The Famous Big L and Jay-Z 7-Minute Freestyle

In what I consider to be the best freestyle session ever recorded, Big-L and Jay-Z combine forces to deliver a seemingly exhaustive example of their respective rapping skills. The date: 1995. The place: “The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show”.

Now, I want to make it clear that I understand that this track and most “freestyles” are not completely off the dome and often contain references to the Artist’s particular library of material.

If you’re a huge Big L fan, you’ll recognize a couple of punchlines from previous or future songs. With that being said, I do believe that most of the track is off the top and manipulated in real-time. Regardless, to deny their technical skills would be missing the point. These verse are dense, clever, and physically impressive. The sheer speed can be mind-boggling at times.

Below, I have the 10-Minute version of the freestyle. It includes additional conversation between those present which had been removed from the original 7-Minute known initially. Enjoy.

✌️