Grammy Award-winner Common showcased his talents during Essence Festival in New Orleans this past weekend.
In the video, Common casually walks out of the Ritz-Carlton in NOLA with sneakers, shorts and a long-sleeved tee shirt. At first, he just shakes the hands of the fans around the entrance while sirens buzz in the background.
Around the minute mark, Common walks up to a street performer named Ray Wimley, who is backed by a band. Wimley effortlessly performs in front of Common, who bounces to the beat. Eventually, Common takes the second microphone and joins him.
“Yo. My man, Ray, said the mic is on.” During his freestyle, Common drops his hand towel and Wimley picks it up for him so he can continue rapping. “Yo thanks for picking up my towel,” he continued without missing a beat.
The two join each other again sounding like a professional duo, rapping back and forth.
“I thank you for vibing and welcome to the town,” Wimbley ends before the two shake hands and embrace. The audience drops tips in the tip jar as the video ends.
Watch the amazing freestyle collaboration in the video above. Keep your ears open for more from Wimley, who calls himself a “positive hip-hop artist” on his Facebook page.