Funkmaster Flex, for all the annoying things about him (we could make a list), is definitely keeping one important aspect of hip-hop and adjoining culture alive and well: freestyling. The OG Hot 97 radio host has been going hard on a freestyle series, we're not sure what the end goal is ultimately, but he's currently sitting on freestyle #73. There's nothing particularly fancy about it, either, it's straight-forward bars over someone else's beat: a freestyle in the most classic sense of the word. Although I cannot verify that every single bar spit is not recycled from a pre-written verse, it's the freestyle feeling.
The latest rapper to step into Funk Flex's office and spit for the camera is Macklemore. Macklemore's hype has definitely waned, but there is still curiosity, to say the least, about what his next album Gemini will bring. Especially because it'll be without his secret weapon: Ryan Lewis. The tracklist and cover art for Gemini can be found here, it's feature-heavy -- there's a feature listed on every song, save for one, running the gambit on status, from Lil Yachty and Offset, to lesser-known rapper Dave B -- and impacts on September 22nd.
The freestyle for Funk Flex happens over Jay-Z's "Lucifer" beat, and Macklemore, who appears as ecstatic as ever to be alive and freestyling, spits for almost three minutes. Macklemore kicks things off about transitioning from a self-described backpack rapper to a mainstream artist (and touching a million), before proceeding to do some good ol' flexing.
"Hold up, if Jay Ye is Jordan, and Kendrick is Lebron, and Drake is Westbrook and Durant is Big Sean, that means Cole is Curry and Eminem is Bird, I'm not playing in the league to sit behind Dirk," he raps. Whatchu think of that analysis?
How'd Macklemore do? Watch the full freestyle session below. Macklemore is currently heading up a press run in support of Gemini, since it does drop at the end of the week, and thus you'll likely be seeing a lot more of him this week (starting with this right here from earlier today).
Check out the rest of the freestyles from Funk Flex here.