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“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana

Welcome back to the dojo … (Bow <-Traditional Far East Customary Bow)

In lesson one we challenged you to look into yourself and determine why you’d want to become a battle rapper. In lesson two we took a look at who you are really and what type of style you’d bring to the game – moreover, why your “style” could make or break your career. In a a less introspective lesson, this week we’ll focus the history of battle rap, and why it’s important to your ability to progress in battle rap.  

Let us begin …

Before you take part in any profession, it is vitally important to understand it’s history! In the realm of Battle Rap, you must know where this culture stems from, and why the forefathers did it in the first place. In our previous lessons I gave you perspectives from my personal life, but I did not solely draw from what I personally experienced … I was influenced by events on the East Coast that took place before I’d ever witnessed a battle in my neighborhood. The information was not handed to me, rather, I had to seek it out on my own accord.

As a kid in Los Angeles, I remember hearing about New York emcees battling. The first that comes to mind is Kool Moe Dee versus Busy Bee. Keep in mind, we were not in the Social Media era of today. YouTube, and the Internet did not exist; and fans of the Hip-Hop genre only received information by word of mouth or through Hip-Hop magazines like: Rap Pages, Right On!, Word Up! and The Source, or a few television shows like Friday Night Videos and Yo MTV Raps!

Listening to various emcees rhyme about “sucka emcees”, or, how their “style” was “fresher” than the next, gave me a curiosity to learn why (circa Lesson 2). Why was it important to be original or to have your own style? Why were these guys battle rapping in the first place?

“Only a few battle masters know how to beat the party emcee. Because in a lot of cases the party emcee will look like he won but if you listen to it on wax or once you got the tape home, you would probably hear more poetic value in the other guy.” – Kool Moe Dee

Who were some of the first battlers? What were some of the important battles in the history of the sport? Perhaps many of you first got acquainted with Battle Rap from one of the forefathers of modern day battle rap, Troy Mitchell, otherwise known as “SMACK.” The SMACK DVDS were once a media outlet for aspiring Hip Hop artist, as well as many established Artist, where fans would get exclusive interviews, and the like, but at the end of the DVD, there was a segment in which a rap battle would be featured between up and coming battle rhymers. This segment became so popular with fans that SMACK decided to dedicate a whole separate format strictly for the purpose of showcasing this growing subculture. The rest is history …

Some people believe they are great in their own right and don’t need any historical perspective at all. But all of the greats knew their history – regardless of competitive occupation. Imagine Lebron James not knowing who Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson was! Or picture Tom Brady not knowing who Joe Montana was … sounds crazy right? Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson were not arguably the two greatest boxers in history, they were also boxing historians who praised their forefathers like Jack Johnson and Joe Louis.  Why? Because they learned from their styles, persona, work ethic and other attributes. Do you really believe you call yourself a professional battle rapper if you don’t know who Thesaurus or EYEDEA (R.I.P.) are? Please allow me to answer that for you – NO!

Knowing and respecting the past is a great start in your quest to master your future. Like the saying goes: How will you know where you are going if you don’t know where you come from? Battle Rap is’t even 40 years old yet, but it’s brief history is rich, and begs to be studied by any aspiring battle emcee. You can only go so far with your own skill and a limited breadth of experience and knowledge of those who came before you.

You can gain a historical advantage through factual or fictitious events. Perhaps you saw the film “8 Mile” starring Detroit legend Eminem. This was a classic example of how self-deprecation can neutralize aggression from your opponent. When B-Rabbit (Eminem) finally got his chance to battle Poppa Doc in the Shelter he took every angle about himself and put it out on the table. Once he knew the crowd was observant he reversed course and unveiled the truth about Clarence (Poppa Doc) and luxury of private schooling (Cranbrook) and advantages of having a two-parent household in the suburbs – not a trailer on 8-Mile. Do you think Aye Verb took a page out of that book when he battled Hitman Holla? Either way, it’s all history! You may be on the flip side and find elements from the past that you can incorporate with your own personal qualities and create something entirely new.

“Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” ― Otto von Bismarck

Whatever was your introduction to battle rap, it surely had to inspire you to take part in this world wide phenomenon (circa Lesson #1). I can not stress how important it is for you to study the history of the art, study styles, study the various attack methods that have been used. Why is this important? Well for starters, learning from the past gives you a leg up on the future. Perhaps a style you may be thinking about using has already been used before, and proved to be a futile one. Learn from other people’s’ mistakes not your own careless missteps.  

Now, take some time out and do your homework! A great start would be tackling the eras of battle rap … One of our battle rap historians has a great compilation of Battle Rap eras, check them out below and follow @804obsidianstar on Twitter for a ton of great historical perspectives!

Please join us at Battlerapstats.com next week for our next lesson!  

(Bow <-Traditional Far East Customary Bow)

Danny Myers

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