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If you have ever watched a rapper, you
will see that his hands are constantly
on the move. Today we will discuss the
different hand moves.

Hand Move #1 – The Mos Def Wave

This is a simple classic that’s been
used by everyone from Tupac to Big Boi
to Mos Def. It’s a versatile move,
perfect for park bench freestyles
and battles.

The arm is lowered but bent at the
elbow so that the hand is shoulder
height. Your fingers should be extended
and pressed together almost like a
Miss America wave.

Now angle your arm down a little so you
don’t look too much like Miss America
and shake at the elbow. Works well with
a corresponding head shake.

The best emcees add varation by
throwing in other moves or by angling
their hand farther down. You can flip
this one horizontal, almost like you’re
scratching a record. It’s all about the
rhythm.

Hand Move #2 – The Slim Shady Chop

Eminem is an emcee who doesn’t do too
many fancy hand gestures. While his
lyrics are complex his hand motions
are simple. He holds it down with some
basic moves, often rapping with one arm
extended far in front of him.

He varies it up by throwing his arm in
the air, dropping it to his side,
swinging it back and forth or doing
other moves, but his basic move keeps
his arm far out in front.

To do it, extend your arm in front
of you so that your elbow is bent
just slightly. Your hand can be
pointing or with your fingers all flat.
Now you have two basic moves. One is a
vertical chop, up and down on the beat.

The other is to twist your hand
in front of your chest and either do
something close to the Ninja Star or
just throw it back out again quickly.

Because the motions are so dramatic and
exaggerated, this one’s good for big
jams or battles. I like going from this
one into a full arm version of the Mos
Def Wave and then back.

http://www.FreestyleMethod.com

Hand Move #3 – The Ninja Star

This is a simple classic that works
for diverse styles, but especially
for laid-back flows.

Drop your right arm to your side.
Turn your palm up towards your face,
and open it as if you were about to
pitch a softball.

Curl your pinky and ring fingers
in to your palm, but keep your middle
finger, index finger and thumb
extended.

As you spit, wag it back and forth.
Some rappers keep their arm low, close
to their hip, while others bring it up
and extend it away from their body.

The idea is that as you’re flowing,
you kind of look like you’re tossing
off ninja stars like that old Sega
arcade game Shinobi.

Hand Move #4 – Tonedeff Fast-Finger Piano-Playa

Tonedeff is an emcee with an absurdly
fast flow. He uses lots of unique hand
gestures and adds lots of variation to
match his wild, quick flow. One of his
standards is the Fast-Finger Piano-Playa.

Your hand should be in the same position
as with the Kweli Finger Wag, with your
elbow bent and your hand extended.

Instead of wagging, though, make the palm
of your hand face the ground (or face
front), and now bob your fingers up and
down individually.

Do this very quickly, as though you were
playing a piano while riding a horse.
This works best if you shake your hand
back and forth sometimes, but then
sometimes lift it up and down to the
rhythm of your lyrics.

This is a really unique move that
might not work for you, but it just
shows that good hand gestures are as
unique as the emcees who use them.

For more tips on how to freestyle rap
better, order my “Freestyle Method”
course.

http://www.FreestyleMethod.com

Take care,

Mike Min
FreestyleMethod.com

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