| Hip hop has slowly risen from the depths of the | | | | most notabaly, Lil Wayne, Outkast, and Ludacris. |
| underground - from neighborhood house parties to | | | | Hip Hop Freestyles and the Internet |
| arena stages - and with it the art of freestylin'. What | | | | Like all other popular entertainments, the accessibility |
| was once an informal artistic expression largely limited | | | | of hip hop culture has been maximized by the |
| to black and Latino communities in the United States | | | | expansion of the internet. Popular entertainment |
| has now seized the mainstream attention to become | | | | media sites, especially Youtube and AOL Music |
| the dominant genre in music entertainment today. | | | | regularly feature videos and audio recordings of hip |
| Originally, freestyles represented hip hop music in its | | | | hop celebrities and their latest freestyles at radio |
| purest form - completely raw, unscripted, and living | | | | stations, clubs, and concert halls. |
| proof of an MC's lyrical talents. Now, the definition of | | | | For fans of hip hop freestyles who enjoy |
| freestyle has been expanded to include rhymes | | | | participating as much as observing, numerous online |
| containing fragments of pre-written lyrics or entirely | | | | communities dedicated to the craft have been |
| pre-written lyrics, but die-hard freestyle fans revere | | | | launched, connecting freestylers from across the |
| the artistry of impromptu rapping. Artists who draw | | | | globe. Websites like provide a forum where |
| inspiration from the excitement of the moment often | | | | burgeoning arts post and comment on original lyrics, |
| compose the most brilliant verses, especially in the | | | | submit clips and recordings of their own freestyle |
| heated exchange of a freestyle battle. | | | | performances, rate music, promote their |
| The ability to freestyle is a major classifier in the hip | | | | self-produced albums, and read up on opportunities |
| hop world, where true MCs are hailed for the | | | | for freestylers to perform publicly. |
| uniqueness of their improvisational rhyme. Even the | | | | Other sites, like Flocabulary, specialize in instructing |
| kings of mainstream hip hop, like Jay-Z, Kanye West, | | | | beginning freestylers looking to sharpen their skills. |
| and Nas, feel the need to confirm their skills as | | | | Flocabulary dissects the art of rhyming and offers a |
| innovative lyricists, and regularly perform freestyle | | | | step-by-step tutorial meant to strengthen a |
| verses on music television programs and radio | | | | beginner's improvisational abilities. |
| stations. | | | | The internet is bringing hip hop to the farthest |
| The genre divide between East Coast hip hop and | | | | corners of the world and introducing freestylin' to |
| Southern rap has chiefly been caused by the latter's | | | | foreign communities interested in expressing their |
| use of over-simplified beats and rhymes, as well as | | | | concerns about their environments through music. In |
| the inability of its front-runner artists to demonstrate | | | | countries like Israel, Palestine, and Pakistan has |
| sufficient freestyle skills. Sub-genres like crunk music | | | | become a method of responding to the social and |
| are criticized for lacking complexity and cheapening | | | | political problems plaguing their homelands. Freestylin' |
| the image of hip hop overall, and artists such as | | | | has become much larger than its origins in NYC |
| Hurricane Chris have come under fire in recent years | | | | neighborhoods, proving to be a therapeutic art |
| for this reason. Despite such criticisms, Southern | | | | bringing cultures together through the power of their |
| credibility has been maintained by a talented few - | | | | own words. |