noun Music Slang

Bars

/bɑːz/ · noun · slang

Lyrics, especially clever or hard-hitting ones — 'he's got bars.'

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Definitions

1

As an exclamation, 'bars!' shouted to celebrate an especially good line.

“He hit that punchline and the whole room went 'bars!'”
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2

Technically, a 'bar' is one measure of music, so 'spit sixteen bars' means a standard verse length.

“He laid down a clean sixteen bars on the beat.”
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3

Rap lyrics, particularly skilful ones full of wordplay. 'He's got bars' means he's a genuinely good lyricist.

“The whole verse is bars, every line lands.”
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Bars In A Sentence

No hook, no chorus, just pure bars for three minutes.
She spits real bars, not just catchy filler.
That line was bars, had to rewind it twice.

Origin & Usage

From the musical 'bar' (one measure), generalised in hip-hop to mean lyrics, then to mean good lyrics specifically. Heavily used in both US and UK rap, central to grime and drill.

Variants a bargot barssixteen barsbarz
Tags #uk#american#hip-hop#aave

People Also Ask

What does bars mean in rap?

It means lyrics, especially clever ones. Saying someone 'has bars' is praising them as a skilled lyricist.

Why are lyrics called bars?

A bar is one measure of music, so a verse is counted in bars. The word then came to stand for the lyrics themselves.

What does 'spit sixteen bars' mean?

It means rap a standard-length verse, which is typically sixteen bars long. It's a common way to describe a verse.

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