Our Jump Off debaters got together to discuss two different art forms. The art of writing lyrics versus freestyling.
How has the definition of freestyling evolved over time?
Is writing lyrics for an MC battle acceptable?
What is the definition of a freestyle?
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As far as I am concerned freestyling is straight off the top of the dome. END OF!
Now you have people going on the Tim Westwood show (for example) fooling the 90s babies in to believing that the lyrics coming from out of their mouths has come straight off the top of their heads, when in fact they had already typed out every word on their Blackberrys and practiced for hours beforehand.
It wasnt like this years ago. But I guess things change.
Your thoughts please….
MAD NEWS UK 
Co sign you Janice, agreed.
Seems to me, that because people cannot freestyle anymore (off the top of their heads), they’ve changed what the term freestyle means, into something that they CAN do (pre-written)
I really dont understand why this was even a debate. If you can’t freestyle you dont have skills, you shouldnt be rapping. Is this how far co-signing mediocrity has gone, to the point of making natural skills extinct? Foolishness.
the problem is the definition of freestyling has been messed with. When you have respected folks like Big Daddy Kane giving another meaning to what freestyling is and he is saying that this is how it was defined from the 80s it becomes a problem. See what he said here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5egwRoiFe4
to me freestyling is off the dome, improvising on the spot and making it up but it also seems to be just being able to spit some pre-written verses not focused on any main topic in a cypher too if what Big Daddy Kane said is to be believed.