

As it so happened, Craig G was in the crowd, and the host invited him to the stage. The battle happened organically, by virtue of Supernatural calling out Craig G while he was performing. One of the early predecessors of the contemporary, more confrontational variation of battle rap was the 1994 face-off between Craig G and Supernatural. Īs hip-hop asserted its presence across the country, MC battles were growing in popularity. Canibus (1997–1998) – all of which include memorable battle rap verses. Ice Cube (1994–1996), MC Pervis & Brand New Habits and LL Cool J vs. Boogie Down Productions (1986–1988), Kool Moe Dee vs.

Some of the most prominent battles that took place on record are listed in the book, Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists, and include such battles as the Roxanne Wars (1984–1985), Juice Crew vs. Participants include a wide variety of very influential rappers such as Busy Bee, Melle Mel, MF Grimm, and Kool G Rap with judges such as Afrika Bambaataa, P Diddy, and many other influential rappers. It quickly spawned the MC and DJ Battles for World Supremacy – a fertile showcase for rappers and DJs to make a name for themselves. The New Music Seminar originally ran from 1980 to 1995. The New Music Seminar (NMS) is a Music Conference and Festival held annually each June in New York City. Battle rapping is still sometimes closely associated with old school hip-hop – talking about battle rapping, Esoteric says, "a lot of my stuff stems from old school hip-hop, braggadocio ethic". your focus was to have a hot rhyme in case you gotta battle someone.

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In the 1980s, battle raps were a popular form of rapping – Big Daddy Kane in the book How to Rap says, "as an MC from the '80s, really your mentality is battle format. One of the earliest battles occurred in December 1981 when Kool Moe Dee challenged Busy Bee Starski – Busy Bee Starski's defeat by the raps of Kool Moe Dee meant that "no longer an MC just a crowd-pleasing comedian with a slick tongue he was a commentator and a storyteller" thus, rendering Busy's archaic format of rap obsolete, in favor of a newer style which KRS-One also credits as creating a shift in rapping in the documentary Beef. Image courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.īattle rap is believed to have started in the East Coast hip-hop scene in the late 1980s. Various MCs have started out writing mostly battle raps and battling other MCs before releasing commercial records. Rap battles are often written and performed to impress crowds with technically inventive rapping, and knowing a wide variety of rapping styles and a wide range of MCs as personal inspirations is recommended. Battle rap has been developed into highly organized league events drawing in significant revenue and attention, with events for battles usually being "sold out." Mainstream artists such as Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Drake, Joe Budden and Cassidy have attended or participated in battles to help increase their popularity. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live battles known as Rap battles, where participants will compete on the same stage to see who has the better verses.Īlthough never a battler himself, battle rap was loosely described by 40 Cal, previously a member of American hip hop collective The Diplomats, in the book How to Rap (2009) as an "extracurricular" display of skill, comparing it to the dunk contest in the NBA. Battle rap (also known as rap battling) is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay.
