If you are just starting off your rapping journey and are finding it a bit hard focussing on the wide plethora of areas to focus on, worry not. For starters, focus on these 4 points and then slowly move to other areas. Even in these 4, you can choose to master one thing at a time and then move to the next.
Writing Skills
Becoming a rapper needs great voice technique and rapping speed. However, what it needs, even more, is great writing as well. If you are not a good writer, you might not last longer than a few hits. Once you start putting your music put there, you will have to put out better and better songs out consistently. So instead of aiming to be a one-hit wonder, think of the long term.
Get the knowledge of different writing techniques. Using story, rhymes, rhythms, metaphors, and other figures of speech should become easier every single time.
Microphone and Laptop
To produce your tracks, you need a device. Get a good laptop to make your music on as it will also prove to be of multiple purposes. When rapping, a good mic is necessary. You can also opt for headphones that have an inbuilt mic that is of high quality. It makes your tracks pleasant to the ears and the audience would immediately listen to them instead of putting them to their watch later list. The sound quality should be as such that you need not ask the listeners to go and get their headphones for better sound quality.
A Rapper Name
Now you could put out your tracks under your regular name. However, it has become a norm for rap artists to have creative rapper names. It could be something derived from your birth name, a nickname or something that just strikes with you or the persona you are trying to create. You can also take the help of a rap name generator available online for free to find a rap name for yourself. It often helps artists out of the risk of being stereotyped due to the place, race, region, or religion you come from. This is also the reason why artists have stage names and pen names.
Connections
As for connections, you do not need to have them from the very beginning. You can form them slowly once you start your journey and people in the industry start knowing you for your work. It can prove to be of help for both. This is the last step mentioned because you will initially not have such connections until and unless you have already started your journey taking the first steps. If you have already put out some of your work, you are ahead in the game. Artists need to support each other in order to grow as you will be having an audience with similar interests. You can then slowly move ahead and form bigger connections. Remember, connections go a long way.