How to write rap song lyrics in 5 steps
With the strong emergence of hip-hop in today’s music scene, many people are interested in learning to rap and want to know how to write rap song lyrics. While there is no “exact” way, these 5 quick tips will definitely help you write a better rap song.
1. Find a rhythm that inspires you. Ever wonder how professionals start writing a rap song? 9 times out of 10 they start looking for rhythms that inspire them. They are looking for something that touches them in a way that inspires and motivates them to write lyrics. Everyone has a different taste in music, so find a rhythm that you like and can write naturally. Find something that instantly grabs you and relates to you. You can easily find beats on the Internet. Just Google and Soundclick and you’ll be sure to find a beat for writing rap song lyrics.
2. Choose a main topic. Once you find a rhythm you want to use, start thinking of a theme that goes well with the rhythm you chose. Remember to choose a topic that relates to both YOU and the beat. If you choose a beat that sounds sad and emotional, choose a theme that is sad and emotional and that you can relate to. If you choose a club-style beat, choose a theme that’s relevant to the club scene. Listen to your beat, ask yourself what kind of impact you would like your rap song lyrics to have on people, and decide what the main theme is. Remember that the way you write rap song lyrics will largely depend on your theme.
3. Write your hook. Many rappers and producers find it good practice to start a rap song by writing the hook first. Now that you have selected your rhythm and main theme, you have a great base to start writing your hook lyrics.
To explain how to write rap hooks, I have broken down hook writing into a few steps that I have found to be very effective.
a.) Consider these things: Do you want the hook to be catchy? Do you want it to be deep and emotional? Do you want to sing it or rap it?
b.) Listen to the hook part of your rhythm. Vibrate to the beat and start to style some ideas. Even if your words don’t make sense, use freestyle to the beat to set up a few different flows. Experiment and find out what you like.
c.) Now that you have some ideas flowing, start writing the lyrics. Make a list of words that you might want to add to the hook.
d.) Look at your word list while listening to the rhythm and start creating new ideas with these words.
e.) Once you come up with some solid ideas, it may be a good idea to quickly record them to see which sounds better. Once you’ve decided, we can move on to the verses!
4. Start writing the verses. Now that the hook is finished, you have everything ready for the verses. So how are the verses of rap songs written?
a.) Start each verse strong to develop a connection with the listener right away. A good way to do this is to start with a controversial, fun, bold, or catchy opening line.
b.) Now that you have the listeners’ attention, end your verses with content that is relevant to your topic. When you can, rhyme more than the last word of each sentence. Try to use different flow structures rather than sticking to one all the time.
c.) If you have trouble or writer’s block, write a list of rhyming words that relate to your topic (use a dictionary and thesaurus if necessary) and refer to this list for ideas.
d.) Just as you started strong, end the lyrics of the strong verse too! Make sure you transition to the hook smoothly and finish with a bang!
5. Practice! Perhaps the most underrated part of rap … practice! Knowing how to write rap song lyrics is one thing, but putting them into action is another. Once you have written your song, practice it over and over again until you know it by heart and can recite it perfectly without fail. Believe me, this is important!
Hope now you know how to write rap song lyrics more efficiently and effectively. Apply what you have learned to your next rap song and I am sure you will notice the difference!