For more advanced rappers, you might want to go out of your way to choose topics that you aren’t passionate about. Experienced rhymesters can sharpen their skills on the challenge posed by less interesting subjects.
The more intimately you know your subject and ideas associated with it, the more ammunition you will have when writing. To further develop your topic, you might want to journal about it over the course of a few days. Ask your friends and people who might be part of your target audience about personal experiences they have had with your topic. This may yield useful examples for your rhyme writing.
A Boy Named Sue rhyme scheme: AABCCB[2] X Research source Ballade rhyme scheme: ABABBCBC[3] X Research source Enclosed rhyme scheme: ABBA[4] X Research source “Fire and Ice” rhyme scheme: ABAABCBCB[5] X Research source Ode rhyme scheme: ABABCDECDE[6] X Research source The Raven rhyme scheme: ABCBBB[7] X Research source Sova, Dawn B. Critical Companion to Edgar Allan Poe: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 2007. Print.
A rhyming dictionary can be a tremendous asset when trying to find rhymes for particular terms. Many free rhyming dictionaries can be found online through a general Internet search.
Another important part of the structure of your rhymes is syllable structure. The syllables in each line will create a beat in your rap. Generally, by drawing out a line with too many syllables, or making a line too short with too few syllables, you can disrupt the beat of your rap. Avoid this by trying to balance rhyming lines to have the same number of beats.
Once you’re satisfied with that, try to put your own spin or flavor on the rap. You could play with the rhyme structure, add a line to see if it builds tension, and so on.
As an example, if you are trying to write a rhyme to get the club hyped, you’ll probably want to keep your verses short and full of punch. Opposite of this, a slam poetry jam might do better with longer verses to tell a more engaging story.
You could make your chorus strong by making it the central point of your rap. For example, if you’re rapping about an old friend, you might use a chorus like, “He and I, we both came up / When times were lean and days were rough / And though we were just two young pups / He said we’d never be good enough / But I told him ‘I’m not giving’ up’ . "
Once you have a general idea for your verses, it’s time to start writing! Use the ideas you’ve come up with when writing about your topic, the key words and the rhymes for those key words you’ve brainstormed, and write those verses. [14] X Research source
An affordable option to get a beat for your rap that won’t require equipment is beat-boxing. Simply have a friend with beat-boxing talent accompany you as you rap.
Steady rhythm is a great way of checking your rap for syllabic balance. If the syllables in your lines don’t match up evenly to the beat, you may have to remove or add some words.
