The narrative style known as stream of consciousness was arguably popularised by writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf leading up to and during the 1920’s with works such as Ulysses (1922) and Mrs Dalloway (1925). The literary device is designed to mirror the character’s thought process often in the form of an interior monologue, written as if it were an exact transcript of their thoughts omitting nothing.
As the narrative is intended to convey a train of thought, it is often lacking in punctuation, normal syntax or logical and rational progression, therefore sometimes lacking in clarity but providing a true insight into the mind of the narrator. An extremely expressive genre, it is no wonder that the style would begin to manifest within hip-hop lyricism during its early development.
Developing the Freestyle in Hip-Hop
Old School New York emcee Kool Moe Dee perhaps explained the development of freestyling best in his 2003 book There’s a God on the Mic, stating “There are two types of freestyle.” He then continued, “There’s an old-school freestyle that’s basically rhymes that you’ve written that may not have anything to do with any subject or that goes all over the place. Then there’s freestyle where you come off the top of the head.”
Both types of freestyle seem to share the characteristics of the stream of consciousness narrative, which is one of the truest forms of expression and gives an authentic insight into the artist’s thought process. Often the improvised form of lyricism tends to embody the expressive nature of hip-hop culture, which is perhaps why the ability to freestyle is still so respected within the genre.
Freestyle: The Rise of Improvised Lyricism
As Lil Wayne raps over the erratic Bangladesh production of his 2008 single ‘A Milli,’ “I ain’t wite s*** ‘cause I ain’t got time.” In the fast-paced modern rap industry, is it any wonder that many artists no longer write down their rhymes, choosing to immortalise them on record rather than in ink.
In fact, Wayne’s Tha Carter III was a true hip-hop stream of consciousness masterpiece, exploring the conflicting and often inconsistent realms of his psyche. Similarly, artists such as Ghostface Killah and Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan have been recognised for their use of this animated and expressive narrative style in delivering their lyrics, especially evident on concept projects like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995).
Whilst many rappers are utilising the services of ghostwriters, an increasing number of emcees like Ghostface and Rae still favour the art of the freestyle in both senses of the term, therefore helping to keep the genre from stagnating with their vivid and sometimes even almost cinematic narratives.
Hannah O'Connor - With several years of experience, gaining a reputation as one of the hardest working and more creative young writers in hip hop ...
