I Hate Myself for Posting a “Rack City” Remix, But Yelawolf Destroyed This (Listen & Download)

I've been at the forefront of the war to stop rappers from freestyling/remixing whatever the hot beat of the moment is, and there's no "hotter" beat of the moment than Tyga's "Rack City". But then I heard Yelawolf's version, found myself keeping it on repeat for ten minutes as a time and....goddamn it, here I am posting.

Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) Keeps It Very Real On “N*ggas In Poorest” (Listen & Download)

Posted by Danielle Harling on 01/16/12 | Filed under Top Stories, Downloads, Freestyles, Yasiin Bey

I really do find this new Yasiin Bey "N*ggas In Poorest" to be quite intriguing. At first listen it almost sounded like a parody of Jay-Z and Kanye West's "N*ggas In Paris." Especially with the different, exaggerated voices Yasiin uses on the song. It sounded like he was doing more than just remaking "N*ggas In Paris" it was as if he was making fun of the song while trying to still be conscious. Listen and download...

Slaughterhouse’s Hot 97 Cypher is 2011’s Classic Hip-Hop (Listen & Download)

Posted by Nathan S. on 12/22/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Refined Picks, Freestyles, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Slaughterhouse, Crooked I, Royce da 5 9

Whether it was "The Illest". unquestionably the best BET Cypher or anything else they even considered rhyming on, in many ways 2011 was the Year of Slaughterhouse. No one's bringing back that classic hip-hop "just rhyming as dopely as possible' feel than Budden, Crooked, Royce and Ortiz. The best rapper is the one who raps the best. Imagine that. Listen and download...

Sean Falyon’s Freestyles Are Too Hilariously Dope to Ignore (Listen & Download)

Posted by Nathan S. on 12/07/11 | Filed under Downloads, Freestyles, Sean Falyon

RefinedHype Nation knows I've got a thing about posting "freestyles", or more accurately I've got a thing about not posting "freestyles", but I'll be damned if Sean Falyon didn't wear me down. Not only has the bearded wonder been releasing some pretty damn enjoyable music lately, but he's been pairing each release with some hilarious artwork. Listen and download...

Big K.R.I.T. Unleashes His Own “5 Fingers of Death” (Listen & Download)

When Kendrick Lamar stopped by Sway and Devi Dev's show to kick five different flows over five different beats (aka the "5 Fingers of Death") I said it'd be the perfect test for up-and-coming rappers. Pass and you can release an album. Fail and I hear UPS is hiring. Listen and download...

Kendrick Lamar Unleashes His “5 Fingers of Death” (Freestyle Listen & Dowload)

Posted by Nathan S. on 10/24/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Downloads, Freestyles, Kendrick Lamar

First and foremost, under the new rules we're laying down, this would indeed be considered a "freestyle" under the "Pre-Written Freestyle" clause - while Kendrick Lamar wrote all of these rhymes before he got on the mic with Sway in the Morning, he's spitting them unrehearsed over beats he doesn't know are coming. This is rap without a parachute. Listen and download...

That Sh*t Not Particularly Cray: T.I.‘s “Ni**as in Paris” Freestyle (Listen & Download)

Posted by Nathan S. on 10/17/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Downloads, T.I., Jay-Z, Freestyles, Kanye

If T.I. has spent the last couple years, you know, not in prison this new "Ni**as in Paris" freestyle would be a complete side note, something to listen to once and then forget about. But we're still very much in "Oh shit! T.I.'s making music again! Let's get everything we can before he gets locked back up!" mode. Listen and download...

Rittz Does Lil Wayne One Better on “3 Shots” (Listen & Download)

Posted by Nathan S. on 09/23/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Refined Picks, Downloads, Freestyles, Rittz

Let's be real. Rittz is slept on partially because there's just too much music out there to stay up on everyone, and partially because he's a white guy with huge red hair. And that's alright, I understand. We all make assumptions based on appearance, myself included. But on the real, seriously, the man's got one of the best flows in the game right now. Listen and download...

Hey Look, B.o.B.‘s Rapping Again! (Listen & Download)

Posted by Nathan S. on 09/21/11 | Filed under Downloads, Freestyles, B.o.B.

So I've got good news and I've got bad news. The bad news? Unlike I first hoped, B.o.B.'s new freestyle "Welcome to the Jungle" isn't over the instrumental to Guns 'N Roses classic, which would have been fucking amazing. Instead it's over Kanye's "WTT" beat, which is still cool, but not Guns 'N Roses cool. Listen and download...

Remember When Eminem Could Freestyle Like a Motherf**ker? (Video & Download)

Posted by Nathan S. on 09/16/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Refined Picks, Downloads, Eminem, Freestyles

I saw this classic Dilated Peoples (Rakaa & Evidence) and Eminem track on the house of dope and it set me off on a three hour Eminem freestyle binge. Listen, I'm genuinely glad the man's sober now, and that he's the only rapper who can make legitimately dope music and outsell Lil Wayne, but honestly? I miss the old school, freestyle like a motherfucker Em. Listen, watch and download...