Buzz
When it comes to rap, it’s all about pushing boundaries. Rappers continuously innovate, refresh their styles, and surprise their audiences. The lyrics play a vital role in the creative process, especially in maintaining emotional freshness, connection, and lyrical skill. It might seem intense, but don’t worry! You just need to know how to brainstorm, craft a catchy chorus, and write the main lyrics with smooth transitions to support the chorus.
Steps
Brainstorm ideas for your lyrics
Draw inspiration from your personal experiences to write your rap lyrics. If you’ve been listening to rap since you were young, you might be inclined to write about things that the rappers you admire have written about. If your life experiences align with theirs, that’s great; however, if not, avoid writing about things you don’t know. Write about your own life and tell your own stories. Audiences will appreciate the authenticity and sincerity of your words.
- Describe your personal experiences in the lyrics. Share the street you grew up on, the city or town you live in, the brands you love, and how you feel about certain events and situations.
- Give the listeners something to relate to, as it helps build a loyal fan base.
If you write specifically, your listeners might find something they can relate to, because they may have gone through similar situations, lived on that same street, or used that same brand.
Create a list of potential song titles and keep adding to it. It might sound strange, but one of the easiest ways to come up with song ideas is by brainstorming potential titles you could use. Pay attention to catchy phrases on TV and in movies, look for inspiration in books, magazines, and real-life experiences. You can also use titles you've heard elsewhere or modify them slightly to fit your creative vision.
- Keep your list saved in your phone or notepad to avoid forgetting.
Find beats that you like. Listening to beats can be a great way to spark ideas. Try matching a few song titles and rap to different beats. This method can help you get started with the chorus or lyrics with minimal effort. You can find beats online on platforms like RapPad, RawHeatz, and RapBeats. You can also check apps like Rap to Beats, Auto Rap, and Rap Chat.
- Some websites and apps might allow you to download beats for free, but many will require payment.
- Experimenting with various beats gives you a chance to freestyle and see how different lyrics can fit together.
Record while you freestyle a flow (combining rhythm and rhyme smoothly). Record on your phone or computer while you freestyle some lines for your song. This way, you can hear how different lyrics come together, and you won't forget any ideas while continuing to write.
- Remember to write down any lines you come up with while brainstorming. Even if you don’t use them in the current song, don’t discard ideas that might be useful for future tracks.
Write the chorus
Use the song title to create the hook (the line that conveys the main message of the rap). The hook is the catchy part of the song that sticks in the listener’s mind. If you’ve found a memorable title for your song, you can immediately use it as the hook. Since the hook grabs the listener’s attention, it should be repeated as much as possible. Many songwriters place the hook at the beginning or end of the chorus, or both.
- For example, the hook in Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” is “Drop it like it’s hot,” repeated throughout the song.
- The hook in Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” is “These expensive, these is red bottoms, these is bloody shoes.”
- You don’t have to use the song title for the hook. You can experiment with different emotional phrases that you think work well.
Experiment with different tempos. Most rap songs are set to a tempo of 80 beats per minute (BPM), meaning each beat lasts just over one second. Typically, a chorus has 8 bars with quarter-note beats, meaning the chorus will have 32 beats. The tempo of the rap will depend on the number of words in the lyrics. If there are 32 words (or fewer but with a total of 32 syllables), you will rap each word or syllable on a beat. If you have 15 words, 14 will fit the beat, and the other 2 words can stretch over 2 beats each, or 2 beats for one and 1 beat for the other.
- Try using a metronome or a tempo app to keep the rhythm. After writing for a while, you may start to naturally keep the tempo yourself.
Experiment with different rhyme schemes. For beginners, rhyming at the end of each line is a good way to start. Many rap songs rhyme at the end of each line or in alternating lines, but you should try using words in the middle of the lines as well.
- A rhyming dictionary can be a helpful tool if you get stuck coming up with words for the next line.
- Once you’re comfortable writing rap lyrics, you might consider skipping some rhymes here and there. Focusing too much on rhyming every line can limit your creativity and impact the flow of your rap.
Write the rest of the song's lyrics
Write the first verse. Main verses typically have 16 lines, twice as long as the chorus. The chorus usually conveys the song’s theme broadly, while the verse gives more specific examples. Think of the verse as the story part of the song. The first verse serves as the introduction to the story.
- For example, in Jay-Z's “99 Problems,” the first verse describes Jay-Z's media portrayal and his issues with radio, rap magazines, and advertisers.
- You should experiment with different rhymes and tempos in the main verse, similar to how you handle the chorus.
Write verses 2 and 3 based on the first verse. Once you've completed the first verse, the next two will come relatively easily. The second verse will tell the middle part of the story, while the third verse wraps up the narrative.
- For example, in the second verse of “It Was a Good Day,” Ice Cube raps about not worrying about his enemies after describing how his mother made him breakfast in the first verse.
- Typically, rappers maintain the same rhythm and rhyme scheme in verses 2 and 3 as in verse 1, but don’t be afraid to switch things up to surprise the audience.
Include a bridge. The bridge is similar to the chorus in that it is somewhat ambiguous, but it also adds a fresh element to the lyrics or the music, or both. If you come up with new ideas for the hook, you can use one of them to develop the lyrics for the bridge. Then, experiment with different rhythms, rhymes, and pitches to find the best sound.
- For instance, in “Heartless,” Kanye West raps the bridge with a different rhythm and a higher pitch compared to the rest of the song.
