When Tory Lanez stopped by Funk Flex's studio this week for a freestyle session, he paid tribute to his host and his influences.
"I'm doing this shit for all the people who respect the classic New York culture," he said at the end of a nearly eight-minute rap. "...I come in and I respect everything. I know where the fuck I came from. I respect all the legendary emcees." He shouted out Jadakiss, Juelz Santana, Cassidy, and Styles P in particular.
The Cassidy shout-out was particularly appropriate, as Lanez' long rap session contained some very Cass-like rhyme schemes and phrasing. He kept the dense bars and clever punchlines going minute after minute, even appearing to go from written to improvised rhymes towards the end, without losing any steam. Finally, after about seven-and-a-half minutes, Lanez let a curse slip through, and ended his verse.
Just as the segment was about to end, at the 8:18 mark of the video above, Lanez leans into the mic and says, "Top five." Does the Canadian-rhymer-who's-not-Drake belong in that elite class? We'll find out when his highly-anticipated sophomore album Memories Don't Die drops.
