Article: This is one of the best ways to learn rapping technique. Take your favorite songs and learn them forwards and backward. Then rewrite the rap, using the same rhyme scheme but with your own verses. This is how mixtapes first became popular, with rappers like Curren$y and 50 Cent taking popular songs, flipping them, and making them their own. Even if you never share the song, this is a great way to learn rap techniques naturally. Rap is poetry -- using words, sounds, and rhymes to create beautiful art and ideas. As such, it is no surprise that the best rappers have taken inspiration from the best poets. Eminem, for example, famously used Shakespearean meter and rhyme in many of his famous songs. Other examples include: Alliteration/Assonance: Words with similar sounds that are placed close together, like "Two tip-top teachers" or "apple attitudes." Listen to Joey Bada$$'s "Waves" for a great example. Simile/Metaphor: Closely connected, this is when writers compare two objects that aren't usually alike to make a point. For example -- "I put the metal to his chest like Robocop" works on multiple levels, bullets are made of metal, Robocop's chest is covered in metal armor, and the biggest target when shooting someone is their chest. This is a much more poetic way to imply "I might shoot him." Refrain: A line that is repeated at various points for emphasis. The more you hear the line, the more it changes, evolves, and gains power. For a master class in how to use a refrain, see Kendrick Lamar's "The Blacker the Berry." Anaphora: When the first half of a line repeats, but the rest of the line changes, like in Eminem's "If I Had" where ever line begins with "Tired of...." This is a great way to show how difficult, constant, or trying something may be, or overwhelm the listener intentionally. Great imagery puts visuals behind the listeners' eyes, engaging multiple senses to create complex, engaging raps. The best rappers all conjure images up in your mind, telling stories and making their lyrics come alive. To do this, focus on being specific-- use adjectives and adverbs to make the images your own. This doesn't have to be purely visual imagery. Action Bronson uses foods and scents in his raps to give them an entirely new dimension. The kings of imagery, Andre 3000, Ghostface Killah, Eminem, etc. are often those rappers that gain the greatest followings. Good lines become great lines with good flow. Flow is how you deliver the words in relation to the beat. Are you slow, holding back, or are you attacking the beat with speed and intensity. Do you waver up and down, picking up and slowing down depending on the line? Flow takes practice and patience, so put a beat on and practice. You don't have to have the same flow throughout the whole song. Nas's incredibly "NY State of Mind" flows like a great jazz solo -- stopping, starting, pausing and pushing forward around the incredible rhymes. Much like a burgeoning writer needs to study the best poets, a growing rapper needs to read to the best. Reading a rap lets you see it on the page, much like the rapper when they wrote the lyrics. This will help you comprehend rhyme schemes and little tricks. Sites like RapGenius, for example, even have annotated lyrics that explain metaphors, rhymes, and references. Listen to what you enjoy, but a small selection of essential verses (in addition to the other songs referenced in the article) to start with includes: AZ's, first verse on "Life's a B---", off of Nas's album Illmatic. Notorious B.I.G, "Notorious Thugs." Black Thought, "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction). Rakim on "As the Rhyme Goes On," on Paid in Full. Kendrick Lamar, "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst." Lupe Fiasco, "Murals." Eminem, "Lose Yourself."
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Practice rewriting your favorite raps. Learn poetic techniques to up your game. Use specific imagery in your lyrics. Work on the flow, or delivery, of your lines so that they work together to tell your story. Read the great rappers for inspiration.

Buying local can help curb animal cruelty. Animals raised on local farms were likely subjected to more ethical conditions than animals on factory farms. If you can find a local farmer's market or grocery store, make that your first option when it comes to grocery shopping. Locally raised meat is usually free from the antibiotics and growth hormones animals are force fed at factories. Animals raised on an organic diet are significantly healthier than factory raised animals. In factory farms, animals are kept in tight pens and cannot move more than a few feet. Local farms usually allow animals to be free range, meaning they can spend more time outside and are not confined to pens. When you buy meat, eggs, or cheese from a local farm, your money goes straight to supporting that farm. At a grocery store, you are more likely to be supporting a multinational food conglomerate than individual farmers. Allowing these farms the money they need to sustain themselves gives happy homes to a variety of animals. If farmer's markets aren't available in your area, try to find a grocery store that supports local markets and adheres to ethical guidelines when it comes to the buying and selling of meat. Whole Foods, one of the biggest grocery shopping chains, buys from local markets and only stock meat products purchased from farmers that meet strict standards for animal welfare. Earth Fare, similar to Whole Foods, follows strict ethical standards when it comes to the animal products bought and sold. If you look around, you might find a local grocery store in your area that buys local. Learn to hunt deer for venison. Deer meat is very beneficial for human consumption, and animals that are hunted in their natural habitat have lived much happier and healthier lives. Many people believe the best way to curb animals cruelty is by not eating meat or by not eating animals products at all. This is called vegetarianism/veganism and if you are dedicated to the cause it's something you can consider. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, and poultry. It's possible to meet all nutritional needs while maintaining a vegetarian diet. Vegetarians find alternative sources of protein in beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, tempeh, and peas. Vegans, in addition to not eating meat, do not eat anything with animal byproducts. This includes dairy and honey. Vegans can easily meet protein requirements as almost all foods have some protein. Chickpeas, tofu, peas, peanut butter, almonds, and other nuts are great sources of protein on a vegan diet. The vitamin B12, often found in meats and other animal-based products, is very important to maintain a healthy diet. Vegetarians and vegans can find B12 in soy meats, some cereals, soy milk, and nutritional yeast. You can also talk to your doctor about B12 supplements. You don't always know what you're getting eating out, and by cooking your own meals at home you can assure yourself you're eating ethically. Use food you bought locally, or food that contains no hidden animals products. If you eat meat, buy locally raised grass-fed meat from local markets. By making meals at home, you can make sure the products you're using are cruelty free. Even when eating vegetarian options at restaurants, you never know what hidden animals products could be used in the food. In addition to reducing animal cruelty, eating at home is also better for your health as your food is generally lower in calories and less stocked with hidden sugars and fats.
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One-sentence summary --
Buy from local farmer's markets. Shop from ethical grocery stores. Go vegetarian or vegan. Make your meals at home.