7 Crazy Old Videos of Famous Rappers Freestyling

Culture

Sometimes I cruise down the endless roadkill-strewn cyber highway that is YouTube, and on rare occasions, I find something worth pulling over for.

Take these videos, for example: Unforgettable moments when now-famous rap stars were caught at their most raw: showing off, goofing off, and doing what they do best. Some depict past rap battles. Some show clips from old TV shows, mostly forgotten now.

Their common thread is their provision of windows into the past, and the humanizing impact of seeing contemporary hip-hop icons as mere mortals honing their craft. Enjoy and treasure these.

Here are seven crazy old videos of famous rappers freestyling:

1. Mos Def and Kanye West backstage, with 'Ye name dropping every magazine known to humanity:

2. Snoop Dogg wearing a Maple Leafs jersey on Arsenio Hall, firing verbal shots at Eazy E (R.I.P.):

3. DMX and Jay-Z rocking a black du-rag. Enough said:

4. The Fugees, with Lauryn Hill stealing the show and proving how astronomically more talented she is than Pras and Wyclef:

5. The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest (even though they cut off Q-Tip. Grrrr.):

6. Young Eminem battle rapping. The guy was an absolute menace:

7. Tupac and Biggie, before they hated each other and got killed. This video is SUPER top secret and exclusive, so the government won't let me embed it. Click HERE to watch ... it's pretty incredible.