When traveling through London, it's a rite of passage to stop by the studio of Tim Westwood, and if given the chance, kick a freestyle over live-spun beats. Stylistically, the forms that these freestyles take are all over the map, especially over the past year or so, with acts like Migos and Rae Sremmurd moving the art form forward to represent the diversity of the genre today. In some ways, though, those guys also brought the concept back to its true definition, as the spontaneous component of freestyling was often ignored in the years prior. The latest Westwood freestyle, coming from iLoveMakonnen, has already proven to achieve a divisive response because of the spontaneity factor.
Makonnen, who recently announced his imminent retirement, got set up in the booth with no preparation and proceeded to run his way through a few beats from Future and Drake collabs, including "Where Ya At," "I'm the Plug," and "Jumpman." He certainly paints a good picture of some of the things he's going through these days, though his imagination often leads him astray. As video of the freestyle (watch below) has spread quickly, Makonnen has, unsurprisingly, received some hate on mockery on social media. Even from veteran rapper Royce da 5'9", who knows a thing or two about the freestyle.
Never one to back down, Makonnen has responded to the agitators on his timeline by admitting that he thinks his freestyle was "trash." "Maybe I should've practiced and asks them to send beats like how the other rappers do," wrote Makonnen. He then asserted that, rapping-wise, he has nothing left to prove: "Done out rapped your favorite rapper, made him scared and have to take his ass to bed early at his house. Trash city is right."
He also tweeted one of the more memorable bars from his Westwood freestyle: "Still dodging calls from Baby and Jay Z."
Whether you enjoyed his freestyle or not, Makonnen's accompanying interview with Tim Westwood is definitely worth watching.