Facebook launches BARS, a TikTok-like app that lets aspiring rappers create and share their rap music

Facebook has unveiled BARS, its new experimental app that makes it possible for rappers to create and share their raps to professional beats. The new iOS app, which was developed by Facebook’s internal R&D group, the New Product Experimentation (NPE) Team,  is exclusively created “for aspiring rappers to create and share their art.”

In a statement, NPE said: “Today, BARS drops in the US App Store. Join the small community helping us build this by downloading the app, and joining the waitlist to try our closed beta test.”

BARS makes it easy to create and share raps, so rappers can focus on and experiment with the content, rather than investing heavily in equipment and production. Below is how the NPE team describes the app:

“Audio production tools can be complicated, expensive and difficult to use. With BARS, you can select one of our professionally-created beats, write lyrics and record yourself dropping bars. BARS auto-suggests rhymes as you’re writing to keep your flow going. You can also jump into Challenge mode and freestyle with auto-suggested word cues. Choose from a variety of audio and visual filters to take your creations to the next level.”

Facebook said that no formal rap experience required to use the app. BARS is Facebook’s response to TikTok as millennials flock to the Chinese video app to create, discover, and share new music. BARS looks like a TikTok clone. Its vertical feed, along with ‘Featured’ and ‘New’ tabs is similar to TikTok.