Thank you to those of you who read my last blog post.

Anyway, in the first post (click here), I outlined a brief (speculative) history of how rap battles got to where they are today, mostly by outlining Scribble Jam, WRC, Grind Time, and finally King of the Dot (while touching base with Don’t Flop). I also highlighted and linked several battles to get you started on, or, in case you hadn’t previously seen them. In this section, I’d like to talk about what actually goes into one of these battles, and to throw a damp towel of gasoline over any fires started in Part 1 regarding their content.

So what goes into one of these battles?

I’m sure some of you have wondered where the hell the beat is in these battles. Usually rappers would flow with a beat and rely on their last words of conjoined lines to rhyme while simultaneously looking for a punch on the spot. Scribble Jam had stayed true to this format, but once WRC rolled around, they kept it mostly in the streets where rappers spat their verses without the aid of a speaker and instrumental. This format gained popularity mainly because it freed the air for rappers to create their own lyrical flow in rapping to their opponent unrestricted by the speed of a beat. This gave to a much larger sense of individualism and variety in emcees’ flow. Nowadays it is quite rare to see a battle on beat, as most rappers prefer to get their bars out in their own time.

A standard of three rounds has remained constant throughout the modern culture, with the only limits being time or the number of lines written in a verse. These rules are set up before the battles, as are the opponents, who are given a certain amount of time to write and prepare for one another before the event occurs. This gives the emcees to come with stronger bars and display their true penmanship as opposed to quick wit and rebutting skills. Some rappers still choose to freestyle in battles, whether they are choking or trying to rebut something their opponent has attacked them with. A good rebuttal is highly regarded, and some of the best emcees make it a strong part of their performances, like the Canadian rapper Charron or American rapper DNA.

By watching a few battles, you may have noticed trends towards certain topics, like calling your opponents gay or making fun of their weight, race, height, etc. Basically, the rap culture tends to frown upon the most basic of human flaws, whether they be genetic or in their person. It’s no surprise that battle rap is a homophobic and at times racist culture, as a lot of rap addresses these otherwise sensitive topics. The word “faggot” is used quite liberally in these contexts and often regarded as an appropriate part of punchlines. Many rappers are homophobic, but it’s more likely that the majority aren’t. Calling someone gay is probably the easiest form of attack in these situations. Insulting one’s manhood in a male-dominated form of slam poetry is a deep cut to any man’s pride, lest they actually be a homosexual. I myself am not one to use the word “faggot” in any context, or hate on homosexuals. It’s an aspect of battling that can be played in a light an humorous way. Take, for example, a line by Uno Lavoz in his 2012 Grand Prix battle with Kid Twist: “Let’s get one thing straight: You’re not!”. Then again, it could be taken to seriously or far and come off as just plain unnecessary and offensive to the audience, regardless of their sexual preferences.

Anyway, the use of homophobic slurs in a battle isn’t all that battlers have to offer. Many other methods of attack have been used since battling began to take down an opponent. Simply put by many rappers, content is divided into two different categories: Bars and jokes. The “Bars over Jokes” and “Jokes over Bars” debate is something that over time has manifested itself into the largest dividing line between battlers and fans alike as far as preferences go. The argument that those in favor of bars have is that jokes have no substance lyrically and are just a way to cheaply get crowd reaction. Joke rappers are made out to be nothing more than stand up comedians that make the last word of their lines rhyme with one another. These joke rappers respond by saying it takes a lot of talent to make a crowd of people laugh and that those who favor bars are just bad at getting the crowd to react. This isn’t to say either side is true, but both have points to a certain extent. Regardless of this debate, there are tons of other types of approaches to battles, all of them in some form or another lyrically displayed. Emcees may come with bars about: Ways they’ll destroy their opponent, ways their opponent is inferior to their own person, they may disrespect their opponent with details of their personal life, references to previous battles of their opponents’, or other falsified labels or situations to make their opponent look bad to the viewers. The key, however, is to play to the audience in a believable manner that they’ll go along with, relate, and react to what you’ve said.

Which brings me to my next point: The fans. The fans are what determines a battle. The fans are who watches the battle. The fans have the power to sway decisions and opinions of battlers and battles. Though the people who run the league make the calls as to who battles who and where, and the judges decide who wins and who goes home, the fans have ultimate control over the league’s actions. It’s all about the views, as these cultures hinge and live off of YouTube popularity. This is why it is so important to me, as a fan, to write these blogs and get the word out to new people. I am trying to do what popular battle leagues are now becoming too big to do, and that is to kindly usher the new fans in who may be a little far behind to keep up with the references and people involved in the scene today.

The internet is this vehicle that connects people from all over the world together, where you can find common interests with people thousands of miles away while at the same time finding a lot of people you flat out just don’t like. This cyberspace tool can be weaponized for good or evil, like that Kony 2012 guy who drew so many people’s attention to a serious issue, but then went bat-shit insane with all the money and got naked in public. There is an abundance of assholes on here who say mean things behind the anonymity of a keyboard and a username. They are called “trolls”. But in that same sense, battle rappers are people who are shown on the internet saying nasty things to one another. So what seperates them from the trolls? They have the audacity, the balls, to say it to someone’s face without the mask of a computer. Sure, they almost never use their real name, but in this day and age, that isn’t hard to find out. Battlers are trolls with a face. Real people that the people of the internet can get behind or aim their hate toward. They are not just champions of their block or cities, but championed warriors of the pen who don’t just write their own lyrics in the comments section of a YouTube video playing some hip-hop instrumental. They direct the hate in creative but playful ways. They make it fun to tear someone apart while at the same time showing mutual respect to one another’s “pen-game”.

This hip-hop infused with internet art form has created a sub-genre of modern pop culture that changes as much as it stays constant, growing more in its complexity while at the same time staying rooted in the arena of lyrics and rhyme. Rhythm and poetry given an entertaining and exciting performance. A chance to shine while taking someone down. A display of talent and cleverness. A show that goes on as long as there are opponents looking to take someone down and rise to their own fame. The attention-seekers of the rap world. An art form that constantly challenges its competitors to approach each battle with something old, something new, and something to inspire others in the scene.

Battle rap has something for everyone, and it’s up to you to discover what you like about it through watching battles and following battlers and the scenes. I know I didn’t have too many references in this post, but next time I’d like to get into the culture and promotional aspects of the different battle leagues by revisiting their past events and key moments in battling. Until then, go back through Part 1 and find leagues and rappers that you like and follow them to discover more battle you can enjoy.

-Midknight