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Rap music relies heavily on triple meters. When Eminem raps his fast, intricate verses, he is often stacking anapests. The two unstressed syllables act as a launchpad for the punchline on the stressed beat.

The anapest is a . You start low, scurry, and then leap. It mimics anxiety, excitement, and humor. anapesten

And once you learn to hear it, you will never unhear it. Let’s start with the technical definition, then move to the magic. Rap music relies heavily on triple meters

Wait. Let’s break it correctly. Actually, let’s look at it purely as anapests: The As--i-an came DOWN like the WOLF on the FOLD . The anapest is a

The classic example in English is the word "understand" (un-der-STAND). Another is "interrupt" (in-ter-RUPT). But the most famous example in literature comes from Lord Byron’s The Destruction of Sennacherib : The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; Scan that first line: The As--ian came down like the wolf on the fold .

And you will know you are in the presence of the most joyful, frantic, and unstoppable rhythm in the English language.

Most of us are familiar with the heavy, marching beat of the : "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM).