Freestyle: The Lost Art
To be someone that writes in Hip-Hop is someone who inherently creates. Whether that be articles, verses or anything in between: you are a creator. However, in all of it, there is a special breed of person that is often revered more than anyone else. It's the freestyler. This person who comes off the top of the head and delivers fantastical rhymes with apparent ease and facility. They're the cream of the crop for the entire community. These days, the Hip-Hop world is filled with competitions, from King of the Dot to the famed Rap Olympics. What is this art form?
To be honest, there are so many different interpretations to freestyling. Most people have their own different way of seeing it. but if we are to keep to the term proper, it's to be able to spit a verse on every and any beat. Hence, your verse is free of style. It isn't what we tend to believe that it is. This is the type of stuff that most people see in a lot of the battle rap scenes today.
What most people believe is freestyle is actually called going off the top. The term comes from the saying "off the top of the head", hence making stuff up. This is the type of stuff that most kids did back in elementary school when they used to rhyme "yo yo yo, my name is Joe". It isn't always that inherently simple, specifically after many years of practice and preparation for big stages.
What about the rapper that releases an entire freestyle album? It depends on the artist and the way that they work. It's a known fact that the Notorious B.I.G. never wrote any of his albums as he used to listen to a lot of the songs he made in the studio right before he made them: he was going off the top. Major artists such as Jay Z and Lil Wayne may go on the beat for a long time, or have a bar or two that were prepared and then go off the top from there. Those are freestyles, and to be frank, some of the best you will ever hear.
Is one aspect inherently better than the other? No. It truly depends on what you bring to the table. Some people will bring insanely asinine lines, becoming the pantomime of stupidity. Others come into a verse and deliver insanity - these are the Eminem's and the late Juice WRLD. Some of the best rappers are able to go off the top of the dome and create entire worlds and storylines. It's an impressive feat.
Do rappers need to be able to either freestyle or go off the top to be able to be successful? Sadly enough, the answer is no. See, artistry doesn't come from if you're able to spit dope lines. It's the question of if you are able to create good music. It's the reason why a lot of battle rappers never really transition properly into the music scene: many of them don't have the musical ear. Many of the best battle rappers are good at what they do because they are great with words: this is word play, metaphors and punchlines. They aren't the people you go to for a hook most of the time.
So next time you see a good artist say that they are freestyling, or going off the top, take notice. Are they in a radio show, because chances are that they are going off the top. If they are just releasing a track, you can question its authenticity of the going off the top or even freestyling at that. Anyways, sit back and enjoy the word play and music - or lack thereof, depending on the type of rap you listen to.
