Top 10 Best Freestyle Rappers

Freestyle rap is where you find out who can really cook without a recipe. No hiding behind a polished hook, no studio magic doing push-ups in the background, no verse that has been rewritten 37 times until every syllable files its taxes correctly. Just a beat, a mic, and a rapper trying to turn a split-second thought into something worth rewinding.

This list is for the MCs who can think fast, rhyme sharp, and keep the room locked in while building bars in real time. You'll find artists praised for battle skills, radio freestyles, cypher moments, quick punchlines, slippery flows, and that rare ability to make chaos sound planned. Some are known for raw off-the-dome creativity. Others blur the line between prepared and spontaneous so well that arguing about it becomes part of the fun.

Vote for the freestyle rappers you think deserve the top spot. If they can flip a random word into a haymaker, ride a beat like they stole it, or make a room full of skeptics start making that ugly "did you hear that?" face, they belong in the conversation.

The Top Ten

Eminem

Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor, and music producer born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 220 million records, making him the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he was a member of D12 and (with... read more

Slim built his entire empire on the foundation of freestyle rap, which is why he can rap about anything, anywhere, to any music. When you honestly ask yourself if his freestyle flow and creativity are better than his recorded songs, it's kind of hard to even find anyone close.
If Biggie had lived, it would be a hard choice, as I witnessed a great many of his freestyle raps that you had to be there to hear.

He's an amazing freestyler because he uses a lot of play on words, and he has incredible endurance to go on and on forever. It's incredible how he thinks of the best lyrics on the spot. He has all the requirements of a great freestyler.
Big L

Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974 - February 15, 1999), best known by his stage name Big L, was an American hip hop recording artist born and raised in Harlem, New York City. Coleman began his rap career with the hip hop trio Three the Hard Way. His first notable appearance came on Lord Finesse's "Yes You... read more

First, I will say from this I see most of you guys don't know old rappers and just go with what you know. The late, great underground emcee was one of the best freestyle rappers out there. He was overlooked by some, but you can't deny his ability to freestyle off the top of his head.
I'm not the only one who thought this, but he was better at freestyling than writing songs and hits. It's the truth, and you guys know it.
1. Big L
2. Snoop Dogg
3. Eminem
4. Canibus
5. Jin from Freestyle Friday

Big L spits faster, harder, and better lyrics than Eminem and anybody else when it comes to the freestyle game. If you listen to his freestyle with Jay Z, you will understand what I mean. Jay Z is a nasty freestyle artist, but Big L goes so fast and is so good that he makes him look slow and bad in comparison. Lamont Coleman number one.
The Notorious B.I.G.

Christopher George Latore Wallace, born May 21, 1972, better known by his stage name The Notorious B.I.G. (sometimes Biggie Smalls or simply Biggie), was an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. On March 9, 1997, he was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California, at the age of only... read more

Where's Brooklyn at? He is the best freestyler ever. How can Eminem be the first?
Biggie is a lyrical genius. The lyrics to his freestyle have deep meaning too. Rapping freestyle right from childhood has made him the finest freestyler. He would kill Eminem in freestyle, if not in his songs.

I love Eminem, and I feel that he should be good against Biggie, but I feel that Biggie is the greatest freestyler of all time. Em has some really good freestyles, but when I hear Biggie, he is the most talented rapper of all time.
Juice WRLD

Jarad Anthony Higgins, known professionally as Juice WRLD, was born on December 2, 1998, and passed away on December 8, 2019. He was a rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his influence on the emo-rap and SoundCloud rap scenes, which gained popularity in the mid-to-late 2010s. His stage name came... read more

Out of all these top 10, Juice WRLD is my favorite. He helped heal the world with all types of depression, anxiety, and many others. He sang with his heart pouring out and always delivered beautiful performances with any beat given to him, as stated in the description.
He wanted someone to follow in his footsteps and perhaps surpass his own achievements, as he mentioned in his latest album "Fighting Demons" on the songs "Juice WRLD speaks" or "Juice WRLD speaks 2". His music still guides me through sadness, heartbreak, and many other challenges. Millions of people continue to find solace in his music. If only he were here.
Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter from Compton, California. He began his career under the stage name K-Dot, releasing mixtapes that gained local recognition and led to his signing with Top Dawg Entertainment. Lamar has become one of the most critically... read more

I'd keep moving Kendrick up in this. He does this gnarly flashcard freestyle, and it sounds like he wrote it because it's got punchlines, metaphors, jokes, and it's just fire, like all his freestyles.

Come on, man, he deserves to be in the top 10...!

This man's words have their own mind.
Hopsin

Marcus Jamal Hopson, better known by his stage name Hopsin, is an American rapper, record producer, director, and actor from Los Angeles, California. Hopsin was born on July 18, 1985. His first album was titled Emurge, but he is best known for his 2010 album Raw, which helped establish his reputation... read more
Proof

DeShaun Dupree Holton, better known by his stage name Proof, was an American rapper and actor from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of several groups, including 5 Elementz, Funky Cowboys, Promatic, and most notably, D12. He was a close childhood friend of rapper Eminem, lived on... read more

How is Proof not at least top 5, let alone top 10? Have any of you heard his freestyle with Eminem on Westwood? That 4th verse is mind-blowing: "I know the truth so now I'm baring all, I made R Kelly confess he stole his first style from Aaron Hall, a wack MC with a gun, I'm not one, when you see Kurt Cobain tell him bring back my shotgun." Amazing, just amazing.

Eminem says it all. He's better than Em when it comes to freestyling. Now, there is another individual who I would've put on number one. His name is Harry Mack. He truly freestyles.
Common

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., better known by his stage name Common, is an American hip hop recording artist, actor, film producer, and poet from Chicago, Illinois. He gained critical acclaim with his 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for Glory in 2015. Common... read more
Lil Snupe

Even though he had a short rapping career of three years, most of his songs were based off freestyles. Snupe had been freestyling since he was six, and it is very rare to find freestyle artists like Lil Snupe in the 2010s era with lots of potential.
In a song, he admitted he is the freestyle king because there was no one to freestyle like the wacky rappers we have today.

All he did was freestyle. He was able to freestyle at 6 years old! Every song of his was fire. If he wasn't shot, he would be the best in the game right now. He was back then and still would be.
There was so much left for him to prove. He's even admitted in his songs that he's the best, the freestyle king. Nobody can top him, not even Eminem.
2Pac

Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was an American rapper and actor born on June 16, 1971, in East Harlem, New York. Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide and has been referred to in multiple major publications such as Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music artists of all time. 2Pac was... read more

In freestyle rap, he is for sure better than number four down. Plus, he is the biggest selling rapper of all time, releasing most of his hits between '95 to '97. Get it?
Listen to him talk in interviews, throw in a beat, and you'll see what I'm talking about. It sounds like he's freestyling.

#1 doesn't matter if we're talking about freestyling or rapping! I will vouch for this man till the day I die. Best one I've seen on this chart!

Contrary to popular belief, Tupac had mad freestyle skills. When he was young, he rolled with a notebook and pad everywhere, ready to spit at any minute.

The Newcomers

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Big Pun

Christopher Lee Rios, better known by his stage name Big Pun, was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx in the early 1990s, he became the first Latino solo rapper to have an album certified platinum, with his 1998 debut Capital Punishment.... read more

Damn, this man got those wordplays, fast rhymes, and flows. Nothing can be taken from this man.
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André 3000

André Lauren Benjamin, known by his stage name André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known as one half of the Grammy Award-winning hip hop duo OutKast alongside Antwan Big Boi Patton. Despite never releasing a traditional solo rap album, André 3000 has... read more

The Contenders

Black Thought

Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, is an American artist best known as the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots. He is also an occasional actor and has been widely praised for his lyrical skills. The Roots serve as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy... read more

Look up freestyle in the dictionary, and you will find this man. He can think of multiple rhymes in one sentence just like that. The only reason he isn't at the top is because most people here just bob their heads.

A full range of skills, Thought can do it on T.V., in the studio, on stage, and on the street. That Flex freestyle should put him in the top 10 by itself.

He literally spit a 10-minute bar that was smart and had crazy flow throughout. He absolutely has to be in the top 3.
Rakim

William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah (or simply Rakim), is an American rapper and record producer.
One half of the golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time.... read more
J. Cole

Jermaine Lamarr Cole, better known by his stage name J. Cole, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer. He gained recognition with his debut mixtape The Come Up in 2007 and was the first artist signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. J. Cole has released multiple critically acclaimed albums... read more

J. Cole is a young artist who is known for sounding like Drake. Like Drake, he will leave you in tears.

Cole's new freestyle sets him apart from the rest.

Frankly speaking, J. Cole is the king. Truly nothing to say, he's just a genius and does freestyles effortlessly.
Nas

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (born September 14, 1973) is an American rapper and entrepreneur from Queensbridge, New York. His 1994 debut album Illmatic is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Nas has stayed relevant over decades by releasing acclaimed albums and pursuing ventures... read more

Before I get a bunch of replies saying that "Eminem is better" or "Biggie would smoosh Nas in a rap battle", I agree with both. However, just hear my case. Without a doubt, the greatest freestyle of all time, and possibly the greatest rap of all time, is Nas' song "N.Y. State Of Mind". A lot of the new generation hasn't heard it yet since Nas didn't reach the same iconic level that Eminem, Tupac, or Biggie did. The intense rhyme schemes prove that he can write a masterpiece within seconds in his mind.
His DJ even gave an interview where he just played the beat and Nas freestyled over it in one take. Everyone in the studio, including Nas himself, was astounded at the quality of the freestyle. Now, the "hard" freestyles just contain simple, cliché rhyme schemes and have no actual meaning, while "N.Y. State Of Mind" describes the ghetto life and its struggles in Brooklyn.
Obviously, Nas hasn't recorded any other freestyles that are as iconic or well-known, but that one session really changed rap and set the base for the greatest rap album ever, "Illmatic". He should be number one, followed by Biggie at number two, and Eminem at number three. Why Biggie above Eminem? He freestyled all of his classic album, "Ready to Die", and it was still widely regarded as one of the best and deepest rap albums of all time.
King Los

King Los has one of the best 5 Fingers of Death freestyles ever, and his Bootleg Kev freestyle challenge was amazing as well. I like a number of artists, such as Eminem, Tech N9ne, and Slaughterhouse, better than him, but when Los freestyles off the top of his head, he is number 1 without a doubt.
His vocabulary is insane, his intellect and wordplay amazing, and his rhythm and flow unreal. He also has a very unique pattern rap that he calls reverse pattern rap, which gives him a different edge.

King Los is back at 36, but people who have literally never actually freestyled (Pac, Dr. Dre, Kanye) off the top are top 10 just because you all recognize the name. Stop conforming to what people tell you are the best rappers and listen for yourself. Use your own brains.
And when people ask for your top 5, give them YOURS, not the typical "Biggie, Eminem, Tupac, etc". If you think that, so be it, but King Los is the best freestyler since Biggie, and I would even say he could out-freestyle Biggie time-wise.
Eyedea

Eyedea's range in freestyle, and the fact that it was truly never written, is what's most amazing about his freestyling.
He was an accomplished battle rapper, winning Blaze, Scribble Jam, Rock the Bells. He did lose twice: one toss-up epic battle vs. Brother Ali (an amazing freestyler/artist and good friend of his) and one of his very first battles, which was pretty bad, where he lost to Slug (from Atmosphere, also a good friend of his).
His actual freestyles are much more magnificent than his battle raps. He can go off the dome fast, slow, with so many styles, so many original interesting thoughts, and great at respecting people on the mic and not cutting people off, even though he blows their asses out of the water. R.I.P. to the G.O.A.T.
Big Daddy Kane

Antonio Hardy, better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and actor. He began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew, a pioneering hip hop collective. Kane is recognized for his smooth lyricism and influential contributions to the golden age of... read more
Dr. Dre

Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and served as president of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre... read more

Yo, Dr. Dre should be the first. This website is close; he was the one who had the best producing company ever. Eminem was on his label, Aftermath. It used to be all about this and all about that, so voting for him. Thank you, goodbye.
Lloyd Banks

Christopher Charles Lloyd, better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American hip hop recording artist. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends and fellow rappers 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. Banks rose to fame in the early 2000s and is recognized for his... read more

Lloyd Banks is one of the best freestylers ever, period. Banks should be up in the Top 5 without a doubt.

You made a mistake. Lloyd Banks should be #1.
Cassidy

Barry Adrian Reese (born July 7, 1982), better known by his stage name Cassidy, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first garnered attention for his freestyles and participation in battle rap competitions in the late 1990s. By the end of the decade, he had formed the Philadelphia-based... read more

Who else out there has multiple 10 and 11 minute freestyles? Look on YouTube for Coke on the Scale, Where is Cass at, then compare that to his modern 0 to 100 and Control remixes. Been on point for a long time.

One of the best freestylers to do it. All you have to do is watch the freeway battle. I love Lupe, but he can't freestyle. And Canibus pulled out a pad in a battle.

If you really know about freestyles, how is he not in the top 5? Most people here are voting for artists for the wrong reasons.
Canibus

Germaine Williams, better known by his stage name Canibus, is a rapper and actor born in Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to the United States at a young age and rose to prominence in the late 1990s. Canibus is widely recognized for his complex lyricism and his lyrical battles with artists like LL Cool... read more

In my opinion, THE greatest freestyler out there, and I've heard Eminem spit fresh on the mic.
Seriously, Canibus makes albums irrelevant to the hip-hop industry with his lyrics.

The illest right now. There's no one on this planet capable of damaging him, but he did succumb to the hands of his alter ego in the song Rip Vs Poet Laureate.

He destroyed LL Cool J. Come on, people, it isn't about how it's produced, but how it's lyrically done.
He, in my opinion, destroyed Eminem because everyone is just saying things like, "Eminem didn't really battle him."
YES, HE DID! AND HE LOST! That's why he turned to mainstream and ghostwriting, while Canibus is working really hard down in the underground with no producers at all.
And now Bus is going after Royce 5'9. Yes, he dissed him really badly, and Royce didn't answer.
Canibus deserves to be up at the top because he is destroying every rapper.
Dizaster is NEXT!
JAY-Z

Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as JAY-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and investor born December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. He's best known for influential albums like Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album and is widely regarded as one of the greatest... read more

He's not a businessman, he's a business, man.
Meek Mill

Robert Rihmeek Williams, better known by his stage name Meek Mill, is an American hip hop recording artist. He rose to prominence after releasing several mixtapes and signed with Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group in 2011. His debut album, Dreams and Nightmares, was released in 2012.

He is a top freestyler, better than Kendrick Lamar. When I heard Kendrick diss Meek Mill on the song Control, I just laughed because I and everybody know Meek Mill can show his freestyle verse to Kendrick. Everybody shout for MMG and YMCMB.

All of his freestyles are straight fire. Don't believe me, go watch his Moment 4 Life freestyle on YouTube.

Meek Mill is the best freestyle rapper ever. I can only compare him with 2Pac.
Logic

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, better known as Logic, is one of the most influential artists in modern rap. He was born on January 22, 1990, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and first gained major recognition after being featured in the 2013 XXL Freshman Class. Among that year's class, he has become one of the... read more

How is Logic not even in the top 20? He is one of the best freestylers I've ever heard. He honestly can never stop. Watch the video where he gets put through the 5 Fingers of Death and doesn't miss a beat. He never stutters, he just keeps going, and it all flows.

Why is Logic not in the top 20? His freestyles are relatable, he never stutters, and he can keep up with the flow. Watch 5 Fingers of Death. Others have even said that Logic is "more lyrical than Kendrick."

Logic deserves to be somewhere in the top 10. He is honestly lit.
Lil Wayne

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was discovered by Brian "Baby" Williams at a young age and signed to Cash Money Records, where he became one-quarter of the rap group Hot Boys. He later founded his own label, Young Money Entertainment, signing artists such... read more

Not only the best freestyler, but the best rapper overall that the world has ever seen.