Creative Wordplay and Lyrics...Do you really rap or just make words rhyme together?
Do you know the difference?
A lot of "rappers" nowadays think they are one in the same...and that is not the case. See, making words rhyme is not rapping...thats rhyming, and almost anyone with a basic grasp of the english language can do that.
IMHO, Being creative with the words you use and using similies,metaphors and wordplay are some key assetts to a songwriter....while it isnt needed for every artist, it is a fundamental tool if you want to be a stand out, especially in the Bay Area, where critics are like grains of sand at the beach. Not all of my favorite rappers have amazing wordplay...but most do.
Take Suga Free for example...His albums have a high replay value with me because he has captured many rap attributes and created on helluva package deal, Not only do you get his witty wordplay, he has a versatile style that can adapt to many different beats/vibes,his delivery is flawless, and he's got what kids nowadays call "swag"..he has a highly marketable persona and charisma with his music and image. The main reason he gets high replay value with me is because of the fact that you cant catch everything he has to say in one listen..with each listen you catch a new play on words, a new reference, or a new punchline you may have missed the first time...what can i say, the dude has a way with words and can articulate his thoughts clearly and deliver them effectively to capture an audience.
Delivery is another thing...i hear a LOT of cat that can write a DAMN good song ( me for example ) but when it comes to layin it down on a track, they may be offbeat, unable to ride the beat, or just have too many words they are trying to cram into a single bar....Some cats sit there and write a song and go over it 100 times in their head and whispering to themselves and think they GOT IT....soon as they hit the booth the become "Mr.Marbles-in-my-mouth Fumbler Mumbles" and you have no clue what they are talkin about or trying to spit...Not everyone can rap like Twista, but a shitload of people sure try..and fail miserably...Its important to have your own sound...dont try and sound like Lynch, and sounding like a copycat is one of the many nails in a rappers coffin...make your own pattern, dont copy anothers style, its makes you sound like you are trying to hard...and music should come naturally and sound that way.
Artists...at least most of the good ones, seem to have a predisposed talent for music/art etc IMO, they have a great voice, or raw lyrics, or amazing delivery. Nowadays its like kids go to WalMart and buy the "HOW TO BE A RAPPER IN 30 DAYS FOR DUMMIES" book and listen to their favorite rappers over and over and attempt to copy the style....
they come and go on this site all too frequently...IMO you are either born with it or you arent.
Buying Fruityloops and reason doesnt make you a producer, in the same sense that having a rapbook and protools doesnt make you a rapper...
I will admit i have been overcritical of artists on this site at times....only because IMO i feel some people need to hear the honestly they dont hear from their mom and dad, friends, and associates. Just because you can make woirds rhyme and know how to use a computer, doesnt make you an artists...
Some are doing it for fame...to be cool, or whatever...we see a SHITLOAD of these artists on here...they arent rapping for money, they arent rapping to express themselves...they are rapping to try and get bitches or to be cool. These are the guy that have their entire face plastered on their cd cover, along with the 25 features on their solo album or 13 tracks...you listen to the CD once, and then it becomes a frisbee or a coaster...the beats are probably amazing, and so are the features...but UnknownArtist#1 simply ruins his own album by appearing on it. His verse is usually the one you skip to the next track on...
His main sales pitch is
" Buy my album....i got yukmouth on it, i got one with jacka,master p, dr. dre, husalah, i even got one of Mac Dre's last verses on there and a SkyBaller verse from jail."
If you were to contact one of the real rappers on his album, they probaly wouldnt know who the fuck your talking about cause he was just a knock for a verse, not someone who got down with him in the studio and banged out a track,probably did the whole transaction through email and paypal
To make a long story longer....Before you decide to become a rapper, get some real honest feedback from a unbiased 3rd party...not one of the homies from the block, not your moms friend, not your lil brother, not the kids at school
...post your shit on Siccness.net and ask for feedback, and if you cant take the heat you get on here...you arent ready for the music industry.
Take a long hard listen to your music...ask yourself
Do you sound like ______________ <insert rapper here ?
Can people understand what you are rapping about ? (without you having to tell them what the song is about)
Is your delivery crisp and are you enunciating clearly? are you cramming your lyrics into the beat? do you sound natural or is every line come off as "forced to fit":
Do you have meaningful, well thought out, descriptive lyrics or did you just write the first bar that came into your head?
Are you really living your music...or did you at one time...or are you just retelling stories you heard from someone who heard it from someone else? Do you rap about selling drugs and claiming to still be deep in the game?...cant be too deep if you spend all your time snitching on yourself on tape and helping the feds build a case on your whole click..Why not shoot a video and show them how you transport the dope and hat car you drive too...
Ask yourself....
Are you an artist...or an imitator...?
Are you displaying talent or trying to show off and be "the cool kid"
came across this video and I thought this dude showed some serious talent
[video=youtube_share;pn1dy656Em4]http://youtu.be/pn1dy656Em4[/video]
[video=youtube_share;fKT28DJIMRA]http://youtu.be/fKT28DJIMRA[/video]
What are your thoughts on this?
Do you know the difference?
A lot of "rappers" nowadays think they are one in the same...and that is not the case. See, making words rhyme is not rapping...thats rhyming, and almost anyone with a basic grasp of the english language can do that.
IMHO, Being creative with the words you use and using similies,metaphors and wordplay are some key assetts to a songwriter....while it isnt needed for every artist, it is a fundamental tool if you want to be a stand out, especially in the Bay Area, where critics are like grains of sand at the beach. Not all of my favorite rappers have amazing wordplay...but most do.
Take Suga Free for example...His albums have a high replay value with me because he has captured many rap attributes and created on helluva package deal, Not only do you get his witty wordplay, he has a versatile style that can adapt to many different beats/vibes,his delivery is flawless, and he's got what kids nowadays call "swag"..he has a highly marketable persona and charisma with his music and image. The main reason he gets high replay value with me is because of the fact that you cant catch everything he has to say in one listen..with each listen you catch a new play on words, a new reference, or a new punchline you may have missed the first time...what can i say, the dude has a way with words and can articulate his thoughts clearly and deliver them effectively to capture an audience.
Delivery is another thing...i hear a LOT of cat that can write a DAMN good song ( me for example ) but when it comes to layin it down on a track, they may be offbeat, unable to ride the beat, or just have too many words they are trying to cram into a single bar....Some cats sit there and write a song and go over it 100 times in their head and whispering to themselves and think they GOT IT....soon as they hit the booth the become "Mr.Marbles-in-my-mouth Fumbler Mumbles" and you have no clue what they are talkin about or trying to spit...Not everyone can rap like Twista, but a shitload of people sure try..and fail miserably...Its important to have your own sound...dont try and sound like Lynch, and sounding like a copycat is one of the many nails in a rappers coffin...make your own pattern, dont copy anothers style, its makes you sound like you are trying to hard...and music should come naturally and sound that way.
Artists...at least most of the good ones, seem to have a predisposed talent for music/art etc IMO, they have a great voice, or raw lyrics, or amazing delivery. Nowadays its like kids go to WalMart and buy the "HOW TO BE A RAPPER IN 30 DAYS FOR DUMMIES" book and listen to their favorite rappers over and over and attempt to copy the style....
they come and go on this site all too frequently...IMO you are either born with it or you arent.
Buying Fruityloops and reason doesnt make you a producer, in the same sense that having a rapbook and protools doesnt make you a rapper...
I will admit i have been overcritical of artists on this site at times....only because IMO i feel some people need to hear the honestly they dont hear from their mom and dad, friends, and associates. Just because you can make woirds rhyme and know how to use a computer, doesnt make you an artists...
Some are doing it for fame...to be cool, or whatever...we see a SHITLOAD of these artists on here...they arent rapping for money, they arent rapping to express themselves...they are rapping to try and get bitches or to be cool. These are the guy that have their entire face plastered on their cd cover, along with the 25 features on their solo album or 13 tracks...you listen to the CD once, and then it becomes a frisbee or a coaster...the beats are probably amazing, and so are the features...but UnknownArtist#1 simply ruins his own album by appearing on it. His verse is usually the one you skip to the next track on...
His main sales pitch is
" Buy my album....i got yukmouth on it, i got one with jacka,master p, dr. dre, husalah, i even got one of Mac Dre's last verses on there and a SkyBaller verse from jail."
If you were to contact one of the real rappers on his album, they probaly wouldnt know who the fuck your talking about cause he was just a knock for a verse, not someone who got down with him in the studio and banged out a track,probably did the whole transaction through email and paypal
To make a long story longer....Before you decide to become a rapper, get some real honest feedback from a unbiased 3rd party...not one of the homies from the block, not your moms friend, not your lil brother, not the kids at school
...post your shit on Siccness.net and ask for feedback, and if you cant take the heat you get on here...you arent ready for the music industry.
Take a long hard listen to your music...ask yourself
Do you sound like ______________ <insert rapper here ?
Can people understand what you are rapping about ? (without you having to tell them what the song is about)
Is your delivery crisp and are you enunciating clearly? are you cramming your lyrics into the beat? do you sound natural or is every line come off as "forced to fit":
Do you have meaningful, well thought out, descriptive lyrics or did you just write the first bar that came into your head?
Are you really living your music...or did you at one time...or are you just retelling stories you heard from someone who heard it from someone else? Do you rap about selling drugs and claiming to still be deep in the game?...cant be too deep if you spend all your time snitching on yourself on tape and helping the feds build a case on your whole click..Why not shoot a video and show them how you transport the dope and hat car you drive too...
Ask yourself....
Are you an artist...or an imitator...?
Are you displaying talent or trying to show off and be "the cool kid"
came across this video and I thought this dude showed some serious talent
[video=youtube_share;pn1dy656Em4]http://youtu.be/pn1dy656Em4[/video]
[video=youtube_share;fKT28DJIMRA]http://youtu.be/fKT28DJIMRA[/video]
What are your thoughts on this?
