Have you ever seen these guys who stand in front of a scene and just compete by saying the most unorthodox and belittling things to each other? Those are Battle Rappers. Battle Rap is known for its fanfare, insults and boastful content. Its a mental game where two rappers compete to convince the audience that they are the best rapper. It started in New York during the 1980s. Now it grew into mainstream media ,becoming a new venture for upcoming rappers.
Image By: Meiaz, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Here’s what’s up next:
• Who Invented Battle Rap?
•Battle Rap History Facts
•Best Freestyle Rap Battle ever
•Battle Rap Leagues
•Battle Rap Hall of Fame
WHO INVENTED BATTLE RAP?
The concept of battle rap originated long before Hip-hop was established.The Vikings were essentially the inventors of the battle rap in the fifth century. That was called “Flyting”. The challenge of spontaneously composing a verse-shaped replica, common at the time, was a way to test intellect and ingenuity. Some forms of verse demanded a great vocabulary.In Anglo-Saxan English, it took place at the feasting hall.
While this makes sense in a number of ways, those origins are far fetched. It is believed to have originated in the East Coast Hip-hop scene, in the late 1970s. Battle rap can take place face to face or in a diss song.
BATTLE RAP HISTORY FACTS:
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Battle Rap involves exchanging insults, bragging and boasting in order to convince the audience who has the better verse. It is oftenly associated with Old School Hip-hop, when the ethics of a battle rapper has been curbed.One of the most important elements of battle rap is bragging and mean-spirited insults.
Rap battles in the eighties, were not so conflictual and contemporary. The earliest predecessors were Craig G and Supernatural. This happened organically, as Supernatural called out Craig G while he was performing. Craig G then invited him onstage and even won the battle.
From the late 1990s to 2000, battle rapping became very popular. Various artist received attention for their new styles, charisma and witty punchlines.
THE BEST FREESTYLE RAP BATTLE EVER
The emerging art of battle rap stemmed from a series of historical battles. These battles are considered as a landmark of the sub culture. They will remain in Hip-hop’s memory forever.
KOOL MOE DEE VS. BUSY BEE STARSKI:
It was the first battle of its kind. The battle occurred during a live performance at the Harlem World in 1981. It all began as Busy Bee was performing when he called out a member of The Treacherous Three rap group, KOOL MOE DEE.
Busy Bee was more of a party MC, the ideal rapper at the time, and he was well known in the community for his ability to get the crowd hyped. Kool MOE Dee was lyrically sharp,witty and lethal with his style.
Busy Bee called out Kool Moe Dee in a mocking and insulting manner, while he was performing his set. Kool Moe Dee, as the MC he is, was not going to tolerate that. As soon as Busy Bee was done with his set, Kool Moe Dee ripped him into half on the stage and even won the overall battle.
2.Craig G Vs. Supernatural:
This battle happened organically. Craig G was called out by Supernatural, during an event where Craig G was performing. The battle was so fierce that the two went to battle on two more occasions. It was considered as one of the most exciting sagas in the sub culture.
3.Eminem Vs. Juice
In 1997, at Cincinnati’s Scribble Jam in Ohio, Eminem and Juice went head-to-head in a freestyle rap battle. Eminem, who would late be known as the greatest of all time, had a multisyllabic way of rhyming, along with a freestyle and storytelling ability. Juice was a flawless freestyler with witty punchlines and rebutals. They were a match for each other. The battle went on for six rounds. In the final round, Juice managed to defeat Eminem.
Eminem, being a white boy in a industry dominated by black males, had a lot to prove coming from his side. Juice was at his prime and going six rounds against him was an accomplishment many dreamed of. As a white boy, he gained respect from many black boys in the culture.
BATTLE RAP LEAGUES:
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The 2002, 8mile film was released by the Detroit-based rapper, Eminem. It is based on Eminem’s rise, taking part in rap battles at a place called The Shelter. This movie film has brought traditional media to the world of battle rap. This allowed people to learn more about the artistic form and its culture.
Battle rap leagues have promoted the popularity of the art . Before battle rap leagues, battle rappers were starving artists.The rise of battle rap leagues provided an established platform for battle rappers to earn money and show their skills to the world. These battle rap leagues are:
•Ultimate Rap League (URL)
•King Of The Dot (KOTD)
•Don’t Flop (U.K.)
The rise of these battle leagues highlight the entrepreneurial minds of hip-hop. The street entrepreneurs who became pioneers of the culture:
•Travis Fleetwood AKA Organik
•Troy “Smack White” Mitchell
•Eurgh(Rowan Faife) and Cruger(Freddie Scott-Miller)
1.Ultimate Rap League:
Smack, started his battle league in New York. He actually started off by gathering rappers of hood renown, recording battles, printing and hand-selling DVDs. At the time, it was considered a cutting edge technological and artistic hustle. Some of the rappers he brought together are:
•Serious Jones
•Loaded Lux
•Murda Mook
•Joe Mills
2.King Of The Dot:
Travis Fleetwood AKA Organik built a reputation as Canada’s elite battle MC. He had four wins at the Toronto-based freestyle competition “Proud 2B Eh MC.” He met a local DJ/producer named RyanPVP. They teamed up and put together their first event. They experienced challenges with the police forcing the event to move from downtown of Yonge-Dundras square to a alley beside the radio station, Flow 93.5. They still couldn’t handle the growing crowds. Organik decided to move to Alexandra Park with an open space and gritty location. The visual productions ,perfect location and celebrity judges contributed to the rise of KOTD.
3.Don’t Flop
Dont Flop was founded in 2008 by lifelong friends Rowan Faife and Freddie Scott-Miller. It reached mainstream media in 2012, when a video of a student and teacher battling went viral. The battlers were not actually a student and a teacher. This was a marketing strategy that proved to be successful and effective when they gained popularity.
THE BATTLE RAP HALL OF FAME
The Battle Rap Hall of Fame is one of the four music halls. It was previously known as The Battle Rap Wall of Legends. It has been inducting new members since 1999. The only hall of fame to include no millionaire, except the wealthy URL president Smack White.
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