CREATIVE WRITING (Rap Edition) By Jonathan Rowland TABLE OF CONTENTS Quick-Start Step-by-Step Hip-Hop Music is King Staying Current vs. Staying True How Hip Hop Songs Were Written Back in the Day How Rap Songs are Written Today How to Rap in 2019 and Beyond Traditional Rap Lyrics + Lyricism Modern Rap Lyrics + Melody How to Write a Rap Song – STEP-BY-STEP Beats Flow Lyrics Structure Rap Verses Rap Choruses Extra Things to Keep in Mind Keeping Things Fresh Using Too Many Words Rewriting Rap Writing Techniques Final Thoughts CREATIVE WRITING RAP EDITION So it’s great that you want to learn how to rap? When you’re starting out, hip-hop songwriting (i.e. learning how to make a rap song) can seem like something so far out there you and you generally know where to start. In this workshop we’ll tell you what you need to know about how to write rap lyrics and perform them for the modern era. We’re going to talk about lyrics, melody, structure and more to help you write a rap song you can be proud of. Quick Note: We assume you know what it means when we use the terms “lyrics,” “melody,” “bars,” and “beats.” Quick Start – How To Spit Bars Before we explain everything about how to write rap in depth, here’s a quick-start guide if you only have 5 seconds to read this post: Find a Beat/Instrumental That You Love Choose an Overall Topic to Write About Find the Rap Flow and Cadence You’ll Use by Freestyling Giberish Brainstorm Lyrical Ideas / Rhymes / Phrases Fit Your Lyric Ideas Into Your Flow/Cadence Refine & Rewrite the Lyrics, Flow and – if applicable – Melody so they’re not sloppy/off-beat Structure the Lyrics into a Full Rap Song Hip-Hop Music is King Hip-Hop made headlines as it became the primary dominant music genre in America. Now, for anyone like me who has been a Hip-Hop die-hard since the early 90s, it’s always seemed like the dominant genre. And it’s always been more than the music – it’s a culture. Study the elements and know the history. It’s a movement – an intelligent movement (s/o to the teach a KRS-One) But the music side of the culture (i.e. rap) officially outpaced “pop” as the primary genre of music consumption in the United States. So now everybody rappin’… And I ain’t mad at it. Hip Hop is life. But rap has changed over the last 4 decades and will always continue to evolve. And if you’re not keeping up with current sound trends, it’s going to be tough to break through. That’s not to say you should be trying to chase fads – you should always bring your own style, voice and personality to anything you do musically. 2 Staying Current vs. Staying True in Your Hip Hop Verses If there’s one thing you need to know about how to rap better, it’s this: Make sure you don’t sound dated with your cadence, flow and lyrics when writing a rap if you’re trying to gain mainstream popularity today. New up-and-coming rappers don’t have any issues staying current because they grow up and live in the modern styles. But a lot of O.G. rappers have problems with this. They either sound super dated (old school) or they sound like they’re trying too hard to be like “the kids.” There’s a middle ground that some really dope emcees have been able to find, though. They stay current and relevant, without trying to be something they’re not. Having said that, if that’s your vibes (ex/ golden era 90s lyricism, or 80s party toasting) that’s cool. Do you. there’s nothing wrong with that. And there’s an audience for that stuff. But if you’re trying to gain any level of “popular” or “mainstream” success, it’s not the current look, fam. Hip Hop Songwriting Back In The Day Hip-Hop has always been all about BARS. Lyricism was king. You had to be witty and clever to be a rapper back in the day. You couldn’t get by on rhyming random stuff together. You needed skilful wordplay, metaphors, double entendres and storytelling. There was a huge focus on lyrical skill and putting together words and concepts in unique and interesting ways. It was more about the message than the vibe. 3 Of course, cadence and flow (the rhythm and speed of how you say your words, how you ride the beat, your timing, etc.) was crucial. But you didn’t get respect for great flow/cadence but back lyrics. There was some use of melody, especially for the hook and to accent certain parts of a verse. Bone Thugs N Harmony were notorious for their rapping ability and their ability to harmonise and use melody effectively. But again, people (both fans and artists) really cared about the lyrics back in the day. Rap Songwriting Today Arguably, lyrics are less important today. Sure, subject matter is still important, but there’s less of an emphasis placed on clever word play. It’s more about the vibe, the flow and… the all important melody. At the beginning of this post I mentioned Hip-Hop was the dominant genre. I think that’s been helped by the fact that melody has become more and more prevalent and important in Rap and Hip-Hop music over the last several years. Now I’m a hip-hop head through and through. And I’m a lyricist. But be real – melody has always been a big factor in popular music. It’s what draws people ears. It’s what makes music catchy. So it makes sense that a more melodic Hip-Hop/Rap style would easily overtake traditional Pop. Because even before melody was so prevalent in rap music, hip-hop culture was making WAVES. Add the melody in and it went nuclear. Nowadays, a catchy melody in the VERSE (not only the chorus) is almost essential to a hit Hip-Hop song. 4 Cadence and flow is also still important. Acts like the Migos made the triplet- style flow popular and a lot of modern music uses this (or a variation) of this type of flow. So nowadays, to sound current your rap verse should focus on both the flow and the melody. Even if you’re a lyricist that cares about wordplay and storytelling – incorporate modern flows and melodies into your songwriting. Think of people like Tech N9ne and Royce Da 5’9 – they’re both O.G. rappers that still sound current (and not corny) plus still get insane praise for their lyricism. And MCs like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole are both “newer” rappers that successfully use lyrics and melody together to achieve huge success. It’s possible to do it all if you want. And if you just want to make fire ass vibes in the studio, you can do that too. How to Rap for Beginners To some degree, how you write your own rap song will depend on what lane you’re in – lyrics vs. vibes vs. both. What is a Rap Bar A “bar” in hip hop music means a couple of things. First, it refers to a single line of rap lyrics that fits into one “bar” of musical time. A bar of musical time is basically how you count out music to the beat (i.e. “1 – 2 – 3 – 4”). If you don’t understand what I’m talking about read this quick guide on musical time and rhythm. It will teach you how to count bars in rap. Second, it can be used to refer to a REALLY DOPE line that someone spit. Something that’s extremely clever and makes you go “wow.” Picture you listening to a song and hearing a lyric line that was amazing and screaming out “Damn! THAT was a BAR!” If you’re good to go on these concepts, here’s some tips on how to write a rap verse. 5 Traditional Rap Lyrics – How to Write Bars There’s still a huge market for solid Hip-Hop lyricism. Fans of traditional Hip- Hop still exist and they love music. They’re looking for great stories, clever wordplay and real-ass street poetry. But even Kendrick and Cole toy around with melodic ideas in their music. And they’re some of the best storytellers and lyricists out right now. So if you’re trying to make music like the above mentioned lyricists, then keep paying extra attention to your wordplay, metaphors, punchlines and flows. You flow needs to be ON BEAT I know Blueface and City Girls are huge right now. But if you want to be a lyricist, you can’t be off beat. And you need to be saying something clever/impactful/interesting. So practice your timing and make sure you are editing and re-writing your lyrics so that your flow is “in the pocket” (i.e. perfectly timed, solid rhythm/groove and on beat). Think about how you can take an idea or concept and say it in a new, interesting or clever way. Don’t be cliched and say the same old stuff that everyone else has already said. Play around with melody where you can, but don’t sacrifice the lyrics for the sake of the melody. Focus on the message and how you spit it.