5 Steps To Learning How To Rap And Write Catchy Songs

Learning How To Rap

If you have recently begun your journey of learning how to rap then you may find yourself stuck wondering where is the correct place for you to begin in the first place? This article will serve as an easy to follow step by step guide to help you navigate this new and unfamiliar territory.

You may want to bookmark this article in your web browser so that you can keep revisiting it as you keep advancing in your journey. So without further ado LET’S GET IT!!

Wait!! Before you go any further you may want to read The Top 5 Mistakes Rappers Make When Learning How To Rap The tips in this article will help you avoid making a lot of the same mistakes others have who’ve gone before you. Hopefully, this helps you dodge a bullet. Now back to our scheduled program!

01 Rhythm

This is where it all begins! Think of rhythm as the foundation that everything else is built upon. A house is only as good as it’s foundation so this is where you should begin learning and practicing first.

A. To get you started watch Establishing Rhythm PT.3 This will teach you everything you need to know regarding what rhythm is and how you can establish and maintain it.

B. Next, I recommend reading this article that discusses the importance of training yourself to hear the beginning and ending of bars.

C. In addition to this article, you can watch this technique being demonstrated in my Rapping Without Training Wheels video.

02 Cadence

At this point, you’ve noticed me “scatting” in my videos and are probably wondering “how the heck does he do that?”, well to be honest… lots and lots of practice!

But the bottom line is I’ve learned lots of cadences throughout the years which allows my flow to be much more diverse on any given instrumental. Here are some tips on how you can start stepping up your cadence arsenal as well.

A. The best place to start is by watching my Youtube series “5 Minutes To A Better Rap Flow”. This series will help take your ear training and cadences to a whole new level!

B. To get started with learning all about cadences watch my Establishing Your Flow video. In addition, Make sure you also watch the following videos.

C. Music Notes Explained (learn about the different notes we use when rapping and singing and how they can fill in each bar)

D. Catching The Beat (three different ways you can begin rapping on an instrumental)

E. Creating Cadences (how to add more cadences to your arsenal)

F. Adding Character To Cadence (learn what swing is and how it can really spice things up!)

03 Translating Cadences To Lyrics

Now that you’ve learned how to harness the power of learning cadences it’s time to start turning them into meaningful lyrics. This is where you really start sounding like a rapper!

A. Start off by watching my video on Translating Cadences To Lyrics.  Also, make sure you check out the following lessons as well.

B. Structuring Lyrics (Learn how to format your lyrics in musical time)

C. Fitting Lyrics To Beats (A live demonstration on how you can fit lyrics to an instrumental that you didn’t initially write to.)

D. Breathing Techniques (the importance of working breaths into your lyrics)

04 Songwriting

Now that you’ve learned how to rap it’s time to start learning how to write really good songs! Check out the following videos and articles to take your songwriting skills to the next level!

A. Song Structure (learn how songs are structured and how you can make sense of the instrumental you’re writing to)

B. How To Write A Rap Song  (learn my techniques on how I approach writing a song to ensure my song is compelling from beginning to end)

C. Rhyming Words Like A Boss! (learn all about rhyming words so that your lyrics really impress the listener)

D. Creating Punchlines That Hit Hard! (learn how to shock your listener and create lines that carry major weight!)

E. What Should You Write About? (having trouble coming up with ideas for songs? This may get your wheels turning!)

F. How To Write Lyrics Faster (This tip won’t only help with writing faster but it also helps with freestyling.)

G. Let’s Write A Rap Song Live (A series where I write a song live from start to finish with my students) WARNING! These videos are live so they’re long and unedited!

H. Top 5 Free Tools That Can Improve A Rappers Work Flow! (At this point it’s important to work as efficiently as possible! Here are some tools that will help you do so)

05 Delivery

Think of delivery as acting. When you watch a movie you are witnessing actors who are performing a script in such a way to where it seems real as if it’s happening for the first time in that very moment before your eyes.

This is where you breathe life, energy, and emotion into your performance so that you can wow your audience whether you are recording in the studio or rapping for others live. The following articles will help you breathe life into your performance.

A. Finding Your Voice (understanding your natural “bassline” voice)

B. Improving Your Rap Voice With Emotions (If you feel what you’re saying so will they)

C. Improving Your Rap Voice With Control (your vocal chord is a muscle so don’t overdo it)

D. How To Study Your Favorite Rappers (If you’re wanting to improve your sound perhaps it’s time to start learning from your favorite artists)

Last Words

Just by you having this one article you have a major advantage that I didn’t have when I first started learning how to rap. I wish I had this blueprint because it would have saved me so much frustration and wasted time not knowing what I should be working on and how to improve.

Remember that learning all of these techniques is only 50% of the equation. You must consistently be practicing these techniques if you want to start seeing the results.

I create all of this free content to put people like you in a better position than I was in. So if you have found this article to be helpful please pay it forward by sharing it with a fellow struggling rapper by clicking one of the social media icons below. And if you have any questions or comments drop your 2 cents in the comments section below and I’ll be sure to respond. I hope this helps you out!