Write rap lyrics like a pro
If you ask 10 rappers how they write lyrics, you’ll get 10 different answers. However, the one technique that everyone agrees on is that you should write as much as possible.
Use a notebook that you can access from anywhere, like Evernote or Google Drive. These apps are free and can be accessed from your desktop, phone, or tablet. If you are very artistic, you can use a real pencil and paper. However you do it, being able to write the lyrics as they come to you is a crucial part of the process and allows you to be creative every day. Once you have a place to write them, you can focus on your lyrics.
Rappers generally write lyrics in one of two ways: based on an idea or theme, or for a specific beat.
Writing around an idea or theme is often easier, as one idea will lead to another and keep the creative flow going. Get in the zone. Put on an instrumental beat and see what comes to you. If you’re just starting out, choose a beat that’s a bit slow (try 80-90 BPM), so you don’t feel rushed. See what kind of lyrics sound good and what fits the beat. People may think you’re crazy talking to yourself, but who cares? You are the next Eminem.
After you’ve written a few lines, the lyrics will naturally be different in terms of tempo and rhythm, and may not fit the original song. As you write more and more, you’ll accumulate “ammunition” that you can use later, when it fits with the lyrical theme, rhythm, or feel of the next song.
The second option is to write lyrics for a specific rhythm. When doing this, keep in mind the dynamics of the song. When the song is slow and smooth, do you reflect that in your performance or do the opposite? Are you following the breaks in the music or filling in the space during those breaks? One of the most powerful techniques when it comes to dynamics is to build up the intensity in your delivery along with the song and then drop it at the peak. A good example of this is “Drop The World” by Lil’ Wayne.
Changing your delivery throughout a song can make a world of difference and makes your music interesting and enjoyable for your fans. Listening to an artist scream during a song can be exhausting. Unless you’re Snoop Dogg, you also shouldn’t be so relaxed you’re almost falling asleep.
Last but not least: be creative! There’s a clip on YouTube (see below for link) of Eminem saying words that scientists say don’t rhyme, they rhyme. The possibilities are endless!
Now get up off your couch and get some life experiences under your belt. No one wants to hear you rap about eating Cheetos and surfing Facebook.
Vocabulary
Tempo and beats per minute (BPM): how fast or slow a heartbeat is. 70-90 is slow, above 120 is fast.
a music bar: 1, 2, 3 4. Any time you count to four in a song, that’s one measure. 4 bars make a prayer and 16 bars make a pour. If you have 2 or 3 verses, add a chorus between them and you have a song.
Rhythm (half time, double time, etc.)– At any given beat, you can match the speed of the song, go half as fast, twice as fast, or anywhere in between. Check out an example of Lil’ Wayne changing time on the song “No Love” with Eminem.
Dynamic: In a nutshell, how loud or soft the music is.
metaphors and puns: metaphors compare two things that are completely different, using ‘like’ or ‘as’. For example, “Me without a microphone is like a rhythm without a box… I’m sweet as licorice, dangerous as syphilis.” – Lauren Hill on “How Many Microphones”, The Score