Female rappers dominate the mainstream space in 2021. Artists such as Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Nicki Minaj often own the Billboard chart. However, they only offer one view of the female rap landscape. Before rap was the world’s most popular musical genre, several groundbreaking women blazed a fiery trail for others to follow. The story began with MC Sha-Rock of the Funky 4 + 1, often credited as the first female rapper on wax. Following her lead, Roxanne Shanté, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, J.J. Fad, and Bahamadia busted through the doors so other women could flourish. Take a listening journey through hip-hop’s matriarchy.
The trail of women MCs traces back to MC Sha-Rock. She rapped with Jazzy Jeff, Guy Williams, Keith Keith, The Voice of K.K., and Rodney Stone as part of the Funky 4 + 1 on the 1980 disco-infused single “That’s The Joint.” Arranged by jazz musician Clifton “Jiggs” Chase and produced by Sugar Hill Records’ Sylvia Robinson, the song samples A Taste of Honey’s “Rescue Me.” Beastie Boys famously sampled the track for 1989’s “Shake Your Rump” from Paul’s Boutique.
Roxanne Shanté was just a mouthy, rebellious teenager when she joined the Juice Crew. As a member, she performed alongside East Coast greats Mr. Magic, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, and Marley Marl, among others. In 1984, she unleashed “Roxanne’s Revenge” in response to U.T.F.O.’s “Roxanne, Roxanne” single about a woman who refused to get seduced. It not only marked one of the earliest diss tracks by a woman on record, but it would also ignite the Roxanne Wars, hip-hop’s first official rap beef.
In the 1980s, Sweet Tee and DJ Jazzy Joyce signed to Profile Records, the label responsible for Run-DMC, DJ Quik, and Rob Base and DJ EZ-Rock, to name a few. In 1986, they dropped their breakthrough single “It’s My Beat.” The tune came with a shoutout to their “Casio and drum machine” over Herby Luv Bug’s Roland TR-808 banger.
“Supersonic” by MC JB, Baby D, and Sassy C isn’t just rap’s first platinum hit. The song also played a pivotal role in introducing West Coast gangsta rap to the mainstream. The late Eazy-E instinctively knew the world wasn’t ready for N.W.A’s brazen attitude—but J.J. Fad was the solution. With their bubblegum raps and innocence, Eazy-E knew J.J. Fad would help break down the barriers for Ruthless Records to begin its takeover.
With a focus on the often taboo topic of addiction, “Poor Georgie” finds MC Lyte digging deep to paint a portrait of a man struggling to beat the odds. Produced by DJ Doc, it samples Toto, The Supremes, Michael Jackson, Jimmy Spicer, and Eric B. & Rakim. The track is a sonic patchwork quilt of diverse sounds, all sewn together by MC Lyte’s unexpected bravado.
From the moment Queen Latifah called out sexism on “U.N.I.T.Y.,” the legendary New Jersey MC asserted herself as an impenetrable force. She refused to allow any man to degrade her. The song’s unmistakable horns and jazzy samples come from The Crusaders’ 1974 single “Message from the Inner City.” “U.N.I.T.Y.” remains one of the most recognized women-empowerment anthems in hip-hop history.
The Lady of Rage came up at a time when West Coast G-Funk was the soundtrack of an era. Despite being from Virginia, Rage easily fit in with her Compton and Long Beach counterparts. 1994’s “Afro Puffs” wound up being the perfect introduction to the tough-talking MC—despite her initial hesitancy. Crafted by fellow Death Row artist Dr. Dre, the song takes notes from Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s 1977 hit “Love That Will Not Die.” That song provides the backbone of the dark and menacing beat for The Lady of Rage to flow over.
Bahamadia exploded onto the Philadelphia hip-hop scene with her 1996 debut Kollage. The album contained the standout track “Unknowhowwedu.” Using samples from A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Chase, Part II” and Schoolly D’s “Gucci Time,” producer Ski Beatz delivered a timeless, boom bap beat.
As always, Lauryn Hill murdered her verse on the 1996 Fugees single “Ready Or Not.” With lines such as, “While you out there imitating Al Capone/I’ll be Nina Simone and defecating on your microphone,” Ms. Hill was out for blood. Borrowing heavily from the Delfonics’ “Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love),” the song also contains a sample of Enya’s “Boadicea.” In fact, the inclusion almost led to a lawsuit. However, once the new-age singer realized it wasn’t gangsta rap, The Fugees were able to settle out of court.
While more of a Neo-soul chanteuse than an MC, Erykah Badu fully embodies hip-hop. This is especially the case on the 2002 Brown Sugar single, “Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)” featuring her ex, Common. Ms. Badu fires off a dizzying 16 midway through the video, proving she’s packing innate rhyming skills in her “30, 26, 36-and-a-half” frame, too. Plus, look for the Roland R-8, which makes a brief appearance in the accompanying visual.
Rapsody released the masterful EVE in 2019. The album pays tribute to numerous powerful Black women who have inspired her throughout her life. On “Aaliyah,” Rapsody mourns the lack of diversity in the landscape of mainstream rap. “When Aaliyah was alive/It was cool to be a tomboy,” she raps over a slick, boom bap beat. At the same time, she reminds us there’s room for more than one type of female rapper, and baggy jeans and hoodies are still allowed.
Lyrics are essential in any genre, but perhaps they are the most important when it comes to building a strong rap song. After all, rap songs and hip-hop music rely heavily on lyrics, rhythm, and rhyme, whereas other genres divert more attention to melody.
Hence, you don't just need to know how to write a song in order to create rap songs, you need to know specifically how to write a rap song. Thankfully, we've built a step-by-step guide so that just about anyone can become great at writing rap. We'll cover what makes a great rap song, how to make rap music and a few helpful pointers below.
In order to understand how to write a rap song, we need to take a look at what makes a compelling rap song first. Here are some of the music industry standard elements you'll want to include in all of your tracks:
Hip hop music and rap music encompass "telling your truth." In many ways, these genres can be more vulnerable than others since you're essentially putting the story first. The song structure is typically relatively simple, but the rap songwriting process depends heavily on the story of the speaker. In order to write rap songs that hit home, the listener needs to believe you. Everything stems from a story.
Rap songs depend on flow more than any other genre of music. Not all does your own style have to be catchy and unique, but your cadence needs to be meticulously crafted, with each lyric hitting the beat exactly as you intended. Vocal delivery practice is a must since so much of rap music is built on your expression.
When writing rap and hip hop verses, you'll need to employ plenty of literary devices. On top of rhyme, incorporating double entendres, idioms, metaphors, etc. really make a rap song impactful. A great rapper knows that clever wordplay will help his or her personal experience connect on a stronger level with listeners.
When it comes to how to write a rap song, you need rap verses and a great beat. While verses come first, don't underestimate the power of production! A strong beat can easily carry a rap verse to mainstream success, simply because it sounds good.
Eric Barber MusicYou can lease a beat online, find a producer, or learn how to make your own beats. While rap music beat styles vary greatly in sound, classical hip hop tracks often incorporate samples from previously released songs into the beat. Sometimes rappers will build their beats around a sample or incorporate the chorus of a song into a hook.
Are you ready to write a rap song? Here's how to start building a banger, step by step. Remember that these steps aren't necessarily set in stone. In fact, your creative workflow could easily change when you start writing a new song. Think of these steps as a basic framework for learning how to write a rap song, but don't let them constrict your creativity.
Great rap songs have something to say. In order to write something impactful, you'll need to write about something you know. Listeners will undoubtedly be able to hear whether or not you're writing a song from the heart or just trying to write a rap song filled with generic ideas and inspiration.
Are you setting out to write a diss track? Do you want to write a rap about your come up? Whatever it is, speak to what you know. Before you do anything else, it's all about landing on the right idea. It doesn't necessarily have to be "deep", but make sure your idea of choice is authentic to who you are as an individual.
One of the best ways to get your creative juices flowing is to write to a strong beat. It's a lot easier to come up with lyrics, rhyme words, and build out your rap song if you have this initial piece of the puzzle figured out.
If you can learn how to become a better producer by spending time on your own beats, you should. This can help a lot with the writing process since you'll be able to structure your track according to your own cadence and flow. New rappers might not be willing to put in this effort, but it's good practice. Plus, many of the greats (think Kanye West, Tyler the Creator, J.Cole, and Eminem) make their own beats. It's a good skill to have.
Alternative options include enlisting the help of a friend, purchasing a beat online on a place like Beat Stars , or hiring a producer in your area to help you make your tracks.
Alternative options include enlisting the help of a friend, purchasing a beat online on a place like Beat Stars , or hiring a producer in your area to help you make your tracks.
When it comes to learn how to write a rap song, you need to know how to craft a compelling a hook . This is the section of the song that sticks with the listener long after the listener has finished jamming out. Hooks are catchy, short sections usually in the chorus of a song that help express the overall theme of the track.
Think of the infectious chorus of "C.R.E.A.M" by the Wu-Tang Clan. Even though this hook is short, it's effective, and it certainly sticks in your head:
Your hook should be short, to the point, and encapsulate the main theme of the song. One strategy is to write a couple of hooks and then leave a little time in between. That way, you can have a stronger perspective on which hooks are catchy versus which ones might need some rework. Hooks almost always contain some sort of rhyme scheme and have a simple melody, if any, that listeners can easily latch on to.
Now that you have beat and a hook, it's time to figure out the central parts of your song structure. While a lot of a great song comes down to great lyrics, rap songs need great rhythmic cadence in order to be appreciated properly.
Don't worry if you haven't come up with lyrics just yet. Instead, open up your voice memos app, loop your beat, and start improvising. You could start rapping with random words, nonsense syllables, or any sound you can think of. The point is that you map out the rhythm and cadence for your raps.
Take care to listen to others rapper ideas. When you record, try out different types of cadences and flowing from one verse to another. Notice how others rappers experiment with different inflections and emphasis on certain beats. When writing a rap song, try your best to start writing with these subtle differences in mind. Just as a drummer would work on their beat emphasis, work on building your rhythmic structure.
Now that you have the basic rhythm and song structure put in place, it's time to fill in the blanks and start writing lyrics if you haven't already. If you need a place to start, begin with brainstorming everything you want to talk about in your song. Then, decide if you want to write the verse or chorus first.
This is not the time to be over critical about everything you've written. Let your creative juices flow and fill up the page with lyrics. It's important to incorporate a strong rhyme scheme, but other than that, try not to overthink this part of the process.
Tracks that sound good are effortless, and you don't necessarily need to sound like other rappers. In fact, most of the famous rappers we cherish today got there by marching to the beat of their own drum. Write as many words as you need to and know that you'll have time to revisit your writing further down in the process.
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