Freestyle of the Week review: Cory Gunz, Why Stop Now Freestyle

Cory Gunz is one in a number of a rare breed of rappers; those minuscule ranks who posses quicksilver flow and do not use it to hide below average lyrical content. Who comprises such a dignified pantheon is of course subjective, but only a few other names–notably Krayzie Bone, King-Hell Demigod of the style, Eminem and Mac Lethal–come to mind.

Speed freaks like Busta Rhymes, the original tenant of “Why Stop Now,” and Twista have the velocity, flow and, especially in Busta’s case, the presence, but are lyrically challenged. Gunz’ rapid fire delivery is as blistering as anyones, and his wordplay is as intricate and clever as any can be that wishes to survive such break-neck speeds (see his verse on “6 Foot 7 Foot,” essentially an epic takedown of Ludacris and hashtag rap, for proof).

It is intriguing, then, that Gunz goes in over “Why Stop Now” like a Sunday drive. A quick burst opens the freestyle, but the rest is surprisingly slow. Whether this is out of respect for Rhymes, a desire to show us his change-up, or an admission that, quite frankly, the more hair-trigger the bars the more similar the line–there are only so many ways to cram syllables into a song, and only so many spaces in which they can fit–is impossible to tell. What is, however, is that Gunz can rap either way.

Download: “Why Stop Now Freestyle” here.

“Why Stop Now Freestyle” receives a PAR

Rating:

P…Horrible

PA…Tolerable

PAR…Good

PARL…Kinda Great

PARLÉ… Classic

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Rating:

P…Horrible

PA…Tolerable