Eminem's Rapping Process

[Tomer666]

I just saw an interview where Royce da 5'9 says his rapping process is first the beat, then the concept, then the flow and then the words.
And I wonder if does any of you maybe heard in an interview, read somewhere (somewhere that's reliable and not just someone assuming) what Eminem's rapping process is like?

[Blu]

I think I read somewhere that he just writes paragraphs after he's got a good beat. He writes paragraphs of well-thought out, intricate lines with proper English, and then he breaks it down into verses and switches out all the words with slang.

That's what I read.

[Trimss]

I think I read somewhere that he just writes paragraphs after he's got a good beat. He writes paragraphs of well-thought out, intricate lines with proper English, and then he breaks it down into verses and switches out all the words with slang.

That's what I read.

Lmao. I think it was Amadeo or EminemInsider who said that.

[Suzanne.s]

sometimes he would listen to the beat and write to whatever ideas it gives him (that's how he wrote 3am and other relapse songs, and how he came up with My Name is).

other times he would write lyrics and rhymes, and think of how the music would sounds, and then hum it to his music players (that happened with Business and other TES songs) he said once when he first got to the studio with Dre he had lyrics prepared so he would lay it to dre's beats.

[Tomer666]

If you have an idea what other successful rapper's method is like then feel free to share, it'd work too.
I'm just curious about the most common method amongst successful rappers.

I think Yelawolf first gets the beat and then writes the lyrics, because in "Daddy's Lambo" he makes a reference to the beat in his third verse.
"'Cause Drama made a beat that will climb the chart"

[UofLCard]

It should always be about the words first, and then choose a beat, IMO.

[Trimss]

^ Yelawolf explained how he does it.

He listens to the beat, find a flow, a rhythm or some melody, and then writes lyrics for that melody and fills it with words.

http://youtu.be/DCggCzo7D7o?t=1m28s

[Suzanne.s]

It should always be about the words first, and then choose a beat, IMO.

I used to feel this way too, but inspiration comes from everywhere, if a beat inspired lyrics that's cool too.

some rappers like T.I and Jay-z used to improvise and record directly to the mic.

[tadpole25]

i wonder. i think producers offer a little discount if the rapper mentions them in the song

[whiteamerica2]

i am pretty sure most rappers choose a beat first, then write to that beat. so they can have a good flow.

[Tomer666]

I am very much interested in how he did it for SSLP-MMLP (the two albums where his flow was jaw-dropping)...whether the beat came first or the lyrics.

Surely he wrote to some 4/4 beat in his head most of the time and waited until Jeff Bass played something that exactly matched the mood of his lyrics.

Same with me, how come no one asked him on an interview whether he gets the beat first and then writes the lyrics, or the other way around.

[mwm5952]

It should always be about the words first, and then choose a beat, IMO.

doesn't em have a line along the lines of "i do what the beats say do"? which implies that he hears the beat first and writes to the feeling that that beat gives him...

And I disagree with you (i think for the first time ever) UofLCard, b/c the lyrics need to match what the mood of the song is. Can you imagine him rapping TRSS to Stan's beat? I think what makes em special, and in particular his best songs special, is that he matches the feeling of the beat with what he writes about.

With that being said, I still focus on the lyrics when I listen to em. I don't listen to him for the beats, i listen to what he says/rhymes over them.

[EminemInsider]

I think Eminem tended to structure his verses so they *could* work with any beat, given an adjustment. Especially with the "hip hop shop"/just spitting verses. He did many of those "freestyles" on different radio shows to several different beats.