Ghost Written Rap

[Guy Incognito]

I have a question for all you rap afficionados (sp?) . I heard that Dr Dre has his raps written for him and that this is quite commonplace in hip hop, apparently KRS One admitted that he had some of his stuff written for him as well.

ANyway, Is this right? Its just that , in the case of Dre some of the stuff on 2001 for example seemed to be from the heart so to speak, all that stuff about "fuck rap you can have it back". It never occurred to me that that was not written by him

Just wondered if anyone did know the truth behind the rumour and do you know of any others who had stuff written for them?

[Ally Al]

jay-z wrote still d.r.e. and was credited for it if i remember correctly

a whole host of peeps have wrote for diddys new album, common and nas amongst them, so word has it anyways

[mickill]

MC Ren, Ice Cube, D.O.C., Snoop, Hittman, Eminem, Royce, Ras Kass, Crooked I and others have all penned rhymes for Dre at one time or another.

It goes back to Grandmaster Caz writing for Sugar Hill and Big Daddy Kane writing half of Biz Markie's first album. It's been happening from day one.

[mickill]

LL Cool J even wrote Can You Rock It Like this for Run DMC.

[Guy Incognito]

MC Ren, Ice Cube, D.O.C., Snoop, Hittman, Eminem, Royce, Ras Kass, Crooked I and others have all penned rhymes for Dre at one time or another.

It goes back to Grandmaster Caz writing for Sugar Hill and Big Daddy Kane writing half of Biz Markie's first album. It's been happening from day one.

Yeah I'd heard that story about Big Bank hank stealin rhymes for Rappers Delight.

Thats a shock a bout still Dre tho. I mean fuckin hell! Got even more time for Jay Z now, I mean he must have taken ideas from dre about that but that shows true skill to be able to write rhymes for someone like dre. I dont think its like writing a song for someone else, its more personal

[Jitters]

It strikes me as odd when rappers get people to ghostwrite for them. It's okay to maybe get one or two lines to help the song along but not a whole song.

While we're on the Dre subject, I heard that MF Grimm wrote a lot of the rhymes on the Chronic but I don't know if that holds true or not.

[The Notorious LOL]

wasnt Slow and Low written by RUN DMC?

[Lex Diamonds]

It was originally a Run DMC song, they recorded it for Raising Hell but then scrapped it cuz they thought it wasn't good enough. One of the Beasties heard it on a tape when they were touring and just straight up jacked it.

[Lex Diamonds]

I got the original on an mp3 here. I'll post it up if anyone's interested and I can be bothered.

[Ally Al]

It goes back to Grandmaster Caz writing for Sugar Hill

I'm the c a s, the a n o, the v a f l y

man it was a straight bite, he stole caz's rhyme book apparently, caz was pizzed

[Guy Incognito]

I'm the c a s, the a n o, the v a f l y

man it was a straight bite, he stole caz's rhyme book apparently, caz was pizzed

I heard that Sylvia robinson heard hank just rappin along to a tape of casanova whilst he was workin at a pizza place and she thought "he'll do" and when he passed it of as his own and didnt have anythin else when it came to record the tune so he thought fuck it I 'll use that

[Ally Al]

I heard that Sylvia robinson heard hank just rappin along to a tape of casanova whilst he was workin at a pizza place and she thought "he'll do" and when he passed it of as his own and didnt have anythin else when it came to record the tune so he thought fuck it I 'll use that


i have an interview with caz were he says his rhyme book went missing next thing he knows rappers delight is out and hanks using his whole verses

which ever way it happened, his rhymes were bitten, caz didn't ghostwrite, his rhymes were used without permission

[Brother McDuff]

when I learned that alot of rappers use ghostwriters, at first, it felt like the day i learned santa claus wasn't real. but then it made perfect sense. if you really research most music (non-hip-hop), like reading the credits and all, alot of performers don't write their own music either.

it's the same with rappers. alot of their appeal has to do with their delivery, unique style, and overall charisma, therefore even though they didn't write something don't mean they lose integrity.

plus, many ghostwriters, all of which are not famous rappers, excel at writing and not as much at mc-ing. therefore it's a good deal both ways wherein the rapper gets a hot verse to perform and the writer still receives a check for his work that would have otherwise gone unused or unnoticed.

I'd rather hear Dre (for instance) flip some def rhyme that he didn't write than hear him really destroy one of his fine productions with a sub-standard verse he may written otherwise

*fin*

[Guy Incognito]

I'd rather hear Dre (for instance) flip some def rhyme that he didn't write than hear him really destroy one of his fine productions with a sub-standard verse he may written otherwise



Point taken but I find it surprising and a bit disappointing that a man of Dre's skills and knowledge and character that he hasnt picked up a little bit of creativity on the rhymin front.

[Auton]

come on now, dre isn't even that great of a rapper.

[Brother McDuff]

Point taken but I find it surprising and a bit disappointing that a man of Dre's skills and knowledge and character that he hasnt picked up a little bit of creativity on the rhymin front.

Very well. I don't doubt that he could and has written plenty of dope rhymes, but his job as a producer, and being a remixer and probly a producer as well I'm sure you'll agree, is to make the track as good as it possibly can be. So if it comes down to lacing a beat with a great verse or an extraordinary verse, such a decision is a no-brainer for a producer, not to mention one of Dre's perfectionism and experience.

[Otis Driftwood]

Any rapper in biz for longer than two or three yrs is totally outta touch w the streets. There's a whole new language out there. That's why I know ghost writers have ghost writers.