revelations...

It's funny because starting out as an MC, you just learn how to rhyme. You learn that bat rhymes with cat. And then you start to figure out patterns of words thats begin to flow as you recite them. That: track was shit, practice this, rap is sick... etc. But still, at this point content is not involved. Then, you enter the battle scene and learn about punchlines and metaphors. Punchlines teach you about how to make 2 thoughts connect through 1 statement. "I kick it so hot, I burn forest fires in my Timberlands!". Likewise, you take that same concept and put it to your written pieces except this time you're not trying to damage the opponent. You're trying to connect with the audience. At this point it's a matter of imagery and the 5 senses, and this is as far as most MC's get. A lot of them stay at the point of cute one liners; a lot of them stick to a select few quotables. But this is the point that determines greats... Creating the whole song as a metaphor. Yeah, the whole fucking song is a quotable. Let's look at it like this:

Hotel California is a dope ass song. It's not really about a hotel... in California. No - it's about depression and shit like that. But the fact is, it retains the metaphors, the images and devices used to make a good SONG, but it's the way the CONCEPT is portrayed that makes it dope. Now take my song, Changing of the Seasons. Taken at face value, it makes no fucking sense. But, if you read into it, listen to it and understand it... maybe you can see the dope.

And that's why I'm the best right now. Fuck Weezy.

But FURTHER elevation is realizing that life itself is a metaphor. I can write all of the dope ass songs I want; I can write 2394842943 songs comparable to Hotel California. No matter what, ultimate elevation is when realizing that your actions, your life, will always speak louder than the beats you rhyme on.
Peace.