The forums created communities which provided their members with lively discussion, feedback, arenas for battles, places to collaborate, and lots of guidance on how to craft better lyrics according to the dominant aesthetics of that time.

The preferred format for showing off your skills was through text. Internet connections were not that good yet, our mobile phones didn’t have apps, and the computers were far from the powerful machines we have in front of us today. Basically, it was difficult and expensive to get a good set-up to record, and required learning a whole different set of skills.

Due to text being the dominant format for these communities, rhyme complexity was one of the most valued attributes. Work in some good metaphors, similes, and a structure that ‘flowed well’ when reading it, and you’d be the talk of the forum.

I spent years honing my skills there. The purpose was always to better myself as a rapper. After retiring from the mic, all that time spent writing helped me compose a thesis that went viral and launched my career.

I hardly rhyme nowadays, at least not intentionally. Yet the lessons remain. They help me appreciate well-crafted lyrics, because I will notice things I wasn’t even aware of before. So, in sharing these lessons, I hope you will not just level up your rhyme skills, and become a better writer in general, but also grow a deeper appreciation for complex lyrics.