Real rap is back. It never left, but right now, there’s a heightened hunger for something that we can feel and that excites us, even if the vibes are nostalgic. One aspect of this beloved artform I’ve enjoyed over time is the art of the “beat-jacking freestyle”. There’s a long tradition of acts who did it, including The Lox, Dipset, Fabolous, Nas, and Ludacris, plus more. Of course, rhyming over another emcee’s most popular song was officially perfected and widely popularized by none other that Lousiana’s own Lil Wayne (To be honest, if you would’ve asked me at age 11 who was the first to ever beat-jack, I would’ve said Weezy while bumping No Ceilings on my iPod). In recent years, an artist like Atlanta’s Tony Shhnow has made a name for himself by floating on Neptune’s instrumentals and RNB sonics, making listeners like me believe that each outsourced production choice is could be crafted just for him. He’s even dropped four No Ceilings-esque projects (three within their own trilogy).
Enter in 448 Rasta, a Portsmouth, Virginia (Uptown/Upwest) native who spits in the style of hustling, stunting, taking care of family and business, courting beautiful women, and constantly striving to obtain the goal in mind – all while looking as fresh as possible. 448 Rasta’s flow is unique to him and so are his infectious ad-libs. He even had to retire a few after a couple name changes. If you’re from Virginia (757), you get it. Those I SWEA TA GAWD!’s, AYEEE’s and UH-HUUHH’s never cease to arrive right on schedule on the appropriate track. With what Rasta cooks up, he’s not trying to be too lyrical, but if you listen close, there’s some bars mixed with endless motivational quotable lines as he raps his a** off.
Last September, 448 Rasta dropped a two-minute freestyle over T.I.’s “ASAP”. Then doubled back on New Year’s Eve to slide over Big Boi’s “I’M ON IT.” This week, he released a new freestyle over the instrumental for “DON’T GIVE A F****” by the YoungBloodz. The offering also came with a video, which shows Rasta in the studio in which I assume he recorded the track. Across the two minutes, Rasta flows with intention, making the notable track his own. The final lines of his verse sum it up; his current mentality and the energy I believe he plans to continue coming with: “Man I’m in the spot this shit be going up. You ain’t tryna score, nigga, do not come with us. Fell in love with the trap, I swear my s*** do bungee jumps. They like ‘damn Rasta all yo h*** be having bubble butts.’ When I beat that pack down, you know I give it uppercuts. You been trapping 10 years and still ain’t making that hundred, huh? I put that cup down, I run it up, you know my budget up. I’m a solid young nigga you know I cannot f*** it up.”