Friendly fire in the art of freestyling

A small audience at a home recording studio listens attentively as junior DJ Brobby freestyles and "battles," or verbally insults, junior Jonathon Evans on Sept 16. Evans steps up to the mic to answer Brobby's verbal attacks. "The first time I met you, it was like de-ja-vu at the National Zoo," Evans begins.

"Ooh's" and "aah's" spread across the audience as Evans continues. "Trust me, I always come out with the win. If you battle me, be prepared to lose again." The crowd laughs and shouts with excitement.

Evans and Brobby are among the many Blazers interested in freestyling, which can be heard in the halls, in the SAC and in the Blair radio studio on any given day. Freestyling's appeal is so wide, in fact, that a few students are trying to create a freestyling and poetry club after school.

Evans attests to freestyling's popularity. "People love freestyl-ing. It's like a fad that kids attach onto," Evans describes. "It's a very expressive way to speak your mind."

Freestyling is a form of hip-hop in which the performers rap from the top of their head. Beat boxing, or an a capella drum beat, often accompanies freestyling.

Many, like Brobby, use freestyling as a way to convey their thoughts and ideas and to release aggression. "Freestyling is a way to fully express yourself," Brobby says. "You don't have to think about what you say; you can just talk from the heart."

For many aspiring artists who wish to get their name recognized, freestyling is also an effective way to get heard. Many famous rap artists on the radio—including Eminem and the Notorious B.I.G.—started their careers by freestyling.

David Durr, the studio manager and producer at Omega Recording Studio in Rockville, advocates freestyling among youth as a way for kids to express themselves through verbal poetry. "Freestyling is definitely becoming more popular. It is more of an avenue to be heard without a large budget. It can cost anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 to record a full CD in a studio," Durr explains. "Freestyling is free."

Freestyling lets people voice their opinions about others by "battling," in which two or more people engage in a verbal war.

Battling is often where people's real skills are expressed. It is much more focused than just freestyling, which is often too general to make a point. For Evans and many others, battling is more enjoyable. "People can get into battling more. Battling is more intense, because people sometimes forget what they're talking about when they're freestyling," Evans explains.

Some Blazers are currently pursuing careers in hip-hop. Seniors Wil Campbell and Ben Garlock have already started a production label, Rocktapus Productions. Garlock, aka DJ Rocktapus, has produced three Blazers in his home studio in the past year.

Garlock sees freestyling as a popular form of hip-hop in the Blair community. "Freestyling is so hot right now because it shows the true essence of hip-hop," Garlock explains. "It brings hip-hop back down to the street level."

Campbell is DJ Rocktapus' current production project. The pair has a CD due out next month. Campbell, who goes by the rap name K'lajh (pronounced "Collage"), says he uses hip-hop as a way to stay focused in life.

"When I grew up, freestyling is all we used to do. It kept me away from drugs and violence," Campbell says. "Since I don't do anything like sports, hip-hop is my life."