In the freestyle Hip-Hop community, CyHi The Prynce and Locksmith are two of the most exciting MCs out. From across the country (Georgia and North California, respectively), both of these fervent lyricists are able to jam substance into their fiery flows. These artists touch upon social issues in a way that is informative, but never preachy. They speak to Heads where they’re at, and evoke strong buy-in.

Team Backpack, who has crowned these MCs for “Verse Of The Year” in 2013 (Lock’) and 2014 (CyHi), brings them together for what may be the most substantial cypher Heads have seen in 2016. Locksmith leads things off with everything that’s made him such an important voice over the last decade. This particular part of his verse (and before he super-charges his flow) shows Locksmith’s potent pen: “We don’t condone with Master / Every tone I’m after is a blow to a broken bone or fracture / The music game is the same, they want to control the stature / Prince and Michael Jackson died. Who benefits and who owns the masters? The puppeteers are pullin’ the public’s ears / We let a murderer walk free, so he could auction off his gun to peers / It’s like the system’s corruption has reached another tier / Yeah, we progress, but some of you rappers are pullin’ us back a hundred years.” The verse goes on to attack passive social media awareness, the paradox surrounding immigration critics, and the state of Hip-Hop in the era of the beat.

Locksmith Freestyles So Hard He Scares the Beat Away…And He Has A Message (Videos)

CyHi follows, taking to time to get the mic stand right. From there, he needs no adjustment. The ATL patient veteran locks in, and raps with royal abilities. “Since a kid, I viewed life as a paradise / Y’all didn’t get it, I view life as a pair of dice / Try not to crap out / Baggin’ work with the strap out / Chopper on the floor, Gucci man in the trap-house / Some niggas tried to rob me, Suge Knight with the mash-out / Some people lost they lives, so they ain’t nothin’ to laugh ’bout / Huh, grand larceny / Prophet, if done properly / You owe me like Monopoly / Nigga, I’m on ya’ property.” He weaves in simile allusions to Ghostface Killah, Lauryn Hill, and Jay Z asking to release his upcoming album on Tidal—before it has a title.

For parties interested in more material, the most recent works for these MCs is Locksmith’s 2015 Lofty Goals album (available for free stream) and CyHi’s 2015 mixtape, The Black Hystori Project 2: N.A.A.C.P. 

CyHi The Prynce’s Latest Jaw-Dropping Freestyle Mixes Punchlines & Substance (Video)

Last week, Team Backpack released a video cypher from Twista, Ghostface Killah, and Cassidy. Both songs are produced by Trox.