Every great songwriter begins their journey by listening, but it’s still strange to even bother including it on this list, since it is surely something you should be doing all the time. While that may be true, you might be able to improve upon your listening in ways that will help you write a rap song.

If you want to make the transition from being solely a fan of rap music to a musician and songwriter, you need to stop listening passively and start listening critically. For much of your life, you’ve probably simply enjoyed the sounds that come out of your headphones, but when you make the decision to transition from audience member to creator, it’s time to do some thinking while the music plays.

You may be set on being a rapper–and that’s fine–but I still challenge you to diversify what you listen to. If you’re planning on writing a rap song, chances are you already consume a ton of hip-hop, but you should do everything you can to try new things and hear what other people in every subset of every genre are doing. Dive deep into the rap world and explore the many different kinds of hip-hop being produced these days, while at the same time, force yourself to press play on everything from K-pop to EDM to classic rock. Many well-known talents find inspiration by doing so, and rap and hip-hop are more diverse in sound and look today than ever before.

In addition to re-listening to your favorite songs and albums and sampling other artists, rap subgenres, and other styles of music, you should also set aside some time to learn from the best. This means doing a bit of research and reading lists of the greatest and most influential hip-hop and rap songs and albums in history and then going out and listening to them all critically. There’s no better teacher than the projects that came before that pushed rap into new places or captured the attention of millions. You can also study up on the process shared by some of these artists in interviews, books, podcasts, or videos featuring those artists discussing how they created their masterworks.

A big part of becoming a musician is not just leading with your heart and being creative, but studying the craft of musicianship. Some people go to college for years to gain this knowledge, and while that can certainly be an enjoyable route to go down, it’s not one I’ll delve into right now, as it’s not common among the biggest rappers.

If you want to be successful in anything, you first need to have a solid grasp of the absolute basics. Before you begin writing or recording anything, you need to understand the fundamental building blocks that comprise a song. These will be incredibly helpful as you piece together your own work moving forward, and they are necessary if you want to find real commercial success with your art.

Learn about bridges, choruses, verses, and rhyming schemes, as well as a variety of other free phrases and terms that are specific to music–perhaps even hip-hop and rap. You don’t need to be an expert in musicology or even understand the same lingo used by composers and violinists, but a general understanding of what makes a song as well as what makes a song successful will be incredibly important to you.

It’s not that you can’t write a rap song without understanding the difference between a chorus and bridge or what octave you’re rapping in, but you’ll be much better off if you do know the ins and outs of song structure.

Now, this is the trickiest part of writing a rap song, simply because it sounds fairly straightforward…but it’s actually very messy. There is no perfect way to pen a song, and through trial and error you’ll find what works best for you…though there are some things to think about and a handful of tips that will be helpful as you begin this process.

Sometimes, you’ll sit down to write a song about one specific thing while in other instances, a complete work will come together from pieces of other compositions. There’s no wrong way to make music, but as a helpful exercise, take some time to actually put pen to paper and focus on one idea.

Hip-hop has a rich history of covering a diverse range of topics and you may want to write about everything…but let’s start with just one central theme and go from there. Maybe you only want to have fun and compose a tune about going out to a club and partying with friends. Don’t let frivolity get in the way of making art! Go for it!

Once you’ve done that, think about writing about something a little more substantial. Maybe you’re in love, or perhaps you’re dealing with heartbreak. It’s possible you’ve been through some tough times or that you want to be someone who discusses political or social issues.

You don’t need to decide whether the rest of your career will be modeled more closely after T-Pain or Kendrick Lamar right now, but as you begin the process of writing one track, thinking about who you want to be as an artist and what you want people to take from your work may help guide you as you write.

In between your dedicated writing sessions (which you’ll read about in a second), you’ll find that little bits of songs come to you. Inspiration can pop up at any time, and you can’t argue with what your brain generates, and certainly not when or where!

From lines to lyrics to rhymes to ideas, write everything down or record them as voice notes on your phone the moment they pop into your head. Whether they are a complete chorus or just a word or two, these fragments of songs will come in handy later, so don’t let them slip away!

Set aside some time to take your idea–whether it’s describing how much money you have or tackling race issues in America–and begin writing. There is no good or bad in these moments, just put everything that comes into mind on paper. In fact, it’s not particularly helpful to even think about where things will go or whether or not a specific section is any good, as that will stymie your creativity.

Editing is for later, but now is when you brainstorm and let everything flow.

The important thing is that you actually sit down, remove all distractions, block off your calendar, and do nothing but write. If you only ever put pen to paper for a few moments here and there or while other things are happening around you, your work will reflect your lack of dedication.

By this point, you should have a sizable collection of words and sentences to begin workshopping. Again, this might not even seem like much of a song, but if everything on the paper in front of you conveys a general mood and tone and gets whatever idea you had in mind across–even if only somewhat–you’re off to a good start.

This is perhaps the most important stage in the songwriting process, as it’s when you do the most damage and also progress the farthest. Move everything around. Cross much of it out. Write it all again, then rewrite it once more. Insert some ideas you’ve been keeping in a notebook or on your phone in between your dedicated songwriting sessions.

These workshopping sessions can take a few minutes or a few hours and there’s no telling which it will be, nor which one will be the most fruitful. Some artists say they wrote their biggest hits in 10 minutes, while others talk about how they needed days to make it perfect, so don’t feel bad if it doesn’t come to you instantly.

While you are arranging and rearranging, you’ll find that sometimes your original composition becomes something different entirely, and if it’s what feels right in your heart, go with it! Don’t let what seems to be going well become a problem just because it doesn’t fit what you had in mind when you first concocted the idea of the song.

You’ll find that arranging lyrics and then moving them around is one of the most gratifying, creatively energizing, and simultaneously frustrating endeavors you’ll undertake as a songwriter.

If you’re going to be a rapper, you are obviously going to need music to soundtrack your lyrics. How you go about acquiring this music is up to you, and it depends on your skill sets, your willingness to learn new skills, and your financial resources.

Some rappers are both vocalists and producers, which means they are writing the words, performing them, and also making the music that plays in the background. There is a growing need for beat makers in the music industry, and the accessibility of music production software has made it easier than ever for anyone to make music.

Having said that, learning the ins and outs of these musical apps and programs is not easy, and it can take quite a long time for you to be able to craft something you’d want to share with the world. If you’re not sure if this is the right path for you, watch YouTube tutorials and read articles from those who have done so to get an idea of how long it will take and how much work you have put in to get it right. Also, look into the price of some of the most popular beat-making instruments and software programs, because you may find that you don’t want to spend that type of money so early in your career.

If you’re not going to make your own music, that doesn’t mean you can’t write and record rap song. There are plenty of places online where anyone can instrumentals to soundtrack their songs, and they’re available in every genre.

It’s incredibly easy to find any of the most popular websites where people sell beats for as low as $20. You can start there, or you may decide you want to forge relationships with producers and pay them directly for their work, though this is usually more complicated and much, much more expensive.

When you start down this road, you will quickly find that there is a lot of mediocre or even bad instrumental music out there, so you will have to take your time and scour the internet for something that really stands out… but once you find it, you may discover that inspiration strikes and you’re ready to create something wonderful.

Okay, so you have the beats you’re going to use for your song and your lyrics are written. Does that mean you are ready to jump into the studio and finish your rap song? Perhaps, but it’s better if you add another step in between these two phases.

It’s a good idea to set aside time to practice your song before you begin properly recording. You can do this by yourself in your bedroom or perhaps even in some sort of cheap or free recording situation where you will be able to set your vocals to the music to see how it works out.

The point of this step is to make sure that you are ready and that you are happy with the product before you spend any money on a studio or hire a producer, only to find out that you weren’t really ready in the first place. You might be excited to complete a tune and put it out into the world, but the best of the best in any entertainment field know that rehearsal is extremely important and is what makes someone truly great.

When you feel you have a solid song, record it…but whether you go into a traditional recording studio or do so at home with your own equipment is entirely up to you.

Traditionally, musicians have had to rent out room in a professional recording studio to make music that is high quality enough to release to the public. The vast majority of working artists still do this, but this option is not available to everyone. Studios, and the staff that come along with them, are notoriously expensive. They can charge dozens or even hundreds of dollars per hour, so if you’re just getting started, it might be best to avoid this at first.

Thankfully, it has become easier for up-and-coming talents to record at home. Advances in technology–both in terms of actually recording your vocals as well as smoothing out imperfections and even sound-proofing whatever room you may be in–have come a long, long way. Countless articles have been written that provide advice for those just getting started with creating a home studio. Read up on this topic, watch videos on YouTube, and reach out to others who make music at home and see what works for them. You may find that all you need are a few pieces of equipment that will run you a few hundred dollars. This might sound like a big investment, but compared to a studio, it’s actually a steal.

Having said all of that, there is still nothing quite like working in a studio, so don’t count that out entirely. You can still pay for this privilege when you’re a bit more seasoned, or if money is no worry, feel free!

Record a song in one way, then do it another. Feel free to give your tune several different takes with a number of options. Change up your cadence, your flow, your breathing, and even your pronunciation. Try a certain line more than once with several alternate words. Do whatever you can to ensure you have options so later on, you have a lot to work with when piecing it all together.

Sometimes you don’t know what you like best until you actually hear it, so don’t be afraid to be unsure about which version of your future masterpiece you enjoy best until it’s playing in your ear. Yes, this may mean a bit of arranging and rearranging once again (or maybe not just a bit), but I told you this was going to be messy! In time, you’ll learn to love this last moment of perfecting a song.

At a certain point, you will have a finished product to enjoy…and scrutinize. Press play and listen over and over and over. Let your friends and family hear what you’ve made. Share it with other artists or those in the industry you are hoping to get into, but note to them that, at least at first, you are just looking for feedback.

If you recorded your song at home, you will have the opportunity to go back and change anything you like. You can rewrite certain lines, mix up your performance, or perhaps even change the music entirely. Give it some time while you work on something else and go back and revisit your work and see if you are still happy with it later on.

If you do love what’s come out of your sessions, it’s time to get your rap song mixed and mastered. There are plenty of other articles written on this subject, so we won’t get into it too deeply, but you could spend hundreds of dollars hiring a well-known professional or professionals to do this work, or you may be able to pay for a service online that will do it quickly and fairly cheap.

Once all this is done, it’s time to put your rap song out into the world and let it do its thing, at which point you will have to investigate everything from PR to social media to radio to touring…but the first things first. Make the best rap song you can that is in keeping with who you are and want to be as an artist and then just keep going.

For more insights on starting out in the world of rap, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our earlier blog series, “How to Be a Rapper.”