Reddit reviews How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC

How to Rap

To be quite honest, that's what makes it so appealing to me.

The fact that he tells "a pretty generic hood story" as you put it but manages to make it sound so god damn smooth.

Imagine any other artist, writing this song without the rewind concept. It would be the most boring-ass, generic rap song. Nas turned that into a classic.

This song was even talked about in How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC. It's a pretty interesting read btw, I recommend it to anyone on /r/hiphopheads/

get at it then! for beats (people say it's easiest for beginners) and here's for the rapping part

Well that was far too nice and now I feel kinda bad. Honestly, I love when people analyze hip hop and rapping specifically, so this was just me being kind of contradictory for the sake of it. Who are some of your favorites, or people who encompass most/all of these aspects to you?

Edit: Also, the guy that recommended How to Rap (https://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167) is definitely right in the fact that I think you'd enjoy the read.

Here's a good place to start.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540108592&sr=8-3&keywords=How+to+rap
Alternatively, if you want to get into mumble rap a rudimentary understanding of nursery rhymes should suffice.

Rapper here: yes, for many reasons.

• The lyrics will often follow the mood of the instrumental (or directly contrast it). Dark beat? Brooding subject matter. Does the beat sample the Beach Boys? You'll probably rap about a day on the beach.
  
• BPM. Beats Per Minute is very important to your flow - take a rap song at 78 BPM and try to rap it along to a track that's 90. Some of your more intricate flows might not translate very well. Naughty By Nature's rap style wouldn't go well over a slow beat, and likewise Gucci Mane probably wouldn't do well over a sped-up boom bap production.
  
• You're not just "reading" poetry. You're creating rap, literally "rhythm and poetry." It's a performance, much like singing, and you need to be able to follow the instrumental and work with it, build off it, or choose not to (but have it work in the song). That'll only happen to its fullest potential if you write something to a certain beat (though, like I said, BPM is the most important to begin with).
  
  If you're literally just beginning to start out with rap, don't worry about finding original beats just yet. Grab some of your favorite instrumentals, write to them and record them into Garageband. See how you sound, and work on what you don't like. Practice, practice, practice. It'll take years to begin to get comfortable with your own voice in hip hop, but if it's something you love, you'll find it.
  
  edit: I also recommend reading "How to Rap", you can get a cheap copy there. It's the perfect book to explain the basics.

Read this or anything else you can get your hands on that explains the creative process some professional rappers use to write lyrics. It would probably be especially helpful for you to find interviews of your favorite artists where they discuss their inspirations.

Also, you don't have to write with a beat in mind or while listening to an instrumental. The lyrics can come first and then you'll find or make a beat that fits them.

Lastly, don't let your dreams be dreams. Stay focused and work hard for what you want and don't let anyone discourage you with their negativity. At the same time, don't let compliments get to your head and tell you you're the greatest and then get complacent with your work. Always be your own worst critic.

Lastly lastly... Enjoy yourself! If you're not enjoying it, it'll show in your lyrics and delivery and then nobody else will enjoy it either

https://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527022188&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+rap

it shows the intricacies of the song writing for individual artists and the subtle details that make or break a song.

hey man
first thing is, practice. Start small and build up. use single syllable rhymes and try to get a feel for what a "bar is". then from there get more complex.

 


Start with a simple flow and rhyme scheme

 


just walked in the crib 1

look at my Asian chick 2

she hella thick, do a split, 3

she don't take no shit" 4

 


this is a simple rhyme scheme with all single syllable rhymes. You will notice. the rhyme does not always end on the end of the line. If we were to continue this. my rule is to change the flow every four bars but I tend to change it up a lot more than other people. My first indication would be to change the flow right after

 


I ain't seen her in a min-ute 1

I miss her...this love 2

really ain't a gimmick 3

..I fall to pieces when i'm in-it* 4

 


This is an example where the rhyme scheme becomes more complex and the rhymes can increase to more than one syllable.
There are plenty of resources online about how to rap. there's even a book! [How to Rap!] (https://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480085264&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+rap)
Best of luck to you little homie. holler if you got any questions

The best advice I can give you is to check out "How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC". I've been a fan for about 15 years and even then this book provided valuable insight into some of the intricacies of the genre, as explained by the pioneers and torchbearers themselves.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167

Read this: all the theory is there. http://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-The-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167

How To Rap has a lot of interviews with different rappers on their takes. I'm only part way through it but it has been interesting so far.

Whoever is interested in learning more about rhyming and rap techniques I highly recommend How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC book

Root For The Villain: Rap, Bull$hit, and a Celebration of Failure by J-Zone (who, if you're familiar with his music, is equally funny in his book)

Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor (it's a graphic novel focusing on the early days of hip hop done in the style of 90s Image comics)

How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC by Paul Edwards (this is full of interviews with some of the greatest of all time discussing every single aspect of rapping)

The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop by Dan Charnas (haven't read this one yet, but I've heard great things about it.)

Also, if you're interested in books on specific albums, the 33 1/3 series has quite a few: Illmatic, Paul's Boutique, Donuts, People's Instinctive Travels And the Paths of Rhythm, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. If you're a Nas fan you may enjoy Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic, which is a more scholarly approach to Illmatic

Not feedback for your track but I have a book to suggest. I know the title make it sound super-cheezy, but it's a full of interviews with great rappers on how they work, writing and performing live and in the studio.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-Art-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167

Hi Audio_Byte,

I posted this in the "I cringe at my own lyrics" thread, but it seems like you might benefit from it as well:

I'm actually working on a web app to help people with this very problem: Rhymecraft. It isn't ready yet but in the meantime my #1 tip for you is to read How to Rap Volume 1 and Volume 2. If you want me to email you when my app is done, send me a private message with your email address or just let me know you want me to send you a PM on Reddit.

What I've learned from studying lyrics is that usually there isn't one thing that makes lyrics good or bad; it's a collection of lots of different things, and your job as a lyricist is to understand what all of those factors are and make sure they're all working in your favor. Reading "How to Rap" will give you a good intro to what some of those factors are.

This book is awesome: http://www.amazon.com/How-Rap-The-Science-Hip-Hop/dp/1556528167

Keep hustling!! You've got it.

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