WHY DO RAPPERS BRAG

 Why Rappers Brag or Lie

Rapper brag a lot in their songs. I think rappers do this for various reason in various stages in their carriers. A new rapper that just got signed will brag about being rich after he received his signing bonus check. New rappers are not rich. But it helps the songs to portray that or lie that they are. Who will ever listen to a broke rapper anyway?

A rapper that has been around for a few years will brag about money and cars and women. They brag at this point because they have successfully navigated past the (fake it til you make it phase) which is the new artist phase mentioned above. At this point the rapper has amassed a decent following of fans and can do shows and draw in a good amount of money per show regularly and so they are speaking from a semi successful perspective. This is where the brag starts to cross the line from (fake it til you make it) to the (i'm here) phase.

Then you have the rappers that have consistently put out 5 or more albums like Jay-Z and have cemented their place in rap forever. These artist are in the final stage called the (I made it phase). The phase where they have amassed a fortune from their rap career and have crossed over into other careers besides rapping. They brag because they have made it. They have the cars for real. The houses, the money and the fame. This is the realest point in a rappers life and music because the braggadocio is backed up by visible success. So rapper will brag for different reasons but all in an attempt to make the listener believe in them.

3 Verse Rap Song & 2 Verse Raps Song

Typical 3 Verse Rap Song

Most rap song that you hear on the radio have a typical structure to them. Many rap songs have standard layouts and this standard makes it easier to duplicate the process of rap song writing. The typical structure of a 3 verse rap song  consists of an intro, 3 verses, 3 hooks, and an outro. The basics of a three verse song is broken down like this:

Intro - 8 bars long
Verse 1 - 16 bars long
Hook 1 - 8 bars long
Verse 2 - 16 bars long
Hook 2 - 8 bars long
Verse 3 - 16 bars long
Hook 3 - 8 bars long
Outro - 16 bars long but can be as much as 32 bars or longer depending on if the rapper has something he would like to say over the outro.

This structure is typical of a 3 verse rap song and the length of the typical raps song is around 4 minutes.

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Typical 2 Verse Rap Song

There is another standard used in rap songs although this type of rap song structure is mainly found on albums and not radio singles.  The typical 2 verse song consists of an intro, 2 verses, 2 hooks, and an outro. The basics of a 2 verse rap song structure breaks down like this:

Intro - 8 bars long
Verse 1 - 24 bars long
Hook 1 - 8 bars long
Verse 2 - 24 bars long
Hook 2 - 8 bars long
Outro - 16 bars long but can be as many as 32 bars or longer as needed.
This is the typical structure of a 2 verse rap song and the length of a 2 verse rap song is around 4 minutes.



Many people trying to learn how to write rap song frequently ask how long should a verse or a hook be. Normally when you are talking about rap songs everything is measured in bars. The typical length of a rap verse is 16 bars and that is an industry standard although there are a few other types of verses with varying lengths.  So what is a bar in a rap song anyway?  How do you measure a rap bar?

A bar or a rap bar in one line in your rap or the first sentence in your verse. A 16 bar rap song should have 16 sentences.

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How To Write A Love Rap

A love rap is a rap expressing some type of affection for the opposite sex. There is a great void in rap currently for love raps. My artist kind of keep away from writing them because they perceive themselves as weak if they do so. They sometime think of themselves as too hard or too gangster for those type of songs. But I think 2pac said it best that if you write songs for the ladies then the men will follow.  A love rap doesn't have to be about mushy love. There are some gangster rap songs as well.

To write a love rap you need to put yourself in that kind of mind state. Think about someone that you really like or want to get with. How does that person make you feel when they walk in the room?  Take those feelings and put them into a rhyme. Talk about the things you want to do to or with that person. Also talk about the type of relationship you want from that person. If you want the lady to be your #1 lady then say that. If you just want to sleep with the lady then say that. Be honest with your feelings because your raps will come across better and more believable when you do. Talk about how things will be between you two in the future. If you want to make her your wife then say that. Or if you want her to be just someone you see every now and then include that as well. The object is to build a story and make a woman that hears your love rap song feel as if you are rapping to her. Make a man that hears your rap song feel as if these are words that he would say to a lady. The more descriptive your raps are the better your love rap will be received.

Write A Gangster Rap

First of all when it comes to gangster rap I would suggest you not even try it unless you have lived that lifestyle. The one thing about gangster rap is that if you are a phony you will be found out and that can mean an end to your rap career. Not to mention if another gangster rapper calls your bluff on the harsh words on your song you may find yourself fight for your reputation or even your life. If you have lived a somewhat gangster lifestyle then proceed on.

A gangster rap usually talks about what goes on in the hood. What things the rapper has done to people and done to survive life on the streets. When you write a gangster rap song include tales of the struggles you face on the streets. Tell about your hustling ways and the dope deals that you have done. Tell about the dope fiends that you have encountered and what they have done to get the drugs they need to feed their habit. Talk about robberies you have committed or have been apart of or know of. If you experienced that then tell how it went down in very little details though. If you have been involved in shootings where you have shot someone or have been shot at then use that in your rap.  Talk about prostitution, stabbings, killings, murders, break-ins and any other illegal activities that a gangster would be involved in.

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If you are not a gangster ready to defend your raps then don't do any gangster raps. Also if you are personally involved in illegal activities and you have not been prosecuted for then I would suggest you not name names or go deep into details with your raps. In fact I think real gangster rap tales or the only raps where you may want to be untruthful as possible to protect those involved.  If there is a possibility you will be prosecuted based on your crimes then don't write about them. I do not condone illegal activities, however I have no control of what another individual does.

How To Write A Rap Hook

In order to write a rap hook you normally need to know what it is that you want to rap about. However there is another way to get a hook other than this method that I will discuss later.  Choose a topic to rap about and either play the beat that you are going to rap about or think up a beat pattern in your head to base your hook around.

Once you have your topic with the beat playing then try to rap your topic to match the flow of the beat saying it over and over allowing ideas to flow. Listen to your mind and write down what you are coming up with in your mind. Once you have the first line then build on that. Use that line and come up with a line that rhymes with the first and repeat this until you have 4 line. At this point you can either decide to say the 4 lines twice or think up 4 additional lines to make a hook which is usually 8 bars long.

Continue to say your hook over and over and edit some of your words that sound weak or don't really fit wit stronger words. The strong your word are the better your raps will sound. Rappers like Eminem will constantly write and rewrite a single rap song until it perfect.

Every time you repeat your rhyme you find things that you can edit about the rap song hook. But be care when you are editing that you don't over edit until the point where you end up scrapping the hook altogether. And remember to never throw away a single rap line. All of your lyrics can be recycled.

How To Battle Rap

A battle rap is usually a contest between two rappers where they go head to head with one of the rappers being crowned the winner. A great example of this would be the rap battle host on BET's 106th and Park called Freestyle Fridays. With a battle rap the two rappers are use a freestyle rap. A freestyle rap is a rap usually thought up off of the top of your head but it can sometimes be a song that you write down and memorize for the battle. A cleaver battle rapper will usually have 10 or more battle raps memorized and ready to be used at any given time.  This is to ensure that you have enough rhymes so that you don't run out of fresh content so rap. The worst thing as a battle rapper you can do is use the same raps too many times where your opponent know your line and can recite them along with you. This will not only embarrass you but will almost certainly cause you to lose the vote of the audience and judge and cost you the battle. Many rap battles are done for prize money which can be a great incentive for you to stay up to par and keep a small catalog of raps ready to go. Battle raps are usually 16 bars or timed for 30 seconds. A good way to build a catalog of battle raps fast is to write a 3 verse song but without any hooks or anything else. Just learn the whole song and you have 3 battle raps ready to go.  I would not recommend you go into a battle rap with less than 10 raps ready with various content.

Improving Your Raps

If you have raps that you think are not up to par then you will need to improve your raps. A good tip to follow is to try your rap out on individuals like your family and friends and ask them for their honest criticism. Allow them to tell you how they feel about your rhymes and don't be offended by what they say. Once you have the criticisms then use those as a basis for improvement. I think its a good idea to have a beat already picked out for your rap song because it will help when choosing new words to improve your rap. You will need to see how other words sound in place of the words that you are replacing. Go through your raps and pick out the weak parts of it. try using more descriptive words that mean the same as the words you want to remove. Rewrite the song on another piece of paper instead of erasing or scratching out the old words. This way if you ever want to go back to the old version of the song you still have it. It also gives you a second version of your song that you can call a remix. There are many song on the radio that are remixes that sounds identical to the original song. Sometime its over a different beat and sometimes on the same beat with a little added to it. The key is to edit the song in a way that you feel comfortable rapping it and others that you rap it for can feel it. It is always good to strike a balance between your audience and yourself and this will help with improving your raps.

How to Write A Rap In Your Head

The most difficult form of writing a rap song is to rap off the top of your head.  To learn how to write a rap in your head is not an easy task but with practice it gets easy.  This practice also increases your brain's memory abilities. 

The process of writing raps in your head teaches you brain how to memorize things using structure to your methods.  In order to write a song in your mind you need to start with your first line.  Once you have your first line in you mind and say it out loud two times.  This helps to remember the line as you progress.  Now on the third time add a second link to your rap.  Then say the rap over with the second line included.  Repeat the process until the rap song is finished. 

Remember every time you ad a new line start over from the beginning and recite all of the lines up to your newest line.  This is what I call the  rap step structure.  Picture your first line as a step and then your next line as a step that you are stepping up to on another step and so on until you have a flight of steps. 

This is the technique that rappers like Notorious BIG, Jay-Z and Shyne use to write their rhymes.  You are basically building the sentence in your mind and holding it there instead of using paper to jot it down on.

How To Rap Freestyle

How to rap freestyle is almost like learning how to write a rap in your head.  If your want to learn to rap freestyle you need to have the ability to think fast to come up with words that rhyme and follow the beat.  Anyone can freestyle but not everyone is good at it.  But the more you practice the art of freestyling the better you will become.  A true freestyle is always misinterpreted by many rappers entering into freestyle battles.  A lot of people think that writing a rap and memorizing and using it in a freestyle battle is considered a freestyle.  But that is far from the case.  A freestyle rap is a rap that is straight off the dome or a rap that you think up right there on the spot.  When the beat drops like on 106 & Park then you  have to be ready to go into lyrical battle with fresh rhymes that you have not previously memorized.  To Freestyle rap you have to put together rhyming lines one after the other without messing up.  I would suggest that you learn to freestyle by playing a beat with a fairly slow tempo.  The slower tempo will give you time to think up good words to keep the rap going.  The slower the beat the more time your mind has to improvise when it comes to your rap.  Faster beats tend to cause you to lose your place and stumble over your words attempting to salvage your rap.  A good thing to do is to get a pocket thesaurus and keep it with you.  Try to look for synonyms to words that you commonly use and these words will help to keep your mind fresh.  A good tip is to use a mirror to practice your freestyle in as well.

How To Rap Better

OK!  So you now know how to rap but your raps are only OK.  You need to know how to rap better than you currently do.  Rapping better will require the same effort that it took you to learn how to rap in the first place.  There are things and techniques that you can use to be a better rapper.  In order to improve your rapping you have to first address where the sub par qualities are in your raps.  What needs to be improved?  Is it your content?  Maybe you don't have a lot of substance to what you are saying.  Is your delivery wack?  Maybe you need to figure out how else you can say certain lines to make your delivery more acceptable.  The best way to find out where your strengths and weaknesses in your rapping are is to have an audience.  It doesn't have to be a large audience just a few friends or family members.  Get them together and spit your rhyme to them and ask them to critique you with their harshest opinions.  Make sure to take mental notes on what each of them likes and dislikes about your delivery or you content.  If they say that you content was not that good then the next rap you write you should research a little info to help give you content.  For example if you are rapping about hard times then search the web for news articles about current events and include some of that in your rhymes.  Not only does it give you more to write about but it also makes your listeners think that you are up on current events and gives you more credibility than just rapping about your shoes and socks or something like that.  If it's your delivery that is the problem then it's time to become an actor.  Rapping is like acting because when you rap you are telling a story and giving visuals with your words and your expressions.  Practice in the mirror more and picture your rhymes as a script as if you are acting out your raps.  Use hand gestures to add to your whole persona to make your delivery a little more convincing.  You can surely learn how to rap better by trying out these suggestions.

Learn How To Rap

So you want to learn how to rap huh? Well what do you already know about rap. Did you hear it one day and think to yourself that this is something easy to do and you can do it better than the people on the radio. Well maybe you could if you only knew how to rap. Learning how to rap is not as easy as it may seem. You have to know what you are rapping about, you have to have a flow to your raps, and you have to be about to hold your listeners or audience's attentions. Without either of those things then you will fail at rap. Lets look at how to rap.

1. First you need to know what you are going to rap about.
2. You need to have a beat to rap to.
3. You need to either have a notebook & pen or be ready to write rhyme in your head.
4. You Need to write you rap.

Now you are ready to learn how to rap. Again the learning part of how to rap is not as easy as it seems. Writing raps and learning how to rap are two altogether separate things and should be looked at as separate things.  How to write a rap is when you thinks up a subject and write verses and hooks.  How to rap however is the process of verbally delivering your raps after they have been written.  Once you have your written rap then you should read it at least three time to try and commit as much of the rhyme to memory as possible.  This will help to eliminate the amount of times you mess up on a verse and stumble over the words.  This is a part of the prerecording process if you are planning to go to a recording studio and record the raps.  The fewer mistakes you make when you are in the recording booth the less hours you will spend at the studio, and the more money you will save in recording hour fees.

Once you have read over you written raps a few times then now it's time for you to start to recite them out loud while trying not to use the paper as much as possible.  Once you get started you will see how reading over the raps first helped in committing some of your words to memory so you will know what lines come next in some cases without relying on the paper.  Start to say the rhyme and every time you mess up on a line then in a verse then start the whole verse over again.  This will help with discipline by feeling like you are punishing yourself for every time you mess up.  This will also help you to memorize the rhymes faster as well.  The more you say it and read it the more you remember it.  I would keep going over the whole rap until I have almost memorized the entire thing and have no need for the paper anymore. 

Now that you have memorized the whole rap song it's time to address your flow.  The flow or delivery is as important as having good lyrics.  Without a good delivery no one will take you serious or want to continue to listen to you.  Think about anytime you are listening to the radio and that wack song that you hate comes on.  What's the first thing you do?  You turn the station.  That's how you will be treated if your delivery is not up to par.  The best practice for perfecting your delivery is to practice in the mirror.  When you practice your rhymes in the mirror you get to see the expressions you make and it builds confidence because you are looking at yourself from another person's perspective.  If you make funny faces when saying certain words or lines then the mirror will show that and you can be aware of it and change it.  Facial expressions tend to portray support for the words that you are rapping.  Practice the rhyme in the mirror over and over again until you know for sure that you will not mess up.  Keep the paper with your rap on it handy in case you forget a word or two or forget what line comes next.  You can learn how to rap by following these tips.

What Rap Is and Is Not

Clearly the most popular forms of music on the planet today is rap music. And that has lead to an influx of people wanting to learn how to rap. But you need to know what rap is and is not. Rap started in the inner city of New York, NY and has spread like a wildfire ever since. Rap was said to be a fad by politicians and others who had no clue that rap was a part of hip-hop. Hip-hop is a culture and not just a few rhymes that you can put together. It is a way of life. The way a culture lives, eats, dresses, acts, and maintains is all hip-hop and rap is a branch of that lifestyle.

If you want to know how to rap you need to look at the people who are doing rap successfully. And not just the ones that make millions of dollars every year like Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and Jay-Z. But rappers that are lesser known but have been in the rap game for 10-20 years. To survive in any genre of music or any job industry for that amount of times means you have achieved some kind of success. Rap is about not just your words you write in the notebook you never leave home without. Rap is your swagger, your mannerisms, content, and most importantly your flow.

To rap you need to capture your audience and make them want to keep listening to you and want to hear more. Think about your favorite CD. Why do you like it. Mainly because you can listen to the whole thing front to back, beginning to end and never get tired of it. Good rappers can make songs that hide meanings to words that you dont catch until the 20-30th time you hear the song. An example of this is Tupac. Many of his songs more than 20 years after his death are still being listened to and many people are just now catching on to a lot of things he was talking about in his songs. To learn how to rap means to study the old school rappers and have at least a little knowledge of the foundations of what you are trying to pursue and master.

My suggestions for anyone who would like to rap is to write rhymes on any subject that you can think of. I find a lot of times battle rappers cant make commercial rap songs. And the worst thing that I have come across is gangster rappers that cant make songs for women. If you cant appeal to women who are a huge part of the people buying records then you will surely not make it in the rap game these days. The days of shoot em up, kill the whole block, murder a whole state gangster rappers is done. Rap is about balance so you have to have that balance. If you have nothing but songs the club then you need song about struggle or pain. If you have every one of your songs for women then you need to make songs like anthems that the guys would like. If all of your songs are hardcore then make a few for the clubs. Many records get their breaks from club dj's. There is so much more to learning how to rap and rap music than to write a few rhyming lines on a piece of paper. And some rappers don't even use paper. If you want to rap then you have to equip yourself with every possible advantage. There are literally thousands of so called rappers out there and only about 5% of those rappers will ever see a contract from a national record label. And only a very small percentage of those 5% will ever make enough money to retire on during their career. How many times have you seen rappers or rap groups that were hot a few years back and now you ask yourself what happened to them when you hear their song on the radio. If you dont want to end up being one of those rappers then you have to know not only how to rap but how to find your flow, pick the right beats, and have enough swag to and credibility to make your rhymes believable and easy to relate to. Practice those things and you will succeed above your peers.