Almost every fan of the rapping genre has dreamt of writing and recording their own track. They draw inspiration from their favorite artists and are motivated to follow in their footsteps. While some pursue rapping as a hobby, others want to become professionals. Whether you want to learn to rap for a weekend jamming session with your friends or are seeking stardom, you will need to work upon and improve your skills. Here are a few things that can help you to get better at rapping.
Rap Along While Listening
Not every listener of the genre is a rapper, but every rapper is a listener. Individuals who want to rap are inspired by listening to rap songs. However, you can not only entertain and motivate yourself with your favorite artists’ compositions but also sing along. The first step for getting better at rapping is to start rapping while listening to songs. You may begin by focusing on the lyrics but should aim to emulate other aspects of their style over time. Pay attention to their breath control, pronunciation and enunciation, voice modulation, and overall flow. Aim to mimic the performance styles of different rappers and not just those that appeal to you. Continuously challenge yourself and expand your comfort zone. At the same time, don’t just become a copycat of a single artist. Take inspiration from multiple artists but carve out your unique style.
Don’t jump into the deep end of rapping by opting for fast-paced compositions. Start with slow beats and slowly progress from there. Give yourself plenty of time to breathe in between sentences. As your lung capacity will improve over time, you can increase the words per bar.
Practice Daily
The age-old proverb of “practice makes perfect” applies to rapping as well. It requires practice and years of hard work to improve your skills. You must focus on both rapping and writing. Once you start churning out lyrics, writing will take a significant portion of your time. But it is equally important to practice your vocal skills for a couple of hours daily. Utilize the time at hand properly instead of wasting it on irrelevant activities. To make it to the professional scene, you will have to cut down on your leisure time and focus on improving your skills. It takes years and years of practice to become a renowned artist.
You may use your smartphone, laptop, or computer to record your voice and listen to it later for analysis. It will familiarize you with your own voice and help you get better at rapping. Once you have advanced your skills, you can buy proper recording equipment like a microphone and DAW.
Writing
Writing is an integral part of the rapping process. To get better at rapping, you will have to improve your inditing skills. Professional writers have the capability to write 24×7. If you are serious about rapping, you will want to write almost daily. Inspiration can come anytime, whether you are traveling on the subway or relaxing in the bathtub. How many times have you had a great idea only to forget it later? Keep a pen and paper close because you never know when a great verse strikes your head. You can even use a digital notepad or diary on your smartphone or tablet to jot down ideas for rap lyrics. Maintain a diary or journal for your words. You may want to refer back to your creations in the future for inspiration.
Enhance Your Vocabulary
How often do you come across new or uncommon words when listening to the lyrics of renowned rappers? Quite a few times. Vocabulary is the biggest asset of rappers. It is one of the major distinctions that separate great rappers from good rappers. If you want to get better at rapping, focus on enhancing your vocabulary. The more words you know, the easier it will be for you to write lyrics. As you learn new words, writing verses consisting of rhyming words will become second nature. There will be less repetition in your lyrics, and the rap won’t sound monotonous. It may improve the engagement level of the listeners subsequently. You may use various thesauruses and tools like Merriam Webster’s “Word of The Day” to enhance your vocabulary and get better at rapping. Using the new words in your lyrics as often as possible allows you to memorize them effortlessly.
Write Smart with Secret Tools
Many secret tools can help you to get better at rapping. However, novices rarely know about them as most rappers are either unaware of their existence or don’t acknowledge using them. These tools can help you find rhyming words, enhance your vocabulary, and write alliteration bars conveniently and effortlessly.
Rhyme Zone is one of the most popular online tools that you can use to get better at rapping. You enter a word, click Search, and find hundreds and thousands of rhyming words, synonyms, antonyms, sentences, quotes, homophones, lyrics, and poems. The results can provide you inspiration for freestyling, rapping, or styling lyrics.
Alliteration Applications is another tool used by rappers. It can assist in writing alliteration bars and words, finding synonyms, and generating alliterative sentences.
Many other random word generators and tools are also available on the web. Using them can help you get better at rapping. Many rappers prefer reading books for inspiration. They read the publications of authors from different genres with varying styles. It also improves their vocabulary while generating ideas.
Freestyling
Freestyling is an important aspect of rapping. However, don’t expect yourself to come up with long compositions out of the blue. Start small and aim for a few sentences, even as little as a pair of them. As you freestyle more, you will get better at it. Your sentences will turn into verses, and verses will lead to full-fledged songs over time. You don’t have to become a rap machine overnight, churning hundreds of words every minute. Start with songs and lyrics that have a slow tempo. As you practice, your pace will increase naturally.
Vocal Coaching and Singing Lessons
While it may sound surprising, most rappers take vocal coaching and enroll in singing lessons to enhance their skills. They learn about breathing techniques, voice and throat exercises, warm-up routines for singing, and other intricacies regarding the field. The lessons are not only beneficial for singers but rappers as well. It will build the endurance of your throat and improve your control over your pitch. If you want to get better at rapping, consider enrolling in vocal coaching and singing lessons.
