How To Write Good Rap Lyrics

Advice For Writing Better!

You could have the best delivery in the world, but if your lyrics aren’t saying anything people want to hear, it won’t count for much. All flow and no content won’t hold you up against the top rappers out there. And if you can’t par with the best, there’s little to make people start listening to you.

So if you’ve got your delivery down and want to learn how to write better rap lyrics, have a read of the 5 below tips.

Delivery is nothing without rap lyrics people want to listen to, so master both

Don’t Add Lyrics In Just Because They Rhyme

One of the biggest mistakes I see many up and coming rappers make is feeling they need to make each of their bars rhyme. So for example, if you end one line with the word ‘two’ they may feel the need to end the next line with a rhyming word such as ‘threw’, ‘shoe’, ‘who’ etc.

Now I know this is the easiest way to start getting a feel for lyric writing, but as you want to improve your lyrics, you need to get rid of this limiting belief that rap lyrics have to rhyme.

The truth is, if you force each of your lines to rhyme, one of two things are likely to happen:

1. You limit what you can say. There are only so many words that rhyme with each other, so what if you really want to say something but can’t think of a second line which both rhymes and makes sense? Do you start talking random talk just to rhyme? Or do you say something else which you didn’t want to talk about? Neither are good options if you ask me.
2. You increase the chances you’ll sound like a lot of other rappers. There are a lot of rappers that always have to rhyme, and by doing the same, you’ll increase the chances that you’ll sound like them. Mainly in terms of your lyrics, but also in terms of flow as you fall into a much used pattern.

Neither of the above are traps you want to fall into, so try not to put too much emphasis on rhyming. Instead, mix rhyming and flowing, something that’s again covered in the above guide I just linked to. This will allow you to use more words in your rhymes, and not limit the things you can rap about.

Good Rap Lyrics Should Have A Beginning, Middle And End (Tell A Story)

While ‘freestyle rap’ is good for showcasing your individual punchlines and bars, they can only take you so far. If you really want people to respect you for your lyrics and have the potential to go mainstream, you need to learn how to put a proper song together.

By this, I mean you need to learn how to pick a subject, and stick to it from start to finish. In essence you want to learn how to make a story progress, meaning it needs a beginning, middle and a end.

So for example, let’s say you choose to rap about how you went from living in one neighborhood to a better one later on. You could start the first verse talking about where you originally lived, go on to talk about the actions you took to move forward and change things up, and then finally talk about where you are now and the differences. In the chorus, you can spit catchy lyrics which bind the whole story together and overviews the main message of the song.

Of course, this is just an example, but I hope I’ve gotten my point across. Learn how to story tell, be consistent, and have a introduction, bulk of the story and conclusion.

 

Write About Real Life And Let People Relate To Your Rap Lyrics

 Another way you can write better rap lyrics is to bring in things people can relate to. The best way to do this? Easy, by writing about things that happen in real life, often on a day to day basis.

It’s to easy to grow up listening to other rappers and feel what they rap about is what you should also be rapping about. To think what they say is ‘real’ and are the kind of lyrics you should be writing too. But is what other people talk about your reality? Whether or not it is, you should do you in your own way.

For example, in your lyrics, you should talk about things you see on a daily basis. For example, mention streets where certain events take place, talk about brands you favor and dislike, and possibly even mention names of local people others will also know. Talk about how you personally feel about certain situations, and just generally give people a real view of your life and the things around you.

What this does is allows people to relate on a very strong level. If the lyrics you write about also largely apply to other people in your area or even in similar situations, people will become real fans of yours. Not just because they feel you have a good flow or because they like your voice, but because they feel like they already know you, and that you understand them and their life.

This is a powerful tactic, so use it and you will end up writing better rap lyrics.

 

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