Take The Challenge...

[john]

Hey

We often have song or lyrics writing challenges based on topic, title or volume.

So I thought it would be very worthwhile exploring lyrical styles and setting a challenge based on that.

So... for this first challenge I suggest writing a rap song, or one of it's derivative genres.

Hopefully this will challenge you, take you out your comfort zone and expand some of those horizons

I'll try and remember to do this regularly but feel free to set challenges of your own. It's not about competition with anyone but yourself.

Cheers

John

[roxhythe]

Okay, John. Here's a rap. I hate rap. I consider "rap music" a contradiction in terms. However, a couple weeks ago, on the way to and from registering my daughter for college, I kept getting stuck in traffic with rap blaring out of open car windows. And I just had to get it out of my system.

I was working on something for another challenge on another writers' site, where they'd asked for songs with "Why" in the title. (And of course this doesn't. I tend to ignore rules.) It did occur to me that Y is a letter of the alphabet, and then I had to wonder how a rapper would do the alphabet. And the rest is (thankfully over) history.

And I did record it. Jerry Miller (dba zonemusicinc), a fellow I know in chicago who does cutting-edge electronica music, did me a "beat" and I recorded the rap to it. It's on my "Wrabek's Works in Progress" page, and the URL is:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songi...;songID=6742962

And the lyrics follow. Okay. Now I'm done with rap, and can go back to country music.

Joe

ALPHABET WITHOUT U

--By JaY-DuByA da Rappah

INTRO:

Boys and girls, I’m going to sing you a song

And if you listen real close you can all sing along

Some of the lines might even rhyme

Just like rap does some of the time

You learned the alphabet when we were kids

But you prob’ly never heard it sung like this:

CHORUS:

‘Ay!

Be SEEdy!

EeyeffgeeyaitcheyejaykayelemENohpee (tha’s right)

Cue!

AressTEA!

VeedubleyouexwhyZEE!

Where’s U?

U meant a lot to me

And U R gone

No reason Y that I can C

Been missing U

Ever since U left

And without U around

U destroyed my alphabet.

1.

There’s no UPPERS without U

Got no UNDERWEAR without you

Can’t get it UP, or RUN it in, or see it THROUGH

Can’t be TOUGH without U

Can’t have ENOUGH without U

And there isn’t any STUFF that I can do

A HOUSE is just a HOSE without U.

(memorized that alphabet yet? Here it comes…)

CHORUS:

‘Ay!

Be SEEdy!

EeyeffgeeyaitcheyejaykayelemENohpee (tha’s right)

Cue!

AressTEA!

VeedubleyouexwhyZEE!

Where’s U?

Where the **** U go?

I been asking Y, but no reply

And the guys say he don’t know

Sure, I used you—but we had FUN

I can’t say some of the things we done

But without U there’s no SUN

I can’t STUMBLE, I can’t RUN

Lots of things don’t look right without U.

2.

There’s no TUPPERWARE without U (and that’s not a bad thing, y’know)

There ain’t no CHURCHES, too

And life can’t really SUCK without U there

Do I need U? U R just one letter

Can’t count past twenty without my pecker

It might be hell, but oh, well

Who expects a rapper knows how to spell?

Without you, I’ve still got MONEY and I’ve still got AIR

(You ready? You KNOW you can sing along with this…)

CHORUS:

‘Ay! [‘Ay!]

Be SEEdy! [be SEEdy!]

EeyeffgeeyaitcheyejaykayelemENohpee [WHAT?]

Cue! [TENTATIVELY: Cue?]

AressTEA! [TEA!]

VeedubleyouexwhyZEE! [APPLAUSE]

Where’s U?

I don’t C U…

Y’know, I comes before U in that alphabet

Way before, with a lot of letters in between

So we gotta take care of I first

And by the time we get to U

Might not even notice U ain’t there

Might not even ask Y

He don’t know nothing anyway

3.

Think I’ll swagger down to my favorite joint

And take my pool stick and make some coin

And talk trash to my friends while I’m taking their money

And keep my eyes open for a brand new honey

(And I can do all those things without mentioning U)

Till I’m seeing double—but it won’t be a double U.

(Ready for the alphabet one more time?)

CHORUS:

‘Ay! [‘Ay!]

Be SEEdy! [be SEEdy!]

EeyeffgeeyaitcheyejaykayelemENohpee [WHAT?]

Cue! [TENTATIVELY: Cue?]

AressTEA! [TEA!]

VeedubleyouexwhyZEE! [APPLAUSE]

Where’s U?

Who cares?

I can get along without U… [FADE]

© 2008 J. Wrabek dba Outside Services Ltd. All the usual rights reserved just in case. You try to rip this rap off and the homies are coming after you. Be cool.

_________________________

[Jabbott]

This is actually a great opportunity. I've been meaning to try writing a rap song. I'll be honest, I don't like most rap (most, some is incredible but I'm usually just not in the mood for it) but I have to appreciate how they can spew out such incredible rhymes with ease on pretty much any topic. This is something I'll definitely look into, thanks for the inspiration!

[Steve]

That's very impressive Joe! Anybody else feel enthused?

[john]

Hey

Cool.

Anyone else?

Cheers

John

[neoism]

yeah...i have written one...

soon i'll post it...it's one of my pre0historic lyric...

but after having look at Joe's i feel much inspired to post over...

Love, Prayag