No one knows exactly how to teach the "technology" that Noname and her crew are equipped with. There are a handful of free resources, but they don't entirely offer a lesson plan. We're here to help you out with that! A few things before we start: this is NOT a guide because this is not meant as an instructional video on how to teach into the wild world of hip hop. In other words, it's not gonna be easy and it's not going to be fast. You're going to have to put in your time and effort if you want your students' technology skills up there with theirs! Just remember that everyone has their strengths, so do what works for you.
What's Thundercat Technology?
Thundercat Technology is just what the name suggests: a type of rhythm that goes from slow-tempo to fast-tempo and back to slow again. It's not exactly like the music you hear on commercial radio or anything but it does have a lot of similarities. For the most part, it has fewer beats (beats are short sections at a time) but more or less everything else has stayed the same.
Okay, so what's a beat? How do you make one?
A beat is a rhythmically arranged pattern of sounds. To create your favorite Thundercat or Flying Lotus beat, you've got to start with a drum pattern. You'll want to take (generally) 16 bars to play an 8-count/rest pattern that loops around in groups of 4. From there you can add in other drum sounds on top; snares, hi-hats, kicks, etc.
How do I teach it?
It is impossible to teach someone how to be good at rapping without being directly in front of them. This is a list of resources that can help you build off of rapping skills that you've developed on your own, which will hopefully help you grow into the MC your students aspire to be. We recommend not only using the numerous YouTube tutorials but also checking out the websites and blogs listed below.
What's so important about "Thundercat Technology"?
The most important thing about it is how it's made. Hip-hop music is an expression of rhythm and sounds, and that's what makes it unique. It has a very specific beat pattern that can be replicated, but the message behind the music is what connects with its listeners in a way that few other forms of media can say they do.
You said you have a handful of resources available to you. Can you list them?
Sure! Here are some YouTube tutorials we've found useful for learning this style. For the majority of these, you'll want to listen, pause, and repeat until you get it right!
Before We Get Started: A Word About Practice
We recommend squishing in time wherever you can. If you have a few hours every night that you have access to—do it! If not, find a place where you will be able to do it on your own time. It's what they'll be listening to on the bus or in their headphones so they do need to be proficient at this type of rapping. It may take longer than what we've listed above, but the results will speak for themselves when they're done.
I'm ready to teach my students how to rap, where do I start?
The first thing we recommend is giving your students a few resources and examples of rappers they can listen to while they practice. There are artists ranging from Jay Z to Kendrick Lamar that use this type of rhythm. They should be familiar with the style before you even get started. Also, note that there isn't just one way to get this done—we're providing recommendations but it's important for you to know what works for you and your students.
Conclusion
We hope this guide helps with your teaching practice. As we mentioned earlier, practicing is the best way to get results and to make sure you're not making errors when you actually teach. We've built a list of teachers in our list of resources who can help with this and there's an amazing culture of teaching online that you can join at The Message Board if you need more teachers. If you want to learn more about Thundercat Technology, check out our sister site Thundercat Tech.
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