By now, it's pretty clear that I'm an album guy -- I don't post a lot of singles, loose tracks or videos. That said, there are moments that impact the culture that don't land on an album, ie: performances, freestyles, interviews, etc. I try to make mental notes and tie that into related content, but some shit ultimately stands on its own. Enter the Funk Flex freestyle series on Hot 97. Flex has been embracing the battle scene of late, and has always recognized the value of beef in hip-hop. Plus, to give the man his flowers, he has definitely championed classic hip-hop for decades. I don't imagine I'll appreciate all the artists he brings up to his show - after-all, it's 2016 and this is Hot 97, but I've been a career-long fan of Joe Budden and with all his detractors on standby, it's important to celebrate when it just comes down to the music, because that's where you can hardly discredit the man's skills. Lines like "No argument, follow in the blueprint that my hood wrote / So every footnote put my foot in that quote," or "Play superhero here, might lead to a dead pool," showcase his lyricism, and we can't forget that Drake sent shots in Joe's direction first, so the bars "Besides you jabbed first, but both knew my jab back harder / A tad fast like Zab at the sparring" are well placed in the session. With retirement looming in the background - even with the Rage And The Machine album on the way - it's dope to see Joe just get back to pure rhyming, check it out...