How to Rap

You’ll learn how to make everyone appreciate your flow; where to get ideas and how to convey them to listeners; how to write catchy lyrics and rhyme well; how to breathe correctly and keep the tempo; and how to perform live—rally the crowd, work with a group, and avoid common mistakes. You’ll get a detailed breakdown of how songs are created—from an idea to its realization on stage or in the studio. To help you understand the materials better, the text includes examples of Russian-language rap compositions.

About the author:

Paul Edwards is a writer and journalist, an expert in hip-hop and rap, who has interviewed more than a hundred musicians and conducted extensive research into rappers’ creative processes, music theories, and song lyrics. He has collaborated with Chicago Tribune, The New York Amsterdam News, Wired, Chuck D’s New York radio show, HipHopDX, Australia’s Acclaim Magazine, Britain’s Echoes Magazine, Germany’s HHV Magazine, and Time Out Dubai. He has a master’s degree in postmodernism, literature, and contemporary culture from the University of London.

The period from 2009 (when the book was published) to 2019 was a time of enormous change in rap, when it transformed almost entirely. In front of you is a collection of practical advice—but above all, an important document of the era: how rappers thought about themselves and perceived the genre a decade ago.

Nikolay Redkin, journalist, editor of The-Flow portal, host of the YouTube show “Vpiska.”

A Russian-language edition of a cult book that will be useful to everyone who wants to get into the history of hip-hop. A full of amusing details overview of the rap-making process from top performers—ranging from mainstream stars to underground legends. This book won’t make you a rapper, but it will definitely make you love rap even more.

Danya Pornorep, rap critic