Rob Markman Says He’s Better Than MCs He’s Interviewed & Freestyles To Prove It (Video)

Rob Markman and “freestyle” typically only appear in the same sentence when the veteran journalist is writing about a hot verse dropped by an established rapper. A longtime presence in Hip-Hop journalism, Markman is currently Head of Artist Relations at Genius, but he has many years of work putting pen to paper as a writer. A former editor at MTV News, he’s penned articles for Hip-Hop outlets like Complex, The SourceVibe, and more. Before Markman wrote articles, however, he wrote rhymes, as an artist, and yesterday (July 12) he appeared on the Sway In The Morning show to announce he was returning to Rap and releasing his debut album, Write To Dream, on July 28.

Keenly aware of the questions he would likely receive about the move, Markman spoke at length about why he decided to rekindle his career as an artist now. “Hip-Hop has always been a passion of mine. When I grew up, I thought I was going to be an artist before I was a journalist. I never aspired to be a journalist. I didn’t even know it was possible. And, now that I’ve seen I’ve accomplished so many things, I’m like ‘Yo. Everything is possible.’ It’s time for me to do what I always wanted to do.” Of the anticipated naysayers, Markman said “It will be funny, the criticism. I’m built for it. I’m ready to answer all questions.”

Naturally, the biggest question is can he rhyme? As listeners of Sway’s show know, if people call themselves MCs and they sit in the chair next to him, they are expected to spit a verse, and when the time came, Markman did so with poise and no hesitation. Flowing over the “Lord Knows” track Just Blaze produced for Drake and Rick Ross, Markman rapped:

“Everybody like ‘look, it’s the journalist, wow/I know it’s kinda weird, but I heard he get down’/That’s a Fendi/Whatever you say, it don’t offend me/When I hit you with that Dusse bottle, blame the Henny.” Later in the freestyle, he spits “My album really comin’, the EP is here/July 28, motherf*ckers, be scared/Rookie of the year, playing like a veteran/Where your crew at? I suggest you go and get ’em then/You ain’t know? Somebody better tell ’em, then/I’m interviewing rappers that I know I’m better than.”

At that point, Sway gets up out of his seat, but Rob says he isn’t finished, and drops a second freestyle.

This appearance is not just a one-off. It’s in anticipation of his forthcoming debut project, Write to Dream. In celebration, Markman has also dropped its first single, the J.U.S.T.I.C.E League-produced “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” featuring vocalist Kirby Maurier.

The independently released album arrives on July 28 with distribution from EMPIRE and pre-orders are now available.