Watsky sets world record for longest rap freestyle

Rapper and poet George Watsky appeared to set a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous rap Thursday evening. His goal was to rap for 33 hours and 33 minutes.

The previous record for the longest continuous rap was 25 hours and 56 minutes, set in 2017 by Pablo Alvarez of the band Good Bison. Watsky passed this early Thursday.

The stunt was also a fundraiser for supporting Sweet Relief, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet.

The rap, a test of mental endurance and dexterity, had a goal to raise $100,000 but reached $127,000 with one hour to go, which will be split between Sweet Relief, a fan relief fund and Watsky’s band and crew, who were gearing up for a 39-date North American tour that was canceled in March following COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders.

Watch Watsky Longest Rap freestyle video.

Watsky himself committed $10,000 to the fan relief fund, which support fans unable to obtain refunds for concert tickets and concert travel expenses. Incentives for donations included original artwork, out-of-print vinyl, and many, many rapped shout-outs in the freestyle.

Watsky performed his feat from self-isolation at his Los Angeles home, rocking a San Francisco Giants jersey, surrounded by numerous heavy-duty cups of water and smoothies. He seemed to waver at times, and the content of the rap wasn’t always of the “high quality variety,” but he kept powering through as fans posted words of encouragement.

He didn’t even stop as he went to relieve himself. While the camera stayed focused on his couch, his microphone followed him to the bathroom. The event was streamed live on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch.