Why Rappers Stopped Writing: The Punch-In Method

Fifty years into hip-hop’s constant evolution, many rappers don’t write down their lyrics at all. Here’s how they make songs now.
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[@winstonplatt7354]

Summary: "I heard Jay Z doesn't write down his lyrics, so I took it a step further and just don't have lyrics at all"

[@mfundomkhize2337]

😂

[@Yoloslides]

BINGO lmfaoooo

[@ashleyadams5207]

Facts.

[@lesediamondamane]

😂😂😂

[@Angelodaprophet]

this why they forget lyrics at concerts 😂

[@JonSnowsGhost]

Jay-Z said he didn’t write in the 90s because he didn’t have a pen and paper at all times. He also said he regrets creating a generation of bad writers. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Madbandit77]

More like no writers. Rap/Hip Hop was based on slam poetry and you had to write verses.

[@JonSnowsGhost]

@@Madbandit77 That’s not completely true. You still have Kendrick, J. Cole, Conway, Benny, Dave East, Cordae etc. but most of them are over 30. So, in the long run you’ll probably be right

[@astroboirap]

just write on the kfc bucket then

[@aick]

Source?

[@aick]

@@JonSnowsGhost Thank you.

[@danillorippel]

This is the best accidental parody that I've ever seen

[@winstonplatt7354]

I kept expecting them to make a case for this style.. nope.

[@JohnGorenfeld]

I did feel like I could picture the Key and Peele version.

[@SuperBen1066]

This is the best comment I’ve seen on this video 😂

[@Sporkonafork1]

Reality is stranger than fiction…

[@Spearca]

Seems like the engineers are trying to keep their jobs, not saying how unimpressed they are.

[@djblc2201]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@neverhungryagain2187]

They better shutup

[@beattrackmusic9565]

I one hundred percent complained about this in my comment and in my professional life and personal life I’ve quit several studio jobs over it. That’s putting my money where my mouth is #EnGineerLivesMatter lol

[@Skink303]

“Phony rappers, who do not write Phony rappers, who do not excite…” - A Tribe Called Quest

[@neverhungryagain2187]

Trash 🗑️

[@EnglishEloquenceMoscow]

Word to that.

[@Therealziro]

their broke af lmaoo im not looking up to bums

[@truesearch69]

You said it..rappers....... a rapper is not an MC, they are two very different things. a rapper is a commercial product an MC is someone who belongs to the culture and contributes to it.

[@whiteblue3576]

The punch in method has been in existence for a long time. Rappers stopped writing because certain rappers used to brag about not writing being something to aspire to. The good rappers still write.

[@growngrownman5950]

TRUE! I never hear cats like Black Thought, Canibus, K-RINO, Chino XL, Elzhi, Cambatta, Yugen Blakrok, etc running around talking about not writing. Canibus even pulled out the notebook to let you know what it was, HAHAHAHA.

[@TheRebel-ml6sy]

So lil Wayne and juice wrld aren’t good rappers

[@villainsarentborntheyremade]

​@@growngrownman5950 yeah but he got cooked in that battle😂😂😂

[@yadig.]

@@TheRebel-ml6sy You see how nobody came in here to save you with likes or amens? P.S. Yeah Lil Wayne is good, but an exception to a rule doesn't make a status quo

[@Asanda82]

​​@@TheRebel-ml6sy that's the thing with writing, you don't just spit nonsense, you come with concepts and content. That's why to me Lil Wayne is overrated and to you he sound so dope

[@thecunninlynguist]

outside of Jay and a few others, the ones that brag that don't write either have ghostwriters, or are so terrible they need to start writing. All great rappers write. Don't get fooled by Jay/Biggie/etc. saying they don't writ. They write, just not on paper. Punching-in doesn't substitute writing. So this video is kinda oddly titled.

[@nilespeshay1734]

The video is made by people who MIGHT understand rap, for people who definitely DON'T understand rap. They COULD have just shown the video of Rick Rubin telling Beastie Boy (Mike D.?) that Jay Z +wrote+ the ENTIRETY of 99 Problems in his head just before he went into the booth.

[@aick]

@@nilespeshay1734 Rap is a lot like poetry, I get a lot from rap, and it ain't the "lack of writing" neither. Not all poets spend hours refining every single phrase because we've already done that a thousand times before, it becomes like a muscle memory. And yes, you can write in your head, you can write with your voice, you can write by dancing, whatever. It's language, call it writing to satisfy the Europeans (they're simple folk)

[@neverhungryagain2187]

@@aick💯😳

[@Suavemcool]

Kendrick and J. Cole write their thoughts down, eventually turning emotions and feelings into songs. Mumble rappers don't. The product speaks for itself.

[@resonatingtruths]

🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯

[@itsX2024]

zero quotables

[@neverhungryagain2187]

It’s all the same thing

[@sailoragitate900]

“mumble rappers” u a cornball

[@purptube678]

​@@sailoragitate900this whole comment section thinks rap is simply just lyrical miracle lmao, they dont know that punch in is literally a rap style

[@resonatingtruths]

This is what’s slowly killing the genre. You can listen to the music and tell no effort or thought was put into it. This is why we don’t have mega hits that appeal to everyone anymore. Flip through the radio for 10 minutes and everything sounds the same. It’s microwave music for the microwave generation.

[@thecunninlynguist]

this has no relation to punching in. Punching in has been around forever. Eazy E punched in. Pun punched in.

[@resonatingtruths]

@@thecunninlynguistEveryone clearly isn’t Eazy E, Wayne, Jay Z or Pun.

[@thecunninlynguist]

@@resonatingtruths where did I say they were? Punching in has nothing to do with your point of contention. Even if they weren't punching in, they'd still have terrible lyrics. So how can punching in be the thing killing the genre? I'm not disagreeing it's the microwave generation and all that, but to say punching in is what's killing it is just hilarious.

[@soundsshadey9153]

I loved every album y'all put out. Oneirology is just a genius compilation.

[@TinyMeatGaang]

Never heard microwave generation before. That's a new one.

[@drwhite3]

It makes perfect sense! This is why I don’t feel most new “rap” everyone stopped writing and it all got dumbed down, no lyrics, no substance, no thank you

[@jmg999]

This makes total sense. Someone should correlate this to the application of nonsense lyrics in rap. I'd be willing to bet that this lead directly to that trap/mumble rap style. It's a lot of unintelligible lyrics, repeated phrases, and incomplete tracks. I even heard Lil' Yachty say that this was intentional.

[@Cassaelet]

There's room for everyone . The trap slander is unnecessary.

[@thecunninlynguist]

punching in has no correlation.

[@cw2962]

Rapping 5-8 words every 15-30 seconds and still can't perform it live

[@Throwin_pesos]

Hating is bad for u

[@neverhungryagain2187]

I don’t know because biggie punched in too but had top notch de😅

[@thisizdub]

The issue is they're trying to follow Jay and Big and now little Wayne but those guys are skilled at it AND CAN ACTUALLY MAKE HITS. Lots of these artist who don't write need to start 😂😂

[@evanbrum6357]

The only issue I see with this is that it encourages rappers to basically structure their whole album around writing clever one liners and non-sequiturs. Instead of making something more conceptual. Very hard to imagine an Illmatic, a Food and Liquor, or a TPAB being written with punch ins.

[@Djacedeuce]

Couldn’t have said it better. Instead of the artist thinking “what is this entire song about?” or “Where am I going with this verse?” they just think about “what’s a catchy thing can I say on this line that will get attention?” The end result is a verse or song that from a concept standpoint makes little sense.

[@SirDemonitized]

Juice is defintely the best at this from the new generation. The fact that he was so good at freestyling, it made him able to just go in the booth and spit whenever.

[@DawgCompany]

This is explains why the quality of hip hop has gone down from the 90s.

[@betsyrocks]

Yep. When the quality goes down and the consumer (fans) don't know any better, they will just accept any old trash as "good".

[@arikahmed33]

you just listen to wack rap bro hate the player not the game

[@Madbandit77]

​@@betsyrocksThat's why the old school still works.

[@wintercapsenty]

No it hasn't. You just aren't looking for good music and have a surface level taste in hip hop.

[@Erik291098]

That's only true for mainstream hip hop, but there's a lot more hip hop artists creating exciting and innovative stuff today than during the 90s.

[@eddieleonard6925]

The great jazz singer Nancy Wilson once said that the invention of the multi-track recording studio in the '60s was the downfall of music. Instead of a live band playing at once with a vocalist...you could record one part at a time. This made it easier to "cheat." What she failed to realize is that technology paves the way for new techniques and forms of expression. That's why we have the the creative studio albums of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, & everyone on Motown. Imagine a real songwriter uses this punch-in method to fully optimize their speech patterns, rather than these simple popcorn rappers they used in this video? The content shown here might be lacking, but the technique is actually quite innovative.

[@CeaSeMusic1]

Interesting points 👍 I think what Just Blaze said was true in that with each evolution there are positives and negatives. I'd say it's important to reflect so we can maximise the good and limit the bad. Like cellphone help us communicate, but too much screentime can be damaging. But that doesn't mean throw the baby out with the bath-water, which is the attitude some from a previous generation sometimes have.

[@rathernotsay1648]

they do lmao, it's called vocal comping and most artists nowadays do that

[@myssie-theanimedevourer5835]

I guess they don't need to write it down since they not saying anything. 😅

[@youtuberecommended9183]

🤓

[@resonatingtruths]

Great point lol

[@Madbandit77]

Truth.

[@bigsam_1007]

😂

[@aick]

Didn't stop you.

[@dunsbroccoli2588]

My technique is a hybrid. I’m reaching beyond the bar I have like a freestyle but I’m also writing that bar down to make sure the structure is balanced. It happens occasionally by itself, but only because I’ve taken the time to understand written structure first. Writing gives you time to make sure the entire scheme is as solid as each single bar. Then you stack those schemes and balance the entire verse and then song. I often have to punch record a verse because the structures are impossible to fit together due to the limitations of breathing.

[@afrosamurai64]

i do da same tbh jus 2 not a forget a bar i kame up with dat i like when freestyyling

[@RealLaone]

Let's face it, they do not write as an excuse to be whack, because they know they gonna look stupid when they invest so much in writing their lyrics and still can't come up with anything of value to say that has weight. Good on them for making money though, but it's sad for the quality of rap.

[@GavinPascal]

"Punching in and out" is a well known recording technique. I can understand how these rappers are using it. More than improvisational I would define this approach as "I have a new line in mind, let's record it". Real improvisation involves no punching in/out.

[@magsmags4534]

Engineer since 1998 and I remember doing this on ADAT! That was a nightmare! At least we have Protools now. Ultimately I'm in a situation like, I hate punching but I love my clients and Its whatever the client needs. Most of the hours per week are mixing so I'm lucky I guess.

[@nocap7044]

protools came out in 1991, i mean there was a lot of software in 1998 like cool edit pro people used lmao

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

As a songwriter, I both improvise on the spot and write out a full track. Both are effective, but I think both also have to be present for a genre to grow. Same with melodies and song structure. Jay-Z is first and foremost a prolific songwriter like Dre. They happened to be great artistic talents as well.

[@mattostrander5454]

Many of the rappers featured in this video are not known for their lyricism and maybe they should start learning how to write something down

[@aick]

Like Jay-Z?

[@neverhungryagain2187]

@@aick?

[@realspitter2727]

For who you?

[@fdfischer]

So this is the birth of mumble rap?

[@thecunninlynguist]

unching in was way before. Some of the greatest punch-in. but this is a terribly titled video.

[@ALIELTabanca]

Facts 😂👏🏾

[@aick]

@@thecunninlynguist Punching in has been going on since the first recording studio, but now it's an excuse to attack hip/hop so yaaay.... it's new and there were definitely never session musicians who didn't write their own music down or something.... never in Nashville. :P It's all racism, far as I can tell.

[@thecunninlynguist]

@@aick it's a weird video...and all the commenters blaming punching in on the fall of hip-hop is hilarious. These crappy rappers would still be crappy regardless if they punched in or not.

[@aick]

@@thecunninlynguist Exactly. If they're talented and they can't show it, they'll be sorted by the lack of fans, anything else is just decoration or nitpicking, IMO. I like good music and I just don't listen to stuff I don't like, it ain't that complicated.

[@artcamp7]

really fascinating great video

[@ExpatPlans365]

This only works if you actually have talent as a Lyricist which a lot of young rappers, don’t have nowadays. Jay-Z Lil Wayne Biggie didn’t have to write because they actually had talent.

[@kjjohnson24]

Illiteracy is so cool.

[@aick]

Oo look, a bigot bragging about a privilege!

[@jfedol7760]

LMAOOOOOOO

[@kleenbeats]

“Punch-ins” in Hiphop are a legitimate vocal recording technique. Engineers used to, and still do, punch tape but it’s much more of a skill and it’s time consuming. It was originally used to fix minor sections of a vocal take, but it evolved to larger parts of a verse (sections) to allow greater focus on delivery (as opposed to just reciting words on a page). Some would even commit the majority of what they had written to memory, so when they hit the studio the focus was entirely on the delivery (from my experience, this yielded the best results). Todays (modern) emcees don’t write or can’t write (literally), they have no message, have no sense of syllabic structure (no vocal rhythm), no sense of tonality or key and are lyrically lazy. So in all seriousness, what does modern rap offer?

[@verseessential]

Exactly

[@willx_1]

I agree, one adjustment to consider, look at it like there are emcees, rappers, and hip-hop artists. For example, would one consider Missy Elliot a dope emcee or hip-hop artist? Just like with DJ's, some just talk and play the music, then you have turntable-ism, e.g., The X-Ecutioners.

[@kleenbeats]

@@willx_1 Good point! I was born in 83 so think of hiphop as the 5 elements, emceeing (rap) deejaying, breaking, graff and beatboxing. All have continued to evolve in unique ways over the years and to varying degrees (if you haven’t seen breakdancing in a while, search Crashfest 2023, wow!). The one element that has the least connection to the foundations of hiphop (these days) is Rap. This, in my opinion, is the underlying reason why it sucks in 2023 (despite a few recent shining figures like Ez Mil who are keeping with evolution). As for what makes a great hiphop artist, rapper, emcee, lyricist etc, it all comes down to context. Drop Missy/Timbalands “Work it”in a club (or at a wedding these days, haha) and people start moving. Drop Immortal Techniques “Dance with the devil” and you’ll likely clear the dance floor (stick it in your headphones though and you’ll feel like your reading a book in your mind). You want to hear some great emcees during your commute in a car, bus or train, put on some Wutang, Xzibit (speed of life), God father Don or any other 90 NY hiphop. If someone wants to learn the art of the emcee/lyricist put on some KRS, Chino XL or even early Eminem. From the 80s to the 2010s rap even had regional identity and that often defined what people considered a great emcee (the unique sound of a unique neighbourhood). So the artists I mentioned, the ones that influenced me, could be totally different depending on a persons region and/or influence (it was like a sport and it made everyone better imo) In summary, by classical hiphop standards, a dope rapper, emcee, lyricist etc is defined by where you are and where you’re at (the same could be applied to movies and actors). Modern Rap, however, does not follow these standards and hence breaks from 40 years of evolution (“If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going”). I have hope, but until this train starts moving again I’m hitting replay on the past 99% of the time (do it better or don’t do it all right?!)

[@TheCreatorNFE]

#FACTS

[@CeaSeMusic1]

​@@aickwhat's thw confirmist coloniser way? Just trying to understand, thanks

[@jordanuji2978]

It’s fine in mainstream imo but it seems like fans are getting tired and want to hear something new and innovative. Alternative rap is alive and well because those artists often use the pen to make more intricate, thought-out, intentional lyrics. With writing down lyrics comes the capacity to improve your lines where you see fit. Favorites rn are earl sweatshirt and mach-hommy

[@TheCreatorNFE]

I stopped listening to Earl long ago, but Mach is dope. However, I'm very fond of folks like Elcamino and Flee Lord.

[@neverhungryagain2187]

Overrated

[@yearningthevoid]

None of these are innovative, these beats could be from the 90's. Innovative is Moor Mother or JPEGMAFIA

[@TheCreatorNFE]

@@yearningthevoid 90s beats are the best. Personally, I don't look for innovative, just dope lyrics. However, I can't vibe with certain production even if it is reminiscent of that Boombap sound. Some folks' beats are too dull for me.

[@Hollylivengood]

That's just sad. The reason people like rap, or used to like rap, is because they had something to say, and they spoke clearly so you could hear it. Words as music. Not the same quality now. Also, I'm willing to bet most of these guys get their material from ghost writers, but that wouldn't sound half as edgy as saying they "punch it in."

[@blexyyt1887]

Everyone can do punching,2:25-2:40-3:00 but people don’t understand how it works & try to separated it from right down lyrics.it’s just recording & thinking out loud just like righting & thinking in your mind what’s next after this part. Example of Punching⬇️ Okay so u know how u open notes to right ur lyrics & delete what u don’t like. Punching is recording lyrics & deleting what u don’t like.it’s not freestyle ing,cuz you not singing water comes to your mind & keeping it,your right down ur lyrics & deleting what u don’t like, only difference is,instead of riding them down ur singing them & saving them down.& keep thinking what’s next just like when you right down & think what sounds good w this part instead of thinking they thinking out loud in the mic & then they say what they came up with.& ask or delete what they said out loud when they was thinking like in.2:25-2:40-3:00 he keeps saying run it back & sings what he thought of. then keeps thinking out loud.everything else he said well thinking out loud into the mic gets deleted/edited out in real time & keep the real lyrics. How to start listening to music to topic u wanna make a music about head phones on or not.then sing they music & ur thought/right them down out loud don’t right I’m saying sing ur thoughts out loud when u get stuck don’t mumble rap to see what works in ur mind sing them out loud like when ur freestyleing & get stuck just keep thinking out loud.it only works if ur reading u have to record tossi away s does this look him up he records what he thinks out loud & edits the music himself.

[@oneoftheskull3158]

They don't make music anymore, they make content. Huge difference.

[@theseventhammer]

The content sucks

[@DaKurupt19]

Nah, they're making music. Don't be elitest.

[@kiwiladi]

@@DaKurupt19 people forget the most important thing about music is sound.

[@nickmura]

@@kiwiladiuhhh yeah that’s why they make can’t write it down because it’s so fire it will light the notebook up

[@nihiqallam5616]

Music is subjective not everyone is going have same opinion

[@Derekmeetsworld]

I can appreciate the creativity in "written" lyrics, I don't appreciate what passes for rap nowadays as it's just stand-in for noise to my ears

[@ajnewell2693]

I would give this a million likes if I could!

[@realyusufates]

@@ajnewell2693old heads

[@xxSeanVxx]

Shout out to the producers and sound engineers that literally made these people.

[@DrugzMunny]

It's crazy to suggest that there's no degradation of quality when you don't put any time into thinking through the content of your lyrics. And I think you can just look at the results and see that this is like a 93% drop in quality from what rappers were laying down in the 90's.

[@jeremiah5798]

Whatever works for you honestly, if you write that’s fine, if you freestyle and punch in that’s fine, if you freestyle then write above your freestyle that’s also fine. In the end it doesn’t matter just make music. The ending product is what matters.

[@BigSnipp]

The end product is awful.

[@roma5869]

That’s why the songs have no meaning

[@solootto]

Lil Wayne Popularized it with all the work ethic plus that carter 3 documentary

[@mixedbykm5940]

I appreciate this profile. I helped create this style of recording and pushed it in the DMV area mid 2010’s

[@tactileslut]

2:22 spot on with the rolling captions.

[@garywhack]

This is the REASON WHY ITS NO MORE TIMELESS MUSIC. Gotta write the thoughts.

[@Erik291098]

You sound like a boomer. Timeless music never stopped, it was you who stopped discovering and exploring.

[@garywhack]

@@Erik291098 I sound like a boomer and you sound like a funny looking guy. What NEW SCHOOL HIP HOP ARTIST THAT DONT WRITE IS MAKING CLASSIC ALBUMS? I’ll wait. 2010 and forward doesn’t count on my book. Shidd 2006 and back tbh. You’re a hype tbh. 19 ppl agreed and they boomers too huh? Funny guy. We didn’t say anything about TIMELESS MUSIC TO BEGIN WITH, I SAID TIMELESS and here you are adding on saying NOTHING

[@aick]

@@garywhack Nah he's wrong, you sound like Silent Generation. Boomers are way smarter than you, and way more present in the hip hop game. Clearly you don't pay much attention, or you're under the illusion that you know all the hip hop out there. And btw, getting likes on youtube doesn't make you right, it just makes you basic.

[@edyann]

Because the charm is long gone. No one like 2Pac or Ice Cube, like it or not.

[@ChrisControversial]

Dont need to write if you have ABC bars. I feel like everyone wanted to be lil wayne and jay z but no one had the skill. Let's not pretend that there arent rappers Today who do write like this and excel. For every lil baby theres a jid.

[@kruxitka]

100%

[@keyscored3710]

true, it's fine if you have the talent to back it up but 99% of rappers aren't jay or wayne

[@romeoe4694]

That's why they can't perform without lip syncing

[@nueat6]

This method is why Dre said there is more quantity then quality out right now. Thats why songs last slightly over two minutes

[@Zama_Zama]

It’s the same thing as writing but faster

[@Happy_Bnzo_Puppy]

They should have never stopped writing lyrics down... Explains a lot.

[@skoolhitdabutton]

we stopped writing a long time ago.....sounds like it Son !

[@akashicpriestess]

"We stopped writing a long time ago, not many people write." This shows in the end result! Rakim writes, Nas writes, Big Daddy Kane writes, billy woods writes, Aesop Rock writes, Big L wrote, Queen Latifah writes, Rhapsody writes, Medusa writes, Bahamadia writes, Black Thought writes, Pharoahe Monch writes. Need I say more?

[@daveotuwa5596]

0:48 He passed away at the hospital where my father works.

[@lisettes.9598]

They sound like they're reciting limericks

[@radishjunk]

3:55 I feel like she's referring more to the production side rather than the punch-ins. Producing that many tracks a week certainly IS impressive. Punching-in some mumble raps.. not as quite as much.

[@King_JappyJoe]

Rare good upload by the NYT!

[@forensix78]

I can summarize the entire topic. Digital Production drastically lowered the IQ and skill threshold needed to make rhythm and poetry.

[@Bran-Da-Don]

I was looking for a comment like this. 💯 Making music used to be something you had to earn and work hard for but now anybody can't make a song and put it out to millions of listeners. It's used to be about making money & proving you were the best but now it's only about making money, message be damned.

[@crayonparfait]

That explains all the mumble rap. Funniest part is saying you used to only have one take. Nope, that definitely not true. You did have to pay by the hour though.

[@585grizzley]

There’s no such thing as mumble rap. 😂

[@crayonparfait]

@@585grizzley I’ll let this one slide. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumble_rap

[@aick]

So you've never been a struggling musician, check. I have personally encountered limited takes in a recording studio in the 1990s. You?

[@crayonparfait]

@@aick that’s irrelevant but also most musician’s beginning. I started recording on a karaoke machine, layering one track at a time on a cassette tape. In the early 90’s. It’s funny you think prejudging my experience makes my point any less accurate. By the way, a struggling poet is nothing like a musician with gear: mics, amps, mixers, endless cords, guitars, pedals, stands and all the like I had to struggle with on top of being a poet. How hard was it to show up to a gig with all your memory? You should write a book.

[@aick]

@@crayonparfait I've written several, clown. And it's not irrelevant at all, in fact it perfectly deflates your stupid little argument here. Cute, you had a karaoke machine, we used a 4 track recorder and a Korg synth. And also, who says I'm struggling now, kiddo? 🤣🤡

[@MauriceMoraltes]

I have a question is it illegal to use posts from new york times etc. for news channel if you pin them?

[@dillardo]

Not just Rap, all music is punch in method. 😬

[@glenfordgreen3277]

Me from the UK. I have continued to write Lyrics on Paper. I even wrote a Song called " Pen To Paper Write A New Song " That Punch method also works. We must also remember that creativity should not have to cost you money, so a Pen and paper is a good place to start being creative without the extra costs.

[@incongra]

This explains a LOT

[@lilproto9876]

Honestly, seems like a more tedious and longer process just punching in, but I prefer going in with lyrics and direction set. I also keep in mind that certain things might get changed up a bit in the actual studio session but it's all about what works for you.

[@lelouchx8996]

you are now witnessing the end of a genre

[@ShilohBearMusic]

This makes perfect sense. I always wondered how one writes mumble.

[@cj41079]

When hip hop took a wrong turn and went down the sewer.... We need lyricists, period....that's hip hop....

[@585grizzley]

Hip hop never took a wrong turn. You just listen to mainstream rap.

[@cj41079]

@@585grizzley You don't know what I listen to....I'm 43...I grew up in NY golden Era of hip hop.....when it was coming up to be multi billion $ industry.....

[@prezidentjeff]

As a producer this is my biggest pet peeve

[@Stealth86651]

What are they talking about at the end where they're comparing writing lyrics for "4 hours" to sitting in the studio freestyling for a few hours. Most artists spend a *lot* more time writing lyrics than just a couple hours, try months and years of editing, rewriting, etc.

[@mcale8384]

💯💯 I'm a writer myself and a single verse took me a week lol but I'm young, and heavily inspired by big L and AZ.

[@THATFILMLOOK]

nice piece.....

[@dtegg91]

This explains a lot. Just shows how delusional and pompous a lot of these artists are and why their music sounds like garbage most of the time.

[@twincitydezray]

Combine that with recycled samples and auto tune and you have the death of hip hop that we're seeing

[@BiggVic]

It all makes sense now!!

[@hlcb8862]

well this answers why so much mainstream rap is the way that it is these days...

[@DeuteronomyKnowles]

0:00-0:09; 2:26-2:36 You see what the South has done?

[@Erik291098]

There are probably many great songs that were made using this method, but this video doesn't make a convincing case for it.

[@jerbear97]

this explains a lot of things

[@YETI_312]

The first 10 seconds summed up the problem with this type of approach to rap😂

[@APEX.ULTRA.]

To each his own

[@BigSherm]

Lol @ 5:20 he's saying eat the booty. Good job editors sneaking that in

[@cw2962]

All of them should be ashamed the engineers are doing the real song construction on hurricane debris

[@JayDineroBandz]

Thug and Veeze my favorite rappers💯

[@frank-du4qg]

Jay Zs music didn’t age well and people still feel pressured to claim him as a favorite

[@hossbeki9266]

Thank you I was listening old Jay z lately some of his songs lack emotions,its just dry

[@itsX2024]

lol Jay's catalog is goated

[@frank-du4qg]

@@itsX2024people have an emotional or nostalgic connection to his music but it’s not music that transcends generations/ people from generations before him and after him don’t gravitate towards his music the way people do with Kanye, Pharrell, Wayne, etc. there are few Jay songs(no features) if any that would hold up if released today He came in at a good time and also leveraged his success into a successful career in business and investing, shoutout to him

[@itsX2024]

​@@frank-du4qg I'm not even from Jay's generation. His discography is unmatched in HIP HOP. lol at bringing up pop acts like Kanye and Wayne.

[@acjuan84]

2:26 Those lyrics hit deep!

[@tatheblkpaladin]

I still write, thats never going to change. Ill punch in from time to time depending on the situation

[@Rhade15]

And this is how we got mumble diarrhea, lazy artists thinking they’re JayZ. Get a pen and put some effort in…

[@broms316]

That's why they sound so hollow now.

[@Taitmon]

Where is the meaningful message if you punch all your lines and not write? Why not write and then punch your written work in and modify as you punch the written work. How can you create a main message of a song if its a bunch of quick thoughts thrown together?

[@Azivegu]

Leonard Cohen would spend 10 years writing a song and these guys are just retrying ghost written lines until they think it works good enough. No wonder hip hop is in decline. Writing songs isn't just about sorting the lyrics out, but seeing how the words form a message and a song.

[@daviddokubo3448]

Ome more thing, Jay said he didn't write but Nas said it was written.

[@zaymusic6796]

I punch in because the studio set up in my room so I can take as long as I want but I still write at time if something just randomly just pop up

[@YomiAderin]

Just Blaze sitting through that interview tryna sound like he's not hating, but you can tell how he truly feels. XD

[@user-uc9ne8ow2u]

Yeah that explains it some of these rappers sound like they never wrote a song I'm their life

[@aperson2943]

This is honestly depressing. It's a reason why the end result is so unimpressive, repetitive, uninspired and monotonous. No soul in it just machine.

[@Crownedheadqueso]

I punch in because I feel I have more control think about it if I wrote a song I’m recording it let’s say I mess up I gotta start all over again vs taking that one part out and moving forward

[@Jordan-iw1ih]

-murda murda birthday, my birthday's on a Thursday- "keep that." - punch in rappers, probably

[@mactastic144]

And this is only the beginnin'

[@blaiseakenji9543]

Explains a lot😂😂

[@connor18]

What a lazy misguided piece. Theres something interesting to say here about this recording practice and how it is has basically created whole new genres based around de-emphasized lyrics with increased focus on melody and flows. Instead, NYT uses it to get some cheap jabs in at the "mumble rappers"(the "subtitles" at 2:26), and act like there's not still tons of rappers who write their bars down. This video is doing great with the crowd that wants to reaffirm their hate of modern rap and learn nothing new though, so keep up the good work!

[@bobbymgaming]

That’s why Rap is rubbish nowadays. People think they can do that, even the weak rappers. And also the fans hyping us rubbish rappers and that fills their egos thinking they can drop anything and it’ll be a hit. These weak rappers need to be checked and get told the harsh truth. If your music is weak it’s weak no in between

[@davidwitt7522]

I think the big reason is back in the day studio cost money like 1000-2000 hr now you got a laptop a good mike you can make a track take as long as you want

[@poppasmoke4933]

What’s that lil gotit song called

[@BoveeBaby]

He said me writing it down aint the same energy as me saying it YOUR GONNA SAY IT AFTER YOU WRITE WTF THESE DRUGGIES MAN

[@keyscored3710]

it shows in the music

[@TdF_101]

it's like writing knowing you can copy and paste, erase constantly. You write differently if you use pen&paper or a typewriter, you formulate your thoughts carefully and weight every single word.