![]() ![]() Since your students are writing an academic song, they'll want to think of a hook that can complement the subject. He doesn't use the hook to come out and just say, "I am awesome," but that is the message. Take this example from Jay-Z on a track where he basically just brags: Can't touch the untouchable, break the unbreakableĬan't see the unseeable, reach the unreachable, Often, the best hooks do this without being obvious. The second thing most hooks should do is advance the main idea of the song. That hook doesn't make any sense, but it is fun and oddly catchy. To the bang bang, say up jumped the boogie, To the hip hip-hop, uh you don't stop the rockin', This, I'm sure, is what The Sugarhill Gang was thinking about with this hook on "Rapper's Delight": I said a hip-hop, the hippie the hippie, First, it must be fun to listen to, because it's the part that listeners are going to hear the most. It's important to have the hook accomplish two things. As your students are writing their hooks, know that they have these options. All kinds of rappers write the rapped hooks, while pop-type rappers favor the sung hooks. Many hooks incorporate both of these techniques. ![]() There are basically two types of hooks: rapped or sung. However, they can also have different lengths.Īfter the first verse comes the hook, which is the most memorable (and often most important) part of many hip-hop songs. Verses are often of equal length, such as 16 bars each. When instructing your students, have them sketch out the song by dividing the academic content into verses that make sense. The verse is the largest section of a song and usually contains the bulk of the information. Usually the beat plays for 4 or 8 bars before the rapper comes in.Īfter the intro, most songs contain two to four verses of 16 to 32 bars each. Most songs begin with some instrumental bars, which are typically followed by a verse, although some do start with a hook. Occasionally, you'll see some other elements, but usually rappers stick to these three. Nearly every rap song consists of three basic parts: intros, hooks (choruses) and verses. If you have the time, however, it is generally better to have each student choose their own beat that reflects their mood and style. Note: To keep things simple, you can play one beat in class and have all of your students write over it. You can find over 50 original beats here. If they write without a beat, it's going to take a lot more work to try to get their lyrics to fit with the music once that element is added. Most of the time, you should have your students write over a particular beat from beginning to end. This kind of assignment may work best as an extra-credit assignment. If you decide to have a culminating performance, you should probably give your students a sense of how to choose a beat and structure a complete song. All of the lessons presented in Writing Academic Rhymes can be completed with or without music.
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