By BFE Correspondent from Northern Uganda, Emmanuel Obua
Recently on one of the live shows on National TV which celebrate and promote UG Hip Hop , Fans were left stunned when a promising duo froze up on the spot and failed to string together even a single sentence when it came time to freestyle. This incident raises the question: how important is freestyling in Hip Hop?
Freestyling has always been an art form within Hip Hop and it takes talent, hard work, and dedication to be able to get good at it. You have to be creative with words and you also have to have control of your own flow so you can put all the pieces together in real time. Freestyle also involves rhythm and cadence that only an experienced artist will understand. All of this is necessary for an artist who wants to reach a high level of skill and credibility as a rapper. Not only does the art of freestyle make you better as a rapper, but it makes you a great performer too!
While not all hip hop artists need to be masters of the art of freestyling, it can help them reach the upper echelons of success. Great freestyle skills can show an audience that you know your craft inside and out and are dedicated to the art of rap. Freestyle can also help in difficult live situations where written material just isn’t cutting it. For example, when someone from the crowd calls out an impromptu challenge or tries to interrupt your flow on stage – being able to reply quickly with slick rhymes or puns can turn a potentially uncomfortable moment into one filled with great energy and applause.
Mastering the art of freestyling doesn’t just make you look good on stage – it makes you better at your job overall. Learning how to free flow over different beats will keep you inspired, improve your vocabulary and provide some needed variety during recording sessions; giving producers more choices when they go to put your work together into songs. The improved wordplay will translate into greater fan appreciation and increased replay value on each release.
It’s also important for rappers who want to prove themselves as true lyricists by being able to go back and forth with each other in cyphers or rap battles because having those impromptu skills come natural would help them come out victorious every time.
Overall, it’s not mandatory for any Hip Hop artist today to know how to freestyle as some mumble rappers still manage to stay on top but there’s no doubt that being able to properly freestyle helps separate regular rappers from truly great ones
