Rap Mastery: The Roots' Black Thought freestyles for 10 solid minutes.

Cafe Society
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Link here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/arts/music/playlist-black-thought-bts-camila-cabello.html?recid=0xo2jkI0SDk5v4bCtHOQZYaaQ1c&sl_l=1&sl_rec=mostpopular_sample_dedup_sticky&contentCollection=smarter-living&mData=articles%255B%255D%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2017%252F12%252F08%252Fsmarter-living%252Fblack-ice-driving.html%253Frecid%253D0xo2jkI0SDk5v4bCtHOQZYaaQ1c%2526sl_l%253D1%2526sl_rec%253Dmostpopular_sample_dedup_sticky%26articles%255B%255D%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2017%252F12%252F15%252Farts%252Fmusic%252Fplaylist-black-thought-bts-camila-cabello.html%253Frecid%253D0xo2jkI0SDk5v4bCtHOQZYaaQ1c%2526sl_l%253D1%2526sl_rec%253Dmostpopular_sample_dedup_sticky&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=smarterLiving-promo-region&region=smarterLiving-promo-region&WT.nav=smarterLiving-promo-region

As a rule, rap is only received moderately well on the SDMB. Some folks feel better if they make it clear that Rap isn’t music, etc. Totally cool to have your opinion; other folks feel the same way about Country, or Opera, or Metal.

But if you’re in the mood to hear what great freestyle rapping is, follow that link. Black Thought has no notes in front of him, and I have no clue what prep goes into this, but damn. It’s just cool and interesting - the words, the various cadences he uses as he moves from phrase to phrase, the simply breathing techniques going on. He totally pulls it off. I can see why it’s going viral in the hip hop community.

ETA: here’s NPR’s take on it - Black Thought Shows Off The Art Of The Unrelenting Freestyle : The Record : NPR

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I like my graffiti wild and my rap free; that was dope. (Although we could have done without the dipstick host yelling at random.)

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Good lord. That was literally 3-4 songs worth of rap all in one flow!

No idea how people can’t respect rap as an art. Yes there is stuff that is simple, clunky and trite out there but you don’t call what Miles Davis does “crap” because 5th grade band class exists.

I love the insight at the end from the host about how other rappers come in and do 50 takes haha No doubt, no doubt.