"freestyle: the art of rhyme" was well-received, with an average score of 63 from 11 reviews on metacritic, and an average score of 89% from 18 reviews on rotten tomatoes. a. o. scott of the new york times described it as "a heady, rousing education in an art form that is too often misunderstood", and fred camper of the chicago reader called it "[a]n engaged and knowing look at the underground world of improvised rap, concentrating on artists less interested in commercial success and cutting records than in the 'spontaneous right now' of 'nonconceptual rhyme.'"