Vol.2 Freestyle Philosophy

8/4/2019 Vol.2 Freestyle Philosophy

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hilosophical fresstyle 9/25/06 6:12

The Philosophical Improvisations of Hip-Hop

“Freestyle”

“Acts that were primitively spontaneous are converted into means that

make human intercourse more rich and gracious, just as a painter

converts pigment into means of expressing an imaginative experience.

Dance and sports are activities in which acts once performed

spontaneously in separation are expressive art” -John Dewey

Off the top of the dome without premeditated ideas, let

your gift go . . .

“Freestyle” is an intimate exotic experience within the

musical art form called Hip-Hop. Its only weapon is the crude

black spark and the individual’s experience. The expression

“freestyle” has its roots in African-American slang. It is a

coined phrase that every generation X black person should

understand as leaving all your written and planned

compositions at home and only bringing out your microphone

and soul.



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A fundamental difference that separates the art form of a

so-called “rapper” from a “freestyler” is that a rapper is a

counterfeit artist. An authentic artist has an intimate

relationship with Hip-Hop. During the artist’s incubation

period is when his or her freestyle should begin to develop.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “freestyle” as using a

certain style in a contest. However, I would like to submit to

you that freestyle is a primitive way of relating to music and

art—that innately Hip-Hop music is embedded into our soul

through experience, and we access this realm of our spirit

through our music. Therefore, freestyle does not depend on

mental and logical sequence of thought. In contrast, we should

avoid thinking when freestyling because raw emotions are the

most valued virtue in this domain.

Moreover, we as humans are taught to never let feelings

or emotions control our actions—that emotion should not

dominate over the human faculty to reason. This is not

acceptable when we begin improvising or freestyling because

feelings become the catalyst for spontaneous expression.

To a rapper, improvisation is a struggle because the art



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form, which is Hip-Hop, repels the rapper with its pretense of

virtue. His extreme insincerity is similar to a man who says he

loves a woman but spends no time developing and cultivating a

relationship with her. Instead he would rather purchase

material items to appease her needs, thus exposing himself as a

cheap pimp. Similarly, freestyle is the barometer that

determines if an artist has established a relationship and a high

level of comfort with Hip-Hop. It becomes a consecrated ritual

rather than an opportunity to devalue what is sacred.

When freestyling, a person’s experiences become the

pigment they use to paint their picture. The African-American

experiences become the means and often the raw material used

during spontaneous acts of expression. Once the beat drops,

this expression becomes a basic instinct of arousal.

Just as freestyle is the spontaneous form of the

expressive art form of Hip-Hop, improvisation is the art of

unplanned creation. For a rapper to be able to improvise, he

needs to have a foundation of skills. Within the art form of

rap, the MC who improvises or freestyles is usually using a

drum track or band.



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What mostly separates a rapper from a Hip-Hop artist is

his or her ability to improvise or freestyle on the spot. In fact,

freestyle has been a common practice for artists throughout the

legacy of Hip-Hop. While freestyling is the ability to find

structure and make sense out of a random thought pattern,

finding some type of flow out of nothing, meaning no pre-

written or recycled raps, is the main goal of improvisation. As

a rapper develops as an artist over time, his seemingly random

lyrics become increasingly controlled, and as the MC matures

in his skills, his freestyle and delivery should improve.

_____________________________________________________________

“The Art of Not Knowing”

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Albert Einstein

For quite sometime in the world of education,

knowledge or rational is seen as the most important trait of

human development. For we valued the ability to not be lead

by emotions but to make rational decisions. From generation

to generation, we have viewed knowledge as a better way to



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function in life. For they have tried to measure our

knowledge and cognitive abilities through IQ test, etc. Albert

Einstein suggests in the above quote that imagination is better

than knowledge because knowledge is limited. It is limited in

what one can grasp or conceive in one moment. Now, for him

to say imagination is better than knowledge that is to suggest

that something we can not measure, such as Imagination, is

better than that which is all ready concrete, our knowledge.

We can measure knowledge by a variety of different test

therefore gauging knowledge. Knowledge has always been

exalted by men, but when have we ever heard someone say,

“forget about knowledge and just get some imagination.” This

would mean ignore the physical and embrace the spiritual.

Imagination must not be limited if knowledge is limited. For

imagination is a bottomless cup. The word imagination comes

from the root word “imagine” and the root word to “imagine”

is “image”. So, “imagine” is a verb. The act of visualizing

something in your minds eye. So, here we have the act of

doing something before one is able to create a image. We must

imagine the image of the thing that we want to create and the



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image prompts the mind to act in the visualizing mode of

imagining to bring forth the creation. Therefore, the image is

the idea in seed form. The image gets planted in the soil of

imagination for it to grow. So, imagination is the faculty of

the human mind that makes sure that the image gets

accomplished. It is the housing center of the person who

conceives the image. Furthermore, knowledge without

imagination is void of potential (if you can receive it

imagination is man’s omnipotence). So you see knowledge is

limited without imagination, but, imagination can not get the

job done without the seeds of knowledge for these seeds

impregnate the idea. Knowledge is essential to the miracle

birth of creation. Likewise, imagination expands and increases

the possibilities. For example, one may know that they need to

cross the river and even have the knowledge to know that the

river’s current is too fast and the river is too deep to swim

across. Although, crossing and how to cross without killing

one’s self is imaginations job. Imagination draws from

knowledge and makes it all possible.

Now that I have shown you how knowledge is limited. I



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would like to submit to you that knowledge is a hindrance and

a blessing to an artist when engaged in the act of spontaneous

creation i.e., freestyle. For the art of freestyle is the “act of

not knowing”. The artist must trust that the seeds of his skills

will blossom and be accessible to fill in the gaps of the process

of freestyle. Which can be fearful to him if he is a novice.

For the fear is in not knowing and this is frightening to a

person that wants to succeed without failing. But, in contrast,

the very thought of no failure is insane because no one could

succeed without failing. In all honesty, for one to freestyle

they must have a portion of blind faith. If I may, the Bible

states;

“Prophesy according to the proportion of

your faith.” Romans 12:6

This is a spiritual truth that one can only do a thing to a

degree that they believe they can do it. Your omnipotence or

potential will not awaken to bring forth your creation. In a

television documentary on Stevie Wonder, he stated in an



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interview that when he goes into the studio to record:

“I always leave room for God to show up.”

This is a deeply profound statement for it suggests that

he has faith in himself and he honors the divine presence

within. For improvisation, the spontaneous act of rhyming

offthe top of your head, is the way that a Hip-Hop artist

communes with his god-self. The ability to not think or lean

upon mental faculties but just rest in the state of just “BEING”

and removing one’s self from under the curse of thinking.

Also, if I may again quote from the Bible and reveal a spiritual

truth of freestyle. It states in Matthew 10:19:

“But when they deliver you up take no thought of

how or what you shall speak: for it shall

be given you in that same hour what you shall

speak.” KJV

Many may think that there is no spiritual origin to the things



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they do but that is not true because everything has an origin.

For the act of improvising is the act of channeling. As one

grows and becomes more intimate with the art form of Hip-

Hop their faith should increase. They should have the heart to

jump out there and try to swim no matter how deep the water

is. For if you jump out in six feet or twenty feet the act of

treading water is the same no matter how deep the water.

Improvisation is the act of releasing the imagination and

embracing the feeling of not knowing. Freestyling is not an

intellectual process, rather a deeply felt “something” that can

only be expressed musically through the body i.e. dance or

lyrically rhymed out.

This process in which we are speaking of falls in the

affective domain where rational thought and thinking are not

employed but only the ability to react to the music. In realm

of education there is a word to prove that art is a worthy

discipline just like Math and History etc. They use it as a

means of definition.

“FeelingFul knowledge and KnowledgeFul Feeling.”



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Broudy.H.S. 1972 Enlightening Cherishing: An

Essay on Aesthetic Education. Urbana: University. Press.

Moreover, freestyle is the activity of a spontaneous flow

of not knowing where you will end up, walking by faith, blind

in the area of your destination but yet the pleasure is in the

process rather than in the final product. The art being the

experience; filling in the spaces while trying to compose and

maintain structure.

“The Art of Inquiry”

As an artist deepens their relationship with Hip-Hop

their freestyle should become more purposeful and rhythmic.

A sign of a mature artist is the way he makes sense out of his

randomness. Here is a fabricated freestyle that will serve as an

example for the inquiry process within Hip-Hop criticism. So,

one will be able to discern if an artist is actually freestyling.

Mc’s are so elementary

like A,B C I will C



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(see) them ease on down

the road, or I’ll flush them

down the camode.

Now an aesthetic inquiry would ask the question, is this

MC really improvising or was this a premeditated written rap?

Hip-Hop criticism may pose the question, what is an actual

Freestyle? Is it simply a way to rap randomly regardless of

whether it’s pre-written or comes off the top of the head at

that moment in time and space? There has been much debate

in various circles on what freestyle actually is. Lets say, for the

sake of aesthetic inquiry, that it is the latter. If it is, how can

we tell if the artist is coming off the top of his head with the

rhyme? The only way to detect this is to notice his flaws,

relying on the fact that their is no such thing as perfection.

The trick of freestyling is to harness random thought patterns

and make sense or structure out of it in your delivery. For

example, in the above fabricated rap it states, “MC’s are so

elementary like A, B, C,” which sounds controlled, however, it

is in the next thought pattern that he is going to have to know

what to say even before he says it in order for it to make sense.



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He says, “ I will see them ease on down the road, or I’ll flush

them down the commode.” During the time when he is saying

the last word in the second to last line, “ down the road”, this is

where the mind releases the next phrase to connect with the last

word. No matter how outlandish the word is, the developing

artist needs to say it. The artist does not have total control

over how the structure of his rap will come together. He

demonstrates this when he says, “or I’ll flush them down the

commode”. Now we can get a glimpse at where the artist is

going by what the first two lines were suggesting. This

particular song is building itself on battle rhymes. However,

the MC can easily change the direction of the rap like a tamed

horse. His imagination controls the whole improvisation.

When an artist is freestyling, it is the releasing of the

imagination in action. The imagination is controlling where

the flow of the rap will go depending on the nature of the

situation. There is usually no particular theme, but the artist is

trying to find ways to connect what he said previously building

line upon line and theme upon theme into a whole



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compositional piece. As John Dewey said “ In an experience,

flow is from something to something.” In the experience of

improvisation the flow is built upon the past lyric of the

composition. Additionally, the artist uses a random thought

pattern while trying to maintain structure and simultaneously

compose the rap. This all leads to an inevitable potential for

flaws. The art of it all is when flaws make sense. So, the

flaws are not flaws at all, but this ability comes only with

experience. An artist does not have such control but will

develop control over time, through incubation process to

improve and perfect his artistic craft.

“Improvisation: The Birthing of New Ideas”

The emergence of an idea is determined by the

relationship that an artist has with the art form. In Hip-Hop,

there must be a sacredness and a mutual respect for this act of

spontaneous expression. The Hip-Hop artist is almost like a

Native-American beating on his drums and chanting to evoke a



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spiritual presence. Whether they realize it or not, the instinct is

natural. To the casual observer, the chanting appears to be

nothing more than the drummer beating himself into a frenzy,

when really he is trying to tune into a channel and find a

frequency to obtain a new revelation. This spontaneous act of

expression calls for the artist to find a groove or a resting

place, in the music or on a drum beat, whatever they are using

for a canvas. Before one can ever freestyle or create their

composition, it is essential that they find the level of comfort

and relaxation with the music. At this point, the artist can

begin to muse or meditate about which direction they want to

go. It does not matter that the artist does not consciously know

what direction they want to go. However, the music becomes a

drug for the conscious mind to lay down its inhibitions so that

the subconscious can begin to realize new ideas.

The freestyle session is an experience within itself. Before

words can begin to emerge from the subconscious mind the

numbing of the conscious mind by the music must be

complete. For the realization of imagination to occur, it is



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imperative that the artist’s inhibitions and fears be put to rest

by the music and groove that he has found. This spontaneous

act of expression creates a drift that the artist must flow into

and begin to express the subconscious minds ideas and

imagination. This blind faith is necessary so that the moment

is not lost in fear. Most people begin to catch a flow initially,

but then they get so excited at how one line or two to four lines

were successfully connected that they abort the process due to

the hype of the moment. A novice is interested in fleeting

success; an artist is searching for an idea rather than a rhyme.

Depending on the sacredness of the freestyle session, this act of

expression will lead to new artistic discovery. Consequently, it

is kindred to stumbling upon buried treasure without a map in

hand. However, it is the vibe or energy of the moment that

give way to blind faith in order to step out into the current and

let the stream carry the person away. If it leads to the ocean,

flow with it. If it leads to a pond, flow with it. If it leads to

the breakers, flow with it. The key to discovery is to find

meaning and structure out of lack of self-control while

simultaneously seeking to broaden what is already being said.



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The process of the spontaneous act of freestyling will lead you

to your promised land. The process of creating meaning is

more important than actually rhyming verse to verse. If the

artist says something with enough passion and meaning behind

it, it will demand approval because of its inherent potency. An

artist could say, “I’m walking down the street, rhyming to the

beat, makin’ everyone move their feet.” Yes, these words

rhyme but they lack style and aesthetic beauty. That same

artist could say, “What up for-real, let’s get down, and check

out this new smoke.” Though this doesn’t rhyme it has

eloquence, style, and meaning that goes beyond the simple goal

of finding a rhyme. The artist is on a quest for something

more profound in meaning and should never be tempted to

search for any rhyming word simply to connect the previous

line. The full creative impulse must be expressed though some

say skills should never be sacrificed for style. However, I feel

the spontaneous act in search for meaning is the act of

expression. This process of spontaneous expression is a

metaphysical and transcendental undertaking of creating

something out of nothing. For example, when I think back on



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most of my personal creative processes. Most of my raps come

from times when I was driving in my car freestyling. Usually I

have a title before I create lyrics. My song “Peppermint Cool”

was conceived in the car while listening to an instrumental

track. That particular day I felt “cool” for some strange reason

and the word “peppermint” was a description of my feeling. I

connected the two together and this inspired my creative

processes. I began to meditate on what “Peppermint Cool”

meant to me. As I wrestled with this problem, I allowed my

subconscious to take control. My primary improvisation

sessions were in my car while I was driving to and from work.

These freestyling sessions lent themselves to new artistic

discoveries. The vibe or energy I derived from the freestyle

session is an aesthetic experience in itself. Keith Murray said

in one of his raps, “I need a lot of music and a rowdy

atmosphere to even think clear,” this statement has a lot of

meaning in it for me. My interpretation of it is that for him to

get aroused to a certain level of aesthetic sensitivity, he needs

this external inspiration to begin to release imagination in a

new way. The title “Peppermint Cool” came out my mouth




just as randomly as thoughts came to mind. Along with the

vibe of the drum track the words “Yo man, I’m glad that

schools out, Pour that brew out,” emerged and told me in what

direction my subconscious was leading me. Then I began to

build on my song by turning the music back and reciting the

words over again. I came to the conclusion that what I was

trying to reveal was not destructive or negative, but instead

positive energy. The next line flows off like this. “Let’s get

bent, and light incenses, to Peppermint and cool out, and cool

out...” I could then retaste the flavor of the first two lines so

that the transition I made to the next statement have the same

feel. This flavor drove the lyrics in the same way the Native

American chants serve to contact the spirits.

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Vol.2 Freestyle Philosophy