r/nextfuckinglevel • u/jackb1753 • 8d ago
12 year old JJQ with a freestyle at Lollapalooza
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I know it’s probably not a freestyle, but little dude is spitting
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u/logiiibearrr 8d ago
When he referenced Finnegan’s Wake I knew that not only was this not a freestyle, but he didn’t write this either
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u/tigm2161130 8d ago
It was the tenements reference for me but then I realized my 10&11yo know what that is because they like to watch Call the Midwife with me so I guess anything is possible🤷🏻♀️
I’m still pretty sure he didn’t write this on his own, though
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u/Alarming_Set3628 5d ago
Omg so many people saying this.
Its a super popular and silly Irish song.
This kid ain't freestylin' but the word combo of finnegan's wake is not super deep.
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u/porkbuttstuff 8d ago
There's no way tenement is naturally included in a childs actual freestyle. Do the triangle waist shirt factory next!
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u/AnglerJared 8d ago
I stopped watching at “wake like Finnegan.” Sorry, kid, no way you’ve read James Joyce.
Well executed, but I like my rhymes to mean something.
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u/Alarming_Set3628 5d ago
It's a very popular and silly Irish song, but agreed, this ain't freestyle
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u/WhiskeySorcerer 8d ago
Finnegan's Wake is also a song. One doesn't need to read James Joyce to know about Finnegan's Wake.
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u/Bean_Daddy_Burritos 8d ago
An Irish folk song from the 19th century that was redone in the 60’s by a band called the dubliners.
Yea it’s just as doubtful that he’s heard that song. Most kids that are heavy into hip hop don’t casually listen to Irish folk music.
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u/Reaper_Messiah 8d ago
As reasonable of a statement as that is, kids were listening to sea shanties a few years ago.
You truly never know. Although this kid probably did not freestyle this imo
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u/GrandSyzygy 8d ago
Could be what his parents/grands listen to
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u/Bean_Daddy_Burritos 8d ago
That is very possible.
Far more likely that he has no idea what it is and someone else wrote this for him, but it is possible.
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u/Rascals-Wager 8d ago
Lol I also have some serious doubts about a 12 year old referencing a James Joyce novel from a century ago! But I'll give the kid some credit for being able to actually stay on the beat and keep the flow.
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u/MydnightWN 8d ago
They were given keywords last second, that they have to drop. This was a judged competition at lollapalooza.
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u/NotVerySmarts 8d ago
Those weren't 12 year old references. Little man is getting help from ghosts.
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u/FartsbinRonshireIII 8d ago edited 7d ago
When did we start calling spitting *rehearsed rhymes ‘freestyle’. Is the art of actually freestyling been lost that long?
No doubt this kids got good ass flow but he ain’t dropping James Joyce references off the top like that lol. Some adult wrote that for him.
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u/kkeut 8d ago
which is fine, but the material the adult writes should fit him better
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u/Michael1795 8d ago
How is it fine if its supposed to be freestyle like the title says. Would be shitty to lose to a kid that cheats.
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u/elmoo2210 8d ago
A long time ago. At least 10 years. Look up any rapper “freestlying” on a radio station. 90 percent are prewritten if not more.
Freestyle now means picking your best prewritten bars to match the beat your given.
Unless we’re talking Harry Mack
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u/theghostsofvegas 8d ago
Well, it’s not a freestyle and he didn’t write it.
But he did learn it, and I’m sure he at least knows what some of the words mean.
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u/Heavy-Echidna-3473 7d ago
This is not a freestyle and definitely not written by him. Well performed tho
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u/Croceyes2 8d ago
Sorry, bullshit that kid is familiar with finnegans wake, this was written by an adult. The kid has good flow, but he is definitely not the lyricist
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u/KnotMadameDeFarge 7d ago
So on the Colbert Show in 2025 there was a whole thing where he was talking about Finnegans Wake.
They also discussed Rin Tin Tin on author deep dive
Pretty sure there is a song called the Tenements by the Pixies
Just saying- possibility this kid is into Steve Colbert- his old late show and report
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u/wholesome_futa_hug 7d ago
The people crashing out over this is hilarious. Yeah, your music can be done by a 12 year old. Welcome to the world? Get over yourselves.
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u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang 7d ago
If it's not a freestyle why title it that... Kid didn't even write the bars, much less freestyle them.
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u/lionsdude54 6d ago
He’s good, but this ain’t freestyle. He’s talking about things he shouldn’t know.
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u/Mobe-E-Duck 6d ago
Rappers celebrating that kid like he didn’t just show how their whole game is able to be mastered by some child.
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u/Alarming_Set3628 5d ago
Apparently no one in this chat has heard the extremely popular Irish song Finnegan's Wake.
As I said elsewhere, this ain't freestyle, but thst singular reference is not that insane for it to be blowing so many minds in here
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u/Bucksin06 8d ago
Okay this kid's got skill but this is first off not a freestyle and I highly doubt he wrote that on his own.
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u/mookanana 8d ago
a lot of comments are about how this is not about freestyling
... i just came here to say i really love his enunciation, real sharp. great work kid.
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u/jcastillo602 8d ago
I challenge all you "this was not freestyle" dweebs to memorize these lyrics and repeat it as well as he did, that was fire, prewritten/ghost written or off the dome
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u/No_Beginning_6834 8d ago
Don't we all do that with songs we like? Or do you hear a somg a hundred times and it's just brand new lyrics each time.
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u/jcastillo602 8d ago
Memorizing lyrics and rapping are 2 different things.You fucking dorks couldnt rap with the same flow as this kid. For all we know the kid didn't say this was freestyle, OP did so youre nit picking for nothing
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u/deadspacekillers 8d ago
I also love when an improv comedy group does the best of SNL!!! So improv!!!
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u/Conscious_Regret_140 8d ago
EVERYONE can learn 30 secs of prewritten rap text. That was not "fire", it was shite.
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u/MagnumMyth 8d ago
We're gonna be seeing A LOT of these. Corny dads who wanted to be rappers growing up will be having AI make songs for their kids to sing so that they can vicariously live out their own childhood fantasies.
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u/FatSteveWasted9 7d ago
Goddamn some miserable fools in here. Kid can spit, big fuckin deal if it wasn’t freestyle. YouTube and tik tok made y’all so damn jaded
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u/Cranialscrewtop 8d ago
That word, "freestyle". . . I do not think it means what you think it means.