With the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 came decade-in-review content that, frankly, felt exhausting during the last few weeks of December. However, there were two final pieces that caught my attention as they symbolized how transformative the 2010s were for hip-hop.
The first item was from HOT 97 and Funkmaster Flex. They put together a YouTube playlist of the “Top 10 Funk Flex Freestyles Of The Decade” by views. According to Complex’s Shawn Setaro, the term ‘freestyle’ was originally coined in the early ’90s by Michael “Myka 9” Troy, a Los Angeles rapper and member of Freestyle Fellowship, to represent a budding form of purely improvisational rap. Though the art form existed some years before, the new definition helped it gain more traction in the hip-hop community. Freestyle cyphers and battles became the go-to way for rappers to hang out, gain admiration from their peers and develop a buzz, which helped fuel wider fame and musical accomplishment. Two of the most notable examples of artists who had to first prove themselves through freestyling are The Notorious B.I.G. and Eminem.
Among more traditional hip-hop gatekeepers, freestyling was a necessary talent for successful rappers to possess, and Funk Flex’s New York studio is one of the last prominent stages for artists to demonstrate their ‘off the dome’ lyrical ability. Meek Mill’s #Freestyle118 over Drake’s “Back To Back” beat is something I’ll never get over, and Black Thought’s 10-minute session (pictured above) will be talked about for years to come.
Fast forward to the ‘SoundCloud Rap’ era that existed during the 2010s, and freestyling in the traditional sense of the word would become much less popular than what it was in the early days of hip-hop. With such a low barrier to entry, up-and-coming artists don’t need to participate in cyphers like they used to in an attempt to gain respect and develop a fan base. While the spirit of freestyling is very much alive in many contemporary artists’ songwriting approach, the act itself is becoming less and less relevant to larger musical success every day.
Tariq Cherif, co-founder and owner of Rolling Loud, a hip-hop festival that started in Miami in 2015 around the same time that SoundCloud Rap was beginning to build momentum, captured the widespread fascination with this new era of hip-hop like none other, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. And in only a few years, he’s transformed the event into a nationwide series hosting major cities like New York and Los Angeles. Tariq took the time to reflect on his decade journey from unstable college student to local concert promoter to full-fledged visionary, demonstrating the fact that the ‘new school’ is here to stay.
Read About It By Gerard Smith 