Do you dream of becoming a rap artist with no money? I am very sure you are aware of the high competition in this genre.
Becoming a rapper requires dedication, continuous learning, and hard work. These days, a lot of people aspire to become a rapper without first trying to improve themselves on how they flow better with beats or their lyrical content.
They feel becoming a rapper just entails picking up the mic and spit over a hot beat. This is why I am writing this post. A lot of aspiring rappers need to know what they need to become not just a rapper, but a successful one.
HOW TO BE A RAPPER FOR BEGINNERS
Here are 7 steps on how to become a successful rapper;
- Learn to Rap
This is the first step to actualizing your dream. The truth is, not everyone will be able to do this. If the spirit or gift of music is not in you, it will be difficult for you.
Learning how to rap starts with listening to a lot of rap songs. You must listen to how these artists put their words together and how it fits. This you must do every day if you want to be a good rapper.
Study poetry, make a game out of it by trying to always say your everyday words in the form of an improvised rap. This will help you learn how to use rhymes.
Through learning about rap, you will be able to know how rap songs are structured, which is very important.
- Follow your Favorite Rappers
Everyone has a favorite rapper that they love and want to emulate. Pick favorite rappers that you love, and always listen to their songs. Drake, Jay Z, and Eminem should be on your list though.
Listen to how they flow with particular beats. Memorize their songs and try the rap by yourself.
Put certain emphasis on words or sentences as the artist did. Following and studying your favorite rappers do not mean that you should imitate their rap style. Learn from them but have your flow and style.
You can go as far as printing out the lyrics of the songs so you can have them and practice whenever you are free.
- Write Every day
As an aspiring rapper, you must have a notebook where you will be writing down any rap lyrics that comes into your head. And you must learn how to write different types of lyrics. This is very important if you must become a good rapper.
It was found out that Eminem had a collection of boxes filled with notebooks that have his raps written on them. You should be able to fill at least one.
Take a notebook, write about your life experience, people’s experience, relationships, money, etc.
This is how you gather up a list of lyrics that will be useful in the future. Always carry with you a notepad so you can quickly drop down any ideas that come into your head.
- Practice Your Delivery
This will take time and dedication as you will need to learn how to induce energy in your lyrics and performance. To master this, you will need to join a rap club where you will meet people like you to learn from.
You will also need to go out and battle with other rappers in your city or community so you can have a better experience of the game. Visit house parties and request for a session to drop something. This will help you gain recognition with time and people in your hood will start recognizing you even before you become popular.
However, you will need to choose the type of rap you will want to focus on. There are Pop, R&B, Gospel, Gangster, Rock, and others. You can’t and must not do all.
- Create a Demo CD
Once you have written enough songs on your notebook and have done some practice, it is time to create a demo CD that can be distributed to promote yourself. Just save some few cash and visit a local music studio around you and do a recording.
Make sure the producer is good to dish out a good beat for your song so when people listen to it, they will fall in love with you and will want to feature you in their event.
- Promote your Music
If you don’t promote your song, nobody will know about you at all. You will need to promote your song to get fans and luckily land yourself a record label deal. Give your CD to other rappers and DJs so they too can play and maybe refer you.
Network with others just like you. They may know someone who can help you. Promote your music on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others. Research on record labels that do your style of song and drop your demo with them.
- Study Branding
Branding yourself is a big part of becoming a successful entertainer. It is your brand that makes you stand out. Branding is what people think about you when your name is mentioned.
Your rap style, clothing style, past stories that you induce in your raps, the values you hold and many others are what make up a brand. This is the business part of becoming a rapper. You have to master this as early as you can.
Conclusion
Don’t focus too much on perfecting your raps, just let your focus be on moving forward or making progress. Do your homework, be persistence, committed and dedicated to the grind if you want to come out as a good rapper.