Rapping

Rapping.  Though every artist can come at the same project with a completely different process, having a foundation to work from is useful if you're struggling to write your music. To write a rap song, follow these instructions:

Writing Your Own Rap Song

1. 
   
   Pick a topic for your song. Do you want to make a club record or address a subject of political or personal importance? Do you want to keep your tone positive or negative? Ideally, you should have a unique perspective or understanding to share with your audience.
2. 
   
   Brainstorm. Before setting anything to paper, allow yourself to free-associate (or even freestyle out loud) to get your creative juices flowing. Then, make a list of every concept, unique perspective, or potential lyric that popped into your head. Allow these to guide and inspire the content of your song as you move forward.
   • Let your ideas brew for a while. Carry a notepad around with you so that if you get a flash of inspiration while you’re on a bus, working out, buying groceries, etc., you can capture the moment and hopefully expand on it.
3. 
   Write the hook. If you were writing a term paper, you'd start with a thesis. But this is a rap song so start with a hook (a.k.a. chorus). The hook should not only capture the theme of the song, but, more importantly, be catchy and unique as well. A great hook will often inspire other elements of the song such as the beat or other lyrics, so don’t settle for something that doesn’t prompt any other ideas.
   • If you’re having trouble coming up with something out of the blue, riff off of or respond to a line you love from another rap song. Just don’t copy anything outright or you may find yourself in legal trouble.
4. 
   Pick a beat.  You can do this on your own computer or sound equipment (or even just by beatboxing for inspiration). If you don't make beats yourself, search for a beat on YouTube or download from the internet. Pick a beat that invokes the emotion that inspired you to write your song.
5. Write rap lyrics.   Choose points from your brainstorm list that inspire you and flesh them out. Of course, this is where your skills as a lyricist will show through.
6. Structure the song. Now that you have a good idea of the sound your completed song will have, arrange your rhyme into verses (16 bars apiece). You can start each verse with nearly any rhyme, but it's a good practice to end with a rhyme that makes a point. This way your verse doesn't seem to be left hanging. A popular song structure would be:
   • Intro
   • Verse
   • Chorus
   • Verse
   • Chorus
   • Verse
   • Middle 8 (a.k.a. breakdown)
   • Chorus
   • Outro
7. 
   Rap and refine. Practice rapping your song on your chosen beat to work out the bugs and optimize your written verses. Cut out as many words as possible and then cut out some more. Remember, a rap song is not an English paper; only use the words that are needed to make your point, nothing more. Don't be afraid to add a pause or two, which can help to enhance a certain point in the song.
8. Memorize your song. Rap your lyrics over your beat until you have memorized every breath and you are sick of hearing them. Only then will you be ready to produce your song.
9. 
   Produce the song. Either hook up with a producer to get the recordings and mastering completed or self-produce the song.

Tips

• All words do not have to rhyme in order for the rap to sound good.
• Create a low tone. The bass line should be in the same key as the song so that there are no 'sour notes' and the beat is easy to work with. The bass line should not be as lengthen as the melody line but should work with it and fit together. It could also, for example, play a note on every kick of the drum beat.
• You don't need to buy FL Studio to get started. There's plenty of free audio editors (such as Audacity) that provide a free way to make music. If you happen to have a Mac computer, those come with Garageband, which will allow you to record right out of the box! There are also cheap packages that can help with your quest, such as FL Studio, MTV Music Generator, Tightbeatz, Soundclick, and Hip Hop Ejay. However, the best beats you can get are a live band, so if you have friends who play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and even brass give them a call and try to hook something up.
• Be different. The main key for making it big is having your own style and being unique.
• If you can't think of good lyrics, don't give up! Just go for a walk or listen to some more music and then go back to it later with a fresh min of ideas.
• Never give up! Just try to bring that inner rapper outside and one day you may become a professional rapper.
• Listen to your inner rapper to figure out what works best. If you are not sure what to say, remember that the point is to get beyond your mind/memory. Make up sounds and let new language emerge. Try focusing on famous musical artists you respect/love and see if that affects what comes out.
• Add flavor to the beats by including drum fills (e.g. before chorus or verse, add additional bass and melody lines and make the song shine).
• Make sure that most of the words rhyme.
• Try to make it reflect a personal experience as that will give it more passion. Don't just rap about generic topics that fit a persona or could apply to anyone. Reflect on past pains and joys. Try to rap about something you have passion about.
• Rap about anything, but write to the beat and make sure that your flow is not whack! Just make sure that the lyrics match or just associate with the name of the song. Put your heart into it and be in love with the song when recording it or writing it.
• A hi-hat can be good because it keeps the song flowing and keeps the pace, but it's optional.
• Keep a constant tone. If you want to have fun with different voices, dub it over later. People can tell when you're changing your voice and it's lame at best.
• Repeat words in a verse/bridge or to achieve a certain effect; otherwise, saying the same thing once will make you seem like you’re either a bad lyricist or low on ideas.

Warnings

• Try not to make the rhythm of the song faster than you can rap, you could end up rapping out gibberish!
• Don't rap about personal things that are not true. While some people might take a "I can rap about anything I want to!" attitude, it's best to really look at things before you do something almost universally known as posing. Also, keep in mind that just because popular rappers write about certain things, it doesn't make your raps any more or less rap. It's always okay to have the knowledge to rap about anything, but remember you'll lose respect and word will go out on the streets if you don't keep it real.
  • If you really want to write a rap about something you don't do, make sure you make them as ridiculous as possible. Buff up the braggadocio; exaggerate to insane levels. Don't do it often, and not in serious songs, but have fun with it.
• Don't diss other rappers until you are good at freestyle, have developed a unique flow & have your head around good lyricism.

 

The Best Music Production Software! Click here to check it out!