TakeLessons Shares 7 Easy Steps for Dropping A Beat Like Jay-Z

Online, January 8, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The wait is finally over for celebrity gossip enthusiasts - Jay-Z and Beyonce are now proud parents of their first child together, Blue Ivy Carter. And as any hip hop artist should, Jay-Z announced the birth by releasing "Glory," a new track dedicated to his newborn baby girl.

While it may seem simple to put together a bunch of words without a melody, writing rap lyrics - when done right - is often more of an art form. TakeLessons (http://takelessons.com), the nation's fastest growing music lessons provider, took the opportunity to share 7 essential tips for up-and-coming lyricists hoping to flex their own rhyming muscles.

The following is an excerpt from the blog post that was published:

"1. Get inspired. Pick a topic for your rap song that you have a unique perspective or understanding to share with your audience. Without inspiration, your lyrics cannot have meaning.

2. Write a hook. If you were writing a term paper, you'd start with a thesis. But this is a rap song, so start with a hook. The hook should summarize the entire inspiration for the song.

3. Brainstorm. Start to make a list of every concept, unique perspective, or point you can think of related to your inspired topic. This will become the content of your song.

4. Write lyrics. Go through each of the points from your brainstorm list and express them in rhyme. Of course, this is where your skills as a lyricist will show through.

5. Pick a beat. If you don't make beats yourself, search for a beat on YouTube or download from the internet. Pick a beat that invokes the emotion that inspired you to write your song.

6. Structure the song. Now that you have a good idea of the sound your completed song will have, arrange your rhyme into verses (16 bars apiece). You can start each verse with nearly any rhyme, but it's a good practice to end with a rhyme that makes a point. This way your verse doesn't seem to be left hanging. A popular song structure would be: Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, middle 8 (breakdown), chorus, outro.

7. Rap and refine. Practice rapping your song on your chosen beat to work out the bugs and optimize your written verses. Cut out as many words as possible and then cut out some more. Remember, a rap song is not an English paper. Only use the words that are needed to make your point, nothing more. Don't be afraid to add a pause or two, as this can help to enhance a certain point in the song."

By sharing the tips with blog readers, TakeLessons hopes to continue engaging current students and help with any musical goals they may have. Readers are invited to share their thoughts by commenting on the TakeLessons blog, where they can also read about the famous Vegetable Orchestra, and comments are also welcomed on Facebook (http://facebook.com/takelessons).