Music
The rap veteran and star turn on Red Bull Studios’ 64 Bars project knows his freestyle.
After making its bow in 2015, David Dallas's freestyle-rap project Red Bull Studios Auckland: 64 Bars is back for another run around the block – and this time it features the one and only Talib Kweli. The hip-hop veteran, who's worked with Mos Def, Hi-Tek, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, J Dilla and Madlib, appears alongside local New Zealand rappers Abdul, INF and Rizván.
The aim of the whole enterprise is to get these rappers back to basics and force them to freestyle over 64 bars. Says Dallas about the art of freestyling, "This is strictly about the craft of rapping."
Talib Kweli, who was first up, knows this well. In fact, he's given up some handy pointers to pass on to any budding freestyle rappers out there. Scroll down to read his hard-earned tips.
"Most freestyles are based on strands of information and rhymes that existed before the actual moment you're rapping. But the best freestyles are improvised and planned out at the same time."
"You need to be one, two or three bars ahead, maybe five or six bars ahead in your head, for a great freestyle."
"Most people have freestyle crutches that they lean on when the freestyle gets stale – words or phrases they go to to give them time to think. But the best plan is to stop and start afresh."
"All good freestyles come armed with themes, and the best freestyle rappers control the narrative so they can push it into their wheelhouse. But the trick is to not get caught doing so."
"Pay attention to the best who do it. NIKO IS is from Brazil and can freestyle in English, Portuguese and Spanish and is the most quick-witted, engaging freestyle rapper I've ever heard."
More from Red Bull Studios here.
Talib Kweli is on Facebook.
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