Hip Hop Songwriting: Writing to Avoid Clichés

Since its inception in 1973, hip hop has become an indispensable creative platform for artists from every walk of life. Now you can try your hand at writing a topic-driven hip hop verse while avoiding the clichés that often appear in beginners’ rhymes. In this class, students will learn writing techniques for drafting a hip hop verse around a particular theme, while utilizing a variety of rhyme schemes. Students will walk away understanding the following:

• How to select “good” references (and what is meant by “good”)
• How to structure a verse to maximize its impact
• How to avoid clichéd writing

For the class project, students will be provided with an original beat from upstate NY rapper and producer Sammus (NOISEY, Afropunk, Vice, Impose Magazine) and asked to write an 8-bar verse on a topic of the student’s choosing. This class is geared towards those with little-to-no songwriting experience but it may be helpful even to those who consider themselves to be proficient.The class will require recording a performance of the track (a rough version), which will require either access to a microphone,

• Class Trailer
• Overview: Class Project
• Structure of a Rap Song
• Picking a Topic
• Rhyming in a Rap Song
• Selecting "Good" Reference
• Writing for Impact
• Conclusion - Bringing it All Together