Skip to main content

FIVE SKILLS YOU MUST HAVE TO BECOME A RAPPER

Want To Become a Successful Rapper in India ?

Here, we are dropping few insights about how can you approach towards your goal in a systematic manner.

In order to excel in this competitive Indian rapping scene, you must acquire the proper skills that help you in creating and delivering your artistic content in an expressive style.Without polished skills you'll always find it difficult to ride your rhythmic content on the beat.

It is also important to understand that the process of acquiring skills requires patience and perseverance. Thus , consistency matters.

So,here are the following points that will definitely help you to hone your skill.

1. CONTENT IS KING

Content of a rap song includes every subject an artist talks about in his lyrics.It is the main theme on which you're rapping about.Different MCs prefer to talk about different type of topics , depending on their familiarity or experience with that subject. Artists tend to experiment with different types of content such as - Real-Life content (Eg - Mobb Deep) , Fictional Content (Eg - KRS-One) , Club/Party Content (Eg - Badshah).

Thus, it is important to focus on the content to amplify your voice towards diverse types of audience.

2. CONTENT TOOLS

Once you've decided the content form of a song , then , the next part is to understand about the content tools.The overall structure of a song might be conceptual or abstract, but within that structure you might use a number of different content tools , such as imagery,metaphor , or wordplay.

You can have a basic understanding of this figurative language by clicking this link.After that, you can study the application of these tools by analyzing the lyrics of legendary rappers such as - Eminem,Lil Wayne , Black Thought etc.

3. RHYME

You can not imagine rap without rhyme.Rhyme is considered one of the important factors in rap writing - MCs often refer to rap lyrics as "rhymes". Along with rhythm , rhyme is what gives rap lyrics their musicality , because similar sounds being repeated are interesting to listen to.

To become a successful rapper , you've to garner skills to spit both simple and complex rhymes.

There can be different types of rhymes such as:

  • Perfect Rhyme : Simplest and most obvious form of rhyme.

    • Example - Cat/Hat

      • A child is born with no state of mind,
        Blind to the ways of mankind

  •  Assonance : It occurs when two words don’t have exactly the same ending but instead use a shared vowel sound to create a rhyme.

    • Example - Flip/hip

      • His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
        There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti

  • Compound Rhymes (Multi-syllable Rhymes)

    • In this , a rhyme is more than one syllable long.

    • For instance , Rhyming “random luck” with “handsome fuck,” “we cop vans
      and trucks”.

Apart from the above categories , we will definitely discuss this topic of rhymes as a separate topic to provide you detailed insights with some cool examples.

It should also be noted that,along with the rhymes,rhyme schemes are also important.The rhyme schemes also help us to design our flow.

To understand more rhyme scheme patterns you must analyze rhyme schemes of rappers like - Eminem,MF Doom,Rakim etc.

4.  FLOW

In a hip hop song,flow contains the rhythms and rhymes ,that will take your rapping skills to the next level.A strong flow is valuable in conveying the content clearly and effectively or as an element that takes center stage to impress listener.As hip-hop has progressed,flows have become more and more complicated .

For instance , you can understand the concept of flow by analyzing the following lyrics of the Pharcyde's track "Drop" :

Let me freak the funk, obsolete is the punk that talks
More junk than Sanford sells. I jet propel at a
Rate that complicate their mental state as I invade their
Masquerade. They couldn’t fade with a clipper

Now , the same lyrics are shown in the flow diagram:

The design of a flow depends on the beat and the bars.We'll cover this in detail in a separate section.

5.  DELIVERY

Until you deliver your lyrics in a recording or a live performance,they're just words on the page or in your head.To develop an effective and interesting  vocal delivery,you must master several basic vocal techniques , for instance:

  • Breath Control.

  • Enunciation (refers to how accurately and clearly words are said).

  • Vocal style ,where you can alter the pitch of the voice and make your delivery more melodic.

  • Syncopation (It is a form of vocal styling in which an MC delivers the lyrics very slightly before or after the beat , rather than exactly on the beat)

If you are not able to grasp the understanding of these easily,do not worry because we are going to cover this section in detail as a separate blog. 

So,these are few of the most important skills that you must have if you aspire to be a rapper.

Do comment to let us know what are the other things that you would like us to add in this list.

 Keep rhyming...

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

If you have any doubts or feedback, please let me know.

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of Hip Hop Lyrics: Analyzing the Messages Behind the Music

Hip hop has been a dominant force in the music industry for decades, with its powerful lyrics and infectious beats captivating listeners across the world. But beyond the catchy hooks and club bangers, hip hop has also served as a powerful platform for social commentary and political activism. In this blog, we will explore the power of hip hop lyrics and analyze the messages behind the music. The Evolution of Hip Hop Lyrics The Early Days of Hip Hop Lyrics Hip hop music emerged in the Bronx in the late 1970s as a way for Black and Latino youth to express themselves creatively in the midst of economic hardship and social unrest. Early hip hop lyrics were often light-hearted and playful, focusing on partying, dancing, and having fun. For example, in 1979, Sugarhill Gang released "Rapper's Delight, " a song that celebrated the joys of rapping and partying. However, not all early hip hop lyrics were purely frivolous. Many songs addressed the harsh realities of life in inn...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Art of Sampling in Hip Hop/Rap Music

  Sampling has been a defining element of hip hop music since its inception. By taking snippets of pre-existing audio recordings and integrating them into new beats and rhythms, producers have been able to create entirely new musical compositions that have transformed the genre. This blog will explore the role of sampling in hip hop music production, including its history, creative techniques, and legal considerations. The History of Sampling in Hip Hop The roots of sampling can be traced back to the early days of hip hop in the 1970s. DJs and producers would loop sections of popular funk, soul, and R&B records to create new instrumental tracks that could be rapped over. This technique quickly became a staple of hip hop production, with early pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa using it to create iconic tracks like "The Message" and "Planet Rock." As hip hop evolved throughout the 1980s and 1990s, so too did the techniques and techn...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Culture of B-Boying: More Than Just a Dance Style

  B-boying, also known as breakdancing, is a popular style of hip hop dance that originated in the Bronx, New York City in the 1970s. It is a style of dance that is characterized by its acrobatic and athletic movements, including spins, flips, and freezes, all performed to the rhythm of hip hop music. B-boying is not just a dance form, but it is also a culture that has its own unique history, music, fashion, and language. In this blog, we will explore the origins of B-boying hip hop, the elements that make up the culture, and its impact on the world of dance. Origins of B-boying  The origins of B-boying can be traced back to the Bronx, New York City, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At this time, African American and Puerto Rican youth were facing social and economic challenges in their communities. Many of these young people found refuge in the emerging hip hop culture, which provided a creative outlet for their energy and a means of expressing their identity. In the early ...
Post a Comment
Read more