i know what bars are in music.

but you always here rappers saying i got him to spit a 16 bar verse, by that do they mean:

this: = 1 bar? or two?

i am a cat
blah blah bat

In poetry there is something called a "meter" which is similar to a bar in music. Fashions in poetry have changed but there are some common forms such as iambic pentameters, the sonnet and quatrains.

I don't know if that answers your questions but if you search the Internet for information on some of the above terms you might find better explanations.

In poetry there is something called a "meter" which is similar to a bar in music. Fashions in poetry have changed but there are some common forms such as iambic pentameters, the sonnet and quatrains.

I don't know if that answers your questions but if you search the Internet for information on some of the above terms you might find better explanations.

A sonnet, and a quatrain refer to the number of lines in a poem, (albeit, using a meter). A sonnet has 14 lines, and a quatrain 4 lines. They have nothing to do with the meter at all.

The meter defines how the long and short vowel sounds of each word fits together in poetry, which was especially important in Greek and Latin poetry and plays, as the length of the vowel could change the meaning of the word, let alone the sentence .......

To be honest though, I have absolutely no idea what rappers may be on about with what you mention there, but then again, I'm only a drummer .......

16 bar verse

That would mean that they have got 16 bars of music to rap over I imagine