By shelz.

One of the most irritating trends in Hip-Hop for the last few years definitely has to be one hot track equaling 132,001 freestyles.  Some producer has a moment of artistic clarity then the rest of us are forced to relive that epiphany over and over and over again.  This turns a plethora of mixtapes into sonic facsimiles and the poor emcee with the original song into that dude with the tune you just can’t bear to listen to anymore, lest it lull you into some brain damaging rap coma.  It speaks volumes to how small of a pool our beat makers are drawn from and how many talented unknown wannabe track stars probably sit at home on Friday nights tweeting the hell out of folks like me in a last ditch attempt at having their material heard.

However, every once in a while there is that welcome freestyle on the over used to death beat.  Someone finds a way to interject enough of themselves into the rhyme that we can forget we just screamed, “If I hear that beat on more time I’m going to shove a rusty screwdriver down my ear canal and end all of this foolishness for good.”  And believe me; it takes a lot of emcee talent to do that.

It really hasn’t been an “A Milli” kind of year, but there have been enough returns to certain songs to make you raise an eyebrow or curse under your breath at the culprits.  In my opinion though, it was worth the risk for a few.  Not everyone mentioned out rhymed the dude that had the track first, but they still did the beats justice.

First on the ticket is “Taking My Ball.”  This isn’t even all that great of a song to me, but I guess I’m in the minority in that thinking.  Folks hopped on the bandwagon, spewing out all kinds of rubbish over Dre’s meh track but one cat made it palatable; Joell Ortiz.

There is something very sincere about this dude.  He’s self deprecating but not overly so.  His hubris is tempered with humor so it’s rarely overbearing and his delivery is awesome.  And you can find all of those talking points in this one song. I don’t know about Latin folk saying the N word with such reckless abandon though.  We’re going to have to call a meeting of the black/brown etiquette think tank and hash this out.  Until then, enjoy.

“Taking My Ball Freestyle” – Joell Ortiz

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I still really need someone to explain to me what that “Popular Demand (Popeye’s)” song is all about. I like the song but what does fried chicken have to do with anything.  Anyway, the track has been absconded with by lots of Tom, Dick and Harry rappers and even one Lupe.  Honestly, I like his version better.

“Popular Demand Freestyle” – Lupe Fiasco

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Scoop Deville and Dr Dre had a grand idea when they snatched the sinister and atmospheric intro to Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock’s “It Takes Two” and looped it.  I mean how much work did that take?  Not much I’m sure, yet it still produced one of the most loved (and used) tracks of the year. Snoop even stole the first line of the song for the title.  It’s a nice tribute to a duo who last I heard were working the junior prom circuit in Iowa. Life is rough kiddos.  Anyway, I’ve heard everyone from Crooked I to Lloyd Banks to Rass Kass try to manhandle the simple track.  The best though was definitely Raekwon. With that almost monotone delivery and smoky voice, The Chef fits perfectly into the eerie track. 

“I Wanna Rock Freestyle” – Raekwon

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I have a question for you.  What rapper didn’t drop a freestyle over “DOA”? I’m sure that list, if anyone’s name is on it, is a lot shorter that the list of rappers who did. Even Young Dro tried.  He shouldn’t have, but he did. Again, I’m not sure if I love this track.  It sounds like SNL’s closing song or maybe the theme to Barney Miller. Yes, I remember Barney Miller. Don’t judge me. Hulu that shit. It’s funny. But I digress.  The best of the bunch was definitely the epic 2 hour masterpiece from Slaughterhouse. Okay, it wasn’t quite two hours, but it was pretty long. There was some negative feedback from the masses about Royce recycling some thoughts from Bar Exam 2, but his redemption freestyle pales in comparison to what his team did the night before on Green Lantern’s show.  Check them out.

“DOA Freestyle” – Slaughterhouse

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Out of fairness, here is Royce’s lyrical apology for the Bar Exam flashback, “Redemption.”

“Redemption” – Royce da 5-9

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Last but not least members of the jury is “Exhibit C.”  Jay Electronica took this song to places that shocked me.  He’s lyrically adept, creative, thoughtful and hella talented.  Should anyone have attempted even a whimper on this track? No, but you know everyone and their momma did. I don’t have a candidate for this joint and I’d suggest everyone who is thinking about recording one for the New Year make a resolution that they will leave this track alone.

“Exhibit C” – Jay Electronica

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To pick this up at itunes – http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/exhibit-c-ep/id346331122

In conclusion class, I think what this piece ultimately says is that about five dudes have this beat making job on lock and maybe 2010 should be the year we allow some new talent into the fold. It can’t really hurt the culture considering some of these big time producers seem to be making conspicuously similar tracks these days. That might even be the key to ending some of the stagnation we spend so much time criticizing.

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