How to Make a Rap

Rap is simply poetry put to music. There are different styles of rap including gansta and various regional forms. You can rap using different methods, including freestyle, in which you can pretty much do anything you want.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Listen to different styles of rap to decide the style that you would like to emulate. Keep in mind that you are basically listening to the music beats and the way that the words are rapped.

2. Pick your beat. It is impossible to make a rap without a good beat. Your beat can be a beat you make up or a beat that you borrow. Keep in mind that most rap lyrics are copyrighted so it is best to come up with your own lyrics even if you borrow the basic beat.

3. Think about your life. A lot of rappers tend to use their life experiences to inspire their lyrics. Rap is a way to express yourself. You can rap about things that you like, things that upset you or just general observations. Rap artists tend to stay away from depressing subjects.

4. Write out an outline for your lyrics. Even if you plan to freestyle rap, it is still a good idea to have a basic rap in mind in case your mind goes blank when you try to freestyle. If you are going to rap a word for word, you can write out your entire rap.

5. Check the flow. Your lyrics all have to flow together when you rap. You may have to rewrite your lyrics a few times before they flow in a way inspired by the rap style you are emulating.

6. Practice your rap. If you are going to enter a freestyle rap battle, you can still practice making up raps for different beats.

7. Rap for a friend or family member. Ask him for honest feedback. Remember that you have to be open to constructive criticism.

[teddunsten]

on 11/10/2009 Also check out this book -

How to Rap - http://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167

http://www.howtorapbook.com

[teddunsten]

on 7/20/2009 Good stuff, though you also need to know a lot of Hip-Hop history to know what's what, and how it evolved... the following books are all dope for checking out the history -

Check The Technique http://www.waxfacts.com
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop http://www.cantstopwontstop.com
How To Rap http://www.howtorapbook.com
Classic Material http://www.o-dub.com/classic/classic.html