Ras Kass Explains the Difference Between Ghostwriting and Co-Writing

Fans and critics can sit and pontificate about the ever-looming specter of ghostwriting all they want, but few have been in the studio sessions where it goes down. To get a closer look into the mechanics of how records make it from the paper to the booth (and to the wax and to the consumer), renowned Los Angeles-by-way-of-Chicago rapper Open Mike Eagle sat down with the legendary Ras Kass. Speaking on Eagle's Secret Skin podcast just after his close friend Sean Price's passing, Kass runs through a litany of issues, from his decidedly un-musical upbringing, to being seen as a bicoastal talent, to his time on Priority. But perhaps most prescient were his comments on ghostwriting in the industry. "I have ghostwritten," Kass reveals. "But the funny thing about Dre is that he's never said that he's a dope rapper. He's making a record where he does a couple of verses--you can hear the ones Eminem writes," he says. "But that's not his claim to fame."

Kass then contrasts rappers like Dre and Diddy ("Don't worry if I write rhymes, I write checks") with those MCs who build their professional brand on having the best lyrics. "Dre acknowledges what he is," Kass explains, saying that rappers should address if and when they stray away from writing every bar. First famous for his seminal Soul On Ice, Kass is now pushing his Semi Hendrix project on Mello Music Group, where he finds himself a label mate of Eagle's. Listen to the full Secret Skin episode right here.