If I Can Memorize a Verse, I Can Memorize the Law
If I Can Memorize a Verse, I Can Memorize the Law
When I was in law school, I didnāt just study cases. I studied bars.
And I donāt think people realize how much that saved me.
Iāve been writing raps since I was a kid. Before the law license. Before the suits. Before the āesq.ā at the end of my name. I was writing verses in notebooks, memorizing them, performing them out loud, refining flows until every syllable landed exactly where I wanted it.
WROTE RAPS IN SCHOOL MY TEACHER USED TO CONFISCATE, STEAL MY WORDS LIKE I AINāT HAVE MORE TO SAY !
Law school didnāt change that.
Repetition Is a Superpower
When you write a verse, you donāt just write it once.
You read it.
You tweak it.
You say it out loud.
You change the cadence.
You rehearse it walking.
You rehearse it driving.
You rehearse it in the mirror.
Youāre not just memorizing words. Youāre memorizing patterns.
Thatās exactly how I studied.
I would read a case brief like I was studying a hook.
Facts. Issue. Rule.Analysis.Conclusion.
Iād break it into rhythm.
Iād chunk it into patterns.
The same way you break a 16 into 4-bar segments.
The law started sticking the same way a verse sticks.
A lot of people treat memorization like a chore.
But memorization through flow is different.
When you pattern something rhythmically, your brain stops fighting it.
If I could memorize a 16-bar verse with internal rhymes and double meanings, why couldnāt I memorize the elements of negligence?
If I could understand layered metaphors in a Nas record, why couldnāt I break down a Supreme Court opinion?
If I can memorize a verse, I can memorize the law.
If I can break down lyrics, I can break down legal doctrine.
The same muscle. Different content.
Breaking Down Bars = Breaking Down Cases
When you analyze a rap lyric, you ask:
What does that mean?
Why did he choose that word?
Whatās the double entendre?
Whatās the underlying message?
When you read a case, you ask:
Why did the court choose this reasoning?
What principle are they protecting?
What precedent are they leaning on?
What are they really saying beneath the surface?
Law school rewards pattern recognition.
Rap trains pattern recognition.
Law school rewards clarity.
Rap punishes confusion immediately.
If your verse doesnāt land, you know instantly.
Same pressure.
Different stage.
The Bible Verse Challenge
And this didnāt start in law school. It started in my grandmaās living room.
She used to get on us all the time.
āIf yāall can memorize all them raps, you can memorize a Bible verse.ā
And she was right. So we did.
Me and my brother didnāt just memorize a couple verses.
We memorized books. Chapters. Stories.
We ended up winning Bible trivia competitions across Michigan.
Repetition.
Pattern.
Recitation.
Understanding.
You donāt just memorize to repeat. You memorize to internalize.
Discipline Is Transferable
People think creativity and discipline are opposites.
ā¢ How to sit with something until itās sharp
ā¢ How to revise without ego
ā¢ How to rehearse until itās automatic
ā¢ How to perform under pressure
ā¢ Precision
ā¢ Endurance
ā¢ Analytical clarity
ā¢ Confidence under questioning
Repetition with intention.
The biggest lie is that your passions distract you from your purpose.
For me, rap didnāt distract me from law school.
When I was outlining for finals, I was structuring arguments like verses.
When I was cold-called in class, I was performing like it was open mic.
When I was preparing for exams, I was rehearsing like a studio session.
And to this day, that mindset hasnāt left me.
If I can understand a verse, I can understand a statute.
If I can memorize 16 bars, I can memorize doctrine.
If I can break down a beat, I can break down a brief.
You donāt have to separate your worlds. Sometimes the thing people think is a hobby is actually your training ground.
Mine just happened to rhyme.
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