freestyle Archives

J. Cole’s New Artist Combines Cole’s Lyricism With Devin The Dude’s Swag (Video)

Tony Touch is a DJ known for breaking some important artists. For almost 25 years, the Brooklyn, New York DJ/producer/radio personality handed microphones to MCs without albums out, and let them shine through freestyle. Members of Boot Camp Clik, D.I.T.C., Royce 5'9, Bumpy Knuckles, Wu-Tang Clan, Hurricane G, and others... Read more

February 22, 2017 Video

Jay Z Becomes The First Rapper In The Songwriters Hall Of Fame

While Jay Z is a man of many "firsts" on the business side, his artistry is what allowed him to be in that position. All 15 of Jay's solo and collaborative albums are platinum, in many cases multiple. He has 13 #1 releases, including his 2004 Collision Course EP with... Read more

February 22, 2017 News, Video

Kxng Crooked Reps For J Dilla On A Freestyle That Breathes New Life Into Hip-Hop (Audio)

Half of Slaughterhouse has been heating up 2017 with a barrage of freestyle displays. As Royce 5'9 has smashed Mondays by tackling several popular Rap tracks du jour, Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I) has been putting in work on more esoteric tracks. In a month that honors J Dilla's life... Read more

February 16, 2017 Audio

Black Thought & Common Have A Freestyle Battle That Goes Off The Wheels (Video)

When it comes to freestyling, few are better than Black Thought and Common. Unlike others who shy away from grabbing an open mic, both Comm' and Thought seize the moment when there's an opportunity to rhyme. And, while neither has anything left to prove, each often goes completely off the... Read more

February 11, 2017 Video

Chris Rivers Pays Tribute To His Father Big Pun With A Crushing Freestyle (Video)

Tuesday (February 7), marked the 17th anniversary of Big Pun's passing. Though Pun only released two studio albums, his dextrous rhymes and impeccable flow left a mark that allows him to still be widely considered one of Rap's all-time greats, nearly 20 years after his debut album, Capital Punishment. Fat... Read more

February 9, 2017 Video

J.U.I.C.E. Defeated Eminem In One Of Rap’s Greatest Battles. He Offers A Rematch (Audio)

In 1997, at Cincinnati, Ohio's annual Scribble Jam Festival, Eminem and MC J.U.I.C.E. faced off in what is often considered one of Hip-Hop's greatest battles. At the time, the two Midwestern lyricists were both independent artists looking for a title, and some shine to boot. J.U.I.C.E., the Chicago, Illinois native... Read more

February 3, 2017 Audio

Big Sean Has Radio Hits, But His Freestyle Game Is Still On FIRE (Video)

Today (February 3), Big Sean released I Decided, his fourth solo album and the first since 2015's platinum-selling and Grammy-nominated Dark Sky Paradise. Supported by the hugely successful singles "Bounce Back," "Moves," and "Halfway Off the Balcony," I Decided features Eminem, Jeremih, Migos, The Dream, as well as a choir... Read more

February 3, 2017 Video

Kxng Crooked Is Coming After The #1 Spot. There Are No Friends In Rhyming (Audio)

In 2016, Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I) released a stellar EP with Statik Selektah in the form of Statik Kxng. But that was last year. In his own words, the Long Beach, California MC is holding himself to a much higher standard in 2-0-1-7. Hopping on Kanye West's "Real Friends"... Read more

January 26, 2017 Audio

Consequence’s Freestyle Has A Clear Message For Mumble Rappers: “You’re A Customer” (Video)

Consequence finished out 2016 strong. The Queens, New York veteran released his A Good Comeback Story at mid-year. However, in the closing weeks of the year, his numerous appearances on A Tribe Called Quest's We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your service put the 20-plus-year affiliate of the group... Read more

January 24, 2017 Video

Joey Bada$$’s 1 Minute Freestyle Goes Long In Staying Woke (Video)

Joey Bada$$'s 2016 single "Devastated" was recently certified gold. The Brooklyn, New Yorker's plaque came from music a bit different than what got the Pro Era MC to the mainstream in the first place. However, make no mistake about it: "Joseph Badmon" is still spitting the kind of lines that... Read more

January 19, 2017 Video

Cassidy Doesn’t Even Need a Beat To Outrap MCs, Bar None (Video)

Opening up 2017 with what can already be deemed one of the year's most impressive freestyles, Cassidy was Funkmaster Flex's latest guest at Hot97 and delivered yet another scorcher. Heads may recall that on January 4, the Philadelphia MC blacked out for some extemporaneous flows over a handful of beats... Read more

January 13, 2017 Video

Rain910 Brings The Thunder On The Latest Funkmaster Flex Freestyle (Video)

From the same city of Fayetteville, North Carolina as J. Cole, Rain910 has been grinding just as long. The 2015 Ambrosia For Heads Spotlight artist has worked with Cory Gunz and Paul Wall, in between some standout performances at the BET Hip Hop Awards in years past. The 20 Best... Read more

January 5, 2017 Video

Cassidy’s Initials Are B.A.R.S. & He Freestyles Into 2017 With Some Of His Best (Video)

Philly veteran MC Cassidy has been unusually quiet lately. Save for a Team Backpack Cypher alongside Ghostface Killah and Twista, the onetime Ruff Ryders member crept slow through 2016. That appears not to be the case for 2017. In the closing hours of the last year, the Brotherly Love lyricist... Read more

January 4, 2017 Video

Snoop Shows He’s Still A Top Dogg In A Freestyle Cypher With A$AP Rocky (Video)

Although Snoop Dogg has enjoyed one of the longest careers in Rap music, having logged 25 years in the game, he has often been under-appreciated. His name is seldom mentioned in GOAT or Top 5 discussions, and he has never won a Grammy, despite 17 nominations. Perhaps the area in... Read more

January 2, 2017 Video

Jay Pharoah Is Funny But This Freestyle Is No Joke (Video)

Jay Pharoah is not the first comedian who can imitate famous rappers and singers as part of his act. However, it is abundantly clear that the Virginia native is out to be the best. This past week, the former SNL cast member (who ranked #55 in Rolling Stone's all-time funniest... Read more

December 31, 2016 Video

Termanology Rips A Funkmaster Flex Freestyle. Pardon The Interruption (Video)

It's been just over a month since Lawrence, Massachusetts's Termanology dropped More Politics, a self-released LP featuring Bun B, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Kxng Crooked, Joey Bada$$, Your Old Droog, and others. With just three songs featuring a solo Term', the album is an inclusive affair with plenty of variety... Read more

December 22, 2016 Video

Kendrick Lamar Gives An Aspiring MC The Opportunity Of A Lifetime & He Shines (Video)

2016 has been a relatively quiet year for Kendrick Lamar. After releasing one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of all-time, with 2015's To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick's only LP of the year was his untitled.unmastered compilation of outtakes from TPAB. He also maintained a low profile, only doing select performances... Read more

December 17, 2016 Video

Wale Celebrates Black Women As The Beautiful Gold They Are (Video)

Wale chose the last month of 2016 to find his best stride in some time. Earlier this month, J. Cole released "False Prophets (Be Like This)." Without naming names, the song challenged some of Cole's peers and greatest inspirations. Less than 48 hours after it released, Wale responded with "Groundhog... Read more

December 12, 2016 Video

Casual Is Tired Of Facing Lesser MCs, So He Battles Himself (Audio)

Casual stays busy. The Oakland, California veteran MC and co-founder of the Hieroglyphics crew recently released a project with Detroit, Michigan's Phat Kat as Ron Jon Bovi (Neaux Mursi). In late '16, he's back on his solo tear. Attacking Capone-N-Noreaga's famed 1997 "T.O.N.Y. (Top Of New York)" instrumental, "GodKilla" is... Read more

December 12, 2016 Audio

Camp Lo’s Geechi Suede Kicks An Amazing Freestyle & It’s Deeper Than Rap (Video)

Camp Lo’s Geechi Suede is one of the game’s more consistent lyricists. Without losing a breath, the seasoned Bronx, New York veteran delivers an incredible fast-flow verse, firing off bars like an automatic weapon with a “broken safety.” Using an intricate, multi-syllabic rhyme scheme and his signature highly-coded poetic wordplay,... Read more

December 9, 2016 Exclusive, Video

Remy Ma & Papoose Are Hip-Hop’s Real Bonnie & Clyde. No Couple Has Better Bars (Video)

This week revealed that Remy Ma is going for Grammy Awards for the first time in more than a decade, thanks to her and Fat Joe's reunion campaign, "All The Way Up." The First Lady of the Terror Squad has made her biggest and most beloved music with Joe Crack—between... Read more

December 8, 2016 Video

La Coka Nostra’s Slaine & Ill Bill Deal Dope Freestyles Right On “Ill Street” (Video)

Just over one month ago, super-group La Coka Nostra released their third album, To Thine Own Self Be True. The crew's feature MCs Slaine and Ill Bill stopped by Statik Selektah's ShowOff Radio Show in the last week. Over Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's "Ill Street Blues" instrumental, the... Read more

December 8, 2016 Video

Shia LaBeouf Says Compare Him To Eminem. Is He Really Da Bomb? (Audio)

In the last month, Shia LaBeouf's rhyme skills have come into strong focus. Ever since the MC appeared on Sway On The Morning, the Disney actor-turned-X-Men star elicited a lot of opinions across the Rap listening world. The Hollywood fixture (who once wanted to make a film about Eastern Conference/Def... Read more

December 6, 2016 Audio

Tech N9ne & Smoke DZA Ignite A Cypher On A Fresh Pete Rock Beat (Video)

In less than two weeks, the unit of Smoke DZA & Pete Rock, as well as Tech N9ne will release albums, respectively. As Smoke has become a force to be reckoned with in 2010s independent Hip-Hop, Tech may be the standing giant of that field—given his commercial success and cult... Read more

November 29, 2016 Video

Damian Lillard Goes Back In The Paint With Another Driving Sway Freestyle (Video)

In early 2015, Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard appeared on Sway In The Morning. The Oakland, California native proved there was more to him than a mean court-game, as he positioned himself as the best MC in the NBA. With a sick freestyle, the artist known as Dame D.O.L.L.A. began... Read more

November 22, 2016 Video

A Newly Released ’96 Cypher Shows A Tribe Called Quest Schooling Phony Rappers (Audio)

This month, A Tribe Called Quest released their sixth and said to be final album. We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service appeared to shock to the music world, when it was revealed to exist, less than six months after Phife Dawg's March death. It had been... Read more

November 17, 2016 Throwback

AZ’s 40 Seconds Of Bars Are Better Than Most Albums These Days (Audio)

AZ is like a special ops soldier. He is low key, stealth and, when he's deployed, it's for maximum impact. It's been a relatively quiet year for the Brooklyn, MC, save for a few select drops, such as his guest turn on A$AP Twelvyy's "Motivation." In September, however, it appeared... Read more

November 14, 2016 Audio

Shia LaBeouf Transforms Into The “#1 MC In Hollywood,” With A Monster Freestyle (Video)

Many things come to mind when the name Shia LaBeouf is mentioned. "MC" is not one of them. For years, LaBeouf has been a fixture in Hollywood as an actor and director, who has been involved in major film franchises such as Indiana Jones, Wall Street and, of course, Transformers.... Read more

November 12, 2016 Video

LaKeith Stanfield Shows There’s More Than 1 Talented Rapper In “Atlanta” (Video)

In 2016, Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) showed greater dimension in his repertoire with the launch of Atlanta. Before the show's first season reached its midpoint, the network ordered two more seasons of the series. Accolades and ratings are spilling in, and Glover may have far surpassed his musical profile,... Read more

November 11, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Craig Mack Kicked 10 Minutes Of Freestyle Flavor In This Just Released 2000 Video

By Y2K, Craig Mack appeared to be an illustrious MC who was on his way out of the game. Once one of the breakout acts of Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records, Mack would drop his gold-certified Project: Funk Da World in 1994 and then mysteriously leave the label, and the... Read more

October 27, 2016 Throwback, Video

Nick Grant’s 3-Part Freestyle Is Filled With Fiber For Your Mind (Video)

South Carolina native Nick Grant is an MC on a tear. Following February's 88 mixtape, Nick has been consistently releasing potent music that carries Southern charms, without necessarily conforming to any style, especially those typically associated with emerging artists beneath the Mason-Dixon. Lately, Grant has been out to prove he... Read more

October 23, 2016 Video

Chris Rivers Refuses To Be Passed Over As He Spits His Life From An Overpass (Video)

Chris Rivers never ceases to serve hot bars to the masses. The Bronx, New Yorker lives to spit lyrics, and his output of music grows—as does his profile of late. "Born For This" is a single that traces back Big Pun's son and his earliest dreams of a Rap career... Read more

October 20, 2016 Video

DJ Clark Kent Details How In Awe Biggie Was Of Jay Z When They Met (Video)

DJ Clark Kent is one of the people who was incredibly close to The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay Z at the same time. In the mid-1990s, Clark was working tightly with Jay on Reasonable Doubt. Years after the former Dana Dane DJ and longtime radio personality first heard Jay lyrics... Read more

October 18, 2016 Video

Shock G Takes It Back To The Streets With A Lit Freestyle…Literally (Video)

Shock G and his brainchild of Digital Underground helped introduce the world to Tupac Shakur, Saafir, and others. The Oakland, California group may have taught the world how to do the "Humpty Dance," but their albums and hits run much deeper than just a crossover single. With a career spanning... Read more

October 13, 2016 Video

Nick Grant Shows Why The Future Of Hip-Hop Is Far From Mumble Rap (Video)

Last year, Nick Grant made an appearance on the Sway In The Morning show and kicked one of the best freestyles of the year, excluding nobody. He earned his spot after participating in a cypher with CyHi The Prynce, one of the most respected lyricists in the game, and shining... Read more

October 8, 2016 Video

Joe Budden & Styles P Still Hold BARS Sacred. It Shows On Their New Collabo (Audio)

Sometimes less is more, and that is precisely the approach Joe Budden and Styles P have taken on "Freestyle," a track whose title belies the varsity-level bars with which it's laden. The two have worked together before, not least on Budden's 2010 mixtape Mood Muzik 4, where the two eviscerated... Read more

October 6, 2016 Audio

Murda Mook Smothers The Mic In This Head-Hunting 9 Minute Freestyle (Video)

Murda Mook can downright destroy microphones when asked. The Harlem, New Yorker and onetime Ruff Ryders member is nice with the ring of Battle Rap. However, without an opponent, the MC that's worked with Sean Price and LL Cool J is simply a standout lyricist. Appearing alongside Funkmaster Flex at... Read more

September 23, 2016 Video

The Game Freestyle Battles With His Alleged Ghostwriter & Smashes It (Video)

It's been a busy week for The Game. In addition to preparing for the release of his forthcoming eighth album, 1992, he has been embroiled in a bitter feud with Meek Mill. So far, their beef has generated three hard-hitting diss records, a barrage of social media attacks, and involvement... Read more

September 21, 2016 Video

Daylyt Usually Rhymes A Cappella But He Wrecks 5 Beats With This Freestyle (Video)

Last week, Watts, California MC Daylyt gave a wildly compelling interview on Sway In The Morning. There, the highly prominent, often controversial battle rapper spoke about the violence in his city, why his peers have two options in the industry, and his unique relationships with Eminem and Drake. While at... Read more

September 7, 2016 Video

Nicki Minaj Shows She’s Still A Monster With A Rugged New Freestyle (Audio)

Nearly six years ago, Nicki Minaj showed the world that she was a microphone "Monster" by stepping into the big leagues, surrounded by all-stars (Jay Z, Kanye West, Rick Ross). Many listeners thought Nick' bested her big brothers in that platinum moment. In the time since, the YMCMB superstar has... Read more

September 4, 2016 Audio

Stro Runs Through 7 Minutes Of Classic Beats In 1 Of The Year’s Best Freestyles (Video)

Stro (f/k/a The Astronomical Kid) has had a quieter 2016 than other years. However, the Brooklyn, New Yorker is just ramping up, and showing that his skills have refined. Appearing on the most recent episode of Statik Selektah's ShowOff Radio show, Stro asks if he can go off the top... Read more

August 22, 2016 Video

Method Man, O.D.B., & RZA Proved That In ’97, Wu-Tang Could Freestyle Forever (Audio)

In June of 1997, Wu-Tang Clan kicked the summer off at the top of the Hip-Hop class. Whereas 1993's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) just missed the Top 40 (to eventually reach platinum), its follow-up Wu-Tang Forever would debut at #1. A double album, the Loud/RCA Records release of the... Read more

August 11, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

Vic Mensa & Joey Purp Smash A Rhyme Routine Like Vintage Run-D.M.C. (Audio)

Beyond hard beats and tougher than leather exteriors, part of what made Run-D.M.C. so great was the way they delivered their lines. Run and D each had their own distinctive styles, but rather than simply adhere to the verse/chorus/verse formula to which most MCs are rigidly bound these days, the... Read more

August 8, 2016 Audio

Consequence Freestyles With Punchlines Like They’re Inconsequential (Video)

This past weekend (July 30), A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes & Life turned 20 years old. In addition to what that platinum #1 Jive Records LP meant for Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed, it was paramount to some fresh faces—including J Dilla (as The Ummah's Jay Dee) as... Read more

August 4, 2016 Video

This Unreleased ’95 Red & Meth Freestyle Shows How High They Truly Fly (Audio)

In the summer of 1995, Def Jam Records dropped The Show soundtrack. The Top 5 charting work featuring music by Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., and A Tribe Called Quest introduced a duo that was still years away from fully forming. On the song "How High," Def Squad's Redman and Wu-Tang... Read more

August 4, 2016 Audio, Throwback, Throwback

Taylor Bennett Smashes The First EVER 10 Fingers Of Death (Video)

There's more than one talented rapper in the Bennett family. While the world has been wowed by the gifts of Chance The Rapper for the last several years, his brother, Taylor, is making quite a name for himself. Fast. Many first caught wind of Taylor in 2014, when he went... Read more

July 29, 2016 Video

Joe Budden Reminds All He Built His Career On BARS Not Beef (Video)

Joe Budden has been dominating headlines for the last several months, almost exclusively due to his ongoing, and increasingly one-sided war with Drake. As the events of the past week showed--with overzealous Drake fans harassing Budden at his own home, and Budden returning the favor--the feud has taken on a... Read more

July 29, 2016 Video

This 1998 Ma$e & Guru Freestyle Brings 2 Different Sides Of Hip-Hop Together (Audio)

Six months from each other Ma$e and Gang Starr moved the Hip-Hop needle in 1997-1998. To some, that needle went in two directions. Released on October 28, 1997, Ma$e's Grammy-nominated, quadruple-platinum debut Harlem World certified the newest Bad Boy Records superstar. On March 31, 1991, Gang Starr released its first... Read more

July 28, 2016 Audio, Throwback, Throwback

Stakes Is High: An MC Freestyles While Dangling 100s Of Feet In The Air From A Crane (Video)

It is a safe bet to assume that most of the Hip-Hop world is not presently familiar with James Lanning. However, this Brooklyn, New York-based MC does something that few—if any—of his peers can, he raps while hanging on for dear life. As many rappers metaphorically may do this, Lanning... Read more

July 27, 2016 Video

Ever See This 1990 Freestyle Session Between Kool G Rap & Biz Markie? (Video)

Back in 1988, Marley Marl's Juice Crew served the world with one of Hip-Hop's all-time great posse cuts. Featuring Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace, Craig G and Kool G Rap, "The Symphony" was a lesson in lyrical dexterity that endures today. More than recording together, members of the crew often... Read more

July 23, 2016 Throwback, Throwback