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Do you know that the technique on how to sing rap song originated in Africa, and even came before the rise of hip-hop music?
The term rapping refers “to hit,” and is known as the art of delivering poetry, rhymes, or just some sort of a wordplay using rhythmic method. This type of rhyming associated with emceeing has a similarity with hip-hop music, but in a different style. All the famous rap singers like Eninem, Jaz-Z, and Pitbull have mastered well enough their song rapping skill.
What is Hip-Hop / Rap Music?

The word “rapping” simply means chanted or spoken lyrics with rhyme. It is also commonly called emceeing or plain rhyming. Its form is usually broken down into several components, and separated into flow, content and delivery. The style of rapping is much different from poetry with spoken words because it is performed with proper timing to a beat.
If you want to know how to sing rap song, you should master the lyrics of a song and utter them consistently without background music. In hip-hop and reggae, rapping is considered a primary component to give life to the song. Today, rapping has become very popular worldwide, and perhaps only few people know that it has already existed centuries ago in the jungles of Africa.
The technique on singing rap song fast has caught the interest of many singers across the globe because of its lively tune that attracts young people. You can also find this style of singing in alternative rocks like that of “Red Hot Chili Peppers“. When you deliver rapping, you can do it either with or without background music. You can find this art in speech, poetry, prose, and songs.
Rap Singing Techniques You Must Learn
If you have an ‘eye’ for developing your rapping skill to be able to perform well in this lively kind of music, you can follow some tips given below. They include different tricks and techniques to deliver a refine performance, as well as some guidelines in freestyle rapping. Foremost among these tips to attain your goal to become a great rapper is practicing your diction in a quick manner, and learning to control your breath. Besides having a good mic for rap vocals, there are several fundamental rap singing skills and techniques that you must learn.
1) Listen to Rap Songs / Music
Before getting started, you have to listen to rap songs or music thoroughly and attentively. Be extra sensitive on how the instruments beat, and at the same time, feel how the rhythm works. One of the tricks on how to sing rap is uttering the same syllables several times within a set duration of time. This procedure can help you to hone your skills in singing with rhythm.
2) Been Natural
In the initial stage of your rapping, you can feel relaxed and easy, and there’s no need to worry about committing mistakes because that’s only natural for a beginner. One important aspect that you have to bear in mind in rapping is your ability to maintain the flow of words in correct accent. Whenever you make mistakes on how to sing rap as a beginner, learn from it, and try to adjust the rhythm following your mistake in uttering the previous line.
3) Figures of Speech
Being able to say a filler word, phrase or a statement, which is similar to the precise line of the song, is also a smart way of doing it. When you’re rapping, always think forward ahead of time. Practice consistently with coming up with words that rhyme with some words in the song. If you want to make a clever and more interesting rap, you can include similes and metaphors in your raps. Expert rappers are using these figures of speech effectively in rapping.
4) Freestyle Rapping
You can also incorporate current events in raps to make them pleasing to the ears and interesting for the listeners. By doing this trick, you can immediately connect with your audience. Constant practice on hip-hop and rap songs in a freestyle manner is the key in mastering it. If you are able to feel the song, expand your vocabulary, and keep in touch with the rapping technique regularly, then, you’re on a great way to attainment of your goal.
Remember to know when to pass is the best advice that should be kept in mind. Try to keep freestyles under one minute and always try to pass on a good line, rather than just going on until you are out of stuff to say. This keeps everyone in the crowd interested, and honestly, this way is much more fun.
During the middle of a freestyle rapping, don’t forget to split a line. The great thing about splitting a line is that it can save you from slipping up, and it doesn’t have to rhyme. Just split the line and drop the freestyle. There is always a possibility of saving yourself in the next line.
5) Voice Control in Rapping
Another way to do it is by taming or controlling your voice in rapping. These tips can greatly improve your rapping ability and create verses that are interesting to the audience. Delivery of your freestyle rapping effectively while maintaining the flow of your words to create a smooth-flowing rap are important aspects in honing your skills on singing rap song.
6) Diction for Rapping
If you can’t rap the words effectively, then it’s no good mastering a good rhyme. Give importance to consonants, do not try to rap in a way in which you talk. Keep the words sharp and clear, and remember rhythm has more significance than rhyme. While freestyling does not stop even if the words don’t rhyme. As long as you stay within the beat, then everything is going to be fine, as rhythm will support you to get back on track. It’s okay to think about the next line, but remember, it is important to give 100% to the line that you are currently rapping.
7) Flow in Rapping
In the case of “flow” in rapping, this refers to the rhymes and rhythms that you can find in the lyrics of hip-hop songs and the manner how these lyrics interact with each other. The rapping style in singing breaks the flow into rhythm or cadence, rhyme schemes and rhyme. At times, the term “flow” also refers to components of the song delivery such as pitch, volume and timbre, but there is always a distinction between flow and delivery.
One effective technique on how to sing rap song is making a surprise through an organized rhythm of the syllables to create a variety with coinciding strong beats.
8) Rhythm
Rapping is all about saying anything that rhymes. It’s essential to have a feel for rap in the bones when one wants to rap. If the body and the brain aren’t conscious and in sync with the beat, then the rap will feel unnatural and stiff.
Percussive techniques also gave birth to many rhythmic techniques, and many rappers tend to compare themselves to percussionists.
When you listen to a rap that you are fond of, at first try ignoring the words. Listen to the instrument and how the words fit with the beat. You can consider Beatboxing as a way of learning rhythm. Not only will this help you to understand rhythm, but it will also be a great technique when you start rapping.
9) Dynamic of Intonation & Pitch Control
Having a grip over the dynamics of your voice will aid you in delivering the right message in the song. The fall and rise of the voice, also known as intonation, and pitching are mighty ways to change the meaning of the lyrics. It also helps you to present the song with more emotional & meaningful. Take one of the bars and practice ways of delivering it. Keep in focus the following lines as well and how your dynamics are related to it.
When you deliver one line softly, this gives you the room to deliver the next line harder. Compare this to a constant dynamic that does not give any room for significant changes in the delivery. This can make the rapping sound dull and meaningless. By switching up the dynamics give you more wiggle room to focus on important lines and make a more significant impact in your rap performance.
What Are The Differences Between Rapping And Singing?
There is a level of respect for both the rappers and singers. On the one hand, a singer should be able to hit notes, hold them, have a melody, and produce music with their voice. While a rapper, apart from needing a charismatic voice, also requires the power of good songwriting skills in rap & R&B genre.
Rappers are also rated on their lyrical dimension. A rapper’s delivery on the mic also calls for breath and in some cases, tone control. But the differences are apparent when one hears a verse sung compared to a verse that is rapped. As words are not meant to be sung slowly. They need to be able to fit a long story in just a 3-minute song.
Many critics of rap call out rappers for sounding like they are ‘talking,’ but this is also one of the strengths of rap. It gives the listener the feeling that the emcee is speaking to them both poetically and rhythmically. This way, they can immediately develop a connection with the listeners along with entertaining the audiences with their rhymes. While a beautifully sung piece of music can touch the heart of the listeners, some find just the melody of the singer to be more entertaining than the lyrics of the song themselves. As you can see, there are pros and cons to both methods of voicing the lyrics. If you don’t know how much do rappers make, then its more than you think.
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Good article ,thanks for advice.
What do you think?