How to Write a Hook: Simple Rules for a Chorus People Remember

In rap, hook and chorus usually mean the same thing: the repeated section between verses. Its job is different from a verse. A verse shows skill and tells a story; a hook gives the listener something to hold onto. If the verse is the conversation, the hook is the headline.

That is why hooks are usually simpler, more repetitive and more melodic than verses. A hook that is as dense as a verse is hard to remember.

Most hooks are 4 or 8 bars long — see how to count bars if those terms are new. They usually repeat a short phrase two to four times, with small variations.

A common eight-bar hook shape is: a title line, a supporting line, the title line again, a closing line that resolves. That is essentially an ABAB or AABB rhyme scheme with the title acting as the anchor.

1. Short title phrase. Two to five words. Long titles are hard to repeat.
2. Repeat it. Two to four times per hook. Repetition is the whole point.
3. Open vowels at the end. Words ending in long vowels (go, high, day, free) are easier to sing and shout than words ending in hard consonants.
4. Simple rhyme scheme. AABB or AAAA keeps the hook predictable in a good way.
5. Contrast with the verse. If the verse is fast, make the hook slow. If the verse is low, lift the hook. Contrast is what tells listeners the section changed.

1. Find the idea in one sentence. What is the song about? Write it plainly.
2. Shrink it to a title phrase. Cut that sentence down to the shortest version that still feels like the song.
3. Hum a rhythm on the beat. Before writing more words, hum a four-bar rhythm for the title phrase over the instrumental.
4. Add a supporting line that rhymes with the title and adds one detail.
5. Repeat and resolve. Bring the title back and finish with a line that closes the thought.
6. Test it cold. Come back the next day. If you cannot remember the hook without looking, simplify it.

Hooks are easier to write while hearing the music. Run 8 bars of AABB in Practice mode with no words shown, and try to repeat one short phrase on every other bar, rhyming the bars in between. It is a fast way to test whether a phrase feels good to repeat.

Pick beats with clear space for melody. Chill boom bap and chill trap beats often leave the most room; browse them in the beat library.

• Writing a second verse and calling it a hook. If it has no repetition, it is not doing a hook's job.
• Too many ideas. One idea, said memorably, beats three ideas said once.
• Ignoring rhythm. A hook with an awkward rhythm will not stick, however good the words are.