc... do you get your feelings hurt when people don't agree with you?? why do you take what i say so personal?? did you even read my first response to this thread?? is that helping or connecting with the person who stared this thread?? think about it, dogg...
 
I agree connecting with the audience is the most important thing any performer can do, but that is accomplished by simple things like breath control, having an understandable performance, stage presence, etc.
 
...not put on that dumbarse gangster accent and come off like an uneducated fool. and don't be in love with yourself, either.

this is why i enjoyed fort minor's album so much.
 
I would like add on with being understood that emcees need to be professional.. A lot of artists bring other people in the mix during a stage performance and you can't hear anything the artist is saying. You have the dj shouting, the crowds raving, the people on stage are off cue when its time to say something. That's not going to cut it. You have to have everything in order as a professional and speak when the other person is done.
 
The most important aspect of what an MC can do is debatable but:

I think alot of these people want to be drowned out by loudness and distortion, so they can hide behind how wack they are.
But yes, I have noticed, especially at hiphop shows that especially the vocal track is way too loud and it sounds like ass.

I recently saw Ghostface and Raekwon at the Low End Theory festival. The sound was so horrible, I became exhausted and left. Most of what they did was the classic material and I know all their early songs almost word for word and I could neither identify the beat, or any lyrics for much of the time. Utter disappointment. The opposite of a good time.

All the other acts sounded fine, for the most part. Theirs sucked shit due to the overwhelming loudness.
 
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