How To Write Rap Lyrics

To learn how to write rap lyrics, first let's take a look at the differences between "writing regular lyrics" and rap lyrics.

Although rhymes are important in every genre, they have an especially important role in rap. So familiarizing yourself with different types of rhymes is something your should definitely do.

Rich vocabulary is also important in most genres but in the rap or hip hop world it's even more so. By "rich vocabulary" we don't mean beautiful, literary words (although you can include some of those too). What we mean is that you should be familiar with as many words, idioms, slang words and expressions as possible.

It's also useful to be aware of where stress is in words because by stressing a word different ways, its meaning can change. Or you can find different rhymes based on where you stress a word - it doesn't always have to be a perfect rhyme. You can make it sound perfect by moving the stress to different places. The most successful rap and hip hop artists are aware and masters of such tricks.

How do they get their amazing wealth of vocabulary from? I've seen an interview with Eminem where he said that he used to read the dictionary. You read it right - READ the dictionary. He said he's always loved words and wanted to know all of them. So he spent endless hours studying words to learn how to write rap lyrics. When he was and is writing a song, he wants all the words that exist to be at this disposal. Although I'm sure he doesn't know "all the words", he's done a great job at enriching his vocabulary!

Eminem also said that he scribbles down new song and lyric ideas on pieces of paper, napkins or anything else all the time. Then he went on to show a shoe box full of pieces of paper with ideas on them. You should do the same. You never know when a new idea hits you. Have something to capture it with all the time. When you write rap lyrics, you'll probably use some of them. Or when you feel stuck, you can always refer to your earlier ideas for inspiration.

While learning how to write rap lyrics, you might also want to get an audio recorder to rap your lyrics to. Record yourself then listen to the recording. It might not be a pleasant experience (most people hate their own voice) but it's an essential part of the learning process.

So here is a possible way of how to write rap lyrics:

• Immerse yourself in and study rap / hip hop. Listen to and possibly memorize the lyrics of your favorite songs.

• Think of a title and a subject of your new rap song.
• Plan the song structure (Verses, Choruses, Bridge, etc.)
• Write the Chorus first and summarize your message in it with as much passion as you can.
• Finish the lyrics by writing the Verses (the story of the song), the Bridge (the emotional peak) and maybe a Pre-Chorus to increase energy between the Verse and the Chorus.
• Write a basic beat to your lyrics. By the way, you can write the beats before the lyrics too.
• Record yourself perform the song.
• Rewrite what needs to be rewritten. (A song usually has to be rewritten at least a dozen times before we can call it "finished".)


Learning how to write rap songs might take a little time. But the more time you spend with it, the sooner you'll reach your goals. If rap is very important to you, you'll learn how to write rap lyrics in no time!


More about Writing Song Lyrics