C Squared
12-06-2006, 01:01 AM
So you want to be a Rapstar?
You know you got some skillz... whether its singing in your shower or kickin
flows for your friends... you know you got talent. That's how it started
for me. I'd freestyle at recess and some of my friends said..."You could be
a rapper one day.." If they only knew... Here are ten tips to get you
started.
1. Write everyday
You have to practice everyday. It's best if you get a routine going.
Either you write in the morning or when you come home after school. Try
spending 30 minutes writing. You can write rhymes, or song lyrics. Don't
focus on what you are writing, just focus on doing it. The rhymes will
come. Sometimes you'll be writing and you'll be like.. "but I don't know
what rhymes with 'force'" - or some other word.. and 'divorce' just don't
seem right. Just write something. Don't sweat it. You can always go back
and change your rhyme. It's important to keep the flow in your writing.
This is the biggest skill to work on as a songwriter - keeping the flow.
Keep your rhymes in a rhymebook. It can be a regular notebook that you'd
use for school. You may want to get a Sharpie and write a title on the
cover of your rhymebook. This could be the title of your album, or just
something that describes what your rhymes are about.
2. Practice in front of a mirror
You got some rhymes... now how do you practice? Do you just say them to
yourself? That's a start, but what you want to do is practice saying your
rhymes in front of a mirror. It's good practice for when you start doing
performances. You want to be able to look at yourself in the mirror just
like you'd be looking into the crowd. You want to see how you carry
yourself, if you have confidence or if you always are fumbling with your
right hand in your pocket... ya dig? If you do this you'll be a step ahead
of a lot of performers who just perform to themselves - they close their
eyes and think they are deep in the moment... or they just stare at the
ground... but they don't realize the audience doesn't connect this way.
3. Record yourself singing/rapping
When you record yourself and play it back it can be a shock at first. You
may not like the sound of your own voice... You may think to yourself...
"But it sounded so good when I sung it in my head!" What you want to do is
try different ways of singing/rapping. In his book, LL Cool J says this was
his first step in becoming a rapper. Does your voice sound better when you
are screaming - like Busta Rhymes or Lil Jon... or when you rap quiet like
the Ying Yang Twins and David Banner... Try yourself rapping in different
voices to see which one fits you the best.
4. Find your own style
You've got to combine the first three lessons for this to work. Look
through your rhymebook and practice some of your rhymes. Which rhymes are
hitting the hardest? In other words, which raps do you read that you feel
are really tight? really good rhymes that describe you and set yourself
apart from other people. Think about it, could you picture Eminem rapping
about love and girls on every song? How about Jay-Z rapping about how he
hates his mother and is mad at the world? The thing that the best artists
have in common is that they are each unique and rap about their uniqueness.
You don't want to be another 50, Juelz, or Nas. You want to be you. Rap
about your life and what makes you stick out from the crowd. This may take
you 10 minutes or 10 years... but the quicker you get there the quicker you
will have success as a rap star...
5. Learn song structure
This is kinda tough to break this down in a short newsletter, but if you are
a musician and play an instrument, you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Learn about how to count bars. You'll find that songs whether they are
rap, pop or rock have a similar song structure. Verses are usually 16 bars.
Songs usually go from Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Verse...
Listen to some of your favorite songs and see if they use this structure and
if they don't, think about why they may have wanted to change it.
When you learn song structure you can start writing your rhymes in 16 bars.
6. Listen to other styles of music
When I was growing up I loved rap... I didn't really like other types of
music but I could appreciate them because that's what my friends listened
to. When they played videogames at my house they would listen to rap, when
I played Genesis at their house, we listened to Heavy Metal, Rock and even
Country...
Listen to other types of music and analyze them. See what topics they sing
about. See the song structure. Listening to other forms of music also
helps prevent biteritis - in other words - when you listen to Eminem for a
long time you may start to rap like him... And you don't want to sound just
like your favorite rapper. So switch it up sometime!
7. Make songs and record them
Alright now you are ready to graduate to making songs. It's different than
writing a rhyme because you may just be battling in that rhyme or you may
have a punchline or too, but you aren't sticking to one topic for the whole
rhyme. When you write a song you want to have a strong chorus and your
verses should all relate to the chorus. A good way to write a song is to
listen to the beat and think about how that song makes you feel. Then
brainstorm and write some words out. When you think you have a good idea of
what to rap about try coming up with the song title. Then you can make the
chorus. Try to come up with a melody before coming up with the words. Then
when you're ready to write the verses, make sure they stick with the theme
for the song.
The final step is recording. It may take you a long time to record and get
everything right, but practice and try again and again till you get it
right!
8. Perform any chance you get
Okay you've practiced your skills and now you want to get out there.
Chances are someone isn't just going to come along and say "Hey your
talented, want a record deal?" So you have to get out there. Try singing
in your school at a talent show. If you go to church, sing in the choir.
Check talent shows, or showcases in your area by looking at bulletin boards
in the grocery store or on websites. Performing gives you a chance to hone
your skills no matter what the outcome is. The first few times you perform
you may not get the response you hoped for. Don't give up. Just learn for
the next time. You want to learn what works and what can be improved. The
more times you perform the more people you connect with that may lead to
future shows. People will come up and say "Good performance, I'm putting
together a show, would you be interested?" Don't worry about the money. It
will come the more you get out there. After all if no one knows you, why
would they pay to come see you? yet....
9. Listen to constructive criticism...
When you've gone thru these steps and you think you've got some solid songs,
show them to people. Your friends and family will tell you they are good
but will a stranger? Don't worry if they don't think that the song is good.
Some people will like it, some won't. What you are looking for is finding
out something you can do to make the song better. You may want to work on
the chorus or the second verse and make sure it is the best it can be.
Sometimes I work on songs for a few years. They just don't sound finished
yet. I will go back and change some lines, change the chorus, etc. I show
my songs to people and sometimes I disagree with what the person is saying
but I thank them for their opinion. You'll find that feedback either makes
you want to change the song, or it strengthens your opinion on it.
10. Never Give Up
So you really want to be a superstar? There is no easy way about it.
You've got to try and try again. You've got to have thick skin. People
will say all types of things about you and your music. They will try to get
you down. You may even get booed off of the stage a few times. Just
remember, that every successful artist has been through that. You could be
50 Cent, could be the Beatles, could be LL Cool J... they've all faced
adversity and had to keep going.
The longer you stick with it the more chance you have to be successul. You
may not realize it but the work you're doing pays off. Just stay positive
and work on getting better each day. Two words of final advice...
One thing I always tell myself is that I haven't wrote my best rhyme yet...
so everyday I wake up thinking that this may be the day that I write my best
rhyme... Second... You are only one hit away. You may make songs for 10
years like I have or you may just have done this for a year. You could be
just one hit song away from being the superstar you want to be...
So good luck and hollaback if you need any more help!
PEACE
D.O.
Source: http://www.doyall.com/staydriven/essays/raptips.htm
You know you got some skillz... whether its singing in your shower or kickin
flows for your friends... you know you got talent. That's how it started
for me. I'd freestyle at recess and some of my friends said..."You could be
a rapper one day.." If they only knew... Here are ten tips to get you
started.
1. Write everyday
You have to practice everyday. It's best if you get a routine going.
Either you write in the morning or when you come home after school. Try
spending 30 minutes writing. You can write rhymes, or song lyrics. Don't
focus on what you are writing, just focus on doing it. The rhymes will
come. Sometimes you'll be writing and you'll be like.. "but I don't know
what rhymes with 'force'" - or some other word.. and 'divorce' just don't
seem right. Just write something. Don't sweat it. You can always go back
and change your rhyme. It's important to keep the flow in your writing.
This is the biggest skill to work on as a songwriter - keeping the flow.
Keep your rhymes in a rhymebook. It can be a regular notebook that you'd
use for school. You may want to get a Sharpie and write a title on the
cover of your rhymebook. This could be the title of your album, or just
something that describes what your rhymes are about.
2. Practice in front of a mirror
You got some rhymes... now how do you practice? Do you just say them to
yourself? That's a start, but what you want to do is practice saying your
rhymes in front of a mirror. It's good practice for when you start doing
performances. You want to be able to look at yourself in the mirror just
like you'd be looking into the crowd. You want to see how you carry
yourself, if you have confidence or if you always are fumbling with your
right hand in your pocket... ya dig? If you do this you'll be a step ahead
of a lot of performers who just perform to themselves - they close their
eyes and think they are deep in the moment... or they just stare at the
ground... but they don't realize the audience doesn't connect this way.
3. Record yourself singing/rapping
When you record yourself and play it back it can be a shock at first. You
may not like the sound of your own voice... You may think to yourself...
"But it sounded so good when I sung it in my head!" What you want to do is
try different ways of singing/rapping. In his book, LL Cool J says this was
his first step in becoming a rapper. Does your voice sound better when you
are screaming - like Busta Rhymes or Lil Jon... or when you rap quiet like
the Ying Yang Twins and David Banner... Try yourself rapping in different
voices to see which one fits you the best.
4. Find your own style
You've got to combine the first three lessons for this to work. Look
through your rhymebook and practice some of your rhymes. Which rhymes are
hitting the hardest? In other words, which raps do you read that you feel
are really tight? really good rhymes that describe you and set yourself
apart from other people. Think about it, could you picture Eminem rapping
about love and girls on every song? How about Jay-Z rapping about how he
hates his mother and is mad at the world? The thing that the best artists
have in common is that they are each unique and rap about their uniqueness.
You don't want to be another 50, Juelz, or Nas. You want to be you. Rap
about your life and what makes you stick out from the crowd. This may take
you 10 minutes or 10 years... but the quicker you get there the quicker you
will have success as a rap star...
5. Learn song structure
This is kinda tough to break this down in a short newsletter, but if you are
a musician and play an instrument, you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Learn about how to count bars. You'll find that songs whether they are
rap, pop or rock have a similar song structure. Verses are usually 16 bars.
Songs usually go from Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Verse...
Listen to some of your favorite songs and see if they use this structure and
if they don't, think about why they may have wanted to change it.
When you learn song structure you can start writing your rhymes in 16 bars.
6. Listen to other styles of music
When I was growing up I loved rap... I didn't really like other types of
music but I could appreciate them because that's what my friends listened
to. When they played videogames at my house they would listen to rap, when
I played Genesis at their house, we listened to Heavy Metal, Rock and even
Country...
Listen to other types of music and analyze them. See what topics they sing
about. See the song structure. Listening to other forms of music also
helps prevent biteritis - in other words - when you listen to Eminem for a
long time you may start to rap like him... And you don't want to sound just
like your favorite rapper. So switch it up sometime!
7. Make songs and record them
Alright now you are ready to graduate to making songs. It's different than
writing a rhyme because you may just be battling in that rhyme or you may
have a punchline or too, but you aren't sticking to one topic for the whole
rhyme. When you write a song you want to have a strong chorus and your
verses should all relate to the chorus. A good way to write a song is to
listen to the beat and think about how that song makes you feel. Then
brainstorm and write some words out. When you think you have a good idea of
what to rap about try coming up with the song title. Then you can make the
chorus. Try to come up with a melody before coming up with the words. Then
when you're ready to write the verses, make sure they stick with the theme
for the song.
The final step is recording. It may take you a long time to record and get
everything right, but practice and try again and again till you get it
right!
8. Perform any chance you get
Okay you've practiced your skills and now you want to get out there.
Chances are someone isn't just going to come along and say "Hey your
talented, want a record deal?" So you have to get out there. Try singing
in your school at a talent show. If you go to church, sing in the choir.
Check talent shows, or showcases in your area by looking at bulletin boards
in the grocery store or on websites. Performing gives you a chance to hone
your skills no matter what the outcome is. The first few times you perform
you may not get the response you hoped for. Don't give up. Just learn for
the next time. You want to learn what works and what can be improved. The
more times you perform the more people you connect with that may lead to
future shows. People will come up and say "Good performance, I'm putting
together a show, would you be interested?" Don't worry about the money. It
will come the more you get out there. After all if no one knows you, why
would they pay to come see you? yet....
9. Listen to constructive criticism...
When you've gone thru these steps and you think you've got some solid songs,
show them to people. Your friends and family will tell you they are good
but will a stranger? Don't worry if they don't think that the song is good.
Some people will like it, some won't. What you are looking for is finding
out something you can do to make the song better. You may want to work on
the chorus or the second verse and make sure it is the best it can be.
Sometimes I work on songs for a few years. They just don't sound finished
yet. I will go back and change some lines, change the chorus, etc. I show
my songs to people and sometimes I disagree with what the person is saying
but I thank them for their opinion. You'll find that feedback either makes
you want to change the song, or it strengthens your opinion on it.
10. Never Give Up
So you really want to be a superstar? There is no easy way about it.
You've got to try and try again. You've got to have thick skin. People
will say all types of things about you and your music. They will try to get
you down. You may even get booed off of the stage a few times. Just
remember, that every successful artist has been through that. You could be
50 Cent, could be the Beatles, could be LL Cool J... they've all faced
adversity and had to keep going.
The longer you stick with it the more chance you have to be successul. You
may not realize it but the work you're doing pays off. Just stay positive
and work on getting better each day. Two words of final advice...
One thing I always tell myself is that I haven't wrote my best rhyme yet...
so everyday I wake up thinking that this may be the day that I write my best
rhyme... Second... You are only one hit away. You may make songs for 10
years like I have or you may just have done this for a year. You could be
just one hit song away from being the superstar you want to be...
So good luck and hollaback if you need any more help!
PEACE
D.O.
Source: http://www.doyall.com/staydriven/essays/raptips.htm