Writing Your First Rap Verse: A Beginner's Guide

Maybe you have been nodding along to rap for years and thinking, "I could do that." Then you sit down with a blank page and nothing comes out. That is normal. Writing a verse is a skill, and like any skill it gets easier once you understand the basic parts. This guide walks you through them, with a few sample lines written just for this article so you can see the ideas in action.

Know the Building Blocks

Before you write, learn a few words rappers use all the time.

A beat is the instrumental you rap over. Most hip hop beats are counted in groups of four, so you can tap your foot and count "one, two, three, four" over and over.

A bar is one of those groups of four counts. In practice, one bar is usually one line of your lyrics.

A verse is a section made of several bars. A traditional rap verse is sixteen bars, though shorter verses of eight or twelve bars are common too. For your first try, aim for eight.

A hook is the repeated part, like a chorus, that ties the song together. You can write that later. Start with one verse.

Start With Something True

The most important part of a verse is not the rhyme. It is the message. Ask yourself what you actually want to say. What have you been through? What are you hoping for? What would you tell a younger version of yourself?

Listeners can usually tell when a rapper is pretending. Honest details, even small ones, make people lean in. Write down a few sentences in plain language about your topic before you try to make anything rhyme.

Jonathan Anthony Burkett knows the power of honest music. In his memoir he writes that he felt Tupac was true in the same way his uncles and grandfather had described Bob Marley's music to him. As a teenager, when he was asked whether he would like to be a music artist, he answered:

“Yeah, I have a goal of at least writing one hit before I die”

— Jonathan Anthony Burkett, Neglected But Undefeated (2012)

He has since released inspirational hip hop and soul on his own label, Upstormed Records, including his signature song "One Life" featuring Ambelique. Every song like that starts the same way yours will: with one honest verse.

Find Your Rhymes and Your Rhythm

Once you know what you want to say, start shaping it into bars. Here is a simple process:

1. Pick a beat and listen first. Play it several times. Count the bars and notice where the snare hits, usually on counts two and four.
2. Choose an end rhyme for each pair of lines. The easiest pattern is to make line one rhyme with line two, line three with line four, and so on.
3. Read your lines out loud on the beat. If you run out of room, cut words. If there is too much space, add a detail.
4. Try a deeper rhyme. Once simple rhymes feel comfortable, rhyme two or three syllables at once, or put a rhyme in the middle of a line.
5. Record yourself. A phone is enough. Listening back shows you where the flow stumbles.

Here are four example lines written for this guide to show a basic paired rhyme:

Example lines (written for this article):
I used to think my story wasn't worth a song,
Kept it on the inside, held it way too long.
Now I write it down and let the pages breathe,
Every line a reason I still believe.

Notice how each pair ends with a matching sound, and how the lines follow a single idea from start to finish.

Make It Yours

Every rapper you admire sounds like themselves. As you practice, pay attention to what makes your voice different:

Your words. Use the slang, places and images from your own life. A specific street, food or memory is stronger than a general statement.

Your pace. Some artists ride slow and smooth; others rap quickly. Try both, then keep what feels natural.

Your message. Decide what you want people to feel when the verse ends: hope, pride, anger, love or peace.

Here is another short example, written for this article, that leans on inner rhymes:

Example lines (written for this article):
I was down and out, now I'm up and about,
Took the doubt in my mouth and I spit it back out.

Keep Writing After the First Verse

Your first verse will probably not be your best, and that is fine. Save it anyway. Write another one next week, and another after that. Read books, poetry and lyric sheets from artists you love to grow your vocabulary. Rewrite lines that feel weak instead of throwing whole verses away.

Most of all, keep your goal in front of you. Jonathan once doubted his own dream, and he kept going anyway. Your goal might be one great song or a full album. Either way, the next step is the same: pick up the pen.

Hear how Jonathan turns real life into music on the Music page or on Spotify.

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