I’ve always loved Hip Hop, it was just the culture I latched myself onto when I was growing up and it’s never left me. Hip Hop is a part of who I am, and even though I’m not too fond of some of the newer trends in the Hip Hop genre of music I continue embrace everything the culture stands for. Everybody has their one passion that motivates them, and Hip Hop is mine.
As I said though, I’m not too fond of a lot of the newer trends in the music industry. The genre of music has become too controlled by the record industry and this has resulted in a bunch of gimmicky artists and songs. My tendency to listen to newer artists is at an all time low, and I now find myself clinging to the past, listening to older artists in their prime such as Notorious B.I.G, Tupac, Ice Cube, DMX, Cam’Ron, Nas, 50 Cent and more.
Years ago I would listen to every new up and coming artist I heard of, I would literally buy or download their latest album/mixtape without listening to any samples. I would then listen to the body of work from start to finish, assured that it would provide quality music. I can no longer do this. The more I listen to new artists in Hip Hop the more it pushes me to relive the old classics.
Battle Rap Is The New Hip Hop Underground
But now a new scene is beginning to revolutionise the undergound Hip Hop scene, and that is the Battle Rap scene. I was always a fan of battle rap, from the very first time I heard a battle. The concept of two lyricists going back and forth verbally was fascinating to me, and it demonstrated a whole new level of skill.
However rap battles were hardly ever seen on a wide scale as they would mostly happen in the streets, schools, or any other public place. Also they were highly looked down upon by the record industry, and are still somewhat to this day. Over the years though, brands like Smack, Scribble Jam and Jumpoff gave the World Wide Web a taste of what battle rap was all about. I would spend hours watching MC’s like Murda Mook, Illmaculate, The Saurus, Iron Solomon and Serius Jones clash with opposing MC’s in a true test of lyrical skill.
Those three brands I named paved way to today’s battle rap culture, in which brands like Smack/URL, Grind Time, King of The Dot and Don’t Flop have structured the culture of battle rapping and made it to where anybody can enjoy it. To me, in 2012 Battle Rap is the new Hip Hop underground. More and more MC’s are turning to battle rap as their way to promote themselves as an MC. Even Canibus who is a veteran in Hip Hop and has even held a record deal has decided to step into the culture and go against one of my favourite battle MC’s Dizaster.
There’s a never ending debate going on that Battle Rappers don’t translate well when trying to make music. To an extent I believe this to be correct, but there are always exceptions. Now more than ever Battle Rappers are crafting some pretty decent music. Regardless, I do still think that there is a huge difference between a Hip Hip music artist and a Battle Rapper.
Music artists and battle rappers are trained in a different way. A music artist has to write lyrics that will flow correctly on a beat. Which by the way isn’t as easy as it sounds. Being able to articulate everything you want to say on a record creatively whilst compressing your words to fit the flow of a beat is a very difficult process, I know from experience.
Two of my favourite battle rappers Hollow Da Don and Dizaster are able to seamlessly go from written lyrics that they have memorized to freestyle lyrics they make up on the spot. You can hardly ever tell when these MC’s are spitting pre-thought lyrics or simply making it up on the spot, which I think is amazing.
A big misconception about the battle rap culture (and Hip Hop in general) is that it’s all about violence. Obviously you’re going to get two sets of people who hate each other’s guts and will result to violence – but that’s the case with any situation in life. These day’s battle rappers sign contracts that say they cannot fight each other or they will not be paid to battle. And more than anything I believe all battle rappers have a mutual respect for each other which exceeds any level of hatred they feel towards one another.
A great example of this is when Dizaster battled DNA. For over a year these two MC’s were going back and forth on blogs, and there were even physical threats made. However once they agreed to settle their differences by battling, you could literally see both MC’s respecting each other more and more as the battle commenced.
Competitiveness is always needed to provide better quality.
It’s apparent in any industry you can think of. Gaming, technology, retail… anything. The more competition you have in a market, the more quality and variety you get. Competition has always been a part of Hip Hop, and this forced MC’s to ensure they were at their best at all times.
Therefore I believe as battle rap progresses, it will breed a new wave of MC’s that will constantly practice their craft. In combat a true warrior would always ensure that his blade was sharpened.
Let me know your thoughts on the battle rap culture and be sure to listen to my podcast dedicated to battle rap.