"I think I like her like a metaphor" - Lupe Fiasco

Metaphors are tools, and similes are like tools. Rappers often misidentify similes as metaphors, but what is clear is that when done well, skillful MCs can use both forms of figurative language to create vivid pictures in the minds of listeners. This little segment will illuminate such examples of skill.

I am going to get this segment jumped off with a set of bars from two different MCs.

The Gza is known for bringing words to life and his verse on The Jump Off from Wu Tang Clan's The W was no exception. A master at economy of words, he used just a few lines to convey his point through an extended metaphor. Read and listen to the verse in its entirety.

Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)- Wu Tang Clan (skip to 3:45)

Run on the track like Jesse Owens
Broke the record flowin, without any knowin
That my wordplay run the 400 meter relay
It's on once I grab the baton from the DJ
A athlete wit his iron cleat in the ground
Wireless nikka who sprint off the gun sound
The best time yet still 7.0
Swift flow made the cameramen clothes blow

In the opening line, The Gza sets the foundation for the verse by letting the listener know he is going to draw direct parallels between his voice on the track (beat) and Olympic legend Jesse Owens' prowess on the race track. One of the most interesting things about this particular comparison is that Gza's flow is everything but fast, however he makes it work by trying to connect the idea of high skills in both respective art forms.

The next MC that demonstrated effective use of an extended metaphor was Joe Budden. In an attempt to share his perspective on his situation with his then label, Def Jam, he turns to a sports analogy to help illuminate his point.

Joe Budden - Broken Wing ("Free"style)

Feel like A-Rod, some say his time's up
Boo a nikka at home, yup I'm in my prime But
he by far the best player on the team
And then turn around, drop 'em to the bottom of the lineup
Should get traded, but he don't wanna move
'Cause this the only city he got somethin' to prove
And that's why I'm seen with heaters
'Cause you can't be the man when you on the same team as Jeter Ya dig

Joe Budden, signed to Def Jam at the time , was frustrated with what he believed to be lackluster support and promotion of his projects on the label. Def Jam President Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, according to Joe, could and should have done more to support him because of Joe's talent and skill. Joe sees this the similarities in his situation with that of, at the time, newly acquired New York Yankee 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez. While Alex struggled mightily in the early stages of his time as a Yankee, team captain and favorite son Derek Jeter was showered with accolades while Rodriguez was pelted with boos. This, despite Rodriguez being a far superior player to Jeter. Clearly Joe feels as though Jay-Z is the Derek Jeter of the "team", more loved, but less skilled. Joe also seems to imply that Def Jam put him lower in the priority list as the Yankees lost faith in Rodriguez and "dropped him in the line-up" in their batting order. In the last line Budden delivers the most poignant comment of the verse where he acknowledges the uphill battle he faces in trying to become a big name on the same label as the biggest name.