Get a feel for the speed and energy of the song as well as the mood Listen to the beat 4-5 times to get comfortable with the rhythm and the mood of the song. For example, if you can't rap very fast, you may not want to choose a fast beat, as you won't be able to rap over it without losing your breath or stuttering. Make sure that the beat you choose is one you're comfortable with. This is why even 'material rap' about gold and girls often starts by mentioning how little the rapper had when they first started working. This will help you engage and hold listenersĪt the very least, try and end your song on a different place than where you started. For example, your best point of biggest rhyme wouldn't come at the very beginning of a song, it would come near the end, like the climax of a good movie. Having a structure to your song helps you build a coherent idea out. Some rappers write out their songs as paragraphs first, then write the songs and rhymes to follow the general structure. You want to take the listener on a journey, even if it is just a journey about how great and steezy you are. Telling a story just means your song or verse has a beginning, middle, and end. You don't have to tell an actual story, though story-raps have been popular since the birth of hip-hop (Immortal Technique's 'Dance with the Devil,' most Ghostface Killah songs). However, you can always come up with the title later.Ĭome up with the 'story' of your lyrics. The title of the song is a good indicator of its theme. There are no wrong themes, as long as they come from personal experience somehow. It may be a dance-type song, a song where you talk about yourself, or it may be something that happened in a dream. The subject may be something that has recently happened, something that has happened in the past, an issue you are thinking about, etc. Finding a Theme and HookĬome up with the theme for the song. Writing great lyrics takes practice, but anyone can start at any time with just a pen and a piece of paper. Great rap lyrics are personal and flow like water, blending into the song while making a point or theme like a great essay or story might. Rap is a modern form of poetry, and lyrics are what distinguish good rappers from great ones.

Help writing raps lyrics