With fewer radio appearances going down on a daily basis -- though we can only hope that is set to change as COVID-19 vaccinations ramp up -- there has been a notable decrease in the number of freestyles. Luckily, they haven't faded entirely, and the recently-released Rowdy Rebel hit up The Come Up Show with DJ Cosmic Kev and spit a few minutes of hard-hitting acapella bars.
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When asked to spit, Rowdy Rebel wastes no time in setting it off, sliding effortlessly out of his conversational tone. "I said 2014 when I had the streets on lock," he begins, "Yo Kev, I was posted right there in front of my G spot / three shooters, three glocks, chilling with three Thots / then I sent that bitch to the weed spot / to smoke on a zip right in front of my PJs, I was bagging up food, I ain't talking bout BJs / right about the time when I shut down the Barclays / that's when I had a crush on Tinashe, but she had never fucked with a n***a that had shootouts in broad day."
His intensity raises as the freestyle progresses. "All these cops tryna lock me, all these haters wanna stop me," he raps. "All these bitches tryna lie on me, all these n***as tryna pop me / that's why I'm in this field, a long stick, I'm playing hockey / with a shooter on deck, I say shoot, he say copy." That particular bar elicits a hyped response from Kev, who encourages Rebel to "keep going." And that he does, clearly eager to be rapping once again, and with ample material to boot. Look for him to enjoy a prolific year, as he's already teased an upcoming performance at Summer Jam.
Check it out for yourself below.