In a time of self-isolation and quarantine, we’re all looking for fun alternatives to occupy ourselves. If you’re ultra-talented, this means tapping into your musical gifts. Here are some timely and topical freestyle bangers from rappers – such as former NME cover star Lady Leshurr – who have been taking to their social media to prove that you can make the most of even the crappiest of situations.
Lady Leshurr
Queen’s Speech? More like Quarantine Speech. Known for her catchy viral freestyle series ‘Queen’s Speech’, Birmingham-grown rapper Lady Leshurr shows off her witty bars as she freestyles for her Instagram fans. She spits a coherent summary of the current global climate, like how “rice and pasta is gone, no hand sanitisers” are left in stores around the world. But with a little cheek, she brings light to a very dim situation.
Gmac Cash
Detroit’s own Gmac Cash isn’t such a big star, but he surely will be after with this – ahem – infectious song about all the things he’s not doing whilst Coronavirus is about. It’s a catchy, relatable bop as he raps what we all are thinking: “I’ma chill at the crib ’cause I’m safe here / I ain’t even ’bout to drink me a Corona beer”. Prefer your novelty rap songs with a little grit? Gmac chas has you covered.
Yofrangel
When trapped inside, you can often feel down. Therefore a little dose of some upbeat reggaeton is just perfect for us all. Getting us all off our couches and onto our feet, Yofrangel sends out a sweet message about staying protected. Reminding us to wear our masks and not to sneeze or cough, it’s a cheeky feel-good song for us all. This groovy, Cardi B-approved bop is an addictive addition to everyone’s playlists (ps: check out NME’s Quarantunes playlist – a daily update of feel-good tunes to keep you upbeat).
Psychs
There is a flawed notion among many young people that the coronavirus can’t touch us. But south London’s Psychs is here remind us all that we’ve still got to stay safe no matter what. Although naysayers claim lyricism is dead in contemporary rap, Psychs delivers a thoughtful rap reminding us to “please stay safe and don’t get infected”. And after going viral on Instagram pages such as ImJustBait and endstv – which culturally commentate on the world according to young people – it’s safe to that rap fans are getting his message.
C Cane
Not known for her softer singing abilities, given that she’s one of the best up-and-coming grime MCs out there, east London’s C Cane surprises this corona-them freestyle about the lonely times in isolation without that special guy. C Cane mixes the emotional side of R&B with the catchiness of drill, creating a new subgenre: for drill: drill’n’B.
Trippie Redd
Ohio’s superstar Trippie Redd puts an aggressive spin on his freestyle about corona virus. Not straying away from his signature growl and gangster nature, he spits a morbid verse about the relentlessness of the very disease. For gritty freestyle, file this alongside Gmac Cash’s ‘Coronavirus’ song.
Guapdad4000
Guapdad became one of rap’s breakthrough stars last year with the grammy-nominated Dreamville compilation album, ‘Revenge of The Dreamers III’, and proves he’s here to stay with this performance. The creator of Creating RonaRaps, a freestyle series on Instagram TV, -the Oakland rapper dishes out a freestyle with his bestie on the west coast, Buddy. We’re staying indoors for weeks, by the RonaRaps series will be something to look forward to.