Say what you will about the young man, but many have come to view YBN Cordae as a young torchbearer, carrying a tradition many deemed lost. In the wake of his Lost Boy album, fans have taken to championing the young bar-spitter, raising him as a paragon amidst a sea of low-bar bar spitters. Perhaps, but how can we really know unless faced with the true test. I'm speaking, of course, about an audience with Funkmaster Flex, judger of BARS and destroyer of worlds. Luckily, Cordae relishes in the test, moving as if he's been waiting for this moment for his whole damn life.
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Off the top, Cordae kicks off with a take on Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Otis," moving comfortably over the soulful instrumental. After laying down a warm-up verse, Flex already appears convinced, chiming in with some ad-libs. "You see it," he marvels, likely still shaking off the PTSD from Tyler, The Creator's recent freestyle session. "Wow." Never one to be sated, Cordae requests another one, only to be met with something outside his comfort zone: DaBaby's infectious "Suge."
Luckily, Cordae came prepared for slaughter. Off the bat, he tackles the instrumental like a man possessed, bringing a whole gaggle of flows from out his trick-bag. It's an impressive showcase for the young rhymer, who is quickly asserting himself as one of the brightest young lyricists to watch. And that's only the second beat. How do you think The Lost Boy fared on Funk Flex?