To rap like Lil Wayne, you’ll first have to learn to recreate his Southern drawl. If you listen to his tapes closely, you’ll notice how he stretches his syllables. Instead of saying “ya all”, he’ll say “ya aaalll”, putting emphasis on the last syllables. His rhymes often tend to get stretched over the beats.

A key aspect of Lil Wayne rapping style is his vocals. While some rappers like Eminem have great lyrics, some amazing production skills (like Kanye), and some have great flow (Jay-Z, Andre 3000), Lil Wayne has great control over his voice. As a rapper, you are not expected to have the strong vocals of an R&B crooner, but to rap like Lil Wayne, you’ll have to strengthen your vocals.

The easiest way to strengthen your vocals is to perform some vocal exercises that are designed specifically for rappers and not classically trained singers. First, stretch your vocal chords by opening your mouth wide as if you are yawning. Do this 5 times in a row, slowly.

To really get the Lil Wayne sound, you want to add strength and power to your voice. To do this, practice your resonance by humming from below the navel. Your voice should feel as if it is coming from your gut, deep, resonating and powerful. Of course, this is easier said than done and can be very difficult to achieve, particularly while rapping. But if you really want to be able to rap like Lil Wayne, this is an essential step to building the power and strength that Wayne has in his voice.

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A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that rapping is easy (which it is not). The flow and rhythm involved in rapping can take years to master, and that too if you have the aptitude or the talent for it.

Nevertheless, these are 5 tips every aspiring rapper should keep in mind:

1. Become acquainted with all rap styles: East Coast, West Coast, South. Listen carefully to rappers from with different styles and note their rhythm, flow and lyrical structures. A good ear for different rap styles is probably the number one thing you can have to be a good rapper, and will eventually help you create your own individual style.

2. Invest in a dictionary. While this may not sound very “hip hop”, but a strong vocabulary can really set you apart from dozens of other aspiring rappers. If you don’t know a word, look it up, and learn to use it in appropriate situations. Cleverly rhymed words that depart from the norm are the best weapons in the arsenal of any rapper.

3. Don’t be very strict about your song structure. You don’t have to start from verse to chorus to verse and so on. Experiment with different writing styles, and let the tune come to you naturally in whatever order it appears. If you get the chorus before the verse, or the outro before the chorus, don’t worry about it; the song structure can always be modified and tweaked later on.

4. Record yourself rapping as often as you can. This is the best form of feedback you can get. How you sound in person may be very different from what you sound like in your records.

5. Practice your timing. Rap is all about rhythm, flow and timing. Note how rappers like Eminem will accentuate the the lyric at the end of a beat. Little tricks like this make all the difference and really sets you apart from the crowd. Get a few beats (or make your own) and practice rapping to it using any random words that pop into your mind (it doesn’t have to sound good or professional), varying your timing to see what sounds the best.

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In the UK, urban music has long been dominated by hip hop and grime artists, who’ve consistently taken the top spots in the UK charts consistently over the years. While hip hop artists aren’t quite as big in the UK as they are in the US, there are still names that are known nationwide.

So if you are interested in knowing more about hip hop from the United States, I suggest that you check out these artists:

1. Chipmunk

This UK rapper’s real name is Jahamaal Fyffe, but he chose the more pronounceable (and slightly ridiculous) stage moniker of Chipmunk. Chipmunk won the best UK newcomer at the MOBO awards in 2008. His new album, “I Am a Chipmunk” is dropping this November and has built up a lot of hype. While he is a newcomer, his style has already won him a lot of fans and is definitely one artist worth checking out.

2. Bashy

Real name Ashley Thomas, he sometimes also goes by the stage name “Twat”. He released his debut solo album in Jan 09. Previously won acclaim for the controversial track “Black Boys“.

3. Wiley

Wiley is a MC and producer whose real name is Richard Kylea Cowie. He is well known as being one of the pioneers of the sub-genre of Grime. Also well known as one of the founders of the Roll Deep Crew. Wiley found mainstream success with the single “Wear My Rolex” released in 2008.

4. N-Dubz

A MOBO (Music of Black Origin) award winning hip hop trio comprising of Dino “Dappy” Contostavlos, Tula “Tulisa” Contostavlos, and Richard “Fazer” Rawson hit the UK charts with their debut album, “Uncle B“, which was certified platinum. They have been going strong consistently after hitting the mainstream.

5. Ghetts

Ghetts real name is Justin Jude Clarke Samuel. This East London rapper is one of the pioneers of Grime and has received a lot of mainstream coverage. His debut album will be released in 2009, named “Rebel With a Cause” after winning a lot of fans with his underground mixtapes.

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