While the Drake/Common war of words may have reached a detente recently, Drizzy continues to inspire. His song “The Motto” provided grist for not one, but TWO of our lines of the week, as Freddie Gibbs and Meek Mill both ate that beat up and spit it out. In other news, Bishop Lamont reveals his favorite kids’ TV program, Scarface lands an odd-looking girlfriend, and Jon Connor manages to suck up to his interviewers in a most entertaining fashion.
5. “Birds for the 33, I got my Larry on/Where the thong at? Freddie home” — Freddie Gibbs, ‘The Motto (Remix)’
Gary, Indiana’s Freddie Gibbs, a critics’ darling these past few years, has been making mainstream moves since hooking up with Young Jeezy. On this Drake remix, he and Jeezy leave the original in the dust, especially in this punchline. Gibbs compares his cocaine prices ($33,000/kilo) to another number 33, his fellow Indiana native Larry Bird. We can’t wait to see the Hick from French Lick jump on a track with Gangster Gibbs. It’s going to be amazing!
4. “I’m on the highway, buzzed from the contact/Her body nice, but her face look like a wombat” — Scarface, ‘Chase’
Scarface is a rightful legend in the rap game for countless reasons — his powerful voice, top-tier storytelling ability, emotional delivery that rises to (and, truth be told, usually surpasses) Tupac-level intensity. But his humor is often overlooked, and comes out in full force in this punchline. The sharp comic detail of choosing a wombat as the point of comparison here always makes us crack up.
3. “But I ain’t like these other rappers, talking about they’ll clap ya/Cause I be at home with my daughter watching ‘Yo Gabba Gabba’” – Bishop Lamont, ‘Sway in the Morning Freestyle’
West Coast veteran Bishop Lamont is one of the very few rappers working today who can actually freestyle off the top of his head, and he does so for several minutes straight on this superb radio show appearance. Early on, he reels off this gem, which is entertaining, funny, and surprisingly revealing for someone who spent almost his whole professional career penning tough-guy rhymes for Dr. Dre.
2. “I really went from whipping 62’s to whipping 62’s/Ain’t none of the homies Cripping, we giving ni**as the blues” – Meek Mill, ‘The Motto Freestyle’
Our second entry in the Drake freestyle sweepstakes this week features one of RG’s favorite rap tricks, the homophone. We are never able to resist a good one, and this example reminds us of our favorite homophone of all time, from Cam’ron. Here, the first “whipping 62’s” refers to cooking up small quantities of poor quality crack, and the second to driving a Maybach 62. Mill continues the sharp wordplay in the second line, punning on the Crips gang’s favorite color, blue.
1. “I shine sharp like a ruby hornet/Ironic when I set it off, they be like, the dude is on it” – Jon Connor, ‘RubyHornet Freestyle’
No rapper’s freestyle is complete without a nod to the host of the show he or she is appearing on. For some, it’s a perfunctory shout-out, for some a comic insert. Here, Connor delivers one of the best we’ve heard. While appearing on the RubyHornet show, he ends his verse by comparing himself to an actual jeweled insect. He follows this with some “off”/”on” wordplay to complete his tenure on the show with a bang.
