Ransom Speaks on Rap Being a Skill and Not a Talent

[FreshAIG]

You can to a degree, but talent determines how far you can take it, always levels.

I agree with there needing to be a base level

 

[FreshAIG]

I've seen nikkas practice day and night and still not be better than nikkas who just naturally had it. Anything can be taught. Basketball was a great example actually. U can teach basketball from when someone is a kid and they still won't be NBA ready. It's like the mantra that hard work takes u further than talent. Thats the absolute truth. But hard work mixed with talent is how u get GOATS.

Reason basketball doesn’t work is because there are physical limitations for the large majority of humans whether it be height or health condition that will prevent them from ever being good at it. Some people just are born with physical limits. Unlike rap, which, unless you have a mental disorder, you can pretty much continuously work and improve on until you die.

I do agree there needs to be some baseline of talent.

 

[nieman]

I think you can teach all of this honestly.

I don't think that you can. Most folks cannot simply grasp it, and it takes natural talent to incorporate what they learned into it. Think about this. In grade school, when everyone is taught the same skill set of writing, and lets say most put in the same amount of practice and classwork. Yet, most never become good or even capable writers. Art class, same thing. Music class, same thing. You can teach anyone to tell a joke, but can you teach anyone to tell a joke that warrants any type of response, let alone one that gets laughs. There'd be no ghostwriters/industry writers if those things could be taught.

Anything that is an art form can be taught, but there has to be a talent. Same for acting - Method Man and Common will never be Pac or Mos. Hell, even Cam showed natural acting ability in Paid in Full - way above what Chain Gang showed in those State Prop flicks.

Now, can anyone be a rapper? Yes. But you can teach all of the mechanics and they still won't get it, have it, or be able to use it.

Like @spliz said, you can teach someone all of the mechanics but it doesn't mean they will be able to utilize them, especially on their own. Writing in general takes a level of observation and understanding of words that most don't don't have.