hot 97 Archives

Kendrick Lamar freestyles on the Funkmaster Flex Show (Video)

Kendrick Lamar stopped by Hot 97 in NYC to drop a verse for Funkmaster Flex. Flex laced him with the Who Shot Ya beat and Kendrick laid down what might be one of his most blistering rhymes EVER (think Rigamortus with a grudge). Wow. Check out the video. Related: Kendrick... Read more

September 18, 2012 Video

Here’s an in-depth interview with the mighty Ice Cube. He covers his expansive career, discussing everything from the NWA breakup and working with the Bomb Squad to Eazy-E’s death and much more (Video)

It's 40+ minutes of Cube. Check out the video. Related: Ice Cube discusses Detox, working with Chris Tucker on Friday, a new NWA album and more on The Sway in the Morning Show (Video)... Read more

August 6, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Asher Roth freestyles on NYC’s Hot 97 (Video)

Asher Roth seamlessly flips from a written to a true off the top freestyle on NYC's Hot 97. Check out the video. Related: Nardwaur vs Asher Roth (Video)... Read more

August 4, 2012 Video

Schoolboy Q – Sway in the Morning Freestyle and Hot 97 Interview (Video)

Schoolboy Q did the local radio circuit during his stop in NYC. Check out the verses he kicked (one written and one off the dome) on Sway in the Morning over Beanie Siegel's The Truth (TOUGH) and Biggie's Dead Wrong tracks as well as an interview with Peter Rosenberg below.... Read more

June 27, 2012 Video

Supernatural freestyles on Hot 97 with Peter Rosenberg (Video)

Supernatural is one of the greatest freestylers to do it. Period. Dude kicks substantive lyrics using clever similes straight off the top of the dome. The word freestyle is now often associated with any written verse no one has heard before. Check this 8 minute video of Supernatural doing what... Read more

June 18, 2012 Video

Lauryn Hill performs with Nas at Summer Jam 2012 (Video)

Lauryn Hill joined Nas onstage at Summer Jam 2012 in NYC and ripped through some of her classics. Check out the video of her doing Ready or Not and Lost Ones (after Nas does a bit of The Don) below. Related: Nas - Life is Good albom promo (Video)... Read more

June 5, 2012 Video

Hot 97 Summer Jam 2012 Live Stream (Video)

NYC's Hot 97 Summer Jam is currently in progress. This year's festival includes performances from Slaughterhouse, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., Schoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky and more. Click below to watch a live video stream. Related: Big K.R.I.T. performs Hometown Hero (Video)... Read more

June 3, 2012 Video

Q-Tip – Black Fist Friday Mix (Mixtape)

New York's Hot 97 has been bringing in legendary DJs/Producers as a part of its Black Fist Fridays series in celebration of Black History Month. Thus far, guests have included Pete Rock, DJ Premier and Questlove, and they have been given free reign to play whatever they were feeling that... Read more

February 24, 2012 Audio, Mixes

Slaughterhouse – Hot 97 Freestyle (Video)

The Slaughterhouse crew dropped by New York's Hot 97 and dropped bombs in the form of verses with Funkmaster Flex. Check out the video.... Read more

December 20, 2011 Video

Common – Funkmaster Flex Freestyle

Common hit the Funkmaster Flex show at Hot 97 in NYC yesterday. While he was there, he dropped some a capella verses/knowledge. Check out his words below. Click here to download. Also, if you missed this freestyle battle between Common and a then unsigned Kanye West from 1996, take a... Read more

October 20, 2011 Audio

Pharrell hasn’t spit like this since…well…maybe ever. Check out his verses over a Daft Punk track from Tron: Legacy.

He's always been much stronger behind the boards but this one is respectable. There are minimal drums and bass lines but it works for Pharrell's flow. It's called The Game Has Changed and is courtesy of Funkmaster Flex. Click here to download.... Read more

April 1, 2011 Audio

2 days, 2 dope freestyles. First up is Young Chris and then Pusha T.

Young Chris laced Toca Tuesdays and Pusha T dropped bombs with Funk Flex. Check 'em out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxFoKuC5Phw&feature=player_embedded Click here to download.... Read more

March 22, 2011 Audio, Video

There's been a lot of chatter about the "freestyles" that Kanye West and Pusha T dropped when they visited Hot 97 in NYC earlier in the week. Check out the video and see for yourself.

November 6, 2010 Video

The latest installment of PREEM-EAR is here. This week Omar Akil drops a jewel with Joell Ortiz.

PREEM-EAR: Joell Ortiz "Project Boy" Got another one! Or should I say Joell got ONE!!! I'm hoping that, at this point, there is no need to familiarize you all with the rhyme animal that is Joell Ortiz. Forget repeat, Flex (Funkmaster) has had Joell's HOT97 (NY) freestyle on continuous loop... Read more

October 18, 2010 Audio

Speaking of Kanye, check out the (entire) dope interview he did on the Angie Martinez Show today.

Kanye speaks on: The new album The power of Twitter (ambrosia4heads...) Drops the new single, See Me Now (click here to download) Says Nicki Minaj has the potential to be the 2nd biggest MC ever (to EMINEM) The Power remix with Jay-Z The album (potentially) dropping on 11/16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqSjgPFyyu4... Read more

August 12, 2010 Audio, Food for Thought