Hip Hop Songwriting: Writing to Avoid Clichés

What You Will Learn?

• 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:.
• 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, .