Mehji Moments

Aiiiight guys, I guess to make something a series, there has to be more than 1 🥴. Lol— yeah let this be part two of many Mehji Moments 😈🤘🏾〽️〽️.

Today I’m going to talk to you about something I really enjoy that might not necessarily be exclusive to rap music; but, I’m only going to talk about its context in rap music. 🤷🏾‍♂️ (There is so much variance and influence in rap there’s plenty to cover right here).

Anyone who knows me and how I get obsessively hooked on whatever I think is great, probably knows by now that I am on the Juice bandwagon. (I'm not talking about a fresh low-calorie beverage either). Juice Wrld (R.I.P) was hailed as one of the best freestylers of our generation, if not all time. He definitely holds his own up there #imo against some of the giants like Snoop and KRS-ONE!

(Say Snoop ain’t a freestyle giant) 🥴

😭 read to the end and tell me if you feel the same way 👀.

What exactly made Juice Wrld a giant in his own right and respect though honestly might’ve been just exactly how he approached his freestyles in general.

The term freestyle rap has seen almost as dramatic of an evolution as the rest of the game. Big Daddy Kane defined "freestyling," as it was birthed in the 80s, unstructured rhyming. Meaning, to qualify as a "freestyler," you needn't more than infinite ability to bragg (yes that extra G gets included) and string words together. The key being 🗣 they did NOT include songs. Freestyle rap, contrary to what most people believe isn't just "coming off the top of the dome". And, as impressive, and coveted of a skill that is, it doesn't exactly get you so much as an honorable mention to the wall of greats.

So how does Juice songs make it?

*Listen closely*

Not to the rest of this article. Go listen to a Juice song closely.

BARSZ!?!

Freestyle rap has always been poetic to me. It's different than constructing a story, but just as intricate if you want it to be. My Mehji brother himself .35 (Tre Five) Cast has been perfecting this skill for at least the past decade that I know of. Being able to just-- well, rap. It is nothing short of a gift and hearing his rap bars as a freshman in high school while I was trying to perfect my poetry sophomore year was just the kick I needed. Though I would eventually lose passion as life started hitting me— in the face— with an iron club

I never lost my appreciation for anyone able to just control a beat from start to finish.

Recently the flame was all the way relit with the release of UhhMariii's Vent Sessions coming just a few weeks after Tre-5 dropped his #BaltimoreBeatboxchallenge. So let's get into it!

The Song: Balance D'Evils

The Artist: Uhhmariii

This man has skill, fr. I started watching his Instagram videos, he calls it the Lobster Cove, I believe and at first listen 🎧 you kinda like “I gotta leave this on cuz it ain’t bullshit”

That’s what I love about freestyle rappers, they take you on a journey with no specific stops. Bars for bars sakes.

Now that’s not to say Balance D’evils isn’t a song.

It by all measures including my own exceed expectation for criteria.

But— this here isn’t about structure.

Sometimes you just need to get back to a headspace of just being able to vibe. Especially if you do nearly as much as I do. This is newer in rotation but it’s been a refreshing addition.

I can’t wait to see what more comes from this artist.