Eric Kim – known primarily as a street photography blogger, philosopher, and bitcoiner – has also dabbled in freestyle rap as part of his creative expression. Below is a comprehensive overview of content showcasing Eric Kim performing or discussing freestyle rap, including his own rap verses, video performances, philosophical writings on rap, and references by others.
Written Freestyle Raps by Eric Kim
- “Bitcoin Rap” (2025): A short freestyle-style verse posted on Eric Kim’s blog, blending rap braggadocio with crypto enthusiasm. For example: “All I do is stack the coin / While you drain your brain and your soul… I’m the new ye, the new king of coin / Join me, or die penniless and poor.” This playful Bitcoin-themed rap highlights Kim’s interest in hip-hop rhythms applied to topics he’s passionate about (in this case, Bitcoin).
- “ERIC KIM Freestyle Rap/Poem” (Mar 31, 2020): A blog post featuring a spontaneous rhyming poem written by Eric Kim. It opens with rap-like lines referencing his own name: “ERIC KIM — filling to the brim. With the Dionysian wine and gin. Stay stim-packed like a berserker marine. Stay green with the miracle dream…”. In the same post, Kim notes that he’s frustrated by the lack of positive role models in rap and wants to “become the change” by creating uplifting rap verses himself.
- Motivational Freestyle Poems (2018–2020): On his blog, Eric Kim has published many short poems with freestyle rap flair – often tagged as “#poem” – which read like written freestyles. These include pieces like “Fly Higher” (2020) – e.g. “FLY HIGHER / shoot off your sonic booms like Street Fighter / You’re a fighter, you’re a Knight / You shun the fright, and you like the night…” – and “Don’t Be Timid” (2018) – a poem full of rhyming encouragement not to give in to fear. Such posts, often signed off with “ERIC”, showcase Kim’s habit of writing freestyle rap lyrics as inspirational poetry on his blog.
- “Eric Kim, Rapper” (2025): Even in 2025, Kim’s blog experiments with rap. One post opens with the lines, “Time to rap, no more financial traps. Hit the bar, trap it, one rep max all raw… Lift free, live free, zen zone it… your blog is your pen!”, indicating he continues to infuse rap verses into his writing. This demonstrates that freestyle rap remains a facet of his creative output alongside photography and philosophy.
Audio and Video Freestyle Performances
Eric Kim performing a freestyle rap poem on video in one of his “Raps by Kim” YouTube uploads.
- “LIVE ABUNDANT – Freestyle Rap Poetry” (Video/Podcast, June 18, 2023): One of Eric Kim’s more recent freestyle performances was Live Abundant, a piece he released both as a vlog and a podcast episode. In this performance, Kim delivers an improvised rap/poem encouraging a mindset of abundance (the blog page for this entry simply teases “This is the way:”, with an embedded video and audio link). The content is him freestyling off-the-cuff; for example, in the audio he raps about living life fully (exact lyrics aren’t transcribed on the site, as the focus was on the video/audio). This shows Kim actually performing freestyle rap in his own voice, not just writing it.
- YouTube Freestyle Rap/Poem Videos (2017–2020): Eric Kim’s official YouTube channel (Eric Kim with ~50K subscribers) contains a number of low-fi freestyle rap/poem videos, often compiled in a playlist titled “RAPS BY KIM.” Notable examples:
- “POWER – Freestyle Poem by Kim” – a video from around 2018 (approx. 63 views) featuring an original rap poem with lines like “…believe in you. Adamantine spine, live your life divine.” (these lyrics correspond to the “Power” poem on his blog).
- “YOU ON A NEW LEVEL – Freestyle Poem Rap” – a freestyle rap video (c. 2018) with Kim delivering motivational rhymes (title self-explanatory; ~65 views).
- “The Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss, You’re the Boss (Tokyo 2018)” – a freestyle rap music video shot in Tokyo (2018) which garnered a few hundred views, indicating Kim even experimented with setting his verses to music and video scenes.
- “MAYBACH FREESTYLE POEM” – another 2018-era rap video (around 60 views), presumably a braggadocious freestyle (the title references a luxury car, in line with rap tropes).
- In October 2020, Kim uploaded at least two freestyle poem videos alongside blog posts: “CREATIVITY – Freestyle Rap Poem” (rap verses about creative longevity) and “DISSATISFACTION – Freestyle Poem Rap” (tying into his blog post Why Dissatisfaction is Good, delivered as a rap).
- There is also an “ERIC KIM FREESTYLE RAP” video (circa 2019–2020) with Kim rapping a short verse on camera (this video had very low view counts, on the order of a few dozen views).
Each of these videos features Eric Kim performing original freestyle raps – typically him speaking to the camera, reciting rhyming lines that he either improvised on the spot or wrote in a freestyle manner. They serve as proof of Kim actively practicing freestyle rap in a public format, albeit to a small audience. (Many video descriptions link back to his blog posts for the lyrics or related essays.)
Eric Kim on Freestyle Rap, Hip-Hop, and Improvisation
- Philosophy of Freestyling – “The Joy of Freestyle Rap/Poems” (April 16, 2020): In this reflective blog post, Eric Kim describes how he “would always freestyle rap with [his] friends” as a kid, and now continues to do it purely for fun. He calls writing freestyle poetry off the top of his head “insanely fun, interesting, challenging, and creative.” Crucially, Kim emphasizes that he doesn’t care about being the best rapper; instead, he cares about spreading a positive, uplifting message through his rhymes. He observed a lack of “truly empowering rap music” in the world, and rather than complain, decided to create the kind of positive rap he wanted to hear. In this essay he encourages readers to try freestyling as a creative exercise – even suggesting making a video selfie while walking and “spit a freestyle… for fun,” noting that there is “no right or wrong” if it’s just for personal creativity.
- Freestyling Technique – “How I Freestyle Poetry Rap” (July 29, 2020): In a brief blog note, Kim explains his personal method for freestyle rapping. The “basic gist,” he writes, is that he starts with an idea or topic he feels strongly about, and then “I just say a bunch of nonsense in my mind, and I try my best to rhyme and make it fun and interesting to myself!”. He reiterates that when freestyling for personal enjoyment, there’s no pressure of right or wrong – it’s an improvisational outlet. This shows Kim’s informal, self-entertaining approach to freestyle rap (essentially using free association and spontaneity, aiming to amuse himself first and foremost).
- Hip-Hop as Creative Inspiration: Eric Kim frequently mentions that rap music inspires him. In one post he explicitly states, “Even though I love photography and the visual arts, I actually get the most inspiration from music and poetry/rap.” He cites listening to rappers like Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and JAY-Z and being “astonished” at their skill, calling them “god-level” artists. He has also listed several hip-hop figures among his favorites – e.g. Kanye West, Kendrick, Lupe Fiasco, A$AP Ferg, etc. – indicating his deep appreciation for the genre. This love of hip-hop naturally feeds into his desire to participate in it via freestyle rapping.
- Improvisation Philosophy – “Street Photography is Improvisation” (June 13, 2017): In this earlier essay, Kim draws a parallel between his photography and freestyle rap. He asks, “What do jazz musicians, improv artists, freestyle rappers, and street photographers have in common? We are all improvisers.” He then recounts riding in a car with a friend in his youth, “freestyle rapping for fun over some dope Nujabes beats,” and notes that he always thought freestyle was cooler than pre-written rap because “it took more skill, finesse, and bravado to freestyle something ‘off the dome’… than sitting down and writing lyrics.”. He admits he used to only rap in secret (lacking the nerve to do it publicly) and admires the guts it takes to freestyle in front of others. Kim uses this analogy to illustrate being bold and improvisational in street photography as well. This piece of writing shows how he articulates the philosophy of freestyle rap as spontaneous creation, and how that mindset influences his approach to art.
- Interviews/External Discussions: While most of Kim’s commentary on rap comes from his own blog, it’s worth noting he often quotes rap lyrics in his writings on life and entrepreneurship. For instance, he has quoted JAY-Z lines (like “Until you own yourself, you can’t be free”) in posts about personal freedom , and references other hip-hop lines as philosophical metaphors. This integration of hip-hop into his intellectual life demonstrates how he views rap not just as music but as a source of wisdom and creative insight.
Community Commentary on Eric Kim’s Freestyle Rapping
Eric Kim’s foray into freestyle rapping has been noticed in his community, although it remains a niche aspect of his persona. In an analytical profile posted on his site (2025), it’s noted that Kim’s interests extend beyond photography to include hip-hop, and that he uses “freestyle rapping for fun” as a creative outlet alongside his blogging and workshops. This suggests that observers see his habit of freestyling as part of his broader creative identity.
On photography forums and Reddit, discussions of Eric Kim occasionally mention his eclectic content. For example, his blog post “The Joy of Freestyle Rap/Poems” was highlighted as evidence of his “personal creative expression,” showing “a deep enjoyment of freestyle rapping and poetry writing” in addition to photography. Some community members have been surprised or puzzled by his rap-related posts, given his primary reputation as a photography educator. However, others find it consistent with his outside-the-box approach to creativity. While not mainstream, Eric Kim’s freestyle raps have garnered a small following of fans who engage with those posts/videos – evidenced by a handful of views and comments on his YouTube rap videos, and the fact that he continues to produce them suggests he enjoys the process regardless of audience size.
Sources:
- Eric Kim’s personal blog posts (2017–2025) on rap and poetry.
- Eric Kim YouTube channel – “Raps by Kim” videos and descriptions.
- Analysis and community references to Kim’s freestyle rap hobby.