Another week and another week of our favourite freestyles from the week gone by! As with previous weeks, there has been an abundance of talent to choose from which makes our choosing even harder. This week sees artists from across the country dropping their best with a number of influences from drill and trap to UK hip hop and grime. So kick back and relax as we present The 5 Best Freestyles You Missed This Week [005]:
1.Skinz – Daily Duppy
“Steel City ain’t no game. But every city’s all the same”
We previously featured Skinz in our freestyle round up when he dropped his FITB and it seems that nothing is slowing down his momentum with a killer showing on GRM’s Daily Duppy. Following in the footsteps of previous releases, Bonkaz and Cadet, the Sheffield native proves that he can certainly match up. Dropping his dark and brooding flow, Skinz switches from talking about life on the roads to a tale of his partner having a miscarriage with an effortless flow. While he may not be a name known to many at the moment, it is these freestyle showings which have got people talking and hyping for a potential release, perhaps long side fellow Steel City representor Coco?
2. ShaoDow – Fire In The Booth
“I love music, I just want to be expressive. But if you’re black and passionate, that is called aggressive!”
The Fire In The Booth stage has seen some incredible spots the past few weeks [which shows in our previous lists] from the likes of Izzie Gibbs, Skinz and Stardom. This means, that more than ever, you need to come correct with the bars and who better to smash it this week then Shaodow. Giving an intro that states if “you want to master the art of rap, you must first master four weapons” – Shao literally goes off with a flow that sees him act as a lyrical dojo and even spitting in Japanese. Shao is something different in a congested scene and it definitely feels refreshing and for me, harks back to the era of Sway, SAS and Bigz.
3. ZN (86) – Warm Up Session
“But I’m still out on the lurk with the devil. With no instruments, but the notes make it treble”
South London group 86 have been steadily making a name for themselves recently, even taking time to shut down their showings on Link Up’s #MicCheck and Westwood’s Crib Sessions. Their mix of drill, trap and hip hop with UK influence is certainly on trend and made them a name to know within the scene. This week saw 86 member ZN took to SBTV to drop his Warm Up Session, following the likes of fellow members T Mula and Baby R with solo efforts. For this one, he changes the pace, looking to slow it down over a laid back rap beat, dropping a storytelling flow – talking on topics from failed friendships, his family and the hard life on the road.
4. Yung Fume Flud – Crib Session
“I swear that moneys so important, I’m trying to buy mummy’s mortgage”
Coming from the 7, Thorton Heath, Yung Fume Flud blesses the Tim Westwood arena with his infectious auto-tuned hooks and melodies. While it is certainly something new from the Crib Session, it is a reflection of the current UK scene with a number of different influences and sounds. Alongside a sit down interview with Tim, Yung Fume treats us to a rendition of his track, “Flud” taken from his latest project ‘Too Much Wave’. The trippy instrumental allows him to switch up his flow and delivery throughout, between an aggressive UK slang and trap influenced swagger. An interesting combination which makes for a unique session.
5. Slay – Road Rage Freestyle
“Head gone, can’t find that with a TomTom. I’m the coldest, spin a man out of his long johns!”
Over the past 18 month, the grime scene in Manchester has firmly had the light shone its stars, with artists like Bugzy Malone, Blizzard, XP and Levelz repping the 0121 district. With such focus and exposure on the area, there has never been a better time for MCs to prove themselves and one such person is Manny’s own Slay. The Mayhem veteran has been spent the past year consistently dropping releases and new material for his fans. The Road Rage platform allows Slay to let loose, with his skippy flow bouncing over the beat. He even takes the time to tell a story about someone “stabbing their baby mum”. Mad.