Bay Area rapper Watsky was looking forward to touring behind his latest album, Placement — that was, until the coronavirus derailed his plans. Now with nothing but time on his hands, the notable Def Poetry Jam alum has decided to spend his quarantine setting a world record for the longest freestyle.
The MC born George Watsky is specifically aiming to rhyme for a mind-boggling 33 hours and 33 minutes straight. If he’s successful, he will break the Guinness World Record for the Longest Continuous Rap Performance, which is currently held by Pablo Alvarez’s nearly 26-hour triumph set in 2016.
The 33-year-old Watsky kicked off his mission Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. PT and is hoping to make it to the finish line that’s set for Thursday, May 7th, 7:30 p.m. In true quarantine fashion, Watsky is livestreaming the entire freestyle challenge from his self-isolation space so fans can witness him make history.
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This rap undertaking isn’t just silly lockdown fun, though. Watsky is also hoping to raise money for three different causes: Watsky’s own band and crew; Sweet Relief, a nonprofit that’s assisting music industry workers impacted by the pandemic; and a relief refund to give back to fans that were financially affected by Watsky’s tour cancellation.
“I wanted to make an impact for the people close to me and was looking for a way to do something for them, something fun that would allow and stay on the air for a long time raising money,” Watsky wrote on Instagram earlier in the week. As of Wednesday, 11 p.m. ET, the rapper has raised more than $60,000 of his $100,000 goal.
Watch the freestyle challenge livestream below and head here for donation information.
