If I Can Memorize a Verse, I Can Memorize the Law
February 22, 2026
When I was in law school, I didn’t just study cases. I studied bars.
And I don’t think people realize how much that saved me.
I’ve been writing raps since I was a kid. Before the law license. Before the suits. Before the “esq.” 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 AIN’T HAVE MORE TO SAY !
Law school didn’t change that.
It sharpened it.
Repetition Is a Superpower
When you write a verse, you don’t 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.
Over and over again.
You’re not just memorizing words. You’re memorizing patterns.
That’s exactly how I studied.
I would read a case brief like I was studying a hook.
Facts. Issue. Rule.Analysis.Conclusion.
I’d say it out loud.
I’d break it into rhythm.
I’d 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.
Flow Helped Me Think
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 couldn’t I memorize the elements of negligence?
If I could understand layered metaphors in a Nas record, why couldn’t I break down a Supreme Court opinion?
That was my philosophy:
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?
What’s the double entendre?
What’s the underlying message?
That’s legal analysis.
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 doesn’t land, you know instantly.
Same pressure.
Different stage.
The Bible Verse Challenge
And this didn’t start in law school. It started in my grandma’s living room.
She used to get on us all the time.
“If y’all can memorize all them raps, you can memorize a Bible verse.”
And she was right. So we did.
Me and my brother didn’t just memorize a couple verses.
We memorized books. Chapters. Stories.
We ended up winning Bible trivia competitions across Michigan.
Same principle.
Repetition.
Pattern.
Recitation.
Understanding.
You don’t just memorize to repeat. You memorize to internalize.
Discipline Is Transferable
People think creativity and discipline are opposites.
They’re not.
Writing raps taught me:
• How to sit with something until it’s sharp
• How to revise without ego
• How to rehearse until it’s automatic
• How to perform under pressure
Law school demanded:
• Precision
• Endurance
• Analytical clarity
• Confidence under questioning
The bridge between both?
Repetition with intention.
The Real Lesson
The biggest lie is that your passions distract you from your purpose.
For me, rap didn’t distract me from law school.
It trained me for it.
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.
Different arena.
Same engine.
And to this day, that mindset hasn’t 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 don’t 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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