It's easy to forget that rap is the dominant genre of so many other subgenres that are definitely worth exploring. To name a few, just listen to how different emo rap sounds from mumble rap sounds from conscious rap. There are so many different ways to implement your voice and verses as an artist, so don't be afraid to experiment with different beats, new inspiration, and new styles.
While it's important to find a way of rhyming that's authentic to you, know that you don't have to be confined by one particular style over another.
Don't forget that rap lyrics need an element of authenticity. Challenge yourself to go beyond your comfort zone. Remember that being vulnerable often leads to a deeper connection with your listeners.
Hopefully, this guide makes it easier for you to write your own rap song! Just remember that practice makes perfect. You're sure to write outstanding lines and rhymes in no time at all with the help of these tips.
Whether it’s rap royalty like Snoop, Biggie, and the Wu-Tang Clan spitting odes to St. Ides malt liquor back in the ‘90s, or Juicy J and K Camp spending last summer imploring “All I need is one more drank, one more drank,” hip-hop artists have never been shy about bigging up their drinking habits in rhyme.
Over the years, classic hip-hop drinks have emerged from those looking to reflect their image in their booze. Snoop kept it smoothed-out in California with his cup of gin and juice, while over in New York City Mobb Deep were all about embracing the grimy side by supping bottles of “dainy” (the group’s slang for St. Ides) in project stairwells—although Prodigy would later cop to blending his malt liquor with piña coladas. Playing up to his wild, loose-cannon image, 2Pac endorsed the Thug Passion, an effervescent mix of Alize and Cristal that’s still a hit in rap clubs today.
So now that BBQ season is in full effect, it’s time for the hip-hop-minded grill masters and pool-party people to crack open the bottles and begin mixing up these 12 rapper-approved alcoholic brews. Cheers to all you hip-hop drunkies out there.
What it is: Putting a powerhouse twist on the classic hip-hop blend of gin and juice, 2 Chainz’s signature drink adds a hearty shot of Jägermeister to the mix. Inspired after taking a personal tour of the Jägermeister factory in Germany, Chainz also spruces up the brew by incorporating freshly squeezed lime juice instead of OJ from a carton.
What it is: Adding another chapter to hip-hop’s longstanding love of Hennessy, the Incredible Hulk cocktail fuses the cognac with an equal measure of blue-hued Hpnotiq. Allegedly invented at Diddy’s now defunct Justin’s food spot in Manhattan, the drink’s popularity saw it migrating down south, with the No Limit general Master P bragging on “Who Them Boyz” how, “I lean when I walk/ My favorite drink is that Incredible Hulk.”
What is is: Along with being a strip club dining pro, the rapper Chevy Woods also holds down a position as the Taylor Gang’s in-squad chef. Part of this culinary responsibility includes serving up drinks for Wiz’s team. The Taylor’d is based around Chevy’s staple of Bombay Sapphire gin and lemonade, and involves the use of multiple cups. First, place up to five cubes of ice in a red cup, then add two shots of Bombay. Mix in lemonade “to your liking” while shaking it a little, then pour the mixture back and forth between two red cups exactly three times. “Drink and enjoy,” says Chevy.
What it is: For years, everyone assumed the Beasties’ “Brass Monkey” was a funky ode to lacing a 40oz bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor with orange juice. Well, according to a revelation dropped by Mike D two summers ago, during the Licensed To Ill era the trio of rappers were actually getting loose on a pre-mixed canned cocktail of orange juice, vodka, and dark rum.
What it is: When it comes to his namesake drink, Atlanta’s punchline king is all about keeping things tropical and fruity. You’ll want to start with two ounces of Conjure Cognac—aged for 50-years in Limousin oak barrels, no less—and then punch things up with half an ounce of fresh lemon juice and one tablespoon of sugar. Adding some zip to the drink, dunk three pineapple cubes and a few sprigs of thyme into your glass.
What it is: Back during the rowdy heights of the Crunk era, Lil Jon’s East Side Boyz sidekicks Big Sam and Lil Bo used to follow their leader around carrying gasoline cans filled with Crunk Juice. The syrupy sweet concoction breaks down as equal parts Hennessy and Red Bull energy drink. Imbibing it ensures hyper behavior from the windows to the walls.
What it is: Back in 2011, Snoop added to his gargantuan list of product endorsements by signing on to promote cans of Blast by malt liquor purveyor Colt 45. The line of fruit-themed malt beverages came in four flavors, including grape and raspberry lemonade, and ruffled the feathers of critics who widely lambasted the brew as being designed to appeal to underage drinkers. Fight the power by creating a DIY Blast from a can of Colt 45 and Welch’s grape soda. Then let this lurid elixir of youth kick in.
What it is: Everyone knows the Strange Music head honcho is all about sipping on a Caribou Lou—a drink he’s immortalized in rhyme as a combo of Bacardi 151, Malibu, and pineapple juice; but Tech N9ne also likes to switch it up with a KC Tea when the mood takes him. According to the Kansas City speed spitter, to create the drink you’ll want to combine Hennessy with Sprite and lemon juice. Crucially, you’ll need to stay classy and serve it in a “real big wine glass.” Accept no glassware substitutions.
What it is: “Funky Cold Medina” is the L.A.-based rapper Tone Loc’s second biggest hit after “Wild Thing.” The track tells the tale of an alcoholic aphrodisiac that can not only cause ladies to swoon, but will also make your canine start showing an interest in humping your leg. The love potion breaks down as equal parts Absolut vodka, Southern Comfort, and Blue Curacao. To this triple threat of liquors, add a splash of cranberry juice and pour the whole sexy shebang over a glass of ice.
What it is: A$AP Rocky ruled the summer of 2011 with his woozy “Purple Swag” anthem. According to the Harlem fashion killa, the official way to make the song’s titular drink is to grab a polystyrene cup, fill it with Sprite and Promethazine-codeine, then drop in some Jolly Ranchers. Once the candy’s dissolved, the brew’s next level potent flavor emerges and gently ushers you into a state where “everything is wavy and spacey and psychedelic.”
What is is: 40 Belafonte’s Hurricane is a staple hip-hop cocktail. The original is based around a liquor foundation of Bacardi and Triple Sec, but for a 2016 update on the drink, the Bay Area tycoon suggests mixing up three ounces of vodka and 1⅓ ounces of Blue Curacao, 3⅓ ounces of pineapple juice, with 2/3rds of an ounce of lemon juice. Throw in four teaspoons of sugar, two lime wedges, and some ice, and you’ve got what’s officially known as a Slurricane Blue Lagoon.
McCall/Nocando is an accomplished artist who has made a series of videos highlighting areas, events and icons which embody the hip-hop life. A legendary underground rapper from South Los Angeles, he is a recording artist, emcee, an organiser of indie rap nights at clubs and a ghost-writer of songs for award-winning TV series Empire.
BarbercraftNow he is busy making LA's hip-hop scene accessible not only to those already bitten by the bug and keen to sample the hip-hop environment that gave rise to so much talent – but also to those who want to understand and de-mystify hip-hop culture.
One of his videos, for example, showcases World On Wheels – a roller skating rink with a difference. It's where locally-produced records are aired first, ever since the days of Ice T and Egyptian Lover.
Los Angeles is the beating heart of West Coast rap, the birthplace of the distinctive sound of layers of synthesizers and groves that went global through the likes of Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and many more.
The heartbeat of West Coast rap remains not only strong but interwoven into a large slice of LA life. It is no longer a "genre". West Coast rap has become a bona fide culture, a way of life that can be seen in many different ways.
Another destination Nocando explores is the Slauson Supermall, known locally as the Slauson Swap Meet. Originally about 10 small kiosks in a strip mall, it is now housed in a massive warehouse with over 100 stalls and just about anything for sale that a self-respecting hip-hopper might require, from street fashion to custom jewellery to used video games and Jordans.
Many rappers, DJs, producers and "kids from all over" visit the mall with influential hip-hop folk like Drake and A$AP Rocky among those who have had custom pieces made here. Haggling is acceptable – required, even – and the prices can be gloriously cheap. And it's not just the shopping, Slauson Supermall has some popular restaurants too.
Still hungry? Nocando highlights Delicious Pizza – run by the same guys who launched indie record label Delicious Vinyl in 1987, booming the careers of Pharcyde, Young MC and Tone Loc.
Still hungry? Nocando highlights Delicious Pizza – run by the same guys who launched indie record label Delicious Vinyl in 1987, booming the careers of Pharcyde, Young MC and Tone Loc.
And this isn't just about pizza – they throw and host events, listening parties and regular community get-togethers with outlets on West Adams Street (the more hip hop side of town) and another closer to Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard.
Chef Edwin "E-Dubble" Redway has opened a soul food spot on West Boulevard and Slauson – Grilled Fraiche. E-Dubble is known in Los Angeles for his food trucks (hunt them down on Instagram) and has linked up with and cooked for elite rap artists like The Game, Drake and T-Pain. Roy Choi is a world-renowned chef also linked with food trucks (Kogi BBQ taco trucks) and delicious Korean tacos – and has opened a healthy restaurant in Watts called LOCOL.
Then there's Kaos Network, the famous (and LA's longest running) open mic workshop, an icon close to Nocando's heart as that's where he started, winning "battles" against many emcees. Kaos is now homer to an event called Bananas, a colourful, eclectic night of indie rap and alternative music held every last Tuesday of the month. A visit here could result in spotting the next big West Coast star.
Beat Junkies, the O.G. Turntablists, recently celebrated 25 years as a crew and have now opened the Institute of Sound, a DJ school in Glendale where, on Saturdays, the best mixers, scratchers and selectors in the world of DJing and rap music give classes, tutorial and free workshops. Poo-Bah records and Amoeba Music are must-go record stores
Talking of creative licence, a must-see (and must-do) is the Venice Art Walls where an ever-changing canvas allows people to (legally) express themselves with aerosol paint – though you have to submit your ideas first.
The Fairfax district is the area Nocando calls "the Tigris and Euphrates of cool" – the home of street fashion in the US that ultimately influences what the hip hop world will be wearing in terms of footwear, hats, jewellery, T-shirts and more. Supreme, Pink Dolphin, DOPE, the Hundreds and Crooks & Castles all lodge here, attracting some big name shoppers.
And then there is the Petersen Automotive Museum. With so much of hip-hop music and personality bound up with cars, this museum has the best examples of LA rides, including Gypsy Rose (the original Lowrider which spawned a generation of anti-establishment automobiles) and a cherry Snoop Deville ( the Cadillac made famous by Snoop Dogg).
Seven hundred turkeys, two rappers, and an intermediate number of onlookers had assembled in the parking lot of a Kroger supermarket on Cleveland Avenue, on the scrappy south side of Atlanta. The rappers were Quavo and Takeoff, two of the three members of Migos, the dominant hip-hop group of the moment—known for exuberant, off-kilter tracks, like “Bad and Boujee,” that seem to consist of nothing but interjections. It was the Friday before Thanksgiving, and the two were standing in the back of a U-Haul truck, facing a growing crowd of people who wanted turkeys or pictures or both. Takeoff grabbed a carton and opened it. “We shipping them boxes out,” he barked—Migos can turn just about any handful of words into a memorable refrain.
The turkey supply had already begun to dwindle when one of the event’s organizers arrived, pulling up in an elegant but inconspicuous Range Rover. His name is Kevin Lee, but everyone calls him Coach K, and, in the world of hip-hop, he may be better known than the Duke basketball impresario from whom he took his nickname. In the aughts, Lee managed two of the city’s most important rappers—Young Jeezy and then, a few years later, Gucci Mane—undaunted by the fact that the men had engaged in a bitter and apparently bloody feud. Nowadays, he is both a manager and a record executive, guiding the careers of Migos and a clutch of other young hip-hop stars, including Lil Yachty, who is twenty and calls himself the King of the Youth. Lee is forty-six, an age that offers some advantages of its own. “With this gray beard, I’m a O.G.,” he says. “When I say something, they listen—like, ‘Oh, the O.G. must have been through it.’ ” But he prides himself on being open to whatever musical mania is currently seizing the young people who tend to be his clients, and his customers. “When I visit my friends, I sit with their kids, and we talk about music,” he says. “And my friends be like, ‘How the hell do you understand that shit?’ I’m like, ‘This is what I love, and this is what I do.’ ”
.gif)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
0 Comments