Lyrically , one of the important premises in hip-hop is what I like to call creative comparison . It is a base of any hip-hop type, tone, style, or whatever. If you know about hip-hop, then you know how tight it is to hear a clever analogy, one that hits the mind quickly or one that needs to be pondered, one that makes you laugh or one that makes you think. The mark of a good track or album is that no matter how many times you listen to it, you can still pick out thought-provoking analogies that were there all along but that you never caught before. Follow the paragraph-beginning link to see examples.
Battles are another important premise in hip-hop.
And, sometimes, if they do think about it, what you'll be forced to do to them. Not strong, only aggressive. Not free, we only licensed. Not compassionate, only polite. Not good, but well-behaved.