One question that I've gotten a lot throughout the years goes a little something like this... "Cole, what do you feel makes a dope rap song?". This is a big question with a lot of nuances so in this video I will try my best to simplify what I think matters most when trying to judge whether a rap song is dope or not. I hope this helps guide you as you continue to write your rap songs! LET'S GET IT!!! https://youtu.be/2kesCodZ-k4 … [Read more...] about What Makes A Dope Rap Song?
songwriting
The Only Rule Rappers Should Follow
I routinely say at the end of each of my videos "And remember, when it comes to rapping, there's no rules, there's only techniques". Now please allow me to seemingly contradict myself for just a moment. If I were to tell you that there was one rule it would be this... "Always...and I mean always... follow... the inspiration". https://youtu.be/LEd71cK5eKA You see if you always follow the inspiration you will be much freer throughout the creative process. I've found that the creative process is very much about getting out of your own way. If you follow the inspiration then you … [Read more...] about The Only Rule Rappers Should Follow
Never Get Stuck Writing A Song Again!
As a rapper, one problem that you will inevitably face is something known as Writers Block. If you've never heard of the term "Writers Block" before, it simply means that you're stuck for whatever reason while you're writing your song. It's very frustrating when you attempt to begin writing a song and can't seem to catch any traction! Or perhaps even worse is when you do seem to have good momentum and then you run out of gas!!! ERRRR!!! Well, today's video is filled with lots of awesome tricks and hacks that you can use to ensure you never get stuck writing a song again! If you … [Read more...] about Never Get Stuck Writing A Song Again!
Structuring Rap Lyrics
https://youtu.be/1FwPm127baI If you're a rapper that struggles with the following... Remembering how your flow and lyrics connect together Where your rhyme schemes are placed within each bar Where you're supposed to be taking all of your breaths Then you're likely not structuring your rap lyrics correctly. If you aren’t quite sure how to structure your rap lyrics then today, then don't worry because that's exactly what today's video tutorial is all about! In this video tutorial, I will give you a behind the scenes look at how I structure my lyrics. If you follow this … [Read more...] about Structuring Rap Lyrics
5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using A DAW To Write Your Songs
Being creative is all about having a workflow that allows you to be as free as possible so that nothing get's in your way! When it comes to songwriting I've found that working on your songs within a DAW helps boost your productivity and it's just way more fun! In this video lesson I will be explaining what a DAW is, what's the best one to use, and the 5 biggest reasons you should be using a DAW to write your songs. Also, as an added bonus I demonstrate how to actually get started using a DAW correctly! Without further ado... LET'S GET IT!!! https://youtu.be/WLMgi--NvdY … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using A DAW To Write Your Songs
4 Ways To Make Your Rap Songs More Entertaining
Sometimes we as rappers can become too self-absorbed when we're writing our rap songs and not take the listener into consideration. It's important to remember that our end goal is to share our music with other people in hopes that they will enjoy it. While making music is a form of self-expression we should also be thinking of ways that we can make our rap songs more relatable and entertaining to the listeners. Without further ado, here are 4 ways you can make your next song more entertaining. One thing that helps with being entertaining is understanding some basic human psychology. … [Read more...] about 4 Ways To Make Your Rap Songs More Entertaining
My Top 5 Tips For Writing Dope Rap Hooks
Once I got decent at rapping I still couldn't write a good rap hook to save my life! Writing hooks for my rap songs was something I struggled with for many years and it's very common for the majority of budding rappers to find themselves struggling with writing hooks as well. Well now, writing hooks has become one of my strengths and within this article, I'll be sharing with you my top 5 tips to help you overcome this obstacle as well. LET'S GET IT!! 1. The Instrumental You must first pick an instrumental that you not only think sounds good, but it must move you emotionally. Sometimes … [Read more...] about My Top 5 Tips For Writing Dope Rap Hooks
How To Finish Your Rap Songs Faster
Sometimes, writing a rap song can feel like a daunting task and seemingly take forever! Just think about this for a moment. Rap songs typically contain the most lyrics and rhymes in comparison to any other genres of music. Simply put, our lyrical content is much denser and therefore requires more work from us from strictly a songwriting perspective. Within this article, I'm going to share one major hack to help you finish your rap songs faster! Let's get straight to it! Fresh Perspective One major downside to spending a lot of time writing a rap song is that we lose what I like to … [Read more...] about How To Finish Your Rap Songs Faster
The Most Difficult Part Of Writing Rap Songs
Songwriting is a skill in and of its self, apart from rapping. And there are a lot of techniques that go into it as well. But within this article, I'm going to discuss what I believe to be one of the most difficult parts about writing rap songs and I'll provide you with some insight on how to get past it. Under Pressure A lot of us rappers put a tremendous amount of unnecessary pressure on ourselves when it comes to songwriting. Even though it's typically just us, by ourselves, in a room working on music. We allow our psyche to be flooded with all these questions and doubts such … [Read more...] about The Most Difficult Part Of Writing Rap Songs
The Top 5 Things Rappers Misunderstand About Songwriting
As an educator in the field of learning how to rap I've picked up on many common misconceptions. And lies unchecked can become one's truth. So in my efforts to prevent you from being held back, below I've compiled the top 5 things rappers misunderstand the most about songwriting. Let's get straight to it, shall we? 1. Every Song Must Be About You We've all likely been guilty of this one. You sit down to write your next song but you are "shooting blanks". This is commonly known as "writer's block". You've already written songs about the horrible EX, why you're the best rapper in the … [Read more...] about The Top 5 Things Rappers Misunderstand About Songwriting