Freestyle

Template:Song "Freestyle" is the eleventh track on the mixtape I'm Serious by DJ Vice. The track features vocals by Mike Shinoda.

Background

"Freestyle" was recorded in 2001 and released sometime in 2002 as part of DJ Vice's mixtape I'm Serious, which was distributed during his shows in the Los Angeles area.

The song remained unknown to Linkin Park fans until mid-2004, when Crewdy, from the fansite Forfeit The Game, obtained the song in a trade. The track was edited by Eric (lperocker), removing DJ Vice's overdubs and rewinds which reduced the length of the track to 1 minute and 6 seconds, and Crewdy made it available for free download on his fansite in the first day of 2005.^[1] For years, this version was believed to be a "real album version" of the song.

Near the end of the same year, DJ Vice uploaded a demo version of "Freestyle" to his MySpace page. The song was ripped by another fansite, ChesterSings, and made available for free download.^[2]

The mixtape version of the song eventually found its way to Linkin Park fans but was mislabeled as a remix.^[3]

The main instrumental of the song is a sample of "Sharp Shooters" by Talib Kweli.

In a rare move for Mike Shinoda, the lyrics of "Be Somebody" contain reused lines from Mike's collaboration with DJ Vice, "Freestyle" from 2001. On "Freestyle", Mike rapped, "I don't sleep to dream / I sleep to build stamina, energy to plan in advance / get your camera" while in "Be Somebody" he slightly alters them to "we don't sleep to dream / we sleep to build stamina, energy to do our thing / get your camera."

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Freestyle	I'm Serious	1:21	2001	2002	Features vocals by Mike Shinoda. Samples Talib Kweli's "Sharp Shooters (feat. Dead Prez)".
Freestyle (Demo)		1:22	2001	2005	Lacks the transitions and overdubs. Uploaded to DJ Vice's official MySpace page in late 2005.

Personnel

DJ Vice
Mike Shinoda

Lyrics

Mixtape Version

I'm serious!
It can't get no bigger than this.
The homie Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park
Puttin' it down with the DJ Vice
Let 'em know Mike!

Let it begin with the stutter of light in short circuits
Driven to givin' minimal life more purpose
Behind closed curtains / I don't even exist
This / magic's created in the mirrors and the mist
It's / Mike Shinoda and DJ Vice at the same time
Rhymes like rain that trickle down your main line
And flood your streets over a high-tech beat
To sneak tuneful beats into turntable techniques
I don't sleep to dream / I sleep to build stamina
Energy to plan in advance / get your camera
With these rhymes, you better seal off the parameter
One line and you're swimmin' off the south coast of Canada
This is the sound / me and Vice in the cut
Roughin' it up / just in case you might get tough
Nitrogen under my breath, just to light things up
And DNA in every line so it's live enough / DJ Vice

Demo Version

Let it begin with the stutter of light in short circuits
Driven to givin' minimal life more purpose
Behind closed curtains / I don't even exist
This / magic's created in the mirrors and the mist
It's / Mike Shinoda and DJ Vice at the same time
Rhymes like rain that trickle down your main line
And flood your streets over a high-tech beat
To sneak tuneful beats into turntable techniques
I don't sleep to dream / I sleep to build stamina
Energy to plan in advance / get your camera
With these rhymes, you better seal off the parameter
One line and you're swimmin' off the south coast of Canada
This is the sound / me and Vice in the cut
Roughin' it up / just in case you might get tough
Nitrogen under my breath, just to light things up
And DNA in every line so it's live enough / DJ Vice