Songwriting is just a story set to music…

In the early 90s, after appearing in Classic Concept Productions’ video “The Vapors” by Biz Markie, the emcee bug bit me… I wanted to rap. But back then, if you wanted to rap, you had to rhyme (write lyrics). Initially, my friend Lee Derrick wrote for me. Still, in doing so, he also taught me how to freestyle – which is basically dropping science to a beat – about anything that popped into your head. Most emcees would brag about their lifestyle, how great they were, and so on. Still, I wasn’t raised to brag about myself -in fact, my mother said to talk about yourself is a poor recommendation, or something like that. So, it was rare for me to even think of one sentence to puff myself up, nonetheless 24 bars for a four-minute song – but fast forward to 1992 and the words came effortlessly – I didn’t write about myself per se, instead I rhymed about news items… which foreshadowed the career I would soon have in journalism. All this to say, if you find yourself staring at a blank screen or blank page – and the words won’t come, just put on some music and press record on the voice recorder and start rhyming to a beat about whatever comes to mind. Remember, enjoying the process can make your creative journey more fulfilling and keep you motivated. Enjoy!

~Microphone Master Mel (MCM)