Ghostwriting in Hip Hop | DEHH

[@theneedledrop]

Good topic, guys!!!

[@geckorider]

i agree

[@MrTatsubei]

People listen to Soul singers primarily for their voice. People listen to rappers primarily for their lyrics. That's the difference.

[@chrisfelixmusic]

Couldn't have said it better

[@burgskeletal3149]

Chris Lockhart Not always. I listen to Rick Ross and Dr. Dre for their voices and I listen to Jay-Z and Gucci for their flows. Both have the same lyrics about bitches and money but I listen to them for something else besides that.

[@BlackLight_VA]

Why he kept saying ghostsinging? That shit didn't make any sense to me. Hahaha

[@Ja.abbatta_V]

what about boy or girl pop groups that have a rapper is ghost writing OK then?

[@chrisjfox8715]

Yeah but not everyone that can rap their ass off (as in, have a remarkable command of the voice inflections and flow) can put the poetry together from the ground up. Not every rapper is looked to for their lyrics; some of them, their voice and their flow is what people gravitate towards so it would be a waste for them to not be a rapper just because they can't write their own words.

[@howlinjacqueslisbon5253]

Lil B ghostwrote Madvillainy and TPAB

[@tonypelletier7799]

Shadow J. Brown (f.k.a. Riot Van) bless the base god

[@kandedjibril4614]

He ghostwrote MMLP, Illmatic and All eyez on me too

[@whoyoothaynkboi2698]

homie behind all of outkast

[@MysticalTy]

yall gotta understand... Puffy isn't a rapper, Dr. Dre is a producer notta rapper, Kanye is a producer...when you have a Drake who claims he is the "Jay Z of this era" thats a problem

[@MysticalTy]

nobody cares about Will Smith an the gw cause he's an actor primarily now...if Will was still a rapper and actually rapped about something with substance it'd be a different story

[@barbiegang9176]

Micah 703 exactly that’s the problem. they want to come for the goat when their not even great

[@lubmang5072]

He kind of is though.

[@ArmLegLegArmHead47]

@@lubmang5072 He isn’t. Drake has ghostwriters, has not one certified HipHop classic and is not that that caliber of MC anyway. Drake is the new Nelly, that’s the category. Pop with rap influences. Hov is a GOD MC. Aubrey is not even an MC.

[@romaretaylor9953]

@@ArmLegLegArmHead47 Nah fam Drake CLEARLY was more influenced by the Hovs, Phontes, Wayne’s of the rap world (HIS words NOT mine) than Nelly 🤣, Nelly never gave a shit about being considered a dope rapper and he literally has the same style on pretty much every song. Drake literally Started as a backpacker in rap for his for first two mixtapes (he’s even shown off notebooks of rhymes he wrote) and while he became a hybrid artist since so far gone he never lost that ability to be lyrical when it comes to the song. Nelly could NEVER make a song like 5am in Toronto, or Omerta, or 6pm in New york, or Dreams money can buy or Think Good thoughts or the Presentation as a few examples. Do I consider drake an emcee in the traditional sense? No. But does he have a pen game? Absolutely nobody ever said he didn’t aside from Meek who later retracted those statements cause he was high on percs

[@jorgehinojosa6198]

This show is cool just homies talking about rap and hip hop

[@NanaYawAforo]

Rappers should write, period.

[@Michaelgabriel95]

+BLaDEWaLKER33 true. if your a real MC you should write. but rappers delight the first hit hip hop song was partly ghostwritten.

[@blackgrlfly]

+Nana Aforo So singers should write their stuff then

[@NanaYawAforo]

.

[@NanaYawAforo]

Chaos is a ladder. It would be nice...

[@chrisjfox8715]

So DR DRE should've never hopped on the mic?

[@blackgrlfly]

Wow, I can't understand how Ken (being the oldest one in the room) cannot understand how Nas(one of the greatest MCs) having a ghostwriter wouldn't be devastating. He should understand the most. You mean to tell me that somebody writing a very personal album about their childhood and how they were involved in gang violence and saw a man get gunned down at 5 years old, and their substance abuse and depression would be totally acceptable coming from the mouth of someone who didn't experience any of it?! And your only way to justify this is to say that "It still sounds great!"? There's no authenticity and that's what Hip-hop is suppose to be about!

[@martyc909]

BlackGirlFly the writer who "exposed" Nas was Dream Hampton. She has made up news for a long time and both stic.man and Jay Electronica both denied ghostwriting. It sounded more like Nas asked them in to collaborate. Usually big artist will ask other artist to check rhymes. Snoop use to do that with Tha Dogg Pound all the time.

[@1Dassie2]

the difference between ghost writing for singers and rappers is that singer's talents lie with their voice and how they make the words sound where as the talent in rapping is writing the words itself

[@emssasukeisunderrated7946]

True, ghostwriting for rappers is equivalent to lip singing for a singer.

[@jeanbeya6860]

Rappers still need to have a certain cadence, there's more to it than just reading the words.

[@whodatboi2567]

Sam Alexander yep

[@ayeyobossman6151]

@@jeanbeya6860 yeah but it's a lot easier to spit something somebody else wrote than it is to write your own bars. Heaps of people memorise verses and rap along to songs, that's the same thing.

[@125henni]

true they're 2 different skill sets, but that being said delivery and voice still matters in rap imo.There's some rappers that I really enjoy because of their delivery and flow and how it sounds over how hard the bars actually are. PRime example for me is Young Jeezy. A lot of his next bars are easily guessed for me and he's not near as lyrical as T.I., but the way his says things makes it fire.

[@JulianWyllie]

This is an interesting topic because in other genres like rock, pop and soul, a lot of fantastic vocalists didn't write their own hits. But in hip hop, since the art of rap considers poetry a personal touch that is unique to each man or woman, people take offense. Overall, I think everyone on DEHH had a good point about this issue.

[@burgskeletal3149]

Julian Wyllie Not everyone can rap though. Rappers need charisma, good flow, and a good voice. I only take offense to someone having a ghostwriter when then say they are GOATs. If Jay and Nas had ghostwriters id be heartbroken, but if I found out J. Cole or Chance had ghostwritters I wouldnt care.

[@NIGEL341Hilasd]

Burg Skeletal Jay and Nas def have ghostwriters, but J Cole and Chance don’t, that’s why you don’t care if they did

[@hoc1992]

yeah if ANY rapper comes out "yo i'm dope I'm the best" Goat or not... if you have ghostwriters ..... you're a fake and i lose respect. If you're a rapper... you could be WACK...but still...write your own stuff

[@mamba4817]

It's because Mcing is self expression. They aren't a band, aren't playing instruments, aren't just looked at for voice only and lyrics are the biggest key of an MC outside style and flow. The style, flow and voice are the instrument of the MC and lyrics are the key reason you do MC.

[@mamba4817]

​@@NIGEL341Hilasd How can you claim Nas has Ghostwriters but Cole don't and where's your evidence of Jay and Nas having Ghostwriters

[@yugang08]

Myke summed it up perfectly "you cannot claim to have a nasty pen-game if the pen-game ain't yours".

[@XxTheIKINGxX]

a rapper with ghostwriter? what the fuck happened

[@jadenvanhess2341]

+XxTheIKINGxX i was thinking the same thing XD

[@akech24]

+XxTheIKINGxX i swore i wouldnt tell, but most of y'all sharin bars like you got the bottom bunk in a 2 man cell

[@ethereal-alice]

+Ari Kechichian something's in the water

[@jaidsalgado]

King Kendrick!

[@BrewedCoffeeBean]

XxTheIKINGxX been goin on forever eazy e barely wrote his own shit

[@sqwalkie]

I've been subscribed to yall channel for a minute now and I gotta say this is really a dope show. The fact that all of you have different unbiased opinions and you discuss them in great detail is really big drawing point for me. Keep doing what y'all doing. Respect.

[@robertotellez199]

i second this!

[@willpitt6140]

Eminem wrote the watcher, not Jayz. Jayz wrote still dre.

[@heemnificent]

Will pitt facts

[@lulanokonwo6274]

The watcher 1 or 2

[@Smitty753]

Because of recent events I had to rewatch this to this

[@charlesburney24]

same here they need to do a 2 part

[@JoeDirtisawsome]

"Young Thug wrote all my albums"- J Cole

[@basselelashrey3017]

Man Fuck Young Thug!

[@yichenyichen5455]

J Cole sucks

[@Kharmatos13]

+Joe Dirt lol young thug couldn't write IOU on a piece of paper.

[@bekimmehmedi2905]

Facts

[@MrColdworld99]

+Kharmatos13 lol

[@el_b5000]

No one mentioned how being nice with words and flow is A PART of rap music culture. The skill is respected but it's not A PART of soul/r&b/etc. That's why it's more acceptable for a singer to have someone write their song. In rap music, it's pretty much a requirement within the culture. That's the difference.

[@Vibez_UK]

If Eminem had a ghost writer, or kendrick lamar or tech n9ne or hopsin I'd be sad

[@kingad8869]

I'll kill myself

[@kingad8869]

I'll kill myself

[@kingad8869]

No

[@Vibez_UK]

***** no I said the guys on TMZ knew nothing of hip hop. look at what I comment on I know a lot about hip hop.

[@Davephatbuds]

Craig G wrote Em's freestyles in 8 mile. No bullshit. Look it up.

[@BrewedCoffeeBean]

unless dre got a ghost beat maker i still love his music

[@nicholasward8042]

Matt Pascal lmao

[@laflame4469]

but he does...

[@regirayquaza]

Matt Pascal I hear Daz, Quick, and Warren G ghost produced some of it.

[@parmar__12]

@@regirayquaza they're called co producer

[@producedbykhireyakeem4340]

He does bro.

[@BizzBookz2000]

The difference between a rapper being written for and a singer being written for is that the singer's voice is his instrument and the rapper's pen is supposed to be his instrument!

[@darrenbanks3979]

Yeah you're right, but what's a rapper with no delivery? What is a rapper that can't enunciate? What is a rapper that can't stay on beat? Eventually a rappers delivery has to count instrumentally too.

[@cnsmooth]

***** YOu're missing the point

[@darrenbanks3979]

I get the point. Rapping your own material is important and should be heavily considered, but it should all be important to be consider great. If you can't actually say what you wrote on a beat then you're no longer a rapper. I'm just saying the presentation is just as important as the material itself. That's in every profession. Tech n9ne has incredible delivery but what he writes about is boring. It prevents him from growing bigger. K - rino has great lyrics but his rapping is lame. Rick Ross sounds like he's struggling to breathe just to get his words out. People act like lyrics were always the focal point of rap and hip hop, yet when you look throughout its history, ghostwriting for good lyrics and grand presentation of bad lyrics have always been a staple in the genre. You're not more than a modern day street poet if you can't put your stuff forth in a manner people can enjoy. And you're nothing more than a vocal artist if you can rap rhymes but not write them. Its a fine line, but let's not pretend we can all put in the work to do what "vocal artists" and "street poets" do. Neither part is easy. But I'm not gonna knock someone if they have great delivery, just as long as they don't hide the fact that they are wrote for sometimes. The moment you hide it, the moment you are committing fraud.

[@dbanga5]

Now a days the singers can't sing if I don't see the perform a acoustic .9times out of 10 they can't sing unless its in a studio these labels just sell us images

[@Christopher._M]

@@darrenbanks3979 great point and I agree but making your rap is more than half the art. In my opinion AZ has a extra smooth rapping. I have him in my top 5 rappers all time. If I found out that someone ghost wrote for him the smoothness wouldn't be enough to keep him with the best. It wouldn't even be enough for me to say he top 50 or 100.

[@mansur_omar]

"Wayne, no one writes that shit... except Wayne." lmfao

[@MILKandTWOSUGAR1]

I'm glad this topic is coming out! I'm been writing Lupe Fiasco's rhymes for years. - Post The Cool

[@mykectown]

Depending on the rapper, I totally agree with you, bro. I just think when it comes to certain ones who have never presented themselves as writers, it's not a huge deal. Especially when they're either known for something else completely or are totally in the pop lane. If someone was writing Pitbull or Big Sean's lyrics I wouldn't care in the slightest.

[@hoodybeatz]

Stic man already confirmed on sway in the morning that they didn't write anything for nas

[@kats938]

I think it depends on what type of rapper they are. When Meek talked about Drake's ghostwriters, I wasn't surprised because it's not like Drake is a serious MC. He's a pop rapper. He makes music that has pop appeal which means it's watered-down, gerneric and makes people want to dance or, in Drake's case, makes the females want to get with the main performer. Why do you think he does all that singing? But if they accuse people who actually known for being great lyricists like Biggie, Big Pun, Nas, Kendrick, Eminem etc, I'd be like, "SAY IT AIN'T SO!!" Because they are actual MC's, not pop stars trying to rap. Yes, I am aware some would consider Em a pop star because he got so popular but he is a good lyricist.

[@nextgencs7]

Eminem in a tough situation tho, he's like the whole thing of why white rappers can rap, so he has to keep it underground, prove he can have commercial success so people can't discredit him in a argument

[@lenhalz8086]

They said Rakim wrote Summer Time for Fresh Prince and it sounds like a Rakim flow to be honest.

[@emssasukeisunderrated7946]

No wonder why it's a great song!

[@dstxb]

+Lenny Hall DIdn't Rakim himself deny that in an interview?

[@lenhalz8086]

dstxb he didn't really confirm or deny. I watched the video too, trust me, i did research on this lol

[@MrBjnelson]

I thank God DEHH is here. So fun to listen.

[@TheOnlyCoop]

Nas has co-writing credits for "Chasing Forever", "Yes Yes Y'all" and "Just Cruisin'" with Will and a few other people.

[@monkbee3768]

This lighting, the grain, and colors are so, so gorgeous.

[@jonsense4937]

man... imagine if lupe fiasco didnt write any of his albums except lasers and drogas light??? that would crush my spirit...or if black thought or immortal technique didnt write their shit........ :( i would cry

[@mindovermatter1615]

DEHH always does a great job with these debates though. Always good to watch. Rarely can people keep my attention for even 5 minutes let alone 25.

[@geronjenkins18]

Only people that don't have to write their lyrics and I'll still listen to is Eazy and Dre.

[@kevinbrubaker6076]

But that's exactly why it's not different for rappers. A rapper is more than just the words. It's the delivery, the flow, the personality, their general likeability. It takes a special someone to possess these qualities. So it's not a bad thing to have another person write that rapper's lyrics if that rapper is bringing all of those other great qualities to the table.

[@mirrorzedge523]

I looked into it. The rumor was started by a hip hop journalist named Dream Hampton. In an interview, she was asked why Jay Z hasn't made an album as social conscious as Untitled. She, being the Jay stan she is, defensively replied that the album was largely written by D prez, and Jay Elec. Within 24 hours she changed her story twice from "most of the album" to "some songs" to "some bars." Also, both Jay and Prez denied her claim and clarified to her, the nature of his collab. She lied.

[@henrygreen2096]

24:00 "The only thing you're nasty with doing [with the pen] is writing a cheque to the person that's _really_ nasty with the pen." Damn, my dude went off with the truth. that was worded so well.

[@Strider-Ragnarok]

If a rapper have a ghostwriter, then what talent do they have?

[@onedeadpixel10]

Strider-Ragnarok delivery? haha I don't really feel that way, just playing devil's advocate. but if you listen to Quentin Miller on a reference track and then Drake's delivery of that song, Drake's voice fits it better and it's nicer to hear. but I think that says more about Quentin's writing ability than any talent Drake has. Q just knows how to write for Drake's voice, and that makes him WAY more talented.

[@damianalmazan1]

Strider-Ragnarok some people can write amazing 16's but can't actually rap for shit or have a voice for it someone like drake does that well

[@thomasmatthews5732]

In 83' I met Divine Sounds. The DJ Mike Music was the writer of the song, "What People do for Money." It didn't come off suspect to me because they were a group. I used to hold rap seminars at my crib. freestylers who didn't write paired up with writers to hone their skills and those who couldn't freestyle learned from the ones who did.

[@gdawgs101]

WHAT? SANTA'S NOT REAL?!?!? :..(

[@Fabio035]

"He's the DJ, I'm the rapper, and there's the ghostwriter" LOL...how come nobody laughed at that???

[@JustDavid0823]

Rapping is essentially poetry. Poetry is defined as: (literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.) Basically it's supposedly your ideas and emotions written from your personal life experiences. Fans become fans because they engulf themselves in your story and it hurts when it turns out to be false. This is why it's looked down upon in Hip Hop.

[@natepallasigue3204]

I hate The Game, but have you guys heard that Jesus Piece album? I bet the entire album was ghost written by each song's feature, because he sounded exactly like whoever was featured on each song.

[@masonbutterfield]

Del ghost wrote for Ice Cube. It's tough to cut a clear line on what is bad or not...

[@davelee701]

What about ghost producing? I would love to hear you guys speak on this subject.

[@apossumhodown]

i remember being absolutly CRUSHED when i ordered my camp record, and found out that the end of that power wasnt written by gambino. thats the most human, vunerable, and real moment of the album arguably and i thought it was crazy for donald to put that story on the album and it really kind of gave me shivers throughout the whole spoken word. so i can definatly see, although ive never listened to nas really due to personal preferance, why it would be awful to find out sombody was ghost written.

[@TvKing00]

Cant argue with that, rap is the only genre I know where the artist claim they're better than one another. You cant be better if someone else is writing your material.

[@IronMaiden02091]

What if Lil B ghostwrites for eminem?

[@SPACEDOUT19]

Daniel Ferreira actually he did, the whole disco, and 2 kanye albums

[@SPACEDOUT19]

***** discography you ignorant fuck...

[@SPACEDOUT19]

***** i'm dumb? you're so fucking ignorant that you can't understand simple sarcasm fool, i was joking, but you can't understand it cause you have a brain like a 5 year old

[@AnPrimWrestler]

Daniel Ferreira Yeah he does. He wrote Till I collapse, Role MOdel, lose yourself, and the stan

[@KinGAdil019]

Wouldn't be surprised

[@muhammedalli19]

Fresh Prince always had a ghost writing. Ready Rock C, was his original writer. He was always a actor who rapped.

[@traplover6357]

I think you should credit ALL writers and producers. They should be acknowledged and be paid more for their skills.

[@BDraftProductions]

Thank you Kinge for bringing up Wayne's drastic style change over the years and questioning if ghostwriting was a factor..I think that is is a legit question for any rapper that switches it up. Also, I disagree with modestmedia just b/c a dude uses a ghostwriter doesn't mean they fell off or lost the ability...maybe they just want help on a track, or are under time-constraints and are having writer's block. It can take away from the overall product though

[@DannyFrio]

didn't plan on watching the whole video, but you guys sucked me into the conversation right from the start.

[@RobsarnTV]

Royce Da 5'9" has to be the greatest ghostwriter of all time. Even Eminem and Jay has ghostwritten for Dre

[@porkfriedrice1530]

Either Royce or CyHi

[@tevinmorgan43]

Wow you guys came a long way with this channel, keep up the dope material!

[@BLACKGURU635]

some ghostwriters get royalties and their is a difference between a singer who has someone write for them because in most cases you are drawn to the voice over who the lyric.

[@omar7132]

damn im so happy a video like this circulated cause i seriously dont know how to feel about an artist that was ghostwritten for its exactly like the santa analogy u made i try and believe its the other way but in the end im a very diverse listener and respect good music

[@adrianthompson4833]

The D.O.C. is still the coldest ghostwriter. He's written tracks for plenty rappers and damn near every song he wrote was a hit single pretty much. You can't fuckin top that.

[@IkePhillipRuffin]

Here's a few that will shock you if you didn't know already: - 112′s “Only You” (biggie’s verse) - ghost-wrote by Mase - JayZ’s “I Just Wanna Love You” - co-wrote by Mase & Pharell Williams - Biggie’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” - (biggie’s & diddy’s verse) - co-wrote by Mase, Jadakiss, & Ed Bernard - Cam’Ron’s “Horse & Carriage” - hook by Jadakiss, both verses co-written by Jadakiss J-Lo’s "Jenny From The Block" - (Style’s verse) ghost-written by Jadakiss

[@VigilanteWilliamson]

I never heard this wow

[@james575730]

Nas wrote untitled album

[@martyc909]

Javid Bencosme everyone has confirmed that Nas wrote Untitled. When I listen to it, it's clear that Nas wrote it. Unless Jay Electronica and stic.man truly mastered his style.

[@hebrew26commandmentspower55]

martyc909 nah Jay was in the studio bouncing around ideas with Nas ..... He didn't write any lyrics . ..... Just helped brainstorm some concepts ......

[@TERRELLTURNER1999]

Realnigga Turner no

[@mihajloperic9284]

ACTUALLY... Fresh Prince didnt write most of his shti either, SummerTime was writtin by Rakim

[@seankelly4594]

Update will smith wrote all of summertime

[@mihajloperic9284]

@@seankelly4594 you right

[@boogiedownnyc]

I'm a mega Nas fan, and I could believe he got some help on untitled. I don't want to believe it, but I wouldn't be shocked if this ends up getting confirmed. The flows on that album are just spot on. The intro sounds like jay electronica .

[@bboyfan22]

Modest is missing the point of why an artist like Will Smith or Dre have Ghostwriters. An album is a collection of music. Music if often made better by collaboration. In order to release the absolute best quality of music to the fans other factors have to come into play produce that quality of music on an album. In a lot of bands the lead singer won't write the song at all but if they have the better voice to produce the better music then why wouldn't they do the vocals? Rap is different to an extent because its more spoken word poetry so it feels more implied that the speaker should be the one who wrote the lyrics... but there are artist like Dre, or Will Smith or even Drake where the the music is more important and achieving a certain sound and producing a certain quality is what matters because they actually want the album to be good and to sound good.

[@bboyfan22]

***** Lets bro hug this out man

[@TawandaTD97]

+bboyfan22 That's absolute genius...U just realized my favorite bands had singers who didn't always write the songs 👌

[@TawandaTD97]

I just realized*

[@D-money813]

I like how every time Bad Boy in its prime gets brought up, no one mentions Ma$e especially when his fucking demo WAS No Way Out

[@kman648]

Clive Clivington Bruh! Right!

[@greenakutabi]

Honestly, context has a huge part in enjoying music. Nas being a great lyricist is part of the context of his music, and even though the music is still good, it diminishes the music. It takes away from the narrative of Nas being a lyricist which takes away from the idea of him. Context is everything in art.

[@Psyymann]

Just found this channel. Legit 👌

[@tytaylor56]

I think there is a HUGE difference between singers and rappers when it comes to ghostwriters. For one most singers are not known for wiring their own material. Which is why when Lauryn Hill supposedly was writing all her material and it came out that she didn't write The Misseducation..people bugged out. But the assumption with rappers since that art is based more on lyrics as a test off whose best the fact that you are not writing your own lyrics makes you look bad.

[@SinReality420]

I think the point they trying to get to was that,when a dope rapper has ghost writers, it takes away some of the artistry and the personality that an artist puts into his art.You lose that connection you feel with the artist. It would be like if Big Krit has a ghost writer. He's putting his mind, and personality on wax and giving it to you over his own beats. Its his art and when you figure out Big Krit has a ghost writer, you lose that connection. Itd be like if Salvador Dali had ghost painters

[@SeanRosati]

Rakim wrote summertime for Will back in the day!

[@jason15212]

Also one artist giving another artist and Idea for a song is called ghostwriting to some people I don't think that's fair

[@Reymon72]

Even if the music is good, if a MC needs a ghostwriter to keep putting out fresh shit he's not a MC. Hip Hop is about writing shit, if you don't, you're not part of Hip Hop, you're just an icon. Period.

[@NavAK_86]

The Kendrick/Dre song is called Compton from GKMD.

[@ajsmith562]

The Dream, Consequence, and JD some of thee best writers

[@Cologne2b]

*Believing that Jay Electronica wrote for Nas is like how people believed Your Old Droog was Nas.* Those guys were just in the same studio throwing out ideas. Nas' ONLY claim to fame is being the best lyricist/rapper EVER. How can he get help on sth that he set the staple for? LOL

[@misawa8629]

If you can tell who actually wrote a song just by the sound of it, that to me is more the fault of the performer than the ghostwriter. Part of the art of performing is being able to inject enough of your own personality to make the song your own.

[@mykectown]

Nope! Haha! You got me. I feel like if it came out that MLK didn't write that speech, it wouldn't mean that much to me. It wouldn't diminish all of the amazing things he did because being a perceived speech writer is only a SMALL portion of what he should be known for.

[@TheFantasticmrfox91]

this has got to be the calmest conversation you guys have ever had....

[@jndegz]

Appreciate what you guys do, keeping us talking and the Hip Hop culture alive. Got a question. Would you consider a rapper sounding like a fellow rapper they have featured on their tracks a form of inadvertent ghostwriting? For example Game on Jesus Piece.. He may have written his verses, may, but he's consistently sounding like whoever he has featured on a joint. Ross and Nas on Triple Beam Dreams. It may be more a case of flow than lyrical content but is that still a form of ghostwriting?

[@shmareboyd1851]

I think the difference in songwriting in rnb n rap is that singing is more of talking about anything n love stories whereas rap has always been on a little more personal n descriptive of life from where you from that's why rappers catch slack cuz its suppose to be personal n realistic of life.I think ghostwriting is bad if you claim to be a all time rapper.A rapper who is strictly bout hits won't take that much damage compared to a rapper who claims he's the greatest to do it

[@BrandonBowditch]

I've been waiting for them to talk about ghostwriting. So I'm happy.

[@3irdcity902]

10:00 - the argument that Will Smith can't do everything is very weak. He can't do everything, so he gets a ghostwriter. That assumes that he should keep releasing music. Why should Will Smith keep releasing music?

[@yugang08]

It's okay for singers and producers to have ghostwriters. It's not okay for rappers (especially self-proclaimed mcs) to have ghostwriters. sorry, if you are a rapper (pretending to be a dope rhymer slinger) and you have someone else write and create your verses and concepts, you don't get any credit for it.

[@Bachilles38]

Real or fake autobiography conversation. Art is a representation of something, it's not exact life, but we can't help but feel associated. I'd love for all people to be portrayed as what they want, especially artistically because thats probably what makes them happiest. I'm just going to say there is a difference between lying and not telling the whole truth, and when someone lies it does hurt people. A rapper lying about writing their verse could be similar to a president who campaigned as a loving husband but cheats on their wife, it's all about context.

[@ifresh6549]

my friend hit me up and told me there was a new dehh video. Walked 45 minutes in a thunderstorm at 10 pm though some unlit forest trail to my university campus because my internet hasn't been set up yet just so i could watch it... it was fuckin worth it

[@juanmanuel-pueblo5059]

No one: Absolutely no one: Ken: BUT ITS STILL GOOOOD!

[@martyc909]

I always give passes to producers, Dr. Dre, Kanye, Quik, all them dudes. But if your job is rapping, then expect you write your stuff.

[@mykectown]

I'm sad that people are thumbing this up. There is a huge difference between plagiarism and ghostwriting. One involves stealing work. The other involves paying for that work. There's no real similarity. And you do know that most politicians and public speakers don't write their own speeches, right? So that's a poor example. I get your point, but I think you need to think about it a little more.

[@wherevinoat]

Its different with singing because the singer HAS to actually be good. WIth ghostwriting in rap, it takes it away because all the rapper did is rap it. They didnt have to put any efffort into the song. They basically just read it, not rapped it. Singing it you have to be a GOOD singer, so I can accept it there. I cant accept ghostwriting in rap UNLESS your in the open that you did not write your lyics. Sorry, Im a HUGE, new fan and Im going back in all DEHH videos lol only 16 so my history might not be up to par

[@nanotek812]

Disagree. Listen to "is this the end" by diddy ft twista. Rappers def have skill, and when they ghostwrite, there's a lot of style, charisma, talent, breath control, etc that cannot be transferred/copied while "reading" that writing.

[@wherevinoat]

nanotek812 Charisma and Breath control, really? I dont think those are skills or talent

[@nanotek812]

You're right. When twista picked up the mic for the first time he just naturally rapped as fast as he does now and none of that took practice and it's probably been that way since he was old enough to talk, or even record his first record.

[@mrflacko4707]

nanotek812 put the bigger picture here is rapping if you're a rapper

[@mykectown]

I totally agree. I wasn't arguing rappers like that. Maybe I wasn't totally clear in the video.

[@imnotgoodwithnamesbruh6018]

13:10 Beezy picks his nose for a second and it's the best thing ever.

[@DaddyRabbit251]

Guys are often given song outlines and fill in the body w/ their verses. Same w/ producers. They may take a raw beat from a ghost producers and add things to it to build/produce a banger. Doesn't mean they didn't produce the beat/write the song.

[@spidersense589]

I don't think I like rappers who use ghostwriters, cause to takes away from the purity of rap. I don't want to hear a rapper on a track that isn't his own words. Because rapping is expression, how can you express yo self use somebody else words. To me rappers who don't write their own raps are just as worse as Milli vanili

[@FinessedAnalyzer]

Nas is my second favorite rapper of all time after Hov, but the claims of possible ghostwriting have lingered throughout his career since it was revealed that Cormega contributed a couple of lines on It Was Written--which honestly bugs me out, as his lyricism is without a doubt his best gift as a rapper.

[@el84oro]

i agree with the point made about ghost writing being genre specific. Why? In hiphop what we value is not necessarily what an rnb head values. when we listen to rnb we are mainly appreciative of the voice rather than bars, lyrics, metaphors, punch lines etc...some of the nicest songs out there, whether by marvin gaye, lionel richie or whoever have very simple lyrics, but what we appreciate are either the voice or the voice and the instrumental... for example, "you are everything" with diana ross, the lyrics where nothing special but the voice and the song structure was nice...which is one of the reasons people hate lip-syncing or auto-tune,...in hiphop however, we appreciate bars or even hilarrious stories e.g. biggie's "i got a story to tell" even if he had a cough when recording that, the story and lyrics got your attention and made you laugh.....however if you hear that your favorite rapper, who always talks about having the dopest and illest rhymes,who said that line that you always quote to your friend, and who has punchlines for days, didn't write all that shit, it strikes a chord....just the way if you went to a whitney houston concert and she lip-synced u'd be upset....its just different priorities. On values lyrics, the other values performance

[@MRDLEVELS]

Main diff between ghostwriting and writers for singers is that to rap + write lyrics is something people can easily manage. Singing, and not to be elitist, requires more time and energy and dedication than most rap artists need to rap + write lyrics, let alone only rap. That is why many singers have songs written for them. To write a timeless song requires something completely different than it does to sing it. To only rap and not write is too easy to be considered an accomplished musician.

[@dannyb1379]

great topic for a video!

[@MaruTheGreat]

Ghostwriting has been around since the foundation of hip-hop (see "Rapper's Delight"), I don't understand why this is something new/novel that's being discussed. I personally don't care if a rapper has help writing a song because at the end of the day what matters to me is whether or not the song sounds good.

[@iAmJetLife]

The DOC was the SHHHIT ! love his Nobody Can Do It Better .

[@everythingmakessense86]

Jay didnt write The Watcher..but he did do that Watcher 2 verse. Jay wrote Still D.R.E.

[@guitarman64100]

I love these videos so much I watch them in 360p

[@papalee12]

Still waiting for that D5 review, its needed forreal!

[@skatebelt]

Good topic guys keep up the good work.:)

[@mykectown]

Oh really? Nah, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info!

[@Sadvillainy]

I don't think Drake ghostwrites for Wayne. Maybe Tha Carter 3, but that's it. Nothing else sounds like a Drake track. Possibly their collabs. I just think Wayne took the backseat to Drake because of how big Drake was getting. He also got worse after winning his grammy. He doesn't care anymore.