Rap Tutorials: Topical Tutorial

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    Posted: 01 April 2008 at 10:27am
Topical Tutorial

Okay, topical season upon us, thought I would drop off what I know on the subject, being a former and soon to be topical champ lol j/k.

Anywho, if you’ve read any of my topical battles (both wins verses KayB, both wins verses Sparta), you’ll know my style is more focused on the story than anything, but ill go through all the major components of a good topical

Main Focus: Story

A good story is all important in a topical, to me, and many others it will be the most important factor. In my experience, people will not like a topical story, if it is too predictable, they want to be surprised by a new twist or a new look at the title, if its what they would have done, then they may develop a feel for it, or they may get bored quickly. A good story, does not have to have twists all the way through, or a huge twist at the end, sometimes in a lower line limit these things may confuse and complicate the story. It just has to be entertaining to read, some people tell a situation, but you need to tell a story, a story should gradually unfold, turn corners, reveal new information, each line should reveal and advance the story. A bad story in theory, will give away too much too early, leaving no suspense and thrill left when reading the rest of the verse. A good topical will have a solid set up, meaning any back information needed about the characters will be revealed early, it should have an entertaining middle, that changes the situation again, and finally a conclusion, which can be fitting, dramatic, a twist, anything that ends the story nicely and doesn’t leave the reader feeling cheated or feeling let down.
When thinking of a story, I generally play out many scenarios in my head, thinking about the title from everyones’ view point, seeing which way the topic could best be described, I also look on google etc for inspiration, but generally I will think of the story myself and rework it until it is entertaining and surprising, and most importantly, something I would like to read. It is important to be creative when choosing a story and / or writing it. A good topical stands out from the rest, an obvious viewpoint may be used by everyone, however yours must stand out when being compared, it must have a new concept, something that the reader wasn’t expecting, this will automatically get the reader on your side when they are reading.


Flow / Multis:

In previous battles, opponents with better lyrical verses have lost because of better more creative story I have thought of. However, in my first title battle, which I lost to Sparta, my lack of flow cost me points when being judged. No matter how good the story is, if it is hard to read, then its not a good story. It has to flow almost perfectly, you should not sacrifice content for flow as in many opinions the story is the overriding factor, but a well flowing verse will help your story progress and read so much better. In most cases you should be able to quicken the flow or lessen it when you want for dramatic effect. Mulits in a topical are there to aid flow, they shouldn’t be forced or unnecessary, if they smooth the flow then they should be included, but if they are simply there to “be a multi” then they should be discarded as they may stick out if a particular phrase is hard to say.
Lines:

In a story, past, present (and future) can play a big part, phrasing things in the present give a sense of urgency, so would help in a dramatic situation. Using all three can help on the story side and each should be thought of when deciding to write your story, sometimes stories written in the past tense can sound more effective. It is also important, to have some quotable lines in topicals, I know its not a battle, where punches etc, are not counted, however lines should stand apart for themselves, a play on words or a deep meaning or clever thought will make particular lines and emotions stand out a lot more, adding more meaning and emphasis to a piece.

Creativity:

As explained before the story should be creative and thought provoking. Creativity can come in many forms, I enjoy using humour in topicals. To me people relate better to humour, they attach themselves more to the story. People should feel like they are in the story, they should want to keep reading… If they stop reading half way through, they should have an urge to continue to read, to find out how they will resolve the situation, in short, they should be emotionally hooked. I enjoy twist endings also, as it provides an unseen curveball and an element of surprise will make the reader re think the whole story, re reading the story will make the story stand out again, making it more appealing in the voting process, a twist ending also means that there have been other techniques and other things in the text which has fooled the reader, which will give the impression of a clever writer. Many techniques can be used to gain an edge also, the type of words used should help convey the emotion, mad and anger are okay, but embittered, twisted with rage, incensed, torn etc, words that deliver more power will always be better received.

Common Problems (in short):

A story not being heartfelt enough. The writer should care, so the reader can care. Not just in emotional pieces but also in light verses, a good story will have people caring about the characters and the situation.
Giving the story away too early, no one wants to read a topical and 6 lines in predict the whole story, a good technique is to set it up so the reader feels this way.. “oh I know whats going to happen”… then when there is this frame of mind you can string them along, until you hit them with the twist ending, thus making it a total surprise making them rethink the whole verse. In general, a piece can be written that is totally deep and meaningful that is just a plain story, these pieces can go down brilliantly when pulled off well, so twists and a creative story may be set aside for emotion, however, an emotive, creative story, with good flow, will always be a winner, compared to a story with one of these individual parts completed well.
Not exciting the reader is another problem a boring story and bad writing will make the reader instantly detach from the story, thus making it not real, and losing marks at the start, it should be well written and thought out and be written in a clever tone.
 
* will redo, this is just quick thoughts, but should help people looking to improve.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote mcwoods Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 11:30am
lol people gonna wonder what i wrote a topical tutorial for after the bad display, but still think this has some decent stuff.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kay B Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 12:13pm
lmao @ you writting this after my punch on msn last night..haha
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote mcwoods Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 12:17pm
lmao!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Point Blank Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 12:39pm
Dope tutorial...props
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kay B Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 3:09pm
It's funny that only woods will get my post so its so un-offective lol
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote dalinquent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 3:28pm
I was actually thinking that before u even posted it cause I seen his post before u... lmao... Was gonna stay out but you seem to need reassuring...
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote mcwoods Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 4:24pm
this is gold lol
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kay B Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2008 at 5:18pm
It's only gold cause it's so true lol...dammit why couldnt more people be in that damn chat!
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