Eminem, Tupac, Dr. Dre, Rakim, Travis Scott, J. Cole, and Kanye West. I am confident that you know who these people are. They are popular in the music industry, specifically in rapping.
Rapping is an undeniably challenging talent to develop. You cannot master it overnight. To learn how to rap, you should know the proper measures so that you can master it.
This article will teach you how to rap in eleven easy and beginner-friendly steps. If you aspire to learn how to rap, this article will help you hone the necessary steps to develop your skills and talent in rapping.
How to Rap in 11 Steps
In this section, you will learn the eleven steps on how to rap. You should take note that you must follow these steps in chronological order.
1. Setting a proper goal
Most of the time, people aim to learn how to rap because they want to become successful rappers. This is not a bad goal to set. However, since you are a beginner, your goal must be focused on how to start rapping.
If your goal is to become your idolized rapper, you will get easily discouraged by your failures. You only see the successes of your idolized rapper; hence you have a one-sided perspective of what a rapper is.
Despite not having enough knowledge of music, you can still develop your talent in rapping. Over time, you will get better at rapping if you possess the willpower that you can.
If your goal is to start learning how to rap, you will work hard to master it. You will not easily give up and get frustrated when things do not work out the way you want them to.
2. Learning the hip-hop culture
We all know that the hip-hop culture developed as a voice to fight social injustices such as crime, poverty, racism, and violence. Educating yourself on the hip-hop culture is vital to keep you on track and have the appropriate mindset.
When you are familiar with hip-hop culture, you will be able to improve your writing style. You will not experience difficulty in writing lyrics because you know the things you must be writing on.
3. Practicing rhyming
When you have free time, get a piece of paper and write any lyrics that come to your mind. Rapping is a way that you can express yourself, so do not limit your creativity in the process of writing.
However, it is not sufficient to aimlessly write lyrics. You must also take note of the rhyme. It is a no-brainer that rhymes are essential when it comes to rapping. However, there are still other people who do not know this.
As a beginner, you must know how to write lyrics that rhyme with each other. You can start by learning the basics of rhyming, and once you master this, you can move forward to the next step.
4. Mastering the rhyme schemes
Now that you already know how to rhyme, the next thing that you need to learn is the rhyme schemes. Basically, rhyme schemes refer to the rhymes at the end of your rap lines.
Expert Tip: There are various rhyme schemes when it comes to rapping. These rhyme schemes are as follows: ABAB, XAXA, AABB, AAAA, AXAA, AAXA, ABBA, and AXXA.
I will not explain all of these rhyme schemes in detail, but these are the rhyme schemes in a nutshell:
- ABAB – Line 1 and 3 are rhyming; Line 2 and 4 are rhyming
- XAXA – Line 1 and 3 are not rhyming; Line 2 and 4 are not rhyming
- AABB – Line 1 and 2 are rhyming; Line 3 and 4 are rhyming
- AAAA – All lines rhyme with each other
- AXAA – Line 1, 3, and 4 are rhyming; Line 2 is different
- AAXA – Line 1, 2, and 4 are rhyming; Line 3 is different
- ABBA – Line 1 and 4 are rhyming; Line 2 and 3 are rhyming
- AXXA – Line 1 and 4 are rhyming; Line 2 and 3 are not rhyming
Once you have mastered the rhyming schemes, you can now focus on the syllables.
5. Focusing on the syllables
When it comes to syllables, you need to learn how to explore and control them to create words that rhyme with each other.
To do this, you must expand your vocabulary so that you can come up with rhyming words. Once you master this, your lyrics will have a better rhyming.
6. Counting the bars
When it comes to music, bars refer to the time which contains the beats being played in a specific tempo. You have to make sure that the number of beats fits well for the tempo.
Learning how to correctly count the bars will help you in writing lyrics. This will also be convenient when the time comes that you need to record since the beats fit perfectly.
7. Establishing your rap flow
Rap flow is crucial since it helps in creating your identity when it comes to rapping. You do not simply copy your idolized rapper’s rap flow. Instead, you have a distinct rap flow that helps you stand out as a rapper.
You must be saying your lyrics out loud as you write them. When you do this, you are creating your rap flow. However, you must make sure that you must think of a melody as you say your lyrics.
To do this, you can choose to stretch the beginning, middle, or ending words in the lyrics. When you are consistent in doing this, you will establish your own rap flow in the process.
8. Determining your rap voice
Now that you have established your rap flow, you can figure out your rap voice. This is an easy step for those who possess a naturally great voice. However, for those who do not, do not worry since this can be worked on.
Determining your rap voice is essential since it helps in capturing the attention of those who hear your music. You need to know what style and voice you should incorporate when you are rapping.
You can determine your rap voice by rapping in front of people. If you notice that the people react positively and vibe with you as you sing, then that is your rap voice.
9. Knowing the song structure
The way you arrange the song is called a song structure. Now, there are many song structures for different music genres. The same applies to rapping, so I will not be enumerating them in this article. Feel free to search on these song structures after reading this article.
Expert Tip: When it comes to rap music, there are usually three elements or parts: the intro, hook or chorus, and verse. Most of the time, rappers utilize these three elements. However, there are still other elements, such as the instrumental bar.
Your song structure depends on the feel of your song. It totally depends on you on what elements to incorporate. This also includes the order of these elements.
10. Understanding the importance of song chorus
All the elements of a song structure are important. However, if there is one thing that you should pay a lot of attention to, it would be the chorus of your song.
You should give your hundred percent when it comes to the chorus part. The reason behind this is that the chorus is the one that people most often remember.
You will notice that you constantly repeat the chorus of your favorite song. This is because the true meaning of the song is found in the chorus.
Since you are just starting out, I am sure that this is the first time you have heard this. The next time you write lyrics for your song chorus, you already know what to do. I am confident that your song chorus will be catchy, meaningful, and capture your listeners’ attention.
11. Being consistent
If you want to be great at rapping, then you must be consistent in it. You can do this by allotting time every day to practice. Even if you practice for just thirty minutes every day, you will become excellent in rapping over time.
When you are consistent, your momentum will be built. Even if the process can get complicated at times, you will not get easily discouraged. You feel good when you are doing a fantastic job. At the same time, you are not hard on yourself when you fail because it simply means that you are trying.
Overall, consistency plays a vital role in learning how to rap, and this is the most critical step you should observe and keep in mind.
Conclusion
In this article, you have read and learned how to rap in eleven easy steps:
- Setting a proper goal
- Learning the hip-hop culture
- Practicing rhyming
- Mastering the rhyme schemes
- Focusing on the syllables
- Counting the bars
- Establishing your rap flow
- Determining your rap voice
- Knowing the song structure
- Understanding the importance of song chorus
- And being consistent
Basically, if you aspire to learn how to rap, you must FOLLOW all these steps. Remember to trust the process because you cannot learn how to rap in a snap.
If you still have other questions, feel free to comment them down below.