Freestyling has become a commodity in hip-hop nowadays. Few rappers even attempt it--5 or 6 from name rappers dropping each week--and even fewer succeed. Action Bronson disappointed in his spot on Pitchfork's Selector segment (his flow starts at 3:00), A$AP Rocky can't really freestyle, and Swizz Beatz hyped himself up for a not-worth-watching show. Regardless, there were some jaw-dropping bars that came off the dome, and we have the 10 best cyphers of the year. 

10. Earlier this year Pusha T droppedthe "Sweet" freestyle as a jab at Young Money rep Drake during his feud with Lil Wayne. I hear ‘em whisper like a hummingbird sing/Of all the trust issues that 100 birds bring/Now the wolves out hunting for your bling/You out preyin’ on the bitches with the lowest self-esteem/It’s a common running theme.

9. Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul stopped through DJ Green Latern's for his Invasion Radio segment. Rapping begins at 1:00, with K.Dot designated ab libber, but at 3:00 takes up the invitation to go in. Ab-Soul, I'm just saying, you're like nothing like Ab-Nigger/we're night and day, like Meek Mill and Mac Miller.

8. By way of 2am cypher in the lobby of Marriott, Method Man introduced a new Wu disciple everyone's been sleeping on, Big Stat. Meff is drunk, and speaks highly of the newcomer, who in turn spits great bars. Rapping starts at 1:50. Method Man follows. 

7. English rapper Scroobius Pip speaks some lyrics over the strum of an acoustic guitar. The Essex-born wordsmith gives quite the performance, and indicates the value of listening to his album Distraction Pieces. 

6. Remember when Papoose dropped atomic bombs along with AZ and Kool G. Rap? Well, the legendary emcee attempted a come back this year, releasing a mixtape and making the necessary rounds, including this one to Swag In Ihe Morning for his notorious Five Fingers of Death series. Papoose rides the beat and catches it to death. My mind’s memorized, y’all read out of y’all phones/Nothing but a bunch of dumb n****s with smart phones”.

5. Slaughterhouse has always played on the "real hip-hop" thing. Well, they came through, dropping ill bars for L.A. Leakers. Royce Da 5'9", Crooked I, and Joell Ortiz all drop rhymes, while Joe Budden hypes. The Shady Records team goes over Meek Mill's "I'm A Boss", Kanye West's "Mercy", and finally, Eminem's "Not Afraid". Their mixtape, welcome to: OUR HOUSE, drops August 28th. I pulled my dick out of my boxers then Chris Bosh'd her. 

4. Over impromptu beats, Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly, Capital Steez, and the rest of the Pro.Era crew dropped rhymes for an interview at Fader's offices. The first video is the interview, but rapping commences at 2:35. Capital Steez goes in at 3:10, and Joey Bada$$ at 3:55, but ends up spitting part of "Survival Tactics". He redeems himself in the following at 1:20, third eye watching stay open when I'm sleeping/don't sleep long, work, but i always stay dreaming. 

3. Left Coast old head Kurupt kicks off hard over Rick Ross production, using the same rhyme for a whole stream of bars. Premiered on Shade 45 for LA Leakers. 

2. Meek Mill appeared on Funkmaster Flex's show on Hot 97 along with Stalley, Wale, and The Bawse. The latter of whom ad libbed while Meek Mill goes in, dropping bar after bar. Watch him go cross-eyed he's feeling the beat so hard. There's a reason the Philly emcee "bottle pops and model pops". I had a dream like martin luther/i was in the phantom getting brain like a harvard student/check my record for the fame ain't really hard to prove it. 

1. The year's gem was undoubtedly the unreleased Nas freestyle from 1991 that surfaced shortly the same day Life Is Good dropped. I mean, how could this not be #1? Over a host of old school beats--with the grittiest of New York sounds--Nasty Nas and Akinyele get down for Gudtyme's Lunchroom Battles series. The two appeared together on Main Source's "Live At The BBQ". Read Gudtyme's foreword regarding the freestyle below.

In the summer of 1991, I was chilling at my boy DJ Johnny Wishbone’s crib. He was making a mixtape. This was a gem from that day. Akinyele and Nas doing their ”Live at the BBQ” routine. Luckily I still have this copy. Finding it inspired me to create a mix called LUNCHROOM BATTLES. This is a collection of old school hip hop battles and freestyles that I have on my old dusty cassette tapes. Enjoy.

It's cassette quality.