How To Rap: Picking Which Rap Beats To Flow On

A common struggle many artists face who are learning how to rap is coming up with a preset of cadences that they can use to feel out which rap beats to flow on in order to determine if they feel like the beat is right for them in the first place. In this article I’m going to share a few easy to learn cadences that you can use as a starting point to get you going. So without further ado LET’S GET IT!

Cadence Presets

Now cadence presets are cadences that you have previously learned and have them stored within your on internal memory. Chances are you have already learned quite a bit of cadences even if you aren’t aware of it. For example if you have ever memorized a rappers lyrics then chances are you have also learned the cadence that goes a long with it.

The Advantage

Being able to access your preset cadences gives you a big advantage because it eliminates the guessing work of picking out the right beat for you. It saves you time because it gives you a starting point reference of which cadence feels more natural and comfortable to you as rapper. Keep in mind these presets are starting points that you can then tweak to fit any beat you want to rap to.

The Importance Of The Tempo

One important factor to take into consideration when picking a beat is the tempo of the beat. The tempo of the beat will greatly influence the way that you rap to a track. I recommend having 3 cadence presets starting off to accommodate the three main ranges of tempos which are slow, medium and fast.

Slow

Slower tempo tracks are usually around 65-75 Beats Per Minute. These are typically your r&b & club type tracks. The slower the beat the more time you have within each measure which consequently means more room for lyrics. This is why rappers who like to rap fast love flowing over slower beats.

Mid

Mid tempo is your boom bap style hip hop tracks “east coast sound” which is typically around 85-95 Beats Per Minute. Many rappers favor this range of tempo because it’s not slow nor fast and gives them a good dynamic range to practice many different styles and cadences within. Overall it’s less restrictive and gives you flexibility.

Fast

Fast Tempo is typically where your dance and pop music comes into play. This is commonly around 120-140 beats per minute. The faster the tempo is the fewer words are used because there’s a shorter amount of time within each measure.

If you pay close attention you will most likely find yourself gravitating towards 1 of those 3 types of tempos. This is already narrowing down which rap beats are right for you. Now just focus on creating you a few cadence presets for your preferred tempo range and you will be a few steps ahead of the game the next time you begin working on a song.

How Did I Do?

Did you find this article helpful? Have any questions, comments or feedback? I would love to hear from you so make sure you drop your 2 cents in the comments section below!