{"id":805576,"date":"2020-03-23T12:15:29","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T18:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=969993"},"modified":"2020-03-23T12:15:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T18:15:29","slug":"rappers-are-freestyling-about-coronavirus-its-not-the-best-subject-for-freestyles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/music-news\/rappers-are-freestyling-about-coronavirus-its-not-the-best-subject-for-freestyles\/","title":{"rendered":"Rappers Are Freestyling About Coronavirus. It\u2019s Not the Best Subject for Freestyles"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/CoronaRapp.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p>The coronavirus has infiltrated every facet of human existence: live music, late-night, porn, and even the streaming charts. As more citizens across the U.S. begin to self-isolate and quarantine, it only makes sense that rappers are among the most susceptible populace when it comes to boredom. Perhaps unsurprisingly, last week began to give us the first wave of coronavirus-dedicated freestyles. Also unsurprisingly, the results are mixed.<\/p>\n<p>Considering your appetite for the art of freestyling, conspiracy theories, and front-facing camera videos: your tolerance for those will determine your desire for the emerging subgenre of coronavirus bars. The art of freestyling is, by design, a slippery slope: It forces the practitioner to improvise the first thoughts that come to their head while trying to rhyme to a beat with no safety net (except not hitting \u201cPublish\u201d on the video when it\u2019s done. If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/papoose\/\" id=\"auto-tag_papoose\" data-tag=\"papoose\">Papoose<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/trippie-redd\/\" id=\"auto-tag_trippie-redd\" data-tag=\"trippie-redd\">Trippie Redd<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/cassidy\/\" id=\"auto-tag_cassidy\" data-tag=\"cassidy\">Cassidy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/lil-uzi-vert\/\" id=\"auto-tag_lil-uzi-vert\" data-tag=\"lil-uzi-vert\">Lil Uzi Vert<\/a>, and Mo3 are any indication, trying to rap about a global pandemic only brings about more pain.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Papoose<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HG2kv317YU0?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Standout Bar:<\/strong> \u201cYou don\u2019t have the symptoms so you think I\u2019m not inside your ass \/ KD I\u2019m the real Easy Money sniper\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Predictably, one of the first rappers to start the movement is Papoose. In 2004, the New York lyricist made the alliterative magnum opus \u201cAlphabetical Slaughter,\u201d which saw the lyric-obsessed MC rap his way through the alphabet with lines like,&nbsp; \u201cBig biscuits barrels blazin\u2019 beheadin\u2019 bitch boasts and bluffers.\u201d Fifteen years later, he dropped the similar \u201cFortune 500,\u201d which featured the rapper pointing at company logos and trying to string them together into a coherent verse. All of which to say: it\u2019s not surprising that Papoose had thoughts regarding COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p><!-- .l-article-content__pull--left --> <\/p>\n<p>Papoose\u2019s viral virus verse follows his typical routine. There\u2019s a double entendre where he says \u201cFEMA,\u201d but then a couple of seconds later says he didn\u2019t mean the bone, \u201cfemur.\u201d He veers into pop culture territory by namedropping Kevin Durant and Idris Elba, two celebrities who announced this week they tested positive for the virus. It\u2019s towards the middle of his verse that Papoose, somewhat unsurprisingly, begins to lose the plot. He alleges that an unknown entity \u201cTook the kids out of school so they could stop learning \/ Took parents out of work so they could stop earning.\u201d While it\u2019s true that schools across the nation are canceled and that the unemployment rate is quickly rising, the situation is far more nuanced than a car ride freestyle can accurately explain.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Trippie Redd&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QMzm_Y6psc4?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Standout Bar:<\/strong> \u201cIf niggas get to coughing, niggas get to dying \/ Nigga cough next to me then them bullets flying\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trippie Redd\u2019s freestyle is simultaneously the catchiest and most troubling of the coronavirus freestyles. He begins the video informing viewers to wash their hands for 20-seconds with hot water, which is advice that we should all heed at this time. Unfortunately, Trippie then warns that if you show symptoms like coughing, you\u2019ll die, which is scientifically inaccurate. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41591-020-0822-7?mod=article_inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Nature Medicine<\/a> journal the \u201coverall symptomatic case fatality risk (the probability of dying after developing symptoms) of COVID-19 in Wuhan was 1.4%,\u201d although officials are still waiting for an accurate mortality rate so that percentage might change. We should all take COVID-19 seriously, but let\u2019s not spread false information, even within the parameters of a freestyle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cassidy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BWhx6-azh7w?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Standout Bar:<\/strong> \u201cIf you ain\u2019t home yet, just remember that COVID only 19 it ain\u2019t grown yet\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From a technical standpoint, Cassidy\u2019s freestyle will appeal to your average <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/hip-hop\/\" id=\"auto-tag_hip-hop\" data-tag=\"hip-hop\">hip-hop<\/a> traditionalist. The Philadelphia rapper\u2019s delivery is crisp, his punchlines coherent, his diction immaculate. Nevertheless, the 100-second freestyle quickly devolves into conspiracy theory bars in which Cassidy claims that the powers-that-be know the pandemic is \u201ceasy to manage,\u201d but want the masses to panic to make more money. One look at the stock market and fears of a global recession call this claim into question. Then, as the freestyle concludes, Cassidy explains that seeing people wear masks outside inspired him \u201cto make a couple calls and realize this incident is just to implement fucking martial law.\u201d At this time, it\u2019s unclear, who Cassidy called and how they connected people wearing surgical masks to a plot for the government to enact martial law.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lil Uzi Vert&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H9_Ld8JuVDs?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Standout Bar:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m not wearing no gloves, I\u2019m not wearing no mask \/ I ain\u2019t gotta do none of that, I defeated the virus myself\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lil Uzi Vert is deservedly pumped. After a period of silence that saw him almost quit rapping altogether, he dropped two albums in March \u2014 <em>Eternal Atake<\/em> and <em>LUV vs. The World 2<\/em> \u2014 that have been among the most streamed projects of the year, elevating the Philadelphia rapper to another tier of stardom. In a recent Instagram Live, Uzi screams, yelps, and rejoices at his success. \u201cI dropped my album during the coronavirus and my shit still popped,\u201d he yells at one point. \u201cCoronavirus the biggest thing on Earth right now and my shit is still popping.\u201d A few minutes later, Uzi begins an impromptu and very short freestyle over <em>Eternal Atake<\/em> standout, \u201cHomecoming.\u201d During his verse, Uzi refuses to go inside (please, Uzi, practice social distancing) and claims that he\u2019s cured COVID-19 (he hasn\u2019t). Even amid a pandemic, nothing can get Uzi down right now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mo3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A_IbCLOxwd0?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Standout Bar:<\/strong> \u201cThey telling lies they got us watching for a virus, but fuck Corona my people still live in poverty\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mo3\u2019s \u201cBlack Corona\u201d freestyle is the most soulful of al the COVID-19 raps. The Dallas rapper\u2019s voice is soulful and slightly scratchy as he delivers a verse about those he\u2019s lost and the various ways the system has let down the impoverished. The majority of the freestyle is inspirational until Mo3 claims that an unknown force is \u201ctelling lies\u201d about the virus. Misinformation is indeed running rampant, but two truths \u2014 the dangers of Coronavirus and the need to help those economically struggling before the pandemic hit \u2014&nbsp; can also exist in harmony.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-contextual-player\">\n<h3> Popular on Rolling Stone <\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/coronavirus-freestyles-969993\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Rolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The coronavirus has infiltrated every facet of human existence: live music, late-night, porn, and even the streaming charts. As more citizens across the U.S. begin to self-isolate and quarantine, it only makes sense that rappers are among the most susceptible populace when it comes to boredom. Perhaps unsurprisingly, last week began to give us the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-805576","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-18 15:26:01","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=805576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805576\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=805576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=805576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=805576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}