How to Write Lyrics for Rap Songs? – A Rapper’s Survival Guide

What do you think is the most important element of a rap song? Is it the lyrics or the rhyme schemes? Or is it the rap flow used or the way you deliver it? For those of you who are thinking one or two elements being more important compared to others, you are wrong. Every element of a rap song is important at least if you are aiming for a good rap song.

Writing lyrics can be a daunting task especially when you are a beginner. For those of you who are learning how to be a rapper, writing rap song lyrics requires a lot of practice and creativity.In this article, we are going to provide you with a basic guideline on how to write a rap song.

Conceptualize

What kind of rapper are you aiming to be? What are the topics you would like to cover as a rapper? Think of these two questions and then think of a theme. Let’s say, for example, you want to talk about mental health issues. So come up with a theme related to that. It could be about performance anxiety, social anxiety, stage fear, depression, etc. Write down the main theme of your song first before looking for words.

Vocabulary & Rhyme Schemes

Listen to as many rap songs as possible. Explore up-and-coming artists and observe the way they use words. Don't just stick to listening to Eminem. You need to expand your vocabulary for you to write good rhyme schemes and impactful lyrics.

When you start to write lyrics according to the theme you have conceptualized, don't worry about rhyming. Just write whatever comes to your mind. You can also refer to word banks for your theme. Just google your theme with word banks and you will find a list of words that are related to your theme which you can use in your lyrics.

Once you have written a roughout of your lyrics, you can then start on the rhyme scheme for the song but before that come up with the beats so that you can rhyme according to the beat.

Song Structure Basics

Once you start writing lyrics for your rap song, also learn about the basics of song structure used for rap songs. Usually, a rap song structure goes something as follows:

Intro – Verse – Hook – Verse – Hook – Verse – Hook/Outro

The hook is what we usually call chorus for songs. Rap songs usually have a hook where the rap flow may be different and is repeated after every verse. Make your hook catchy as that is the part of the song that listeners will most likely repeat if they like your rap. Make it relatable and impactful!

Storytelling

No! It doesn't mean you have to come up with a story to write a rap song but your song should feel like a journey. It should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Your song should revolve around your main theme but don't write random aspects of your theme just because they rhyme well.

When you write lyrics, you need to learn how to progress your song. For example, if your theme is social anxiety, you can start by how you feel when you are surrounded by people and you have to communicate with them. Take your listeners through a journey from when you first experienced social anxiety to how you can now confidently rap in front of an audience.

And try to stick to real-life experiences and facts. You can make your lyrics impactful by using exaggeration, comparisons, metaphors, and similes.

Practice Out Loud!

I know this article is about writing lyrics and not about how to deliver your rap, but when you are writing your lyrics, rap them out loud and record them so that you can check if they actually sound good. This is essential as often lyrics look good on paper but when they are rapped out loud they don’t sound that good.