Choose a topic You could write lyrics about any topic that reflects personal experiences. It’s easier to write about feelings, situations, and events you have experienced.
Remember that as well as choosing a topic, you might want to think about how you will approach that topic. Is your rap going to be a protest? Humorous? Confessional? Heartfelt? You decide!
Brainstorm Start to write down ideas, words, and phrases that you associate with the topic. Allow yourself to write freely and don’t worry about rhyming things yet. The more ideas you generate now, the more you’ll have to work with when you get to putting it all together.
You might like to use some time to listen to and look at other things that inspire you.
A beat Once you have thought more about your topic, you’ll need to either create a beat, or pick one that has already been created. Whether you sample an existing song, or create your own, find something that fits the feel of what you want to say. There are heaps of sites online where you can find free backing tracks, demos, and samples to use for this.
Write a hook Before you write the full verses/lyrics of your rap, write a hook. This is the chorus, and is usually the sung component of a rap. Listen to some classic 90’s rap and hip hop for inspiration. You might want to get someone else to sing this hook in your song.
Write rap lyrics Use the brainstorm you created earlier to write verses for your rap. There are lots of different rhyming patterns you could use – listen to some of your favourite tracks and aim to copy the rhyming patterns to help you as you write.
Structure your song Once you have a hook, a beat, and your lyrics you can structure your rap so it is a complete song. Lots of songs and raps follow the structure below: - Intro - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Middle 8 (breakdown) - Chorus - Outro