Murda Mook & Loaded Lux Set the Mic on Fire Over Kendrick Lamar's "TV Off" Beat

Murda Mook and Loaded Lux went head to head in a moment that would go down in legend for its hip-hop and battle rap pedigree, spitting unfiltered bars over Kendrick Lamar's "TV Off" instrumental. While the freestyle was released Friday (March 20) in honor of Mook and Lux's well-renowned love of battle rap, it once again proved why both lyricists are ranked among the most respected in the game.

The track opens with a nostalgic tip of the hat to Kendrick himself. A clip from an interview plays of Lamar where he praises the battle rap scene, saying that Mook, Lux, Tay Roc, and Daylyt are some of his favorites. It's an apt introduction to what's to come: pure lyrical warfare.

Loaded Lux opens the burner with his trademark complex wordplay. As soon as his verse ends, the unmistakable call of "MURDAAAAAA" rings out over the beat, a tongue-in-cheek play on Kendrick's "MUSTAAAAAARD" ad-lib. Then the Brooklyn rapper Murda Mook appears and does what Murda Mook does: He leans into his signature, aggressive razor-edged bars that leave no debating a winner.

For culture fans, this was a moment to relish. Two of battle rap's greatest going bar-for-bar over a beat free of charge by one of the most prominent artists in the world? That's about as good as it gets.

Kendrick Lamar has never hidden his love for battle rap. In that interview , the same one that the freestyle uses as its intro, he shared that the competitive nature of the art form influenced his development as an MC.

"My intention from day one was always to keep it as the nature of a sport," Lamar said. "I love it when artists are really goin' for it. I still check for battle rap Smack URLs, from Murda Mook to [Loaded] Lux to Tay Roc and my bro Daylyt. This has always been the heart of the definition of who I am. And it's been that way since day one."

This freestyle is both a full circle moment and a continuation of a connection between the underground and mainstream, showing us that real bars and lyricism are still valued in the game.

This isn't the first time that Mook and Lux have surrounded themselves on stage in the near past. Speaking of air, they joined forces in January, performing during an invite-only dinner event in New York City honoring BMX legend Nigel Sylvester's Air Jordan 4 "Brick by Brick" collaboration. Co-hosted by Jordan Brand, the event showcased Sylvester's apparel line, with Mook and Lux spitting custom-made verses for the occasion.

This chemistry inspired rumors among fans about a possible two-on-two rematch. If this freestyle is anything to go by, the Mook and Lux team-up would shake up the battle rap world. In the meantime, fans must settle for the marvel of two top-tier rappers exchanging bars over a beat from one of Hip-Hop's greats. And if Kendrick was watching? You know he should have been nodding his head in approval.