Redman Crowned ‘Lyrical Genius’ By DJ Premier After A Tribe Called Quest Freestyle

Redman has been crowned a “lyrical genius” by DJ Premier for his new freestyle over a classic from A Tribe Called Quest.

As part of his long-running ‘J@Q BOI BE@TZ’ freestyle series, the New Jersey legend went in on the beat for “Bonita Applebum” in a post shared on Tuesday (October 29).

“A Tribe Called Quest, Congrats on Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. You been JAQD!” he wrote in the caption.

Preemo popped into the comments and called Red a “lyrical genius,” while Royce Da 5’9 commented with a goat emoji and Kid Capri and Freeway wrote fire emojis.

Tribe’s own Jarobi White also commented, writing, “Phifey really loved you bro. And so do I.”

A few weeks back, Redman stoked the fire for his long-awaited album Muddy Waters Too by unveiling its official cover art.

A sequel to his highly acclaimed 1996 LP Muddy Waters, the forthcoming project’s artwork features a retro ’90s vibe and depicts the rap legend crouching in front of a house illuminated with an ominous red glow.

Muddy Waters Too will also serve as Redman’s first album in nine years and this latest update certainly has fans excited, including some of Reggie’s rap peers.

Longtime partner-in-rhyme Method Man commented on his Instagram post: “Bong! [fire emoji] [applause emoji],” while fellow New Yorker Busta Rhymes added: “OH SHIT!!!! [flushed face emojis].”

The Alchemist appeared to be Redman’s chief cheerleader, writing: “DROP THIS IMMEDIATELY PLEASE.”

DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Questlove, Pharoahe Monch and Statik Selektah also shared their excitement in the comments section.

Redman has been teasing a Muddy Waters sequel for years and kickstarted the rollout in 2022 when he dropped the first single, “So Cool.”

In 2018, the Def Squad MC told HipHopDX backstage at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado that he was planning to drop Muddy Waters 2 that year, but it failed to come to fruition.

In a follow-up interview the next year, the New Jersey native explained what was behind the delay.

“You have to understand that I’m a self-contained artist,” he said. “That means I engineer everything right here in my house that I’m talking from. I engineer, I write the music and I mix in my house. What I learned from Def Jam — because I’m a Def Jam baby — I learned all my tutelage on how to put out music through Def Jam.

“The only thing now that’s missing is me having a date and me rushing when they want me to put it out. I’m able to move on my own time. Last time I talked to you, I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t.

“A couple of months ago, I knew I was ready to put the album out, but COVID hit. I’m like, ‘I want to be able to be out there to promote the album, not sit from a couch doing interviews.’”

Muddy Waters Too does not yet have a release date.