Is the art of freestyling in Hip-hop gone is the question? I meet alot of rappers and most tell me they don’t freestyle. Huh? “You don’t rap” is my question to them after that. Then they’ll say “I’m not a rapper I’m a artist”. When I look at the game and the elite artist. I see rappers that all had to prove they skill set.
Jay-Z went up against Nas, Mobb Deep, Mase etc. He had various freestyles on Dj Clue ,Dj Funkmaster Flex, Dj Mr. C mixtapes and radio shows that made him hot.
Eminem came up in a era when white rappers wasn’t accepted. Vanilla Ice made it hard for white rappers after him. Before him we had 3rd Bass and The Beastie Boys both pioneers. After him none until the white boy from Detroit. But it wasn’t easy for him he had to battleand prove his skill set. Which ultimately led him to getting discovered by Dr. Dre. “A FREESTYLE” is what got him his big break. On a radio show.
Kanye West was known as a hit making Hip-Hop producer. He came up in the Roc-A-Fella camp when street music was king and his camp was at the very top. For years he wanted to be a solo artist, but people kept telling him to stick to production. So he set out to prove how dope of a “Rapper” he was. He freestyled for everyone he could from Beans to Jay-Z. To whom ever would here his raps, and this is a guy that was allready rich. But he knew that in order to be elite your skills have to be respected first and foremost.
I was watching a Meek Mill interview on Hot 97 New York Angie Martinez show, and he wanted to freestyle. He asked her do rappers still “do that” meaning freestyle. He knows what it takes to become the elite artist but he sees that artist don’t freestyle like they use too. 5:31 mark
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So my question is , is the art of freestyling done and is it still important to the culture?
Part 2 Coming Soon
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