All language subtitles for Freestyle 101 Hip Hop History [2023] [1080p] eng

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(record scratching)

[Myka 9] ♪ Oh, it's a brave new world. ♪

Aldous Huxley all the way
down to your jeans and chucks.

Me,

my loved ones Hollister, above none.

Recognize it's these ballers that are done

in the mortal words of the careless one.

- [Interviewer] Dope.

Hey, do me a favor, as long as..

- What's up?

- [Interviewer] Can you just so that the,

so it's in the background.

Can you give us a quick
freestyle about that?

♪ This vast display of marsh land ♪

♪ Could never suffer from the ♪

♪ Man in his harsh plan ♪

♪ The estuary, the
temporary over standing ♪

♪ That it'd be a substance abuse ♪

♪ Like Esso, he's the homie ♪

♪ I'd breathe this open air ♪

♪ No more mess so these are wholer ♪

♪ How do you say that word ♪

♪ It doesn't even matter what occurred ♪

♪ It's like spinning words for the birds ♪

♪ the ducks the quails ♪

♪ And that's where we dwell ♪

♪ Open up my mindset beyond
any spells of the cast ♪

♪ I gotta go these brothers
got a video to shoot right ♪

It's all love, peace

(group chattering)

- Hey guys, let's...

- We need to hit that invincible music.

- Here's a slate. Ready.

(beat boxing)

♪ Y'all? ♪

♪ Eck. ♪

♪ Yo yeah ♪

♪ Get that boys drink Get it ♪

♪ Get in a rhyme ♪

♪ Give them geared up
at the denim supplier ♪

♪ Ralph Lauren ♪

♪ Then I go out touring and out scoring ♪

♪ I'm chilling with the homie Alf ♪

♪ We ain't boring ♪

♪ Yeah, we keep it balls to the wall ♪

♪ to the ceiling and the flooring ♪

♪ God dammit ♪

♪ My flow is so prehistoric ♪

♪ It's like a saber tooth ♪

♪ I come straight bull ♪

♪ Fries meteoric with vocalizations ♪

♪ that dominate your
Facebook notifications ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ That's me with a little bitty number ♪

♪ On the mic showing my ass ♪

♪ Like your average plumber ♪

♪ That's how I do it 'cause
they offer the ass crack ♪

♪ Have 'em falling and
need insurance from Aflac ♪

♪ Just ask the duck 'cause
they whack as fuck ♪

♪ I hit 'em once with a
truck then backed it up ♪

♪ Yo (group laughing) ♪

♪ Like my man said,
it's the notification ♪

♪ I know that they hate it ♪

♪ 'cause I'm controlling the nation ♪

♪ I spit so raw ♪

♪ You spit what I spit
you'd break your own jaw ♪

♪ Kill your old paw ♪

♪ Slap your old ma ♪

♪ Maybe could even turn
O-Dog to coleslaw ♪

♪ And then I be out like so long ♪

♪ I'm one of the great great great ones ♪

♪ I spit like Frank in the cipher ♪

♪ Eight eight eight eight ♪

♪ Done ♪

(group cheering)

♪ Check it check it check it ♪

♪ I whip so many niggas ♪

♪ They swear I was in Django ♪

♪ Diva gets came through ♪

♪ When I'm dancin' like tango ♪

♪ No but I ♪

♪ I ain't jiggy when I
kick it with my people ♪

♪ when I represent my city ♪

♪ Leimert Park get it when the dark ♪

♪ Everybody try to act hard no heart ♪

♪ They want to blame it
but they can't claim it ♪

♪ Kick it with the homies on the front ♪

♪ I'm slaying ♪

♪ Yeah I be trying to make hot records ♪

♪ So I'm kind of outta shape
like I'm Brock Lesnar ♪

♪ I spend the whole weekend drunk ♪

♪ And I'm from Chicago
like I'm seeing punk ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Heavyweight championship ♪

♪ I be watching them seasons thirsting ♪

♪ How they trying for spit
boxing but not really with it ♪

♪ I rip 'em like Wonka
did that golden ticket ♪

♪ So fuckin' terrific ♪

♪ Shit I'm small just like a midget ♪

♪ But nah that's the improper term ♪

♪ MCs better watch it
wait until it burns. ♪

♪ I'm waiting until it turns to the left ♪

♪ I inside to make that next check ♪

♪ Old school like a text via telegram ♪

♪ I don't gotta tell you that I'm nice ♪

♪ You could tell I am ♪

♪ So tell your girl and tell your man ♪

♪ And write a telegram ♪

♪ From jail home so
you can tell your fam ♪

♪ Now everybody that you
know know that I'm the boss ♪

♪ Like who go roll up in the two though ♪

♪ But nah it ain't new yo ♪

♪ The shits from like 72 yo ♪

♪ 'cause I'm too broke
and that's some honesty ♪

(group whooping)

(group clapping)

(deep hip hop beat)

[P.E.A.C.E.] ♪ Yeah. ♪

♪ I see words in my head ♪

♪ I line 'em up a ranger man then I said ♪

♪ Yeah I spit 'em and that's how lead ♪

Freddy's dead and his Pro Keds

- [Ice-T] Freestylers have the
ability to think on they feet

and as they rhyme,

they're making the rhyme
up as they go along.

♪ Ain't nothing like it
so nigga can answer ♪

♪ Serious as cancer ♪

♪ I was a dancer ♪

♪ Then I turned into a lyrical romancer ♪

- [Open Mike Eagle] I'm in a place in
the business such where I travel around

and am more and more
gaining a footing in the

independent aspects of rap music.

♪ He said word and I said word we out ♪

♪ But I represent this shit right now ♪

♪ KNPNBDK ♪

- [Del] You gonna mess up

sometimes you going not rhyme.

Sometimes you going to
inadvertently diss yourself.

♪ Niggas on the bus it's okay ♪

♪ I'ma stop it right now spin it 'round ♪

♪ Freestyle like 101 ♪

- [Iron Solomon] A lot
like a sport right now.

It's most like boxing.

♪ Free-ee-Style 101 ♪

♪ Off of the dome ♪

♪ Spontaneous poems ♪

♪ Get the word on town ♪

♪ And jump on the gown ♪

♪ Skate board slide grind ♪

♪ And I kick real ♪

♪ Come back with some gangster shit ♪

♪ She walk on in ♪

♪ Back on the board
keep going around tho ♪

♪ Kick push ♪

♪ Do your fuckin' go ♪

♪ Free style 101 ♪

♪ Free style 101 ♪

♪ Free style 101 ♪

♪ They say it is nothing
you know where I'm from ♪

♪ From - From ♪

♪ Free free style-yle 101 ♪

♪ Free free Style-yle 101 ♪

♪ Free free style-yle 101 ♪

♪ Let me explain freestyle-yle 101 ♪

♪ One one one one one ♪

- [Narrator Chuck D]
New York, the mid 1970s.

A handful of breakthrough artists combined

a visual power of graffiti art

and a fresh new craze called Break Dancing

with a backbeat of a DJ

and a hungry MC armed
only with a microphone.

Through this marriage of urban art styles,

hip hop was born.

Vocally,

rapping took the sensibility
of spoken word poetry

and put it to a beat.

Some wrote their rhymes down

while others made their rhymes
off the top of their head.

A skill later called freestyling.

- [Grandmaster Caz] Hiphop
started as hiphop in 1973.

We date the birth of hiphop in 1973.

The first documented hip hop
party was given in a small

apartment building on the
west side of the Bronx

by DJ Kool Herc.

And so we marked that date
as the birth of hip hop.

We marked that place as
the birth place of hip hop.

And we marked that DJ as the father.

- [R.A. the Rugged Man] Kool Herc,
you know, started doing these shows

and you know they're famous now,

but it was a rec room on
Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx.

And Melle Mel used to bring people out

and throw these little hip hop parties

DJing then got to the point where

they'd throw a little MC to talk

And you know, they say
that was the birthplace.

♪ Sedgwick can see the Bronx ♪

♪ New York birthplace ♪

♪ Kool Herc Block Party ♪

♪ Hip hop's first stage Zulu Nation ♪

♪ The man looked at as the grandfather ♪

♪ Kevin Donovan later
known as Band by Love Bug ♪

♪ Starsky ♪

♪ Coke la Rock ♪

♪ First MC cold Crush ♪

♪ Furious five ♪

♪ Treach three Modieve ♪

♪ First National TV spot was Kurtis Blow ♪

♪ Mr. Magic had the
first ever radio show ♪

♪ UTFO Houdini Run DMC energy ♪

♪ The God Rakim, KRS and Public Enemy ♪

♪ The Plus 1 was Sha Rock ♪

♪ Queensbridge had Shante ♪

♪ MC lyte ♪

♪ Salt and Pepper ♪

♪ Fuck what any man say ♪

♪ Schoolly D started gangsta rap ♪

♪ Let me bring it back ♪

♪ In the Ronald Reagan '80s
epidemic slinging crack ♪

♪ Golden era kings ♪

♪ In my opinion were The Juice Crew ♪

♪ Native Tongue, Flava Unit, Hit Squad ♪

♪ Breakthrough hip hop
became more commercial ♪

♪ But some stayed true. ♪

♪ Fast forward to the '90s ♪

♪ New crew named Wu ♪

- [RZA] Freestyle is something that means

to come off the top of your head

and make a rhyme up, you know.

But at one point
freestyling meant, you know,

just rhyming about no subject matters

because a lot of MCs was making stories

and lyrics with subjects.

So freestyle kind of
meant just braggadocious.

But then it came to a point
where freestyle artists

basically means the let the
lyrics flow freely through you

and come off your head.

And I didn't get good at that
until around the age of 16

where you gimme anything,

you could see a mosquito

and I come with a whole
fuckin' two minute rap

about a mosquito.

You know what I mean?

(hip hop beat)

[Cappadonna] ♪ Yo ♪

♪ Get it ♪

♪ Well at the age of 18 ♪

♪ I was an MC fiend ♪

♪ Need a rehabilitate
to release the steam. ♪

♪ I've been rhymin' so long
and now finally hooked ♪

♪ And I ain't saying I'm the best ♪

♪ but I've never been took ♪

♪ Yo I'm a cool poet ♪

♪ Rhyming alcoholic ♪

♪ Rhymin' so correct it'll
take a week to install it ♪

♪ Call my bluff and say
I'm coppin' to plea ♪

♪ For the vocalize music ♪

♪ You're outta my league ♪

♪ Yeah, time. ♪

♪ My name is Don ♪

♪ I'm strung on the rhymes ♪

♪ And it's getting to the point ♪

♪ where you're just wasting my time ♪

♪ But if you thinkin' that you want some ♪

♪ Due for a taste ♪

♪ See me with your mic
and meet me face to face ♪

♪ 'cause I'm a magic magician ♪

♪ Keep on dissing ♪

♪ When I rocking jam you
know the crowd do listen ♪

♪ I'm an explorier like a Tom Sawyier ♪

♪ Got a rep for rapping in
another bough of euphoria ♪

♪ Girl Charmer Night with Shaskanama ♪

♪ Of course I got more
structure in the aircraft ♪

♪ But I'm a Wu healer ♪

♪ Drinking mad tequila ♪

♪ And my girl is a secret
so I never will reveal her ♪

♪ I'm a night time thrilla ♪

♪ From the Killer Hilla♪

♪ Rock a block party ♪

♪ From any town you can
tell I'm sentimental ♪

♪ Not a oriental ♪

♪ Rhyming so legit you
think that I was mental ♪

♪ Captain Crunch ♪

♪ Crunch chunks blowing
white dumps cru...♪

♪ Br-r-rat ♪

- I mean it it just go way
back to the Sugar Hill Gang.

I think that was like one of
the first songs that I really,

really heard and really
started getting into.

You know what I'm saying?

At my time back in like '77,

you know what I mean?

Earlier,

Sugar Hill Gang with a pow pow boogie

and the big bang bang.

You know what I'm saying?

That was one of my favorite joints

when I went over a friend's house to eat.

And the food just ain't no good.

The macaroni salad,

the pizza, know what I'm sayin'

and chicken tastes like wood.

You know what I'm saying?

A lot of people they get
into Rakim and all of them.

Yeah. That's definitely the
facts of life right there.

But I go back to

♪ White lines, vivid dreams of passion. ♪

- You know what I'm saying?

So it's like when I look up
hip hop in a dictionary, man,

I see, I just see like,

you know, smart entrepreneurs,

like a group of minorities

that came up from nothing

and had these harsh realities,

you know,

mixed with this soulfulness
to express to the people.

Man, and that's me too.

- [Fat Joe] You know,

it's unfair being from New York

to be honest with you
as an artist in hip hop

because being that it was born here,

they expect so much out of us.

You know what I'm saying?

So when we do a song,

not only does it have to
be a catchy hit record,

but you have to lyrically
rip it down crazy.

You know what I'm saying?

So that, you know what I'm saying?

It could even be respected
coming outta New York.

You can't get away with
just doing whatever, man.

- [Grandmaster Caz] Our
rebellion against disco

was the breeding ground for hip hop.

You know what I mean?

We try to create our own disco, okay?

Our version of a disco, okay?

You could wear your sneakers, your hats,

whatever the fuck you want to wear,

you come as you are.

- [Pete Rock] You had Bambaata
and you had Cold Crush

and Grandmaster Flash and you know,

that was the school I come from.

- [Masta Ace] And somebody
would come through

with the hot new tape.

Y'all got Cold Crush performing
at such and such club

last night and let me get a copy

and everybody bring their
blanks out and duck copies.

And then, you know,

when you had that new routine

that they were doing at the club,

you were the hottest dude
if you had that tape.

- [Sheek Louch] These mix tapes
back then with your freestyles

and doing all that was
street albums damn near.

Like, you know what I'm saying?

Like when you couldn't get a deal,

this was an album on the
street that came out.

They was waiting for a
mixtape to hit New York City.

You know what I mean? So
it's a little sweeter now.

Like they, you know, you
get the game right now,

they just anything's on the mixtape

and it's just so you
don't even wanna listen

to the old shit 'cause you like,

who the hell is this?

- [Sean Kingston] I freestyle
before I even write a song

like I just freestyle out words,

you know what I'm saying?

Just to get the words now packed.

So if you can't really freestyle,

you gotta be able to write.

'cause you got people can't freestyle,

but they write hella songs I'm saying.

And they're hella good songwriters.

But the only thing is it's
even better when you can

freestyle 'cause it's like, man,

I'm saying and you just
listening to the beat

and you just freestyle like,
you know what I'm saying?

I'm a soldier or whatever it is.

And it just comes out
to you and you're like,

yo wait,

that's a hot hook that
it stains in your brain

and you just like, all right,

I'm gonna write that down like Jay-Z,

Jay-Z goes in the booth, no pen, no pad.

I'm saying just go in,

just freestyle and record it down

and just you know what
I mean memorize it back.

And he has his verse.

- [Open Mike Eagle] Where like when
I came up you had to do at least two

things or you couldn't
even call yourself hip hop.

When I came up.

Like so all of us were break
dancers, graffiti artists

and rappers and if we
could afford turntables,

we were DJs too.

You had to do everything.

♪ MDK Mortal Kombat ♪

♪ Spread wings like wombat ♪

♪ But species is way beyond that ♪

♪ I tap on any MC like I was tap shoes ♪

♪ MCs wanna rap but nobody
wants to rap with you ♪

I don't like your attitudes ♪

So I battle you over
a cup of apple juice ♪

♪ And use algorhythms to battle
midgets for raffle tickets ♪

♪ It has to be me ♪

♪ MC will never be below ♪

♪ But I also come back but
I represent The Blowed♪

[Dumbfoundead] ♪ Because yo, it's to
me from the super body yo brother ♪

♪ And you can't believe it ♪

♪ Like this was Fabio's butter ♪

♪ And I'm an audio lover ♪

♪ I'm working things out ♪

♪ Burning the cardio blubber ♪

♪ So what sir you wanna battle me ♪

♪ You can't count the strikes ♪

♪ And counter strike that
I've attacked with Half Life ♪

♪ Not smoking on crack pipes ♪

♪ 'cause that's life ♪

♪ And that's how we rip it though ♪

♪ Thirsty Fish we working this ♪

- Freestyling is not an east
coast or a west coast thing.

It's a hip hop thing.

- Originally the term freestyle
had nothing to do with it

being off the top of the head.

- Freestyling used to mean
just using a rhyme that wasn't

attached to something
like a song, a routine

or part of a group situation.

It was just one of the rhymes
that you had a random rhyme.

- Freestyling in New York
means something different

than what it means in LA.

In LA it means off the top
of the dome in New York.

I've heard rappers like
Kurtis Blow even say

freestyle is just a rap
you haven't heard yet.

- Nowadays freestyling
just means off the head

back in the day off the
head, off the dome was like,

you just wrapped off, you know,
whatever came to your head.

Like Roxanne Shante, she
would just, you know,

she didn't even write
rhymes in the studio.

Like if she wrote you'd be like, what?

You know she just freestyled
half of those classic,

you know, have a nice day.

She had all these classic records

and they were off the head.

- [Sheek Louch] When Roxanne Shante,

you know what I'm saying?

Roxanne, Roxanne.

When they UTFO and all
'em and they was going at

it, I'm like wow, I got
a Mr Magic is playing,

I put the tissue on the top of the TDK

and was doing it like that.
You know what I'm saying?

And I was like, wow, this is crazy.

Did you hear what she said
back to them and all that?

- So somewhere along the way
the term freestyle started to

connote, you know,

rhyming off the top and
and that's what people

now refer to it as.

- [Iron Solomon] It's an evolution.

And I think even in the '90s

when like freestyle was
like the catch word,

I think the idea that you have
certain lines that are your

go-to lines and you have
certain fallback stuff

and the ability to be spontaneous

and mix in stuff that you're
thinking up on the spot.

You know something about
somebody's clothing

or the club that you're in

and then pull on those other lines

and those other parts of your brain

that you just have these
different pieces stored.

- [Ice-T] Freestylers have the
ability to think on they feet

and as they rhyme they're
making the rhyme up

as they go along.

I'm coming off the dome
right now coming off.

I'm just making this
stuff up as I go along.

♪ Special ops ♪

♪ We going in ♪

♪ Enough talk nigga's talk too much ♪

♪ I set it tongue splash bitch niggas ♪

♪ Gunfights ♪

♪ Paramedics call my
regimen up at midnight ♪

♪ Tip on the flashlight
you claim you want beef ♪

♪ It's too tough. ♪

♪ Called your bluff shot you close range ♪

♪ Blew out your ear drums ♪

♪ Hit you with the Mac blast
your cage out your back. ♪

♪ The other niggas stepped up ♪

♪ And got bucked by my ninjas ♪

♪ Casualty after casualty all up in you ♪

♪ You're not a street vet yet ♪

♪ Bitch you're a beginner ♪

♪ My niggas eat punks like
your crew for dinner ♪

♪ Rock you in broad daylight
to make the risk double ♪

♪ Hit you in the lung with my gun ♪

♪ Watch your chest bubble step on ♪

♪ Feel the Teflon black
talons rip through your vest ♪

♪ Hit your chest ♪

♪ Lose your balance. ♪

♪ You never had no drama with
the real now you want it ♪

♪ My skill got you haunted ♪

♪ The ski mask I don it ♪

♪ Shoot bitch bust your gun ♪

♪ catch your body Cuz
not your muthafucka ♪

♪ You don't know who your mommy was ♪

♪ Cock back let this shit
fly and make me die ♪

♪ The west coaster walk around
daily with the toaster ♪

♪ No escape. ♪

♪ EMS roll out the yellow
tape chalk off the sidewalks ♪

♪ It's New York ♪

♪ Come on ♪

♪ It's the gamble on your life tonight ♪

♪ Are you a G that makes
your gun sing or a bitch ♪

♪ With a tongue ring ♪

♪ Flat out on what this shit's all about ♪

♪ Nocturnal with the flame thrower ♪

♪ USDEA know us ♪

♪ Not no toy I'm cold in the camo ♪

♪ Load up your ammo,I'll
blow out your candles ♪

♪ You could be a fly nigga die nigga ♪

♪ you could catch your
dick up in the day like ♪

♪ Fuck around with my niggas ♪

♪ Come with your task force ♪

♪ I blast with my mask off ♪

♪ I don't give a fuck about
you reppin' your hood ♪

♪ You now fuckin' with your last nigga ♪

♪ Quick to blast ♪

♪ I don't give a fuck
if it in the ass nigga ♪

♪ You don't really want
to try with the fly ♪

♪ It's click bang you gone hustler ♪

♪ I pull the trigger long ♪

♪ I die get shot ♪

♪ CE Big T reload ♪

♪ Flip the clip ♪

♪ Come on nigga get me
stuck in hell with the ♪

♪ Splinter cell ♪

♪ It don't get no harder than this ♪

♪ Are you retarded as shit ♪

♪ Fag dump with the black mag trunk ♪

♪ With the double bag ♪

♪ Blood on the ski mask ♪

♪ Throw up the blue rag ♪

♪ Looking at me like
your ass didn't know ♪

♪ See me in the apple 20 frozen in snow ♪

♪ Hitting switches out in Cali
in the hood you won't go ♪

♪ My click cooks the crack in the pyrex ♪

♪ Pimps with the finest
decided who will die next ♪

♪ Go on with your punk
ass life and your wife ♪

♪ Iceberg nigga what ♪

- [P.E.A.C.] It is an extreme sport.

So when I see skateboarders,

Skateboard freestyle off,

snowboard freestyle off
like okay I understand that.

That is true 'cause out
there on that board,

yeah you have to really make
up to as you're going along.

'cause most of the time
if you don't have nothing,

you can't think of nothing to
say 90% of the time that means

rapping is not for you.

You know what I'm saying?

But if you have something to say

or something hits you and
you can come with like,

♪ I lost my girl the other day ♪

♪ My grandmamma passed away ♪

♪ my daddy all up in my ear ♪

♪ I'm losing my place to stay ♪

♪ Ain't got no rent to spend ♪

♪ But my daughter wants some things ♪

♪ So I'm back up on the
street chopping rocks ♪

♪ And selling chains ♪

♪ Now I'm moving like a gangsta ♪

♪ Got a gun that I should shoot ♪

♪ Got is all up in my ear
every Sunday with a suit ♪

♪ With my book up in my hand
and I'm crossing just to you ♪

♪ Everybody ain't gonna live ♪

♪ Some people gotta die too ♪

♪ Only if you think about what
you going to think about ♪

♪ See I'm called thinking loud ♪

♪ But I know what I'm talking 'bout ♪

♪ But if you been talking to ♪

♪ So I know you feel me though ♪

♪ You can write this shit down ♪

♪ Or just see it like
I'm saying it though ♪

♪ Same thing ♪

- [Guru] A jazz player
that's gonna just you know,

improvise and just play what
he's feeling at the time.

His emotions and so forth
and his thoughts that

express those musically is
very similar to a rapper

freestyling off the head.

- To take it from the great jazz artists

like Bird and Miles.

What their brains was thinking

and what their motor skills were doing,

their creative side was doing
with their thinking side

was beautiful.

And we call it freestyling.

- Learning pattern control.

Learning how to beat and rhyme

and keep the subject and the pattern

and what's cohesive and the elements

and the atmosphere around you.

That would come in handy
when you recording.

That would come in handy if
you didn't memorize all your

rhymes and said you know,

battling back then they used to call it

like come off the dome.

They used to call it sky rap on this side.

On the east coast they used to call it

a wild style freestyle.

But a lot of the times they
would call freestyle back then

just busting in the street,
you know, free I guess.

(deep hip hop beat)

♪ Oooom ♪

♪ Namaste ♪

♪ M-Y-K-A space 9 ♪

♪ It's all love ♪

♪ I redefine freestyle wine ♪

♪ Myspace me ♪

♪ Myka 9 ♪

♪ Dot com ♪

♪ I pop moms ♪

♪ I'm an underground hip hop icon ♪

♪ Jump through your sunroof ♪

♪ Run through your funds dude ♪

♪ I'm hundred proof ♪

♪ Got too much spit for one booth ♪

♪ I'm the truth ♪

♪ You a damn liar ♪

♪ If I'm not hotter than campfire ♪

♪ These energy vampire
sound like Sanjaya ♪

♪ They man-ginas ♪

♪ Tucking they tail inside their vagina ♪

♪ Old timer 49 old
rhymers with Alzheimer ♪

♪ When I'm blowing up most spots ♪

♪ Than underground coal miners ♪

♪ I'm the laughing hyena ♪

♪ That's killing them with kindness ♪

♪ Got more lines than sinus ♪

♪ Get more peanuts than Linus ♪

♪ You can call mine some nappy
headed flows like Don Imus ♪

♪ God have mercy on your soul ♪

♪ This you must pray ♪

♪ Because you fell off and
got booed Just like Miss USA ♪

♪ I'm timeless ♪

♪ These cats a spineless
little fur balls ♪

♪ and I don't have to quit inside decide ♪

♪ Just because my girl calls ♪

♪ I'm so sick of I'm about to hurl y'all ♪

♪ Freestyle fellowship ♪

♪ Haiku d'Etat Project Blowed ♪

♪ It's a whirlwind ♪

♪ Snatching you up like your girlfriend ♪

♪ Inside the limo ♪

♪ I don't need to listen to your demo ♪

♪ Or the instrumental
I'm from South Central ♪

♪ In my final intro ♪

♪ It's to let your menstrual flow ♪

♪ You period ♪

♪ You're not taking me serious ♪

♪ You're more curious ♪

♪ I'm furious ♪

♪ Dilapidated funk dies ♪

♪ The raps die ♪

♪ They capsize ♪

♪ A lot of these cats in
the bowl look around ♪

♪ And with they face get baptized ♪

♪ It's all love ♪

♪ You could've played me if we were we ♪

♪ And if I was an invisible MC ♪

♪ And you try to strike me out on TV ♪

♪ There's so much envy ♪

♪ A lot of MCs never recognized
the sacred geometry ♪

♪ Gee I'm a G ♪

♪ Look at me I'm a tree ♪

♪ I grow beyond the flower of life ♪

♪ I flow and I'll devour you on site ♪

♪ Snatch your life ♪

♪ Take the ultimate price of sacrifice ♪

♪ Cook it up like a sack of rice ♪

♪ These cats is pitiful ♪

♪ I'm more critical ♪

♪ And I'm spinning them
with the centripetal force ♪

♪ Giving them more inertia ♪

♪ What's worse ♪

♪ These dudes ain't critical ♪

♪ I'm just serving these foods ♪

♪ It's not even that difficult ♪

♪ Observing the rules and on earth ♪

♪ As I grow they see the worth
and the pain of the woes ♪

♪ Dudes don't even know how Myka 9 rose ♪

♪ Like who to talk ♪

♪ Freestyle fellowship ♪

♪ Project Blowed y'all ♪

♪ It's all love ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ It's all love ♪

♪ And above and beyond the rest ♪

♪ And a lot of these cats
can't get it off their chest ♪

♪ To open up their chest like sesame ♪

♪ Breathing down their neck ♪

♪ My foot up on they back ♪

♪ These cats don't even know
they're still disrespecting me ♪

♪ Insect them seeds like ♪

♪ Take off your wings and crush you ♪

♪ But instead I'll let you go free ♪

♪ Catch you in a jar with a
little piece of paper on top ♪

♪ My style rocks inside of a skyscraper ♪

♪ Or I got a rock I like eating
capers and salads a lot ♪

♪ I've got the balance ♪

♪ You's don't understand ♪

♪ I rock the block ♪

♪ And concocted little thingamabobs ♪

♪ Highly sensitive circuitry ♪

♪ I work in these with
these different degrees ♪

♪ I never could repeat ♪

♪ I burry deep these
thieves who don't know ♪

♪ It's simply me myself and
I and my loved ones fly ♪

♪ They already know that Myka 9 ♪

♪ Spy versus spy tactics
can never kill them ♪

♪ Fly away I utilize with
skills of up the skillet ♪

♪ Into the propane outlet ♪

♪ Gas jet flame ♪

♪ Cash checks any name ♪

♪ So many different scientific theories ♪

♪ Are given throughout
the universe degrees ♪

♪ The healers throughout the cosmosis ♪

♪ My psychosis as the crowd
is throwin' me roses ♪

♪ And Bravos ♪

♪ Who wants to oppose this ♪

♪ I know a couple of cats
who will finally out ♪

♪ Like want to contest Myka 9's route ♪

♪ Without getting tucked in they snout ♪

♪ They albino ♪

♪ Ready to cut this rap on Vinyl ♪

♪ Work on the demo ♪

♪ Replay tape ♪

♪ Shows these fools I go more than wild ♪

♪ More than eight ♪

♪ Crush them like the skin of grapes ♪

♪ Cats don't even know
it I've seen the fake ♪

♪ Revenge the rake ♪

♪ Yo keep digging in the crates ♪

♪ Keep the love ♪

♪ Myka 9'll set 'em straight ♪

♪ Oh yeah ♪

♪ Is that cool ♪

♪ Cool ♪

- Got enough of cannon fodder?

Enough for the kids?

Can I go now?

- [Gift Of Gab] Freestyle
is like a lucid reality.

You know like they say that
life is just a dream that this

is all a dream that lasts
like a hundred years.

But when you asleep,
dreams are more lucid.

You can be anywhere at any time.

Only this reality is more structured.

- [Ras Kass] Life is like freestyling.

You know,

you don't have a set goal,
you don't have a set journey.

And sometimes you do

and you still get hit with a speed bump.

You may stumble and it may
change your whole trajectory,

but your end goal is to win.

- [Del] I mean you going to mess
up. You know what I'm saying?

You going mess up sometimes.

Sometimes you going to not rhyme,

sometimes you going to
inadvertently diss yourself.

You know what I'm saying?

Like, you know what I'm saying?

Like you gonna say something stupid.

But if you could just bounce back

and just keep it going, you know,

that's where you kind of
get your respect from.

And you gotta kind of have
like a low amount of fear.

- [Sean Price] Freestyle is a thought.

So if it's a thought
and you put it on paper.

It ain't a freestyle no more.

You know, simple.

You know, simple as that.

You know,

if I just choose to go willy-nilly with it

and you know what I mean,

then it's a freestyle.

You know the thoughts you put on paper

and the thoughts you
just spit out sporadic.

You know,

that's the difference between
the song and the freestyle.

- [B-Real] You know,

there was cats that wrote their raps

and dudes that did it
off the top of the head.

And with the guys did
that were writing it,

you could pretty much tell it was written.

You know what I mean?

' cause it was,

you could tell there was a
lot of structure there where

guys from off the top of the head,

they were just spitting a lot
of stuff that sounded cool,

Really, some of it didn't make sense.

It became one of those things where

you had to be good at both.

You had to be good at
writing and free styling.

There are some dudes that
do it better than others.

Like a guy like Supernatural, you know,

which is probably one of
the best at freestyling

off the top of his head.

- The best freestyler I've ever
seen in my life is a rapper

named Supernatural.

And I've seen him like just
pick people outta the audience

and make intricate rhymes
and not rhyme simple.

Rhyme three syllable words
together off the head.

(up beat hip hop music)

[Supernatural] ♪ Listen, listen. ♪

♪ He is incredible ♪

♪ Yo, I am a king ♪

♪ When I'm on the mic ♪

♪ I could spit about anything ♪

♪ Under the sun ♪

♪ Yo listen to me drop it ♪

♪ Now this is the part where
you dig into your pockets ♪

♪ Okay very slick ♪

♪ When I start to ride ♪

♪ Yo my freestyles off
the top is classified ♪

♪ Everywhere I go ♪

♪ You can never know ♪

♪ I kill the microphone at any tempo ♪

♪ This is part of the show ♪

♪ It's very necessary ♪

♪ And if you gotta find me ♪

♪ Hit me on the Blackberry ♪

♪ Yeah that's the way that I drop ♪

♪ I speak me ♪

♪ So dig it to your pocket
right now and eat three ♪

♪ And she's so cute ♪

♪ Every time that she blasts
quick a gap in the teeth ♪

♪ And she gave me your Chapstick ♪

♪ Yeah tell you what ♪

♪ And we like it like that ♪

♪ Incredible memoirs of
the cat named Supernat ♪

♪ But you know it's so hot ♪

♪ And I blow it so hot ♪

♪ Have you ever seen
a white man take off ♪

♪ Give a black man a watch ♪

♪ Hey blow the spot and
we could spit again ♪

♪ And yo it's not a Rolex ♪

♪ It's just a Citizen ♪

♪ Ha ♪

♪ Every time that I blow I blaze ♪

♪ I could spit like this ♪

♪ And we rhyme for days ♪

♪ Couldn't you tell ♪

♪ Grabbed a microphone on the drum ♪

♪ He gave me a pack of watermelon gum ♪

♪ Beats on the drum spit like a scanner ♪

♪ Way that I could do it ♪

♪ I used my bandana ♪

♪ This is what I do ♪

♪ I'm sick like the flu ♪

♪ Freestyle so hard that
he jumped out his shoe ♪

♪ Pee-Ew ♪

♪ You put it back on ♪

♪ Transform ♪

♪ When I'm on the mic ♪

♪ I truly blast on ♪

♪ Could you comprehend with
the style that I send ♪

♪ This is all off the dome
so I don't need a pen ♪

♪ Yo, ♪

♪ I'm going in every time I'm flowing in ♪

♪ Flavor so hard they
could call me George ♪

♪ A-K Yo we put it down like that ♪

♪ His first name Jeremy
and his last name Wrap ♪

♪ Hey yeah brother. ♪

♪ Three seconds flat off
the top of the dome ♪

♪ It's the cat Supernat ♪

♪ And when I'm on the mic ♪

♪ Yo they can never tip me ♪

♪ Is the bottle half full
or is it half empty ♪

- It's spontaneous.

You gotta be quick on your feet.

You have to think on the fly
and always keep it moving.

Then it is a game to me too
when I'm on stage freestyling

to see how much I can
come up with off the head.

How much I can make on the spot.

You know how many people
I can move by my music.

For those that don't know,

I currently hold the world
record for the longest freestyle

rap off the dome.

We did that at San Bernardino
at the fairgrounds out there,

the Orange show.

And it was nine hours and
15 minutes off the head.

And until you've attempted
something like that,

you can't possibly imagine the
mental power that it takes to

pull off something like that.

Every hour in between hours,

they would make us take a break

so that I could catch my breath.

It was only a five minute
break you were allotted.

But just to be on stage
rhyming for that long,

you go into like a euphoria almost.

You go into a different world.

- For me,

when I was like rhyming every
single day all the time,

I could like feel several
different trains of thought

going on at the same time.

So I could, you know,

know what I was about to say.

And then I would also be
thinking about the next rhyme

while I was saying one.

And then another part of me
was almost outside of my body,

like holy shit, am I really
doing this right now?

Like I'm killing it, you know?

♪ So incredible ♪

♪ I quote just like the Hulks vocal ♪

♪ When he gets angry ♪

♪ Don't try to bite it ♪

♪ It's tangy ♪

♪ Mcs get strangled at different angles ♪

♪ Trigonometry or G-O with the free flow ♪

♪ This shit is below zero and
skill wise I killed that ♪

- [Narrator] So what does
it actually take the rap?

What is your brain doing
when you are improvising

as opposed to reading?

What is behind the science of rapping?

♪ My flows is the wokest ♪

♪ Hocus Pocus ♪

♪ They disappear ♪

♪ Check what I engineer ♪

♪ They get filled with fear ♪

♪ I'm a fuckin' billionaire ♪

♪ Listening to Doom's Gazillionaire ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

- I was invited out by the
National Institutes of Health.

They wanted to do a pilot
program where they measured the

brain activity in the different
lobes while someone was

engaging in freestyle rap.

- [Dr. Charles Limb] My
name is Charles Limb.

I am an otolaryngologist,

a head and neck surgeon here
at Johns Hopkins Hospital in

Baltimore, Maryland.

In common terms,

what that means is I study
ear, nose, and throat medicine.

I focus on how people hear
complex things such as music.

My clinical practice is all
based on treatment of people

with hearing loss or
musicians or deafness.

And then my research all centers
around how it is that we're

able to do this thing called music.

So as a musician,

I've been playing jazz my whole life

and one of the main things about jazz

is that the music is improvised.

And so this is something
that as a listener

and as an amateur player,

I'd always thought, wow,
this is kind of great.

You know, I love improvising,

I love listening to somebody improvise.

The more I started listening to jazz

and thinking about it at a higher level,

I started thinking, oh,

how are they doing this?

How does John Coltrane do
that when he's playing?

How did Miles Davis do that?

And at first it was really the
kind of question that anybody

who likes music or jazz would ask.

You know,

you'd kind of casually throw
that question out there.

But for me it became more
than a casual question.

I said,

wow, you know, how does he do it?

And then I thought to myself,
well let's try to find out.

I wanted to start directing
my efforts towards music

and I decided to study
functional brain imaging.

That's a method relatively recent,

depending on your frame of mind,

where you can take a person,

put 'em in a MRI machine and
look at their brain activity

while they're doing something.

So in my case,

if I designed an experiment properly,

I should be able to
study how a jazz musician

or a freestyle rapper
improvises in real time.

♪ [Emmanuel Jackson] Top of the beat ♪

♪ There's no repeat ♪

♪ Rhythm and rhyme make me complete ♪

♪ Climb is sublime when I'm
on the mic spittin' rhymes ♪

♪ Start to get you like stretch ♪

♪ Search for the truth ♪

♪ In it's eternal breath ♪

♪ Asked how fast you can see our dress ♪

- When we did the
functional brain scanning

of jazz musicians,

the results were pretty
striking to me in the end.

What we found though was that
the whole brain is really

engaged during a process of improvisation.

It really,

creativity engages the entire brain.

And that in and of itself is
a pretty remarkable finding.

But very specifically,

we also found that in the
prefrontal cortex of the brain,

that's this part of the brain
up here that really separates

humans from animals.

We had a very interesting
combination of things where a

broad portion of this
brain was turning off.

And by turning off, I mean it
was relatively deactivated.

And these are areas that are
thought to be involved in many

things, including conscious
self-monitoring, self-censoring,

self inhibition,

a way to kind of put a
context to what you're doing.

All the rule-based ways that
we evaluate our own efforts

and goal-directed
behaviors are all filtered

through this consciousness that we have.

And in improvisation that consciousness

was being turned off.

(funky hip hop beat)

- In LA the underground
hip hop that was cracking

was due to the fact that
gangsta rap was so big

and nobody knew that
there were cats out here

that were doing, you know,

conscious rap or just rap.

That was the alternative to gangsta.

- Growing up in LA

you know,

we caught the hip hop

and the rap influence a little bit later.

You know,

New York had it first

and it started trickling down here to LA

on a station called K-D-A-Y.

- As far as me taking notice
of gangsta rap would be

Ice-T, NWA.

Obviously the next evolution after that is

Snoop Death Row, Pac

and their counterparts
would be Biggie, Jay-Z, Nas.

- [The Game] As far as Los
Angeles and California, man,

there was nothing like it.

Everything that was rapped about

you could walk out your front
door and see and you know,

without even wanting to be a part of it,

you were a part of it, man.

So that's how I came up.

And you know, it was scary.

'cause you know, the music, the lifestyle,

Los Angeles in general, the
riots when I was 11 years old,

like you could die.

You know, being a part of
what it was transforming into.

- From the coexistence of, you know,

what we call gangsta rap NWAs
to what became, you know,

considered the avant-garde
West coast hip hop, which is,

you know, Pharsyde and
Freestyle Fellowship.

Now we have, you know,

the up to date and the star of
the show is Open Mike Eagle.

♪ They say they looking for me ♪

♪ But I don't want to hear it ♪

♪ You can find me at the
park district volunteering ♪

♪ With my head disheveled ♪

♪ And my sneakers scuffed ♪

♪ Or use your GPS ♪

♪ And get your celly features up ♪

♪ I went to Africa ♪

♪ They played me on the radio ♪

♪ And did I wear the people out ♪

♪ Yeah maybe so ♪

♪ 'cause all they knew was jive ♪

♪ And all I do was vibe ♪

♪ And bright green light
made the program director ♪

♪ Loose his mind ♪

♪ He said what type of rapper is that ♪

♪ Ain't no bitches hoes ♪

♪ And I ain't even being funny ♪

♪ Homie didn't know ♪

♪ Check, check, check ♪

♪ You old middle of the road ass ♪

♪ Don't know the code ass ♪

♪ Mid Rain flat eq not
even low Pass filter ♪

♪ You'll probably like
gray better than silver ♪

♪ Closet full of short
sleeve dress shirts ♪

♪ For work like Dagwood or Dilbert ♪

♪ And if you was a nut
you'd be a filbert ♪

♪ About as edgy as Bob The Builder ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Your whole styles all butter knife ♪

♪ You make Jack McBryar
look like a gutter snipe ♪

♪ You probably get 10 types of offended ♪

♪ At adult content and just a
friend and do what you like ♪

♪ So do some helium sound of your voice ♪

♪ Is extra extra medium ♪

♪ Anything to dress up
your mediocre presidium ♪

♪ Get zesty at mexico karaoke
nights and do kiss medleys ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

- [Narrator] Introducing Open Mike Eagle

outta South Central LA's
Freestyle collective.

Project Blowed.

- I've been rapping since I was 16.

I've been rapping since
I was in high school.

I didn't start doing shows
till I was in college

and I didn't write a song until
I had to do my first show.

And so started writing
and recording in college

and then put out my first EP
shortly after I moved out here.

And just about every label
I would want to deal with

and where it would make sense.

And these are all independent labels.

I'm on their radar.

We know each other.

There's professional networking
and relationships happening.

So not only does it make more
sense for me to deal with this

particular style of label,

it's easier because I'm
already part of the machine

in a sense.

Whereas me trying to
deal with a major label,

I'm literally cold calling

or cold emailing or trying to
show up at somebody's office

and trying to somehow
put myself into a context

to something that they understand

or to something that's
similar to what they sell.

And what I do is really not like that.

- The majors recoup, you know,

they give you a whole bunch
of money and take it back.

But India, it doesn't happen that way.

You know what I'm saying?

You're out there, you
making your own moves.

And what's cool about India is that

if you know what you're doing,

you know what I'm saying,
you can go far, you know,

and you don't have to answer to anyone.

- You know, me being a person that's,

I mean just about completely independent.

I mean I book 85% of my own dates.

You know, I do, you know,

I do all my own recording.

I assemble a lot of my product on my own.

I don't have time to really
pull teeth to put myself in a

situation that my momentum
hasn't already carried me to.

It just takes too much of my
energy and resources away.

Where at the end of the day I
need to be trying to better my

product as much as I can.

I need to be trying to
write a better song.

I need to be trying to
record a better verse.

I need to be trying to find a
better beat or make a better

beat all the time.

- [DJ Muggs] You can be
creative as you want,

you can go to the left,

put your middle finger up,

it's still urban punk rock,

you know what I mean?

And be creative and do
your own thing and still be

successful and be monetarily
successful by doing your thing.

You don't gotta go fit into this mode.

Because I think if I was growing up today

and I seen what was going on,

I wouldn't even have been infatuated by it

and wanted to do this.

- [Planet Asia] I probably
wouldn't even be rhyming

if I grew up in hip hop today,

I probably would not be into hip hop.

I'd probably be probably in
a martial arts or something.

- Because you gotta fit into

this cookie cutter category now.

And back then you didn't.

It was about going to the
left as much as you can

to be accepted.

Now it's like you gotta come
into this zone right here

where everybody's at to be accepted.

- I was about 12 years old.

There was this older cat that
used to come to our building

and he used to come through and freestyle.

He was a rapper.

He was kind of like somebody
everybody in the neighborhood

looked up to because he was a rapper.

So he would come through every day.

We were all younger than him
so he would pick one person

every day and he would take
off on him just what they were

wearing, whatever, you know,

bagging and capping, you know,

like you did when you were younger.

It was my turn and he basically, you know,

just flashed on me, just
started freestyling about me.

You know, I went home, I was
mad so I had to challenge him.

So before I started
freestyling, I started writin'.

I would ride a rhyme every day
and and go back to his crib.

Me and my friend would go to his crib,

ride our bikes to his crib,

knock on his door and start rhyming.

And of course he would kill us every day.

We was using written's

and he was using freestyles

and he would kill us every day, you know,

til I got older and I
started building my skill up

and then I was finally able to beat him.

- Anything you've just
made up is a freestyle.

And that means if you're
kicking a written verse against

somebody and you pull some
lines out of the sky to connect

the dots, well then
that part is freestyle.

So it's what, 10-15% freestyle.

Whatever you know, percentage
you want to give it.

Usually you can tell when
somebody's not coming completely

off of the top because
it's mostly terrible.

Especially if they're
trying to stay on subject

and they didn't think
of absolutely anything.

Then they're gonna be
grabbing all over the place.

Occasionally they'll
tug against something.

It sounds like it's relevant,

but for the most part,

and especially in battling,

you fool not to think of anything.

And even if you just thought
of it in between rounds,

it's still premeditated.

Now premeditated doesn't
necessarily mean written

but you know, you prepared a little bit.

You did something potent

because you're trying to win a competition

where you have to say better
things than the other person.

- Without any further ado,

are y'all ready to make
battle rap history?

(crowd cheering)

And on my left a battle rap legend.

Y'all have seen him over the years.

Annihilate mad opponents.

Iron Solomon.

(crowd cheers)

(triumphant music)

♪ You a pissed off pipsqueak
floating up shit's creek ♪

♪ The goals that you have for
your life I reach this week ♪

♪ See my careers beginning to grow ♪

♪ Yours beginning on its decline ♪

♪ And here I sit on the throne ♪

♪ You sitting on the bidet ♪

♪ because you ain't
stacking no more paper ♪

♪ Your crap just got flushed ♪

♪ You ain't dropping no new shit ♪

♪ Your ass is washed up ♪

(crowd rumbles)

♪ From Philly, Pennsylvania ♪

- [Crowd Member] Word up.

♪ The live at Grizzle mania ♪

♪ With a bag full of dust I
bought all the way from Cambria ♪

♪ On fifth Street ♪

♪ Hotter then fish grease ♪

♪ So you fuck with DMC ♪

♪ Whose dick you on this week ♪

♪ More powerful than Solomon ♪

♪ Stronger then King Sampson ♪

♪ He got a follow and fuck
I wouldn't chance it ♪

♪ I cut the music back up ♪

♪ I kept jamming like I ain't
hear him talking about money ♪

♪ Them niggas scrambling ♪

♪ I got the word when I
was in the spot gamin' ♪

♪ How they hype his little white ass up ♪

♪ Like he the champion ♪

♪ But what he really
looking for is a companion ♪

♪ Somebody he can show how
to fish and go camping ♪

♪ I can write out quickly ♪

♪ He's slow dancin' ♪

♪ Catch him with the right hand ♪

♪ and reprogram him ♪
- What!

♪ To beat me you gotta worship the devil ♪

♪ I mean really know that
nigga on the personal level ♪

♪ He can call me magneto ♪

♪ How I work with the metal ♪

♪ When we can settle while the court ♪

♪ Pitch fork and the shovel ♪

- Battling is like a
cross between freestyling

and pre-written disses

that you weave into the
particular character.

- When you rap battle face to face,

the guy who's able to
freestyle better is the one

who will rip you down.

'cause he'll just get on you
in front of everybody talking

about stuff that's right here
and you could grab and touch

and be relevant.

So, you know, it's
important to know that art.

- On the battle.

I think you come, you
know guns cocked already.

You know, you know what you
gonna say for the most part.

- I remember one guy I had a
battle with and he beat me.

I was like 14 years old
and I probably had about,

my record was maybe 15-0

and I meet this guy who was
maybe about 18, 19 years old

and he's ready to battle me.

And my lyrics were so
scientific I would always win

'cause of my vocabulary and lyrics

and I'm saying all
these biochemist rhymes,

I come from your throat, I spit the egg,

the nucleus to the zygote.

And I'm going through
all this thing, right?

He said, MC Rakim, you
know you ain't shit.

I make you bow on your knees
nigga and suck my dick.

Yo.

Everybody started laughing

and the battle I lost

'cause of that stupidness.

And I was like,

wow, okay,

let me go back and get and
start making rhymes that's like

more funny and more battle type.

- [Tech N9ne] I would have like
stuff like pieces of rhymes sometimes

mixed with freestylin',

you know what I'm saying?

Just, and a lot of MCs do it.

You probably don't ever know,

they won't tell you the truth,

but I'll have like pieces of rhymes,

you know what I mean?

And I'll mix it in with freestyles man

and then it'll just keep
going one after another.

You know what I mean?

And that's how we did it man.

You know what I mean?

Like you'll start off with
like four bars of a rhyme

and then go into a freestyle

and then another four bars or
another two bars of a rhyme

blah blah blah.

And you'll say something about
the person in front of you,

then you keep on going.

You know what I mean?

So that's how I did it.

- Because I think over time
it has become such a big deal

to even exist in a freestyle
or not to lose or have,

you know,

punchlines ready.

I think that some freestyle
artists just have certain

punchlines in their head
that will go with pretty much

anything.

- You basically just wrote some shit

to battle against this cat

and you wrote it in a fashion that's like,

if I do forget something I
can freestyle and patch it up.

So you still like it.

But I don't think going into any battle

unless you say

we battling on who got the hardest rhymes.

This is a freestyle battle.

You can't write a god damn thing,

you can't write your name
on your hand in this battle.

You know what I'm saying?

No, no pens allowed, nothing.

- When it comes to freestylin' over a beat

or battling over a beat
versus battling acapella.

Whereas you can see that when
somebody doesn't have a beat,

they have more time to type
to kind of set up each line

and deliver it and let
the reaction happen.

But that's actually more
difficult to do than it looks

to let each line breathe like that.

Especially if you're trying
to remember a long thing

that you wrote.

You know,

some of these guys go for unlimited rounds

where they'll kick five
minutes worth of bars

against this other person with no beat.

And for me personally,

it'd be easier to remember it all.

If it was on a metronome,

I could use the rhythm to carry me through

remembering everything.

But having taken that away,

there's kind of no safety net
where like you could pause too

long,

forget what the next line is

and then where are you in your sequence

if that's the way that you're
putting it all together.

- [Nocando] On the major
stage of battle rap

like you better be your pen
game and your freestyle game.

Whatever you,

you choose is your front leg

or the whatever you choose is your tool.

You better be good.

Like if there's a room full of 20 rappers,

all those 20 rappers don't suck.

- [Dumbfoundead] You know the big battlers

out on the east coast,

they're all part of like
the Smack URL battle league.

The cats like DNA, Hollow
Da Don, Loaded Lux,

Iron solomon,

♪ And I was self-taught ♪

♪ My education was intuition ♪

♪ School of hard knocks paid
my own dues and tuition ♪

♪ I used my aggressive disposition ♪

♪ To get to disposition ♪

♪ That L I took didn't end the mission ♪

♪ That was intermission ♪

♪ I'm still player ♪

♪ It made me a hell raiser ♪

♪ Plus I never been a grudge
holder or an axe grinder ♪

♪ I never hey yo watch your mouth ♪

♪ When I never been a grudge
holder or an axe grinder ♪

♪ I just passed by you ♪

♪ If you a roadblock ♪

♪ I'm a fast driver ♪

♪ Even without no gas or a flat tire ♪

♪ I'm that writer who
could turn the whole map ♪

♪ in a flat liners on paper ♪

♪ I got pad after pad for you man-ginas ♪

♪ Hitting keys a giggities
for you bitches ♪

♪ Like Quagmire ♪

♪ When I slack my la- ♪

♪ When I slap my last
time on Smack White ♪

♪ It got crowd hyper ♪

♪ Heard him talk like he had
what it take to attack Iron ♪

♪ But you died soon as
the contract was signed ♪

♪ And the bad wire ♪

♪ Guess it ain't work
out how you planned ♪

♪ 'cause I'm backfired. ♪

- Let's go.

(crowd clapping)

- Give it up for my man Iron Solomon yo.

(fun drum beat)

- [Narrator] Meet Iron Solomon,

a hungry young freestyler

who came up in the New York battle scene

and soon became its most
infamous internet champion.

- I always wanted to be a rock
star when I was a little kid,

you know,

I wanted to be Slash and
then it became Biggie Smalls

and Jay-Z.

I was rapping since I was
probably about nine years old

and playing guitar at the same time.

And you know,

writing rap songs and
writing songs on guitar

and playing in band, you know,
doing Red Hot Chili Peppers,

cover songs and stuff like that.

And then when I was
about I guess 10 or 11,

I switched to public school and you know,

kids were freestyling in class

and it was a different environment.

So that's when I started to
not just write but freestyle.

It's a vicious world out there

where kids are always
talking shit to each other.

So that was just part of
the way we interacted.

It was normal everyday life
to talk shit to each other.

So if we're freestyling, you know,

you're bragging that I fucked your girl,

I fucked your mom, you know,

I'm gonna smack the outta
the teacher, whatever it is.

I wasn't that good at basketball.

Whatever it was just drew me to battling.

And once I started to get a
little traction, you know,

I saw it as a way to get a fan base,

get my foot in the door and you know,

build myself towards a career in music.

- [Violent J] Today, having a
bomb freestyle that can really,

you can be seen now.

You got the internet,

you can shine off that extra hard.

It ain't like being on the corner anymore.

You can become a star off that.

You know.

- [Prodigy] The game is
oversaturated with a lot of people

just trying to rap, you know what I mean?

And that's cool.

'cause rap.

So that's where we took
it, you know what I mean?

It's real popular now.
It got big, it got huge.

That's how we wanted it,
you know what I mean?

So it's all good.

But at the same time we just got more,

you know what I mean, BS
than the stuff that's good.

You know what I mean?

Like it's a lot of stuff that's just,

it sounds so corny, man.

You know what I mean?

It makes it bad for
the people that's good.

'cause you gotta get through
so much corny stuff in order to

get to the real, you know what I mean?

- [Narrator] To make it in show biz,

you need talent, drive and
a solid support system.

Mike Eagle finds his
support in his family.

- [Open Mike Eagle] I met my
wife about six, eight months

after I moved out to LA.

We got married a year later.

Asa is probably the youngest
art rap fan that there is.

And he's a serious fan in
the sense of fanaticism.

His favorite rappers are
Serengeti, MF Doom, Busdriver.

And sometimes me.

He enjoys beats.

He doesn't even know what he's doing yet

in really any sense,

but he really enjoys emulating

and trying to do what he can
in terms of making music.

What's your rap name?

- [Asa Lanoix-Eagle] Open Mike Eagle.

- That's your rap name?
What's my rap name?

- Open Mike Eagle.

- We got the same rap name?

- Yeah.

- Oh, okay.

We share it.

- Yeah.

- Cool.

- We should share it
because that's a good idea.

- Okay.

You gonna, you gonna rap
something real quick?

- Yeah.

- Go ahead.

- Here we go.

- [Open Mike Eagle] All right.

- I give you this mic so you can rap.

- [Open Mike Eagle] Okay.

♪ Yeah Yo want somebody that
y'all bad it very sweet. ♪

♪ But I, it was a pretty good day ♪

♪ Because I was drinking water ♪

♪ Because that's why I
was being a good boy ♪

♪ Because I, I, I ate my food ♪

♪ Because I was being
a little bit good boy ♪

♪ Because it was a good boy ♪

♪ Because I was very
learn things around. ♪

Here you go.

- Very good.

- You're turn to do rap.

- He's very observant

and he learns things really fast.

So him watching videos,

these things are really
imprinting into his mind

and it's gonna be really
interesting to see

how that affects his development.

As a little weirdo rap kid,

I would like him to do, you know,

whatever makes him happy.

I know it's a cliche answer,

but if music doesn't make him happy,

then I wouldn't want him to do music.

And I don't have any
problem with him doing music

if he wanted to.

The only thing in the world I
really worry about him doing

is playing football.

That's the only thing.

'cause I like, I dunno, as a parent,

there's just certain things you
can't even see the same way.

And you watch football,

it's guys look like
they're getting hit by cars

and it's just other people.

Oh no.

So other than that,
down whatever, whatever.

I'm down for it. Down, whatever.

- [Narrator] The God Rakim says,

it ain't where you come from.

It's where you're at.

But where you came from
has a lot to do with

where you're going.

- For me, like my whole
family is musicians.

I never really had a question

about whether or not I
was gonna be a rockstar

or whether not I was gonna
be a musician, you know,

I just saw it. I was around it.

I was, you know, on the
studio floor as a little kid.

So it just seemed like the
only option that made sense.

And you know,

here I am still chipping
away at it, you know.

I don't know if it was like a
specific moment that made me

realize how big the
battling thing could be

and that that could be a ticket.

But it was like a time period when YouTube

had first come out.

And I wasn't doing any
self-promotion beyond,

yo, let me battle, let me
battle this guy, let me do this,

you know, at the same time making songs,

making beats and just trying
to get my name out there.

And then all of a sudden, you know,

I got videos on YouTube that
have, you know, 10,000, 20,000,

60,000, 80,000.

And then I, you know,

broke 100,000 views on
some videos on YouTube

and like, you know, that was crazy.

And then people started recognizing me.

That was the moment, you know.

Just realizing the power of the internet

and the power of word of mouth.

And I didn't even do
anything to promote it,

you know what I mean?

It just had a life of its own.

- You know, you're on a big
stage, there's a lot of money.

It's stake like $10,000, $5,000.

You know. Also there's
probably 600 to 1000 people

watching every single round.

You know, 32nd rounds probably
about eight to 12 bars

depending on the speed of the beat.

So you would probably
have four lines in there

in each round for every person.

And you knew because
there was preliminaries

in every major city you
knew who won those battles

in every city.

And you'd have a month
to just get lines ready.

You get there that day
and you see who you see.

It's a room like this. And
you see, oh, I know that,

da da da da da da.

Sometimes there's like a
random guy that no one knows.

But most of the times like,
oh, I've seen him at a cipher.

I've seen him at a battle.
I've seen him at a show.

Like,

you know who you're going up
against and you immediately,

you know, think of stuff for that person.

So you have like a lead
in or something like that.

Or you think of a punchline,

what we call a pre-med or
a premeditated punchline.

And then you would just,
you know, go no safety net.

Or sometimes if you felt really cocky,

if I felt really cocky,

it was just no safety net

and I would just rip the
person apart on things

that I noticed at the moment

and just start playing with the crowd.

You know?

- [Crowd Member] Hell yeah.

♪ Hey the fan saying I ain't
ready for this legend play ♪

- [Crowd Member] Talk.

♪ But why hesitate ♪

♪ 'cause you'll miss a
hundred percent of the shots ♪

♪ you never take ♪

♪ So I'm fuckin' up ♪

- [Crowd Member] Facts.

♪ No surprise really ♪

♪ I'm Lennox in Belly ♪

♪ Y'all knew how I was cut from the jump ♪

♪ I don't play with rappers ♪

♪ It's simple ♪

♪ If I draw from you lose, Iron ♪

♪ We donating plasma ♪

♪ Nigga get stretched ♪

♪ If this drum clap at your high hat ♪

♪ And through your tempo
would be instrumental ♪

♪ To your death ♪

♪ You gonna beat who ♪

♪ You going to beat who ♪

♪ Who we not for play, spine shot ♪

♪ And a bullet from behind it ♪

♪ Called fuck up your holiday ♪

♪ I'm on my shit every time ♪

♪ You gotta pick better lines ♪

♪ Thought I was just finna die ♪

♪ They gassed you ♪

♪ And to be frank this bitch better hide ♪

♪ This how a nigga play ♪

♪ If I need something in my house ♪

♪ I'm run in errands I got bills to pay ♪

(crowd cheers)

♪ Hey I got bills to pay ♪

♪ Hey you hey chill ♪

♪ Hey you think these bars
ain't finna beat you ♪

♪ Crazy how you calling niggas legends ♪

♪ When they just ordinary people ♪

♪ This absurd ♪

♪ Thinking he can see me he whiling ♪

♪ Bars ♪

♪ Check how I snap on the card ♪

♪ Like an EBT balance ♪

♪ You and I know ♪

♪ Ruger might blow ♪

♪ The letter come out
right before you die ♪

♪ That's a suicide note ♪

♪ You can't keep it real yet ♪

♪ Kill yourself ♪

(crowd cheers)

- There's so many kind of different scenes

or different like leagues or
whatever you wanna call it

where people have battled over the years.

And I was always doing
the bragging rights.

Scribble Jam, Fight Club, Brainstorm.

I was like flying myself
all over the country

going to different battles.

- [Loaded Lux] When they first started,

they started shooting these little battles

and then it went way across the seams.

All over America.

Go to the internet got like
probably a million hits.

- [Announcer] Let's see
who has what it takes.

Who's built to survive in
the world's most respected

MC battle arena?

The URL Ultimate Rap League.

♪ You pitiful ♪

♪ Trying to shoot your shot
while you lose the top ♪

♪ Now you thinking you
could rock with the champ ♪

♪ Are you stupid ack ♪

♪ Smack set you up ♪

♪ This accosted sad maneuver op ♪

♪ He took the animal out the
zoo box for the jew to drop ♪

♪ I said I'm strapped in ♪

- [Crowd Member] Yeah

♪ I crack you in a coma ♪

♪ Madness ♪

♪ I could snap it any moment
and it once again I'm here ♪

♪ See them Solomon the cat ♪

♪ Like what's your life like whitey ♪

♪ Did your pockets get tapped? ♪

- Yeah!

♪ Yeah did his pockets get tapped ♪

♪ Did his pockets get tapped ♪

♪ Did his pockets get tapped ♪

♪ Fuck outta here ♪

- Yo, chill, chill, chill, chill,

chill, chill, chill, chill.

We good?

♪ You once was a breath of fresh air ♪

♪ When did this become a gag to you ♪

♪ Every time we see you choke ♪

♪ I just wanna strangle you ♪

♪ Let's not pretend your friends ♪

♪ Cutting them slack his noose ♪

♪ You've been given too much rope ♪

♪ By dopes that hang with you ♪

♪ O Red you were the worst ♪

♪ Sue surf the first now
choking every other battle ♪

♪ Just how New Jersey twerk ♪

♪ You clowns hurt me ♪

♪ How's anyone from your town worthy ♪

♪ If now Jersey ♪

♪ Is basically slang for
ending your round early ♪

♪ Now you should be well worried ♪

♪ You snap under less pressure ♪

♪ And choke through more rounds in them ♪

♪ African neck stretches ♪

♪ I mean forget being king if you can ♪

(crowd humming)

♪ I mean forget being king ♪

♪ If you can't write
more memorable things ♪

♪ 'cause you struggle
to hold your head up ♪

♪ when you stick out your
neck in these rings ♪

♪ And if he don't choke ♪

♪ Is 'cause his admiration
made him practice for me ♪

♪ Only reason Red capable ♪

♪ 'cause he mad adore me ♪

♪ Red cape a bull ♪

♪ Matador ♪

♪ This is no Spain but for
charging me in the ring ♪

♪ This will be where oh wait ♪

♪ Six feet will be our deepest ♪

♪ Six feet could be
our deepest continent ♪

♪ If he's gotten it black ♪

♪ Rewarding these accomplishments ♪

♪ There's gotta be some consequence ♪

♪ Y'all wanna see these thoughts of his ♪

♪ On screen for the people watching this ♪

♪ Y'all paid for the pay-per-view ♪

♪ Bow ♪

♪ Now you can stream his consciousness ♪

- [Lil Fame] Oh right
nowadays they threatening you.

Fuck your mother. I kill you.

My lyrics so odd.

Kidnap your kids.

You like I don't wanna rap after that.

I can't. I'm not tough as that sir.

But I can't go no harder than that.

You know what I mean?

♪ You not even a eye in
front of me you a croc ♪

♪ Food to feed to the croc ♪

♪ A pair of feet in a spot ♪

♪ You just the cheapest he got ♪

♪ When we needed to swap ♪

♪ Y'all know the story ♪

♪ A jew put JC in the plot ♪

♪ You trying to cross your author ♪

♪ I am not no martyr ♪

♪ But if surf was in my way ♪

♪ I would've walked on water ♪

(crowd cheering)

♪ You trying to cross your author ♪

♪ I am not no martyr, ♪

♪ But if surf was in my way ♪

- [Whole Crowd] I would've walk on water.

♪ The son of God can't sun a God ♪

♪ Boy I would wash your father ♪

♪ Hell, I bet, ♪

♪ I bet I'm the baddest white
devil you ever dance with ♪

♪ Writing how I've been
up in the antichrist ♪

♪ See I've written out this chapter ♪

♪ To bring about the rapture ♪

♪ Beginning with putting this
shepherd out to pasture ♪

♪ I let the blind flock to
the sheep in wolf's clothing ♪

♪ 'cause my stock ain't going nowhere ♪

♪ I got the G.O.A.T. pen ♪

♪ So fuck what you heard in scriptures ♪

♪ Other people have said ♪

♪ I know JC and these bible verses ♪

♪ Been getting beaten to death ♪

♪ But how I execute it is dexterous ♪

♪ Operations perform perfectly ♪

♪ These scrubs address me ♪

♪ Solomon does surgery to open minds ♪

♪ And a poltergeist takes over my soul ♪

♪ You see the demon's I channel ♪

♪ You can't remotely control ♪

♪ So push my buttons. ♪

- [Smack Williams] Back
in like, you know, 2005

technology caught up with time.

Websites came out like,
you know what I'm saying?

YouTube, you know what I mean?

YouTube was like, you know what I mean,

a monster where it allowed
people to upload videos

and everything like that.

When those platforms, the world stars,

the YouTubes came out,

it kind of depreciate the value

of just regular hip hop content.

Like you know what I mean?

Or on a physical format like you know,

because people used to
basically take the DVDs

and upload it up to these platforms

and then everybody got access
to this content for free.

So you know, we had to make
a decision to basically,

you know,

create a new website where we
could have people just come to

the actual central location
where they can have access to

the content.

Basically we made the transition
from physical distribution

to digital distribution.

- As far as independent artists
are concerned to get your,

get your music out there to the masses.

It's a beautiful too.

(crowd cheering)

♪ Talk to the folks
about bars over jokes ♪

♪ To me real MCs who
spit hard can do both ♪

♪ I got punchlines personals
and rap with conviction ♪

♪ So the slogan I'm upholding
is facts over fiction ♪

(crowd cheers)

♪ No reason of lie son ♪

♪ We both agreeing that I
was just defending my title ♪

♪ The final season of Fight Club ♪

♪ You backed out like a prudish square ♪

♪ Playing truth or dare ♪

♪ Then you take a dive like a tourist ♪

♪ Wearing scuba gear ♪

♪ Gave a cheap excuse we
aint buy like a souvenir ♪

♪ I end a battle in some
random rapper who was there ♪

♪ Told the crowd I only
battled this bitch ♪

♪ 'cause moot was scared, ♪

♪ Moot, didn't say shit or do shit ♪

♪ And you was there ♪

(crowd cheers)

♪ I wait a few more
years while you prepare ♪

♪ And now you just pop up ♪

♪ Well I'm only battling this bitch ♪

♪ 'cause Hollow got locked up ♪

(crowd cheers)

(horn blaring)

♪ Did not see Murder
Mook on Murder level ♪

♪ Murder gang and yet ♪

♪ I was certain he be strapped to serve ♪

♪ And crack the workup pack ♪

♪ I said, what's up Mook ♪

♪ I thought he said was
cracking to go br-rat ♪

♪ But instead he said ♪

♪ I've been taking classes up at Platt ♪

♪ You was looking shook in Brooklyn ♪

♪ Want me rolling through
the ghetto with him ♪

♪ He think Irons a copper so
nobody will meddle with him ♪

(crowd rumbles)

♪ I said fuck protecting rappers ♪

♪ After what happened to Shawn Poe ♪

♪ Since you think I'm Poe nine ♪

♪ I'm gonna be on 5-0 ♪

♪ See even though I look the
part I actually hate police ♪

♪ Get heated when I be around
a pork like bacon grease ♪

♪ You wouldn't think a white
Jew goes ham but I do ♪

♪ This guy's too sick
to loose till pigs fly ♪

♪ Well swine flu ♪

♪ You are sheep in wolf's clothing ♪

♪ I'm a wolf in disguise ♪

♪ When my teeth is all showing
I pull wool over eyes ♪

♪ I might look like the type
to win a Pulitzer prize ♪

♪ Till I pull it surprise ♪

♪ And I bullet your eyes ♪

(crowd cheers)

- If you're in a barbershop,

you know it's about those
20 people that are there.

And if you are in a 1500 person venue,

it's about the people that are there.

And then now it's about the people online,

you people that are gonna see the video

and you have to appeal to that crowd.

- If I was in high school
right now and I know I can,

you know, get my talent visually
heard and seen, you know,

I would be doing the same thing.

I would be battling cats on camera

and trying to get my name out there too.

You know what I mean?

Because a lot of dudes,

they don't even know the first steps

to even get into the studio.

- [Narrator] Just as New York
redefined music as we know it,

with hip hop.

Los Angeles redefined
the art of freestyling.

To mean,

not just kicking a rhyme but
making it up on the spot.

Complete improvisation.

And it all started on Crenshaw Boulevard.

- Alright, right now we're
right in the middle of

Leimert Park.

We're on the 43rd place
in Leimert Boulevard.

And Leimert Park has been a place

where throughout LA's history,

Leimert Park has always kind of housed

all the black culture.

And it's been a place where
people have been able to come

and jam on all different types of genres.

And right here in particular
at this Building KAOS Network,

this is where that's happened.

On the rap side of things.

Well The Good Life is where it all began.

And that was,

you know, maybe a mile
down the way from here.

- Right across the street is The Good Life

where it all started man.

- [Duane Earle] What's up you guys?

You're at my restaurant Earle's Grill.

We're on Crenshaw and Exposition.

Been in the community 27 years
for those of you who know our

career and our history.

We started with a hot dog cart back in 86.

In the music industry,

I was fortunate to have
been signed with Ice Cube.

I was very fortunate to
have been do ghost writing

for Eazy-E.

And I was very one of the
few fortunate artists to even

venture into a place called The Good Life.

It was one of the only few
venues that even attempted to

showcase and highlight what
was really going on in the

LA underground scene.

- It was already a health
food store directly across the

street, but it was on B. Hall and her son.

Like this whole area has
always been dedicated

to trying to keep the youth from all that.

The projects is right there, The Jungles.

It's right there up the way,

you know it's jungles
like it's gang bangs here.

Like shit.

She gave us a spot to come

and say meet the other kids like you.

This is what, and she enforced.

No cursing, no battling on
each other, no, none of that.

If you gotta beef handle that.

But no cursing, no cuss, no
mamas, no nothing, no nothing.

No gangs, no nothing like,

and that's when this turned into like,

fuck a gang nigga I'm
going to the Good Life.

- It was a place too where
different hoods met up

where you know,

there could be some gang banging activity

and things of that nature.

I wondered myself,

what was the magnetism of
Crenshaw in general around that

Crenshaw, King,

that Leimert Park area to where
from the early jazz days of

world stage, Billy Higgins on through,

you know,

people that claim Leimert Park now,

Project Blowed, you know,

the Kendrick Lamar

Terrence Martin is just all
these talented people that stem.

And I think it's because
of the different artistry

and the culture that fed off each other.

Like I feel like I'm a better
MC because of my jazz things,

the musicians and, and
the theoretical approach.

- [Pigeon John] When I
went there I realized, man,

there's everyone's great.

I need to step on my game.

So I went there every
week and just dove in.

I got booed off the stage a lot of times,

but I just wanted to
learn how to, you know,

rock a crowd to give a good show

to be my own personality,

but kind of please the people,

but kind of like,

oh man that dude is dope.

So it was, I just dove into it.

- [Crooked I] If you ever
went to The Good Life,

if you ever went to Leimert Park,

all you've seen was people
snapping on people battling

everybody's circles over here,

circles over there on stage,

people getting booed.

Please pass the mic.

Gangsta rappers that's really gang banging

with pistols on 'em.

Rapping on stage and people
being scared to tell 'em to pass

the mic 'cause they think they
gonna get shot or something.

Like that whole scene deserves a movie.

- This right here, this was
The Good Life right here.

They done changed it.

It ain't even deep in
there like it used to be.

It used to go all the
way back to the back.

This was The Good Life.

This is where peace was born.

This is where my life changed.

This is where we changed your life.

- [Narrator] To make it in
the current rap battle arena,

you need skills, punchlines and talent.

You also need to be willing
to be humiliated in public.

Not everyone is cut out
for the battle circuit.

- This is the legendary Pyramid Club.

This is the Lower East Side
Manhattan, lower East Side.

A lot of history.

Classic New York Pyramid
Club in particular.

You know, a lot of upcoming acts,

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna,

pretty much everybody
in that scene coming up,

would perform here, you know what I mean?

And now it's the home of the
longest running weekly open mic

in New York City end of the
weak, End of the W-E-A-K,

which is also every Sunday night.

They do freestyle competitions.

They do, you know,
showcases, perform a song.

You know, spit a verse.

The dj, they do a competition
called the MC challenge

where the first round you
spit like a written verse

with punchlines.

Second round you spit
a acapella, you know,

something personal, something meaningful.

Maybe third round you spit is a freestyle

grab bag round.

You have a bag or a box
of items that you reach in

and pull out items that
have to be spontaneous

and put 'em together.

You know, fourth round is beat juggling.

So DJ will be playing some
regular boombap hip hop shit

and then all of a sudden switch it up.

It'll be some double time,

southern, something crazy and
it might be Britney Spears

or Michael Jackson and you
gotta just keep rapping

and not miss a beat.

You know, stick with the flow.

And then the last round is the
cipher skills where you gotta

play off of somebody else's energy

and show that you can
count bars, you know,

and then go off the last thing they said.

So as opposed to a battle,

which shows your only shows
your battle ability, you know,

as an MC, the MC
challenge shows, you know,

a much more well-rounded
picture of you as an MC.

Freestyle shit, written
shit, punchline stuff.

More meaningful stuff.

So something that's a holdover
from an era in New York where

this kind of event was
important, you know what I mean?

And it still is important
because this is one of the only

ones that really is
doing it the way that it,

it was done in the way
it's supposed to be done.

You know,

people rapping outside,
people rapping inside,

you know what I mean?

It's hip hop, you know.

- The Good Life was more,
let's just say for seniors,

let's just say seniors.

Well we started this here.

There was a whole nother kind of young MC

coming up right up under our feet.

We saw this,

we knew this like we gotta do something.

Acey said,

well you know what?

I want a battle.

I wanna be able to cuss
this nigga the fuck out

if I want to.

We couldn't do that there.

That's Mecca.

That's epicenter.

No,

let's go down the street and
still keep it in the hood.

And I get my own and I
can cuss this fool out

the way I want to.

Now that's the difference
between The Good Life

and Project Blowed, same
theory, same ethics.

It's just,

I could whip your ass here

and I can't whip your right there.

- [Verbs] Lyric's Lounge had came out

when I was like in high school

back when I first started
using the internet.

And I was like, man,

I wanna find something like
that in the west coast.

And I just did Google searches

and then I heard of Project Blowed,

then my brother told me there
was something in Leimert Park

that happens every Tuesday when I was 17,

I went for the first time.

Then when I graduated my graduation night,

I went there late at night.

There was only four people there.

But I ended up rapping the
shows that Project Blowed

were in KAOS Network.

Like, you know, 4343.

It was like on the corner,
these people rapping,

drinking forties, stress
blunts, Crips, weirdos,

all in between.

You know.

- The interesting thing there
was watching people's styles

develop while challenging those rules,

but remaining inside of that
structure where once you got to

Project Blowed here in 96
when the AC alone and AB Rule

brought it here they brought it here

and collaborated with Ben
Caldwell who owns the spot.

And one of the things that
they wanted to do was create a

spot with no rules at all.

- [Ben Caldwell] I am the owner
and director of this place called

KAOS Network.

We initially named this place
KAOS Network because in 1984

I started this as a computer matrix,

kind of a thinking concept.

We were connecting five
community centers together.

And then I started working with
these youth trying to figure

out is there a free way to
work with them by sitting up a

neutral zone where they can create

and nurture what I call the avant-garde.

- So any kind of language,
any kind of rap styles,

really any kind of content.

And the only structure
imposed was the crowd

being able to say, please pass the mic.

And that that to call somebody
to have to get off stage like

Apollo style, you know?

And so it was the onus for
creating the structure was all on

the crowd and happened to be a crowd

full of really awesome rappers.

So the bar, the quality was really high.

And that created this kind of atmosphere.

People challenging each other
to try to take this thing as

far as they can go and
really explore and push the

boundaries of rap.

- Leimerk is like Chocolate City

and to the center of LA

It's like if you an
artist, if you into jazz,

if you are a musician, if
you are a break dancer,

if you a B-boy, if you
do Graffiti, any of that,

this is where you would go.

- You know how like in Greece they would

like throw people in the
coliseum with wild animals

and like you'd have to like
fight for your survival.

You have to like come back
with the skull of the animal.

It's kind of one of those kinds of things.

Everybody is really dope and
really aggressive, right?

So as soon as you step foot
on that corner, 4343 Leimerk

people are coming at your head

and you have to get your skills
up just to defend yourself.

You know what I mean?

And then we all come out
of the Blowed Academy

like little monsters, you know.

- There's a lot of similar
styles from Good Life.

But there was a generational
thing that started to develop

too in Project Blowed where
younger MCs hung out with each

other and those younger
MCs, other than them like,

I don't know how many
generations we have now.

I think it's like three,
four different generations.

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Watching ESPN ♪

♪ I think that was Hugh Douglas. ♪

♪ I like to said you can
tell they got a huge budget ♪

♪ Who's dude running with the
football about to get tackled ♪

♪ He needs to change his diet ♪

♪ Eat some apples or else ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Through some pitches on the wayside ♪

♪ So there's a waistline ♪

♪ That way he can face fine defenders ♪

♪ And move 'cause he's elusive ♪

♪ And they'll be playing sports ♪

♪ And we'll be here doing this music ♪

♪ Yeah great rhymes relentless ♪

♪ Man I'm in the trenches ♪

♪ Kind of like a D end ♪

♪ I'll never pretend ♪

♪ Met him on the deep end ♪

♪ Yeah man, ♪

♪ This is how I begin ♪

♪ To kick the freeze in any season ♪

♪ For any reason ♪

♪ Yo my whole life is like the ill news ♪

♪ From the real city blues ♪

♪ City shoes they scuffed up ♪

♪ Fucked up ♪

♪ Then your city loose ♪

♪ Take losses and bounce
back like bosses ♪

♪ Flow like a faucet until I'm retarded ♪

♪ Retarded ♪

♪ Nah I don't get carded. ♪

♪ I look kind of old ♪

♪ But I'm bold ♪

♪ You choose to understand
me from the floor ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

- Project Blowed remains
more of a mainstay

for LA West Coast sound,

underground hip hop sound,

which has definitely carried
hip hop a lot through the years

period.

(hip hop beat)

- The Blowed was a thing
for the 90s and early 2000s.

What's ended up happening though,

is this rapper Verbs from
my crew to Swim Team.

He started this night called Bananas,

which is a monthly and it
is created this kind of

eclectic mixed bag kind of feel.

It's a little bit more
appropriate for the times.

- My name is Verbs.

We got DJ Tony smooth

DJ L Ray in the house.

This is Bananas

We do it every third Tuesday.

Yeah man, it's gonna get
started real soon man.

Got a bunch of cool people
performing and shit.

I was,

I had a girlfriend at the time

and she was taking me to places
in other parts of the city,

like Echo Park with Silver Lake,

downtown house shows all sorts of shit.

And then she had the idea like, yo,

I wanna throw an event here.

She's like you show me book rappers

and I'll book bands.

And Project Blowed was still going on.

So, you know, I was like, yo,

we could do it in Leimert.

Like,

Ben's all about some pro
black young people shit.

Let's do this. Whatever.

I tried to make it like
a festival once a month,

every third Tuesday.

That's the vibe I would try to go for

because it is a big homie fest man.

And you know, yeah.

- I think the movement
that they're doing now

hasn't been labeled.

You know, I don't think it has a name.

I don't think hipster explains it.

I don't think hip hop really explains it.

And so I think what we're
seeing now with Bananas

is a hip hop broth

with the gumbo not described yet.

(laughs)

(funky hip hop beat)

- [Narrator] They say the
key to success in any field

is 10,000 hours practice.

Yes.

It is only through intense hard work

and repetition that a person
could truly achieve greatness.

- And now we're go to St. James

between Fulton and Gates
where Biggie grew up.

I think my top rappers are Jay-Z,

Eminem, Tupac, and Biggie.

Definitely Biggie.

I like to go there sometimes.

Just, you know,

eat some McDonald's in
front of Biggie's crib.

Yeah, this is the one right here.

226 St. James,

Clinton the Hill right next to Bed-Stuy

This is where Biggie Smalls,

Chris Wallace was born and raised.

This is the neighborhood.

All the stories that he's telling

and the situations he's describing.

It's here.

It all happened here.

You know, I think that Biggie was,

you know,

he brought like a level of
honesty that you didn't always

see at that time.

You know, he obviously had
the grandiose narratives and,

you know, just larger
than life stuff going on.

But he was also being a hundred
percent extremely honest

about the struggle

and the frustration or the pain

or whatever difficulties
he was going through.

I think Biggie being here
and the neighborhood changing

and evolving and certain
elements stand the same.

You know, it,

it's that same dichotomy that
he represented when he was

alive of the Every man, the struggle.

But something bigger and grandiose

and possibility and change,

but also a constant, you know,

Biggie's still here.

You know what I mean?

Projects are still here,
funeral home's still here.

A lot of things change and a
lot of things stay the same.

So you see, you see the past
in the present, you know,

and Biggie's the past and the
present right now, you know,

and the future because he's
gonna continue to influence

and inspire younger generations.

And there's probably a kid
in that project building

right now writing rhymes at his desk,

looking out the window at the Biggie mural

And this might be how he found
out about Biggie was because

he saw his face on this wall.

And so now Big's the future again.

You know.

(funky hip hop music fades)

- [Narrator] Just like a freestyle

life could be a series of quick decisions

and spontaneous reactions.

When the MC miss steps,
we call it falling off.

You could fall off in a rhyme.

You could fall off in life.

It's all about the decision

you're forced to make on the spot.

♪ Got a lady get up on
my way to meet her ♪

♪ Gonna form a union like a
local group of teamsters ♪

♪ Get your tweesers
doing by your research ♪

♪ Had enough to press a
graphic image to a t-shirt ♪

♪ Party people ♪

♪ If you hungry get a spoon ♪

♪ I bend the same laws that
put a monkey on the moon ♪

♪ Notice them the link
between a human and baboon ♪

♪ You can watch the words flutter ♪

♪ Like they flew from cocoon ♪

(record scratch)

- I am doing a massive merch mail out.

We had a little financial hardship at home

and so printed up a special edition

in one of my CDs that had never been

available in that way.

It was a EP I put out before

and put 'em in a cool little package,

little floppy disc cover for the cd.

I pressed up a hundred
in this floppy disc case,

this particular EP.

And I've sold about 50 since
I announced it last week.

This one's from Georgia.

Got an order from London, Ontario, Canada.

Got an order from England on here.

Lots of places all over California.

Got an order from Australia on here.

The Netherlands, East Coast,
Baltimore, Madison, Wisconsin.

Got a pretty good, pretty
good variety of locales.

I don't have a day job now.

I have a little hustle though,

like I do graphic design sometimes
I can make a little money

on the side that way too.

But most of my income comes
from music related stuff.

You know,

it's not too far out of the
range of anything that I would

actually be doing.

Sometimes things get hard and, you know,

I end up looking on Craigslist

'cause I used to be a teacher.

So I got a lot of experience with kids.

I got like, you know, I got a
college degree and all that.

So occasionally things get bad enough.

I'm on Craigslist looking
to see what I can do.

But the realistic, you know,

when it comes down to
the practicality of it,

I gotta get something that
allows me to be able to travel.

'cause I make a good amount
of money on the road.

So it's always tough for me
to envision what a real job

would be like when it comes to budgeting.

Like I can pretty accurately say

what I'm gonna bring home from a tour.

And I can pretty confidently
say I'll tour twice a year.

So that much I can count on.

Other than that, it's really difficult.

- Anybody that wants to
be their own business,

you have to believe I'm
the best and I can do it.

Because if you don't, I mean,

everybody else is getting
a job, going to college

to work for somebody else.

So entrepreneurs have
to believe I can do it.

I'm gonna make it.

If you think anything different,

you're not gonna give 110%
and you probably will fail.

You give up when you're dead, you know?

And biting a bullet is
you do what you can until,

but if it's your passion,
I'm a firm believer,

some people aren't cut out for this.

So if it's not really your passion

and you think, yeah, I'm the rapper

and I deserve everything,

then you are in the wrong business.

- [Narrator] Building a
reputation that precedes you

can be a blessing and a curse.

For Iron Solomon,

one wonders if his notoriety
as a battle rapper has started

to restrain him as a artist.

(hard hip hop beat)

- The funny thing about

the whole battle scene is that
they suffer from being stuck

in the comfort zone just
as much as anybody else.

You know, like battling is awesome,

but it's definitely a step
towards bigger things, you know.

There's only a few battle
rappers I know that's like,

that's all they want to do.

Most of these guys want to
sell millions of records

and be on TV, music videos,
tons of things like that.

But they get pulled into the battle scene

because it's sustained itself to a point

where you can make some money, you know?

And it's kind of its own enemy, you know?

And a lot of these guys,

they're at the top at one point

and they continue to battle

and lose or get served.

And it's like, and it's a wrap.

- Being a great freestyler

and making a record is two
absolutely different things.

A freestyling would be considered to a guy

that could solo on a guitar,

but if you sat him in
and said make a melody,

make an arrangement, he couldn't do it.

He can solo his ass off,

but he can't think of a song.

- There's certain skills that
if you develop that skill,

it doesn't translate developing
that skill of delivering

those lines without the beat.

And it's, you know,

like you're tearing somebody down

and it's a very particular skill.

It doesn't translate
well into other mediums.

- A lot of these battle
rap freestyle rappers,

they can't make a album.

They don't know how to make an
album. You know what I mean?

They could have a good battle.

And a lot of people watch it,

they'll get a lot of views
if it's on the internet

and stuff like that.

But when it comes time to make an album,

it's like they can't deliver,
you know what I mean?

It's like a different animal.

When you making an album,
it gotta be a package.

It gotta be something
different. You know what I mean?

- People can freestyle all day.

That don't mean that they're
artists, you know what I mean?

You gotta be able to write songs.

You gotta know when to stop
rhyming sometimes too much

rhymers, you know, we don't,

sometimes we don't want
to hit too much rhymes,

like slow down, you know,
slow that shit down.

I just wanna sing the song with you.

The reason why the skill
sets are different.

- Between an individual
that can write a good rap

or write a good song and someone
that could freestyle well,

but maybe not be so adept
at making good songs

is the mechanics of the creative process.

- Making records is a whole nother zone.

You gotta make hooks,

you gotta make things that are very catchy

and sometimes you have
to dumb down your ability

to make records.

- I think there are times where, you know,

I definitely feel that people
are appreciating me for one

thing that's just a piece of what I do.

And they want a very
particular thing from you.

They don't wanna see Michael
Jordan play baseball, you know?

And I might do a show

and the show's going great

and I do acapellas in between the songs

because I like to draw people in

and just switch up the pacing

and somebody might come up

and that could be their favorite part.

- Because see, once you're
so far into the freestyling,

once you focus solely on freestyling,

then that's who you are.

And when you don't mix
it up and practice it,

you kind of just pigeonhole
yourself to stay in one person.

- I would love to be in a position where

I had the type of movement

and following where it made
sense to partner with a

major label because they have muscle.

You know,

battle rap is just one
piece of hip hop music

and hip hop music is
just one piece of music.

And I'm first and foremost
like a music lover.

And then hip hop is my
main squeeze, you know?

And battle rap is just
her titty, you know?

So I'm trying to milk the other one

and then I'm trying to
work my way down, you know.

♪ They know at level
that they never attain ♪

♪ Never never could attain ♪

♪ So they mentionin' my name ♪

♪ Mamas babies living largly ♪

♪ They actin' crazy in the party ♪

♪ I go shopping on Rodeo ♪

♪ And them places never charge me ♪

♪ Being lazy show up tardy ♪

♪ Burnin' haze ans sippin' forties ♪

♪ Every night a different city ♪

♪ Every day a different shorty ♪

(beat fades)

- A lot of those fans
who watch these battle,

they don't wanna see a lot
of those rappers doing songs

and like in a music video,

like if a battle rapper
makes a song about love,

like, you know,

the battle rappers think they're soft now.

- I might have someone
come up to me in the street

and say they're a huge fan.

And they ask me when
am I dropping an album?

You know, when are you
putting out a mixtape?

And they have never heard
my mixtape or my album

and they're not aware that I
have another one coming out.

♪ Now ♪

♪ A bunch of clowns just jealous
'cause they want the crown ♪

♪ I want the belt ♪

♪ But now I gotta buckle down ♪

♪ Headed for the 12th ♪

♪ 'bout to be the the toughest round ♪

♪ Squaring off with the
clock time's runnin' out ♪

(heavy beat fades)

(fast guitar beat)

- So we're going on tour for

two and a half weeks.

We're starting in LA we're doing the bay,

we're going out through Phoenix
and New Mexico all the way

through Texas to Louisiana.

And then we come back
through like Oklahoma,

I think we come back through Arizona

and back through California
and we end in Sacramento.

The west and the southwest has
been like a fertile touring

ground for like indie cats

and underground cats
from LA for a long time.

So this is kind of like a beaten
path that started years ago

that, you know, the fandom
has already kind of developed

and Busdriver's fandom in particular.

So he's, you know,

taking me and Nocando
along an established route

so we can kind of all get on together

and make a splash that way.

♪ Check y'all. ♪

♪ I've been following my
creed since a teenager ♪

♪ Writing in more run on sentences ♪

♪ Then the dialogue up in speed racer ♪

♪ So we ain't new to this ♪

♪ And you can tell how we
copy floppy computer discs ♪

♪ I'm a futurist so I
don't rock a crucifix ♪

♪ I keep it deep in the dirt
on some Rosa Crux shit ♪

♪ Yeah I'm on that free
thinking double talk ♪

♪ My people's out there like
NASA space shuttle walks ♪

♪ I cultivating epiphanies
outta subtle thoughts ♪

♪ My people stay serving
instead of crossing the line ♪

♪ To the judges called double fall ♪

♪ We got a secret though ♪

♪ We used to keep it low ♪

♪ Us and them same judges is tighter ♪

♪ Than some needle nose pliers ♪

♪ It's time to let the people
know through the wires ♪

♪ The higher ups keep below the surface ♪

♪ I haven't seen them but I heard it ya ♪

♪ And who would mislead us on purpose ♪

♪ HellFire is the club ♪

♪ Swim is the team ♪

♪ Blowed is the project
the free thinker scream ♪

♪ For whatever they want they feel free ♪

♪ So they can have whatever they want ♪

♪ Y'all feel free ♪

♪ It goes ♪

♪ HellFire is the club swim is the team ♪

♪ Blowed this the project
the free thinkers scream ♪

♪ For whatever they want they feel free ♪

♪ So they can have whatever they want ♪

♪ They want, they want, they want ♪

(music fades)

(crowd claps)

- If I'm to be honest with you right now,

I feel absolutely insane.

My emotional levels are outta control

and part of that is just the
transition from being on stage

to going back to regular civilian life.

There's no manual for it.

I found it to be very difficult

because when you're on stage,

you get to enjoy the full
benefits of supported egomania.

They all belong to you
and they all know it.

And there's in accordance with that,

there's an experience of command
and of center of attention.

And I actually enjoy it quite a bit.

(slow hip hop beat)

♪ I went to bed at midnight ♪

♪ And then the clock said 1:23 ♪

♪ Go ahead and close your eye lids ♪

♪ And then tell me what you see ♪

(music fades)

- So we did the Bootleg show last night.

It went pretty cool.

Not quite how I had planned.

I mean I wanted a little
bit more homecoming rah rah.

I wanted the crowd to like
gimme a little bit more

than they were giving me.

And it's kind of important
that my stage show maintain a

certain level of energy.

'cause in this independent
lane where nobody's really

selling records, nobody's selling albums,

the stage show is the only way
that's gonna make some money.

And it's important for me and this guy

that I bring some income in.

- Mike I've known for years

and I've seen him transition
from like the street freestyler

to okay, let me sell some CDs,

let me get a website together.

And throughout this,

all these years, his family
was growing at the same time.

Not just his career.

- [Narrator] As he continues to expand

beyond his battle rap reputation,

Iron Solomon heads to Los
Angeles for some networking

and industry opportunities.

But he's going to do it his way.

- I guess a lot of people come to LA

or are in New York trying to be on camera

as much as possible or you know,

promote themselves.

But I have kind of a funny
relationship with fame.

You know,

I wouldn't have a MySpace
page back in the day

or Facebook or Twitter
if I wasn't an artist.

I'm not into it like that.

I'm hoping out here to make
some connections that allow me

to do some things behind the scenes more.

'cause it's not always right
for me to be on camera.

I don't always enjoy it. You know?

Now I'm out in LA making rounds,

taking meetings,

getting in the studio with some people,

doing some writing and
seeing where it takes me.

I think most people want fame period

and take various routes to get to it.

I love making music

and I would love to be well
known for making great music,

being a great rapper.

But I like being on a subway, you know,

and not having anybody know who I am.

So you know,

I need to find a balance
between notoriety and privacy.

(somber hip hop beat)

- [Narrator] Back in Los Angeles,

Mike Eagle has returned from his tour

and booked a gig at his
old stomping ground.

Bananas at Leimert Park.

The hometown hero returns
to the scene of the rhyme.

(crowd chattering)

(music drowns out freestyle)

♪ Make some noise. ♪

(crowd cheering)

- [Verbs] All right.

50 grand 100,000 Open Mike
Eagle is next so get ready.

- [Open Mike Eagle] Check, check, check

Yeah, yeah

Can we get the mic up a little.

KAOS Network.

Yo, This is the House
of the Blowed, right?

So it's only right if I set it
off with some freestyle shit,

right?

- Yeah.
- Y'all ready?

Make some noise out there.

(crowd cheering)

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah. ♪

♪ That's how we do it ♪

♪ It's improvisational music ♪

♪ They can't stick it
because they translucent ♪

♪ They don't know how we do it ♪

♪ They grabbed the microphone
and then they blew it ♪

♪ They host it ♪

♪ It's not a movement ♪

♪ It's at a standstill ♪

♪ Whole flow is garbage like
the contents of a landfill ♪

♪ Open hit up off the top
of their head like a anvil ♪

♪ They'll have a big ass headache ♪

♪ They need some Advil ♪

♪ MCs think they got rap skill ♪

♪ I'm laughing at their lack of skill ♪

♪ Because they fall off just
like pedals on the daffodil ♪

♪ They vaginas ♪

♪ They need some Masingil ♪

♪ And that's a ddutch,
watch my operation push ♪

♪ I concentrate and turn
these MCs into juice ♪

♪ As I get loose ♪

♪ MCs I just turn up the turbo booster ♪

♪ Then gets cold ♪

♪ That's how I do it
like I boost of gold ♪

♪ And I grab the microphone and get loud ♪

♪ Crowd lose control ♪

♪ It's just how we do it ♪

♪ Come on ♪

♪ Put your hands up
unless you in beverage ♪

♪ 'cause your sweater
got too much dandruff ♪

♪ It's all good yeah ♪

♪ They can be blindly and
jack wound in this hood ♪

♪ And that hood ♪

♪ It don't even matter though ♪

♪ I hold it down MCs ♪

♪ 'cause I think they
think like a band of Joes ♪

♪ MCs get put on reservations
like the Navajo ♪

♪ Stabbing yours when you come
through just on some bullshit ♪

♪ I'm right here at the Blowed. ♪

♪ This is my bully bull pit ♪

♪ Hopin' I'll be preaching ♪

♪ Watch your brains are a breaching ♪

♪ Piss on them ♪

♪ Give me my perspectives like Aretha ♪

♪ We do it because I'm a monster ♪

♪ See me like I'm Sasquatch ♪

♪ I'm rapping right now ♪

♪ Yo hold that shit up Rob shot ♪

- Yo. How y'all feelin'?

My name is Open Mike Eagle.

Pick up the verse.

(crowd drowns out speaker)

- [Verbs] Thank a bunch to
Open Mike Eagle everybody.

(crowd cheers)

Dude when I coming up,
I was a young rap puppy.

(Verbs fades out)

- How goes it?
- Chillin' man.

(crowd drowns out speakers)

(rapid beat box beat)

♪ Oh oh ♪

♪ Yeah huh huh ♪

♪ Ah shit ♪

♪ Yeah oh check yeah oh huh ♪

♪ Chilling in Leimert ♪

♪ I'm about to put in work ♪

♪ Whilst I'm feeling on the skirt ♪

♪ I'm about to fuckin squirt ♪

♪ And I'm a gold cop a squirt ♪

♪ I'm from the liquor store ♪

♪ Yeah I'm from the West Coast ♪

♪ Best flows ♪

♪ Yeah man West coast ♪

♪ Yes old. ♪

♪ And I'm getting just like asbestos ♪

♪ Wrapped with my chest clothes ♪

♪ I have 'em fucked up just like XOs ♪

♪ At the end of a letter ♪

♪ Cold but better ♪

♪ MCs don't understand how we
stretch these eletters yeah ♪

♪ Yeah we do that 'cause they
don't acknowledge rapper shit ♪

♪ I come through with
the ball all the way ♪

♪ Black Colin Kapernick ♪

♪ That's what I do the
second man in the who's who ♪

♪ Rappin' I'm taking the power ♪

♪ Just like a fuse blew ♪

♪ Yeah like a fuse blew ♪

♪ It's like a who's who
of talking that shit ♪

♪ Spitting, clipping, dropping dodo. ♪

♪ Committing voodoo ♪

♪ York to Inglewood and
chill with hipsters ♪

♪ or white bitched who don't mingle good ♪

♪ Yeah I put 'em in ♪

♪ They want to lick the
wood then I hid it good ♪

♪ I do the shit like you wish you could ♪

♪ Like I'm from a different hood ♪

♪ Nah Upper West the fuckin' best ♪

♪ You wanna come and test ♪

♪ I'm unimpressed I've done it best ♪

♪ I've done it east I've done it west ♪

♪ I've done you done him done
her and I've done the rest ♪

♪ and I ♪

♪ If I had it got mad at
it now I don't want it ♪

♪ That's why I don't
always gotta go flaunt it ♪

♪ The most evil cats is always humble ♪

♪ That's why I'm in a jungle ♪

♪ I rumble when I mumble ♪

♪ All of them so all of them so ♪

♪ Iconic I Blowed it up like C4 ♪

♪ The pipe bombing ♪

♪ Yeah I go raw like
I don't like condoms ♪

♪ God dammit I am fuckin' awesome ♪

♪ Fuckin' awesome ♪

♪ Two times used to
watch fuckin' Blossom ♪

♪ And say whoa like Joey ♪

♪ I'm Project Blowy ♪

♪ That's why I learned how to flow it ♪

♪ My flow so stoic ♪

♪ It's black history I so historic ♪

♪ Historic and he's project blowy ♪

♪ I learned how to rap
in the project boy ♪

♪ That's where it's pissin'
in the projects all day ♪

♪ And running a rap
was my project always ♪

♪ From the beginning ♪

♪ Like they need maxi pads ♪

♪ They're running away from the cipher ♪

♪ But the taxi cab ♪

♪ They can't take it ♪

♪ Poking a juice can full of
alcohol until I hurt myself ♪

♪ Like I was Palbazar ♪

♪ Yeah that's what they
do with the ankle ♪

♪ I cut them up and stretch and
make them ligaments dangle ♪

♪ I strangle your metric ♪

♪ The different angles ♪

♪ Got the fishing line shit
they can't disentangle ♪

♪ It's the dopest it's in they focus ♪

♪ And they the brokest ♪

♪ Engineered to make them disappear ♪

♪ Hocus pocus, ♪

♪ My flow is the locust ♪

♪ And it swarms with the
humble beads and seeds ♪

♪ When they fall just
like some tumble weeds ♪

♪ I'm really quite sharp. ♪

♪ My words be whistling
through the air like darts ♪

♪ And I attack just like
a great white shark ♪

♪ My written book is
decorated with bite marks ♪

♪ In my styles are rare mix ♪

♪ Of horror flicks ♪

♪ Stephen Kings amiss ♪

♪ With a little Blair Witch ♪

♪ Projects my concepts is all fresh ♪

♪ Me and my niggas we about to conquest ♪

♪ My family tree branching like congress ♪

♪ So y'all rest 'cause
there isn't any contests ♪

♪ I took your baby mom's
out to buy a high fresh ♪

♪ I rock the tux her Lady Gaga dress ♪

♪ Aha yes ♪

♪ Your party ain't
nothing but sausage fest ♪

♪ I'm trying to go to Austin
Texas two massage breasts ♪

♪ He trying to disrespect
the Sid the ex kid ♪

♪ Come on ♪

♪ Like and ostriches necklaces ♪

♪ And can't no other
nigga get next to it ♪

♪ I rock it for any cat
that's up in the circle ♪

♪ I'm from the side
where people get shot ♪

♪ In they church clothes ♪

♪ That's how they do
want ya'll to breathe ♪

♪ But my inhales fill me ♪

♪ Wonder why didn't
see chem trails daily ♪

♪ The shit falls down ♪

♪ They try to bury them,
soak 'em with barium ♪

♪ But that's just what
they dropping though ♪

♪ Make them bend just like the muscles ♪

♪ And they have abdominals ♪

♪ They thought they flow was local ♪

♪ It's just fuckin' topical ♪

♪ Regrow like the hair grows
my flow got naughty arrows ♪

♪ To make you stand stiff
like a scarecrow yeah ♪

♪ That's how we do it ♪

♪ Mannequin ♪

♪ You stand stiff like a mannequin ♪

♪ It's like you going
hand in hand with Anakin ♪

♪ Time for you to start fuckin' panickin ♪

♪ 'cause it's that mannequin ♪

♪ Can it be so uncannily ♪

♪ But I ain't nobody's X-men ♪

♪ 'cause them bitches is still mine ♪

♪ Especially if they real fine ♪

♪ So you should get in line ♪

♪ How I'm spitting like
I'm in charge this time ♪

♪ Outside my crib is
like the March of Dimes ♪

♪ 'cause them bitches all want to call ♪

♪ 'cause they on the balls ♪

♪ Somebody roll up some
more marijuana ya'll ♪

♪ Get the liquor store on the call ♪

♪ And tell 'em to deliver here ♪

♪ Listen here this fiscal year ♪

♪ I'm like a pistol ear ♪

♪ I shoot him down the
newest dude in town ♪

♪ I'll show you how to to
rock and abuse the crown ♪

♪ I'll burn it down ♪

♪ You can have it and use it now ♪

♪ Uncle Luke dodo brown ♪

(group cheers)

- How 'bout that beat boxing.

(group continues cheering)

- [Narrator] So where do
these struggling artists

fit into the modern music industry?

And can you freestyle
your way through life?

Damn right you can.

Just like music life
is about taking chances

and if you fall off then
you get right back up.

Grab the mic and rhyme again.

This is life.

This is hip hop.

This is freestyling.

End of story.

(slow hip hop music)

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Ha ha ha ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ One time for your mind ♪

♪ Ugh ugh ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Gift of Gab Blackalicious QB ♪

♪ One time ♪

♪ Literal master coming back to blast ya ♪

♪ Your gift to gab rhyme ♪

♪ And yo chapter after chapter ♪

♪ After I'm done ♪

♪ There will be no more ♪

♪ I grabbed the microphone
and began to sort ♪

♪ A poor literate jaw ♪

♪ Considerate your legitimate ♪

♪ Pure talent on the microphone ♪

♪ I callin I'm giving it all that I got ♪

♪ When I rock the spot ♪

♪ Gift of Gab ♪

♪ Yo take it from the bottom to the top ♪

♪ Check out the style I'm about to play ♪

♪ Just doing these
lyrics here here in LA ♪

♪ Yo when it comes to lyrics ♪

♪ yo we don't play ♪

♪ Give the Gab on the mic
making rappers decay ♪

♪ I ride the beat through the
beat like a rollercoaster ♪

♪ When I'm on the microphone ♪

♪ You know that my soul will
boast a little bit of style ♪

♪ You know that I had inside
of my body playing in rappers ♪

♪ Just like Madden games rappers is tame ♪

♪ Rappers is playing ♪

♪ Every time I'm on the mic
it'll never be the same ♪

♪ Again ♪

♪ I'm on another plane man ♪

♪ My brain is about to explode
and I'm above to cause flames ♪

♪ To erupt ♪

♪ But I'm not going to burn down ♪

♪ Malibu on the microphone come back ♪

♪ Can you do what this rapper does ♪

♪ When he's on the microphone ♪

♪ Even if I'm sober or above ♪

♪ G-A lyrical all day every evening ♪

♪ On the microphone yo ♪

♪ I give you that feelin' ♪

♪ Reeling ♪

♪ Robbing ♪

♪ Moving ♪

♪ Weaving ♪

♪ Everybody on the microphone
I'm so intriguing ♪

♪ Gift of Gab up on the microphone ♪

♪ I'll be the fame and when
I step up on the microphone ♪

♪ And you know I'll be the verbal king ♪

♪ I step up on the microphone here in ♪

♪ LA on the microphone ♪

♪ I kick a rapper like Pele ♪

♪ Kicks the soccer ball ♪

♪ I used to kick it back in the days ♪

♪ When I'm ripping is
accurate in our slate ♪

♪ And competition on a mission ♪

♪ Gift of Gab ♪

♪ I'm domination and I'm bombing men and ♪

♪ Women listen again and again ♪

♪ I leave ya'll trembling ♪

♪ Winning the tournament
like I'm playing Wimbleton ♪

♪ I'm in again. ♪

♪ Gift of Gab it's infinite ♪

♪ When I get up on a mic I'm flying ♪

♪ Everybody know I from America
all the way to Mount Zion ♪

♪ I'm flyin' up in the sky like a eagle ♪

♪ Never stop because
my style is so regal ♪

♪ G-A-B up on a mic ♪

♪ Never stop please stay beat ♪

♪ Telling me take it to the top ♪

♪ And I do every single time ♪

♪ I just live here to rhyme
and rhyme and rhyme and rhyme ♪

♪ All day ♪

♪ I gotta say yo ♪

♪ I used to do this way back in the day ♪

♪ And I'm going to good do this shit ♪

♪ Till I decay yo check it out ♪

♪ Every rapper I will slay ♪

♪ Gift of Gab up on the mic ♪

♪ And I do it because of the feeling ♪

♪ And the way that
makes me feel the buzz ♪

♪ That I feel inside of my bones ♪

♪ The Gift of Gab here
up upon the microphone ♪

♪ Just rocking it rocking it ♪

♪ Never going to stop it. ♪

♪ As topic after topic
is so damn tropical ♪

♪ Third eye vision coming
out of my optical ♪

♪ If a fool steps up you know
I'm about to mop a fool ♪

♪ And for me to stop rapping ♪

♪ It's unprobable ♪

♪ When I'm on a microphone
I got a job to do ♪

♪ Gift of Gab moppin' you ♪

♪ Stoppin' you ♪

♪ Choppin' you down to your fragments ♪

♪ Daggetts got to do damage ♪

♪ Peace G-A Lyrical miracle
be wriggle the lyrical ♪

♪ While my mind is a miracle ♪

♪ Lot of us slaughter the rapper ♪

♪ Causin' a disaster thinkin' faster ♪

♪ Then the speed of light ♪

♪ Indeed I ride in the
middle of the night ♪

♪ If your black I'll light
it straight like linus ♪

♪ So enticing bright like Tyson ♪

♪ I am the one ♪