wizerd

Punch n.: A line that disrespects someone.

Punches come in as many forms as there are literary devices. All of which, if perfected, can earn you respect. I’ll be going over most of the forms of punch lines and how to utilize them effectively. If you want help with wording punches, refer to my wording tutorial.



Clowning punches take events and specific traits of people and turn them against an opponent. It’s just putting out jokes on another person’s expense. Everybody loves a joke though. If you’ve got em, toss em down…

I’v murdered u once. End of story. They’ll be no doubts in this thread
even doctors with accents’ll have no trouble pronouncin’ u dead
- Butler vs. cheemagun (10/19/04)

jay-z Lauren Hill an kurt kobane are similar to wat this thug brings.
cuz even MTVs been urgin ya Dell to do the unplugged thing.......
- Butler vs. John Hensley (10/29/05)

Tryna impress the neighbors, but not even Crest could save him…
Them teeth got a buck the IRS is still investigating…
And if I ever catch a Gilligan, I’d dare to say that…
I hope you’re there too, cause those cheek flares would save us…
Those pussy lips on side of your head? If not, it’s oddly shaped…
I’d fuck what ya heard, but that shit might ovulate…
- wizerd vs. kannon (01/04/07)

When clowning someone, it’s better to have a stereotype to go off of or some kind of fuel. More or less, if the reader can get an idea of what you’re talking about, then your clowning punches hit a lot harder. So in pic battles this may be all you see, while in regular text battles it isn’t so prevalent. In audio there’s a lot you have to go off as well, and hence, more useful a route to take. Don’t make fake lines, cause they just don’t hit.



Delayed punches are more of a structure thing than a different kind of punch. The main thing it’s giving is a dramatic pause within a punch line. If you’ve got a strong, concise punch, don’t want to mess with the wording, and need to extend the line, this is a good option. However, if the punch is weak, this is going to highlight that weak punch in the verse similar to how a beat cut would on a track.

And there ain’t no debating it…
If you were God…
…the whole nation would be Atheist
- wizerd vs. Black Ice (9/18/04)

its the old head. LM, rhymes hot and the hardest.
Gods .gif to text.
...in the form of a snapshot of his garbage.
- Butler vs. LM (10/22/05)



Concept Flips use slang sayings and idioms as a base. Any word with multiple meanings is a target for a concept flip. Both sides of the phrase should make sense, similar to an ambiguous picture (two faces / a vase).

Your still a semi-vet Kal. Trust me, I'll ruin ya face.
an throw a left-right combo Fort Knox'll use on their safes.
- Butler vs. Ex Kal (12/06/04)

Haven’t read him in a while, call it a sin…
Ain’t spit a dope verse in so long…
…een his shadow quit following him
- wizerd vs. Butler (11/25/04)

This is the most common form of a punch line, so it gets abused. Just make sure what you flip it to has a fresh feel to it and try not to stretch it too much. The concepts on these really make or break them.

wizerd

Exaggeration is pretty self-explanatory. It takes a general idea and blows it out of proportion. These have been around since the beginning of hip-hop, so to use them effectively you’ll need a good spin on things.

Lemmie clear things up. Im gonna pound this fool.
an I’d sprint circles around his blood. but there aint no runnin around the pool.
- Butler vs. John Hensley (10/29/05)

like you couldn't remember, when i speak, bullets will simmer
get hit so early Rich, I'll turn ya morning wood into splinters
- Butler vs. Richard Corey (10/06/04)

Bury the myths, ain’t a drunkard but I’ll carry the 5th…
N make you hit the ground so hard the Earth’s polarity shifts…
- wizerd vs. Raw Scientz (05/01/02)

Generally these lines are structured like “you’ll get so many ____ that ____.” If you can get a different variation on that general structure, then you’re going in the right track. Either that or it really does need to be dope.



Imagery comes in two forms. One’s pretty basic and you need something pretty much revolting to do damage with it. Punch imagery is a lot more effective than just some random disgusting picture. You want to start off with something you can flip to make a nice line out of it. Imagery is a huge part of topicals, not to downplay its battle effectiveness, but a topical without imagery is very bland. Point blank, if you’ve got the adjectives to put a good picture in someone’s head, do it, but do it with some style and creative merit…

you damn flake, i gotta backhand that'll make ya fam shake
'n batter ya chest until it yields a shortstack a' pancakes.
- Butler vs. Mets (11/16/04)

i got a vault of caskets, all the cushions are red...
fuck sendin flowers...
...i’ll plant a rose bush in your chest
- wizerd ~ yze ki (7/01/06)

I’ll grin at the meat, watch your jaw clinch as I eat…
Rip your flesh off till your whole body’s sportin the skin of your teeth…
- wizerd vs. Butler (11/25/04)

Adjective choice really is a key part of imagery. If you don’t pick the right words or use bland descriptive terms, it ruins the line. If you can fit your adjectives into the rhyme scheme, then that’s a plus. Try not to overdo it too much in battles though.



Nameplays are pretty self-explanatory. Take the name of your opponent and flip it into a concept. It’s really just a sub-genre of wordplay. Do note most nameplays have been used unless your opponent just started out, so if it’s way too obvious, just don’t bother.

My newbie-murder tactic’s simple.. I Punish all the bullshit
‘n dropkick until they can’t decipher log from woodchips
- Butler vs. Logical (10/27/04)

I reiterate most nameplays have been used. I used to hate when people flipped my name cause it was ALWAYS the SAME flip. Some people who had never seen it before thought they were dope. Everybody else discounted the line period cause they’d seen it too. Just keep it fresh, which is a good general thing to do in hip-hop anyways.



Personals are right in front of you. Anything the board in general would know about is fair game. Avatar, location, pics, RC’s chin, J-Nyce’s plastic glocks, or even a beef thread can be the basis. These can hit really hard long as its fresh to the board. It’s not so effective to just bring something up. Personals need to be coupled with a flipped concept.

based on that last match wit Prospekt?.. i'll pummel this "veteran"
cuz dood's been havin' trouble beatin' kids i have trouble rememberin'...
- Butler vs. Fracture (10/13/04)

Good luck trashin my rep. Clownin my skills. The style that I’m reppin
I’m really just waitin’ to hear him diss the crew that he tried to get in.
- Butler vs. Lieutenant (12/01/04)

your like 30! 'n never stepped in the booth
i mean,
u got clogged arteries.. who's blood flows better than you..
- Butler vs. Richard Corey (10/06/04)

Try to stay away from really discreet shit. People won’t know what you’re talking about, you’ll get pissed about it and end up explaining the punch, and that just makes the line look worse. Use your setup to tell what the personal is, then flip the personal with the next line. That way there’s no need to explain the punch, because it’s right there in the rhyme. Just make sure you don’t completely give away the punch before you throw it. You can easily avoid that by having a fresh flip.



Recalls take a phrase and double meaning off of it for two lines. Most end up being kind of a one-up thing, but with a bit of wordplay, they can be dope. It’s not my favorite method, but I’ve grown so accustomed to seeing them, they just played themselves out to me. Though *I’M* not real fond of them, other people might dig them and I am not the God of Hip-Hop, so I acknowledge their existence.

...Read the ranks. Circled over whichever rappers got doper.
only circle over Imp gon' be the flight pattern of vultures....
- Butler vs. Yung Impression (1/13/06)

Paper or plastic< Either way, understand im implyin a bag.
n when im finished...? dont matter. yall still gon' see Implyin a bag.
- Butler vs. Imperial (11/05/05)

Try to stay away from making it a one-up. Make sure the diss is clear and don’t stretch the double meaning too much. If it isn’t really creative, it’s going to take away from the verse. So on this one, I know I keep using the term, but on this one ESPECIALLY, it had BETTER BE fresh. These started in 2003 and every kid in the world threw them in a month. After that month, I really have despised anything that wasn’t just sick.

wizerd

Wordplay is a delicate thing. If it isn’t perfect it’s not usable; if it is perfect, AND original, it’s dope. This is more of a text-specific skill that would generally go unnoticed in audio, and it’s been abused. Anything that isn’t two words or so is played now, but a good wordplay punch is going to be #1 in the mag if a solid one got thrown that week. It comes in a two forms: homophones and word fusion. Homophones are pretty much picked to death now, so stay away from them. Word fusion combines two or more words into one English-defined word, and then relates both sides of the pun.

i dont wanna sit thru ya garbage bars. it gets nothn but worse now.
cuz by the time Def enzyme gonna hav mine breakn his verse down.
- Butler vs. Pharoah Def (11/12/05)

Courts adjourned. Your wack. n I hault weak text.
so whetever bullshit u trial wind up in a short recess...
- Butler vs. Twisted Flowa (09/17/05)

The props u get for ya corny wordplay? John won't be gettin here
cuz the Globe's divided by Terror. An all i see in Hemisphere.
- Butler vs. John Hensley (12/15/04)

I’m lethal, hangin Scientz spread eagle…
Cause Titanic’s the sixth sense, icy dead people…
- wizerd vs. Raw Scientz (04/03/02)

The biggest problem with wordplay is a lot of them are creative, but don’t really diss anything. Sometimes I still like them, but MAKE SURE it’s PERFECT. Stretched wordplay is the most annoying thing in text. Another thing, visual wordplay was deaded in 2002, don’t use it anymore… it was wack to begin with.



examples pulled from random quoted butler and yzeone battles or flex drops. some examples have been altered to achieve proper relevance. ©2006 blake rawlston. may not be removed from board without permission from author.

MurkinDem

Sweet post, ThankYou.

St Lizzle

wordness

I must say this post will really help me a lot. Thanx for the education, dawg

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