I think the lyrics are most important but for nigerians its the rhythm that is anything danceable not minding what the person is really saying, like "Nigerian girls like koboko".

Pls help me ask dbanj what that means and a lot of other nonsense he says in his songs.  Wande coal has better words. Anyway he said it in his entertainer track that music does not have a language so anybody can wake up one day and say anything and yet people will buy.

What do you think?

Lyrics are precious to me.
A song remembered for his rhythm more than the lyrics on it has failed in ma opinion.
I want to remember a song for the lyrics it possess.
Gimme the lyrics without beats(acapella) and i will still enjoy it.

Omo rythm first, thats wat attracts people to ur lyrics,

I was gonna say lyrics first but I have to say Rhythm first. . . because we tend to pay attention to the rhythm first then listen to what they are talking about!

Hiphop is music . . . not POETRY
Lyrics have to be there, but even IN your lyrics, rhythm must must be in control
That's what seperates MI from NL netcees

Yeah, your lines can look good on paper, but what happens when there's a beat??
That's a completely different story

Hiphop is not just a collection of bars . . . IT IS MUSIC
I'm not saying there's an excuse to drop crap lyrics on an upbeat rhythm and say u're rapping

its 50-50,

none is more important.

I was reading an interview on Jay-Z's Kingdome Come
The interviewer askd hime if he got any better in his career, he said sumn

“I don’t know if I’ve gotten better," he said. "I think that I’ve definitely gotten more rounded, what interests me now is finding the “nooks and crannies” of a beat.''
And when he wants to make a point, he deliberately interrupts his flow, adding pauses and unexpected changes in meter, forcing people to pay attention to the words instead of letting them glide by.

This is coming from sumone many people believe is the greatest rapper alive.

THe ability to do sumn special with any beat you're presented with is what separates the Tupac and Jay-Zs of this world from Cannibus and them lot
It's not enough to just pour your lines on the beat
Nah . . . it's about the flow, blending with the beat

As people always points out, RAP is Rythmically Applied Poetry
If you're just going to give us punchlines and unstringed bars, I might as well holla at my NL netcees

The application of rhythm and beat compactability is the only thing that gives hiphop artistes the right to call themselves musicians
That was Jay-Z reply to Noel Gallagher when the punk implied that hiphop isn't music

Jeez eldee and rap

@topic
I'm attracted to the rhythm first before lyrics. But lyrics' very important. It shows creativity and allows me get into the mind of the artiste, and if he or she is worth listening to the next time.

The Rhythm has to capture me to get me to hear the lyrics. If the beat is not good, I refuse to tolerate the awful sounds for the benefit of lyrics that could sound better.

Rhythm innit.

Most of those Makossa tunes, most Nigerians dont understand what they saying. But as soon as the beat is dropped, straight to the dancefloor

@ Topic

It essentially depends on the genre of music for moi. . . . .

for some its the rhythm. . .and then most i say its the lyrics. . .i pay close attention most of the time. . .

THIS IS BULLSHIT, WE ACTING LIKE WE TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE WORLD, PLSSS BE SPECIFIC;;;;CAUSE IF WE YANNING ABOUT NAIJAZZZ, ITS SIMPLY ABOUT THE DAMN BEAT AND THE CHORUS PEEPS CAN BITE TO, THEM NO SEND ABOUT UR FUCCKING WORDS, BUT IF WE WANNA GET TO THE POINT ITS, THE RYTHMZ, and ELDEE go to sleep stop QUOTING INTRVWSS, JAYZ IS A STR8 UP COCAINE HEAD, SO HE FREAKS THE BEAT ANYWAY HE WANTS TO

TOYOSI20:

@ Topic

It essentially depends on the genre of music for moi. . . . .

for some its the rhythm. . .and them most i say the lyrics. . .i pay close attention most of the time. . .

true talk
i would say it is so for me too

For those of you that say lyrics are more important . . . are you bleeping having a laugh??
Even outside hiphop, one of the most recognisable set of lines Naija music gave us in 2008:

Don't know bout you but I'm handsome
All the chics wanna hold me to ransome
Hmmn . . . African Michael Jackson

This is more famous for what his delivery sways with the beat than for the lyrics itself.

Did you notice how everyone goes 'yeah, the rhythm captivates me . . . but'??
It's a nobrainer, the first reason for listening to music is the rhythm. Tell me one good song that doesn't have rhythm and I'll show u someone that has no business in music.

@Shaz
Hope you know I'm not talking bout just the beats here??
Cos I have this strange feeling that everyone thinks I'm this 'nod your head, shake your booty' bloke
The beats . . . that's the prodcers artwork, rhythm is from the artiste

Rhythm involves metre length, rhyming, delivery, and most importantly, the ability to make the beat work for you
Even good acapella freestyle verses have rhythm. The one at the end of Nas' - Made You Look is a good example
Biggie's rhythm was what played a major part in making him the greatest of all time, not his lyrics. Eminem thrives on rhythm, listen to 8-mile.

P.S Believe me, your playlist won't shock me, holla at me when you start having a mixture of Saul Williams, Nas, Simply Andy, Mozart, Oasis, Shiihan and Flame in just one playlist, then I'll invite you to filesharing.

v@@@ all abegi leave it there, rythm is really all its about, but the lyrics matter, nooooooooo moooreeeeeee postttttttt

It is important to differentiate between the rhythm of a beat and the rhythm of a flow.

That a beat has a good rhythm says nothing about the rapper, rather it says more about the producer.

However, the rhythm of the flow is more important than the lyrics. Big Pun is better than Canibus anyday, but Canibus got more lyrics.

The best rhythymist is HipHop are the likes of Saigon, Crooked I, Jadakiss, (old) Jay Z etc. Combine these artists rhythm with their penchant for dope lyrics and that is what makes them great emcees.

If Rhythm is that important. . . . .Why not listen to instrumentals strictly and forget about the lyrics??

If the rhythm is superb, it is down to the beatmaker/producer(this is why Dr. Dre/Timbaland and Swizz Beats make their money).
The lyrics is about the artiste. . . . . .His philosophy, his sanctum, his poetry and his state of mind.
Lyrics everyday of the week.

~Sauron~:

If Rhythm is that important. . . . .Why not listen to instrumentals strictly and forget about the lyrics??

If the rhythm is superb, it is down to the beatmaker/producer(this is why Dr. Dre/Timbaland and Swizz Beats make their money).
The lyrics is about the artiste. . . . . .His philosophy, his sanctum, his poetry and his state of mind.
Lyrics everyday of the week.

Of course We do. .

Bloody hell, how did this become a rap thread?

Eldee, you took the whole darn words outta ma mouth keyboard.

You've said all I wanna say. It's not good enough to just pen your lines on paper for all to see (how're we even sure you did not copy them from somewhere). I might sound harsh but I got no respect for so-called MCs who only pen their lines and don't spit 'em. Tell me how poetry, prose or even ghostwriting are supposed to be different from this? Of what use is your great-lyrics-but-written-only kind of rap when we have Shakespeare et al? I've read some really poorly constructed lines in the Rap Battle Thread (though with fine lyrics) that made my stomach turn. If it's all about lyrics only, I'd rather read what folks like Shakespeare write . . .

I don't care how good your lyrics are if I can only read and not hear them. And by "hearing" 'em, I mean they must sound pleasant to ma ears. Of what use is the beat if you cannot ride smoothly over it? I have a penchant for good lyrics but being a great lyricist ain't enough. Let's listen to your flows, your delivery, your rhythm.

Some artistes like Eminem and Biggie are not reverred for what they say but for how they say what they say. Tell me it's only lyrics that made stars out of Pac and Nas. Listen to Michael Jackson and tell me what you can make of his lyrics? Even poems ought to have a rhythm. How much more music? Have you ever listened to some nicely constructed poems being recited? It's like what a cold squashed drink does to a thirsty soul. And if it's Rap, forget it if you've got no rhythm. Artistes like Canibus as someone noted earlier are good on lyrics but he's not acclaimed cos his delivery is poor.

There's an artiste in Nigeria called Sage Hasson. He recites what he calls spoken words/poetry over beats. Great lyrics. But go cop his album, listen to it and come back to tell me he's a rapper . . .

The delivery of a message is as important as the message itself.

Music MUST NOT be lacking in refreshing lyrics though. I agree with the OP who said some Nigerian artistes just say rubbish. Zero lyrics and all rhythm is very disturbing and it's becoming the trend in Nigeria.

So - which is more important . . . Lyrics or Rhythm?

None. It's a tie for me.

hmmmmm . . . . . what a write up
but at the end NEUTRAL!!

Yep I agree it's neutral. But I had to kick off with the "Lyrics are not the all in all" angle cos of some of the arguments being put forward by the Pro-Lyrics proponents. My "write up" would have been more direct but I had to deal with that first

I love good lyrics but none should be put above the other. They're both important.

@Sauron
One thing about arguing . . . READ OTHER PPLE'S POSTS!!!
Did you miss the part where I highlighted (and Ibime reaffirmed) that the rhythm is not bout the beats??

Anyways, Bamsyle just posted what was meant to be my comeback argument . . .
Ever wondered why it's called 'hip-hop'??
Ever wondered why we buy CDs and download I-tunes instead of just going to azlyrics.com??

I will post Canibus' lines from Beasts From The East here, bring Em's lines and tell me who's better on paper

uhmm bamsyle and eldee keep it up
am enjoying the arguments
talk about words like
comeback argument . .
Pro-Lyrics proponents
"write up"

hey guys you see this issue of lyrics and rhythem as for me i believe if you have good lyrics as in content you will like to have a good rhythem that is to say that lyrics attracts rhythem and that is why i like hip hop with hip hop you will get the best lyrics to make good rhythem watch out for me with my own kinda music hip hop kid DA RAP KID ( BOW-M)

eldee:

I will post Canibus' lines from Beasts From The East here, bring Em's lines and tell me who's better on paper

Please do that and i will tell you Canibus whups anyone with his pin-point delivery.
How can anyone say Bis' delivery is not on point. . . . . The fact that majority of hip-hop listeners are illiterate does not make Canibus wack.
He is not your average rapper who talks about Hublot watches, Moet, Caviar and  Women. . . .so 50 cent might prolly sound better than him in that respect cos garbage reigns supreme these days. If not, how did Weezy rise to the top of of the echelon??

If anyone chooses rhythm over lyrics is because he/she has a poor listening skill.
It is easy to understand the rhythm but some words are thrown on rap lyrics and only a sane educated mind can grab what was being said instantly.
Rhythm is overrated to me and i do enjoy acapellas more than instrumentals.
If u have good rhythm and you spew nonsense lyrics. . . . .Who would buy your album??
Eedris has rhythm of flow. . . . .How many of his albums have u copped?

1. We loved & recieved Awilo Logomba's music without having a clue of what he was talking about, the magic is in the rythm

2. Non- Yorubas use their hard earned money to buy 9ice's album without understanding what he says, the pull is in the rythm

3. What separates preaching from music, its the rythm

4. Poetry/Lyrics--------------------- Music/Rythm