Ad-Libs: Hip Hop's Cherry on Top

Unforgettable rhymes that make your face go sour, samples that are perfectly chopped and screwed, and producer tags stamped to the intro of songs that more people recognize than the songs themselves—these are just some characteristics that make hip-hop an art form unlike any other. But sometimes, it’s the little things that count.

Ad-libs, also known as words delivered spontaneously in speech, are the cherry on top. Born out of feeling intense rhythm, they beat and fill the flow of the music we’re bumping today. There’s no way to discuss ad-libs without discussing Migos. Hearing “Bad and Boujee” for the first time in 2016, you could tell there was a shift in mainstream hip-hop and rap. Trap had existed before Migos, and was popular in the South, but it was different from the hip-hop I grew up listening to. A triplet flow over a Metro Boomin beat accompanied by what sounds like a hype man in the back of Offset’s first verse makes you want to bounce. There wasn’t a single person in my high school who didn’t know the first verse at least, and that included the ad-libs: Drip, drop-top, cookie, thot, pot, hey—impossible to read without filling the gaps.

Amongst the “Ad-Lib Hall of Famers” is no one other than Travis Scott. Even if you don’t fancy the autotune mogul, you’ll know when he comes on based solely on his ad-libs—Straight up! It’s lit! Alright!, and my personal favorite: pop it. Scott’s music is usually high energy and encompasses his “rager” brand. Niklas Walker ‘23 cites “HOUSTONFORNICATION” as one of his favorite songs that exemplifies exactly why Scott’s ad-libs elevate his music. “When this song comes on it’s one of the only songs where I feel the need to sing the ad-libs. It almost feels like punctuation, it keeps the energy up. Songs without them can sound empty. It fills the sonics and audio space, it keeps the momentum,” he says. In comparison, the Pharrell-engineered, more mellow “Down In Atlanta,” Scott’s most recent single, is described by Walker as lacking that same kick.

For Hadera McKay ‘24, Portland rapper Aminé has some of the most ear-catching and unique ad-libs. “Red Mercedes,” “BLACKJACK,” and “Mad Funny Freestyle” are the songs that come to mind when she thinks about examples of Aminé’s finest ad-lib work. True and hey! seem to be his go-to additives when rapping. “He just has a really playful, high-pitched voice,” she says. “Being influenced by André 3000 comes out the most in how experimental his beats and ad-libs are.” Songs like “ATLiens” by Outkast show where that influence lies for Aminé because of the pronunciation of words like air, care, and oh yeah. Aminé, made famous by his hit “Caroline” in 2016, has squeaky background additions to the song that McKay mentions make it fun to sing along to—and when it’s played, everybody in the room sings along to it because of those animated inflections. So next time you’re listening to these embellishments, ask yourself, would the song still be the same without it?

Your MagazineMarch 9, 2023