!WAIT! Check Out
"The Rap Lyricists Handbook"
"The Rap Lyricists Handbook" is not just another book to skim through. It's a powerful resource designed to be your go-to companion on your journey to rap mastery.
With 250 colourful pages of curated advice, practical exercises, and proven strategies, you'll have everything you need to create hit songs that resonate with your audience.
When creating a rap song, you will need to be aware of its rhythm, melody, and chorus. In this post, we discuss how to write a chorus for a rap song.
The chorus has to be catchy if you want the song to be interesting to listen to.
It should also be easy for someone to master and sing along. In order to write a good rap chorus, you will need to think of the lyrics that are suitable to your genre.
For instance, if you are rapping about politics, fast cars or girls, you will need to make sure that the lyrics relate to that.
The chorus is like the glue that holds the verses of the song together, and it will be repeated several times. So you just have to make sure that it is captivating to the minds of the listeners.
How long Should a chorus Be in a rap song?
Most of the time the chorus of a rap song can have a length of 12 bars or an 8 Bar Chorus which is repeated 2 times. You might need to add a pre-chorus or a post-chorus refrain. These two elements are very important to a rap songs structure. By helping to link, build up or wind down the energy of the chorus.
Different people have different methods of writing. There are some that come up with verses first and then summarize them with the chorus or hook while others write the chorus first and then create verses around it.
It is advisable to start writing the verses before writing the chorus because the song may be too shallow and vague if you start with writing the chorus.
But it all depends on your lyrical prowess as well as the message that you want to put across. Some people can still start with writing choruses and still be able to create impressive verses.
You just have to make sure that both the verses and chorus will be able to reflect the overall concept of the message.
You can break song writing rules, but you need to understand them so you put yourself in a mindset to write a song. pic.twitter.com/JR6wTrSKjs — Getchorus Rap Blog (@getchorusblog)
It might not be easy to write a catchy chorus instantly unless you have been writing for so long and you are so good at it. It is something that can take you hours or even days.
To start, you will need to pick an emotion that you want to express and then write random stuff about. You do not necessarily have to find the perfect rhyme scheme for the rap chorus the first time that you write it.
You can just write it as a message that you want to deliver, but you will have to make sure that it has rhythm or flow. After that, you can start looking for a rhyme scheme that will make the song catchier.
You will need to make the dictionary your best friend to be able to create the best rhyme scheme for the chorus.
Is the chorus and a hook the same thing?
When creating the chorus for your rap song, you will need to think of an expression that is going to be its foundation.
The expression can be something as simple as Hey, we got a good thing
Don't know if I'ma see you again
But is that a good thing?
Cause girl I can't be your man, no ma'am
I know whats on your brain
You're probably hoping never would end
Like is it the real thing
Or is it just a one night stand. -{ J Cole Work Out}
After that, you will need to write another part that revolves around the same issue but does not have the expression in it. It will act as another reason to remember the chorus.
It can be a simple couplet such as Hey, we got a good thing
Don't know if I'ma see you again
But is that a good thing?
Cause girl I can't be your man, no ma'am
I know whats on your brain
You're probably hoping never would end
Like is it the real thing
Or is it just a one night stand
They are sleek, they are so nice I could ride them all the time, and never be tired
I like car, cars, cars I like cars, damn I love them.
Use Rap Song Themes That You Have Found In other rap songs.
This example is just to show you that the chorus will be easy to create if you have a base expression that is used in different bars. The base expression should be a catchy hook that never leaves people’s minds when they listen to your song.
Even though some people manage to create choruses that are not necessarily rhyming but catchy, it is very important to make sure that the lyrics at least have a rhyme that will make it easy to remember.
If you are good at free styling and messing around with words as well as pronunciation, you will not have a hard time writing choruses for rap songs. You will also need to have a good time when writing the lyrics if you want the ideas to flow flawlessly.
WEBSITE RESOURCES
Catchy Rap Hook Examples
Writing a chorus for a rap song is vital so that you can maximize the promotion from the song to promote the album or tour. A catchy popular rap song is a double edged sword.
At one instance it can help you promote your musical with viral reach and mass exposure , but on the other side, you can hinder some audiences that might now like the mainstream.
A great example of this is with J Cole where he wrote that catchy hook in his rap song Work Out, as his label manager, Jay-Z wanted to push him more mainstream with the coverage and press.
So that this would break him as an artist. It worked J Cole’s Work Out was such a catchy rap song for TV and Radio and this skyrocket his popularity.
But his peers like Nas felt like the were let down as it was more like a pop song than a rap song.
Using this example we still can learn how he created the hook for the song first.
Basing the sample of a “Kanye Wests Work Out Plan” Cole took the sample of the end of that song and just started vibing to the music until he came up with something catchy and that would stick in the mind of the listener.
The main reason I chose this hip hop song as an example is that J Cole took a bad situation where Nas was angry with him for creating a mainstream song , and he created another song out of this situation called I “Let Nas Down”.
Where here he will write a chorus for a rap song that pleases both the masses and his peers.
For me, you have to understand that there are rules to writing a song in the first place. Intro / Verse 1 / Chorus / Verse 2 / Chorus Hook / Middle 8 and Outro.
Yes sure can break these rules but just understanding these rules can put you in a mindset that will help you write a rap song or rap chorus in the first place.
Daniel Hartnett
Writing The Hook
"When I begin a song I have to start with some sort of idea or plan. So that it will set the mood for the whole song." Usually I use a particular song's format or theme just to get the ball rolling"
Do you need a chorus
in a rap song?
The song must have some meaning right from the start even when you create the title. Then I would normally start with the hook or the chorus to tell the main elements of what the whole song going to be about. I find it hard to start a song off with the first line or with an idea. For me, I have to love the chorus first so that I will then love and create the verse story part of the song properly.
Like, for example, I wrote a song based on an idea from a Rhett Miller Song. If you watch the TV show Scrubs , when Turk was asking Carla to marry him , Rhett Millers song was about a man’s fear of asking his girlfriend to marry him.
The song was called “Question”. I liked that idea / theme so I created my own song called the Coldest Night where I wrote from my perspective if I was in that position. After first writing the chorus hook I was then able to piece the whole song together because I loved that chorus.
I also noticed something creative that the singer Sting mentioned in an interview. This struck the accord with me. When you create a great song, it becomes mixed up with memories and nostalgia. Not just for you telling your story , but for when your audience heard that song for the first time. Along with their life story .
Where they were when they heard the song first , where the bought the record , who it reminds them of and how it makes them feel. A great song is bigger than the person that wrote it in the first place , this is the magic you create when you write a song.
And that chorus or hook for that rap song is the main message or main memory for you and the person. Essentially the chorus creates a quick connection between the rap artists / songwriter and the listener.
How-To Write a Hook for a Trap Song
In this article, you’ll learn about how you can create an amazing hook, what kind of hooks there are, and some amazing tips and tricks to make your hook better.
I’ve taught you guys what a hook is, but if you haven’t heard about it or have read my previous articles, a hook is also known as the chorus of a trap song. It’s one of the most important features of a song, as it helps it be more memorable with your audience.
But first, how do you write a song?
Some artists prefer to write their verses first and then write the hook after, while others prefer to write the hook first then write the verses after, writing around the hook. Sometimes, that would not work and you end up with terrible lyrics, but there are some rappers that can work around and create amazing verses after setting down their hook.
types of Hooks in trap songs
There are numerous kinds of hooks that you will regularly see in music nowadays. I’ll be teaching you guys about a handful of them so that you guys know what kind of hook you’ll want to use.
Repeat Hooks
This sort of hook is easily repeatable. It’s the sort of hook that’s so catchy, it will stay in your head even after the song ends. The same hook can be used again and again, with just a few changes in the keys to create a distinct melody.
With this kind of hook, you just need a good beat and a few lines to comprise of the lyrics and you’ll be all set.
Structural Hooks
A hook like this keeps your audience guessing by incorporating different patterns for repetition. Having dramatic changes in the melody and even the style of the song can be very effective in this sort of hook.
The melody will have to be so catchy along with the lyrics having multi-syllabic rhymes included in it can be a huge leap in helping you create an amazing hook.
Production Hooks
These hooks are created during the production of the song. Including all sorts of beats and thumps during production is going to be beneficial in the long run. If you can incorporate little snips of radio noise, or even use auto-tune correctly, this sort of hook will be easily done within a few hours.
Production hooks are a great thing to practice on if you want to be able to create amazing hooks that also require help from your production skills.
Storyline Chorus
Storyline hooks involve creating a huge over-arching hook that can drastically change the direction of the song right before it ends. A good example of this is Eminem’s “Stan”, where the song spirals down into insanity and sadness, all with the hook playing repeatedly. The lyrics don’t change but the context of the hook does.
These are great if your song is full of emotion and feeling along with a story to accompany it.
Tips for writing a killer Hook or chorus for a trap song
- Always keep it simple
This is one of the best pieces of advice I can give you. Don’t overdo your hook and write 16 lines only to find yourself unable to execute the whole thing. A hook should be short, sweet and simple. Never overthink your lines and write down everything that you think could work, because you’re only making things harder for yourself.
Instead, think about what you’re trying to say. Will anyone understand you if your lines are packed with so many words that you end up mumbling the rest just to keep up with the beat? If you’ve written 16 lines, go back and read over them again and again, and start cutting down on what is important and what isn’t.
Simple is much better.
- Summarize the song
Ask yourself this: “What is my song about?” If you can’t answer that yourself then you have more than one problem on your hands. In this case, read over your verses and think about what the main theme of your song is. Is it about cars? Maybe it’s about your love for women. Or maybe it’s the same old song about wanting to be rich and famous. Whatever it is, you’ll need to know what your main point is.
A good example of utilizing this tip is Alicia Keys and Jay-Z’ “Empire State of Mind”, where they summarize the whole song with their chorus, which is about being in New York and the feelings you get when you’re there.
As long as you know what your song is about, writing a trap hook to go along with it will be a breeze.
Invite audience participation
What I mean by this is writing lyrics that incorporate the crowd into it. When the audience hears that they need to participate by, for example, “putting their hands up” or even “waving their hands in the air”, they’ll more than likely be more of a hit.
You don’t have to oversimplify the song by doing this, but having the fans be a part of the song is going to be a key factor in having it stay in their minds. This sort of tip is more used for songs that have a fast beat and feels bouncy and fun to join in.
When you tell the crowd to go wild, they will go wild if they get into it.
- Don’t force it
Doing this will have you end up with the worst lyrics you and anyone will ever hear. This sort of thing will cause you to write the first thing that comes to your head, and it might not be your best work. You shouldn’t stress out so much about creating an amazing hook.
It will come naturally to you.
The best kinds of hooks are the ones that you put time and effort into. Not the ones that only needed half an hour and only had you put in twenty percent of your effort.
If you’re having a hard time with creating a hook for a trap song, you can just walk away from it and come back when you have an idea that you think will work and fits well with your music.
Never force your lyrics or you’ll stay at the bottom.
Keep it around the main focus of your trap song lyrics
Again, this correlates with the second tip that I gave you. Your chorus needs to be a summarization of the whole song, or it could even focus on the title of your song. You wouldn’t want to have been rapping about women and cars and your hook be about how your mother died on Christmas, right? There’s nothing that connects the two.
Remember what your song is about and maybe grab a few lines from one of your verses. You can then rewrite and even gain a little inspiration from it to create your hook. You’ll just need about 4 to 8 lines. Repeat them if you only have 4 so that you don’t have to waste any more time in writing than needed.
Make sure that everything from your verses, to your chorus, and maybe even your bridge corresponds with one another. Just do you.
Basic Structure of a trap Hook
Now I’ll be telling you guys about the structure of a trap hook. These types of structures can be seen sometimes in rap songs, so it’s best that you know about it.
- Initial Phase
This is basically the beginning of the hip hop chorus, a.k.a. the first bar. With this you can write just about anything as long as it has the same context as the song as a whole. You’ll be using this first line as the basis for the rest of your hook.
With that in mind, you can then focus on the melody of your chorus. You can choose to work around the melody and fit your lyrics into it or just change the notes so that there’s more emphasis in some of the words you spit out.
- Repetition/ Variant
You can know choose to either repeat the first line or go and write a second line in this one. It might seem like a cop out if you just repeat the first line, but there are quite a handful of rappers that do that. If you can’t think about anything to add on to the first line, then it’s fine to repeat it.
If you do plan on adding to the first line, then you’ll need to write about another thing that both corresponds with the first line and the song as a whole. The beat can still be similar as the first one but you can try and tweak things a little.
- Development
This is third line of your rap chorus, if you’re using a 4 bar chorus. In this one, you’ll need to write another line that can connect with the first line and the whole song, but it has to be something that has not been repeated or said in any of the verses or the bridge.
The rhythm of the line can be the same as the first one but you can also change things up so that it easily flows into the next section of the song. Remember to keep your lines in order so that there’s nothing that gets out of place.
- Repetition/ Variant/ Conclusion
This final section should tie everything together nicely. You can do that by either repeating the third line of the chorus or choosing to go with a variant of the first line. It should be a nice touch to the whole chorus and have it be a catchy part of the whole song.
This is easily done by incorporating the title of the song into the chorus so that you can easily create a repeatable line in the chorus to make the song much more memorable.
A good example of this is Eminem’s “Rap God” chorus, where it shows that having a chorus being both simple and catchy is easily attainable.
I'm beginnin' to feel like a Rap God, Rap God
All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod
Now who thinks their arms are long enough to slap box, slap box?
They said I rap like a robot, so call me Rap-bot
“In order to create a catchy hook the song must have meaning right from the start. Starting with title of the song” @getchorusblog
!WAIT! Check Out
"The Rap Lyricists Handbook"
"The Rap Lyricists Handbook" is not just another book to skim through. It's a powerful resource designed to be your go-to companion on your journey to rap mastery.
With 250 colourful pages of curated advice, practical exercises, and proven strategies, you'll have everything you need to create hit songs that resonate with your audience.
