The On The Radar freestyle has officially etched itself into every artist’s dream rollout — an exciting and energetic twist for what feels like a transitional period in rap. Some artists hit On The Radar to defend their crown, others to push themselves and try something new, and the rest: itching to create a moment. There’s an inherent competitiveness to most of my favorite OTR freestyles, and H1mward knocked his out of the park recently.
Supplied with a swinging Cash Cobain instrumental, including spurts of Jersey Club drums that add considerable charge to the beat, H1mward hurdles alongside the music, draped in black overalls while he lets loose an automatic clip of one-liners, often just as twisted as they are charismatic and hilarious. Where H1mward edges out the competition is in his outlandish fervor, stepping straight into the OTR booth and leaving it all on the floor. The most telling comment on the video reads, “nah i dont know this man… BUT NOW I DO.”
The freestyle leads us into H1mward’s newest release, “MDS” – short for money, drugs, sex. Supplied with a music video courtesy of The Diggers (well worth checking out some of the other stuff on their channel), “MDS” features a booming, Chief Keef-esque instrumental and kicks things off with H1mward hopping out of bed at 1pM. He immediately gets into the debauchery of the day, and lets loose a full minute of catch-me-if-you-can raps about his three favorite things: money, drugs, and sex, until settling into more late-night debauchery at 2AM. As “MDS” communicates, there’s a flash and a boom to everything H1mward does. He’s chock-full of energy, and there’s a mischievous tone to his music, daring you to run at the same speed. In short, H1mward is a thrill, and he’s pulling out tricks like a “Money Tornado Grab” in Washington Square Park yesterday to prove it.
Check out the North Carolina native’s On The Radar freestyle and new music video for “MDS” below. By the look and sounds of it, H1mward has a lot to say in the coming year.