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39-484: At age 12, Jones was expelled from his home for allegedly dealing drugs. He slept at his friends' homes and in cars. After winning one rap battle , he suffered a broken jaw from childhood friend Marquise. J-Kwon first rose to stardom with the single " Tipsy " from his 2004 album Hood Hop , which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 on April 17, 2004, after 14 weeks on the chart. The song peaked at number two on

78-819: A blend of poetry, wit, and bravado, often performed in front of an audience or judged panel. 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 has been developed into highly organized league events drawing in significant revenue and attention. Mainstream artists such as Diddy , Busta Rhymes , Eminem , Machine Gun Kelly , Drake , Kendrick Lamar , Joe Budden and Cassidy have attended or participated in battles to help increase their popularity. Rap battles are often written and performed to impress crowds with technically inventive rapping, and knowing

117-415: 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 credits as creating a shift in rapping in the documentary Beef . 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

156-425: A format which is now the predominant form of battle rap, where two emcees battle against each other without a beat, trading prewritten verses in three-round battles. The impromptu aspect of battling still exists in the form of rebuttals, which are short rhymes (usually at the beginning of a verse) where an emcee either comments on something about their opponent that was thought up on the spot (for instance, making fun of

195-509: A freestyle battle before the studio audience and three celebrity judges (the DJ sometimes acts as the 3rd judge). Each competitor alternates freestyling for 30 seconds in each of the two rounds (originally only 1 round when the segment first began). The rappers are not allowed to use profanities or sexually suggestive lyrics, punishable by disqualification. After the battle, the judges decide the winner, per majority vote. Eventually, battle rap moved to

234-415: A name for himself in this field as well as a more popularized version of competitive rapping on a television platform. While he takes a more humorous approach to his opposition, he still performs with the intention of winning a contest. A cipher is any collection or gathering of rappers, beatboxers, or breakers forming in a circle in order to perform together – the term has also in recent years come to mean

273-459: A single "Boo Boo" through his own label Hood Hop Music with album Hood Hop 2 following the next year exclusively for digital download. Follow-up Hood Hop 2.5 was released on CD on July 28, 2009. Its first official single was "Louie Bounce (I Smacked Nikki)". In March 2010, J-Kwon's record label, Gracie Entertainment, said that he had been missing since early February 2010. Later the same month, MTV News reported that he had been in touch with

312-465: A student and a teacher, the narrative was enough to give the league a huge boost in exposure. In 2014, former Don't Flop performers and staff broke away to form King of the Ronalds as a reaction to Don't Flop's move towards a more sanitized version of the product and sponsorship from the likes of Foot Locker . King of the Ronalds presents a more raw ethos, with a philosophy that has much in common with

351-492: A way for messages about hip hop styles and knowledge to be spread, through word-of-mouth and encouraging trends in other battles. Leagues such as King of the Dot ( Canada ), and Don't Flop ( U.K. ), which all started in 2008, with Ultimate Rap League ( N.Y. ) in 2009, furthered the popularity of battle rap via video hosting website YouTube , brand marketing, and creating divisions across their home nations and beyond. King of

390-595: A wide variety of rapping styles and a wide range of MCs as personal inspirations is recommended. Various MCs have started out writing mostly battle raps and battling other MCs before releasing commercial records. Battle rap is believed to have started in the East Coast hip-hop scene in the late 1980s. One of the earliest battles occurred in December 1981, when Kool Moe Dee challenged Busy Bee Starski – Busy Bee Starski 's defeat meant that "no longer an MC just

429-532: A written format created through months of preparation mixed with improvised lines as means to attacking his opponent or creating an image of himself as greater than his adversary. This is presented in his battle against Tay Roc in the main event of the Ultimate Rap League's "Summer Madness 6," a battle that the general consensus believes that Hollow Da Don walked away from in victory Summer Madness 6 main event. Fellow battle rap peer Conceited has made

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468-513: A young up and coming artist at Sugar Hill records by the name of Lavaba Mallison, who would later become his manager, Kool Moe Dee left Sugar Hill records to join Lavaba Mallison, Robert "Gusto" Wells, Greg Marius and up and coming producer Teddy Riley at the newly founded ROOFTOP records. He co-operated with the young producers Teddy Riley and Lavaba Mallison which contributed to the new jack swing movement that would gain popularity in

507-407: Is a contest in which two or more rappers compete or battle each other using improvised lyrics. Each competitor's goal is to " diss " their opponent through clever lyrics. As hip-hop evolved in the early 1980s, MCs gained their fame through live battles with other MCs. Freestyle battles can take place anywhere: on street corners, on stage at a concert, in school, or even online. The live audience

546-579: Is battle format... your focus was to have a hot rhyme in case you gotta battle someone... not really making a rhyme for a song". 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". The New Music Seminar (NMS) is a Music Conference and Festival held annually each June in New York City . The New Music Seminar originally ran from 1980 to 1995. It quickly spawned

585-470: Is critical to a battle as each emcee (MC; Master of Ceremonies) must use skill and lyrical ability not only to 'break down' their opponent, but to convince the audience that they are the better rapper. Appointed judges have been used in formal contests, but even when no winner is announced, the rapper who receives the best audience response is viewed as the victor. Currently, talents such as Hollow Da Don use various elements of battle rap that include reciting

624-849: The Billboard Hot 100 . "Tipsy" also performed well globally, peaking within the top ten of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Other singles included "You & Me" with Sadiyyah and "Hood Hop." For the 2005 film XXX: State of the Union , J-Kwon performed the single "Get XXX'd" with Petey Pablo and Ebony Eyez. J-Kwon began working on the follow-up to Hood Hop , Louisville Slugger , that same year. He collaborated with comedian Andy Milonakis in "Like Dis", to promote The Andy Milonakis Show , and appeared on Bow Wow 's single " Fresh Azimiz ". In 2008, he released

663-574: The 1991 Grammy Award for Album of the Year . In 1991, the release of his album Funke, Funke Wisdom signaled Kool Moe Dee's decline. Moe Dee himself has stated that this was his worst album. He induced his release from Jive Records in 1992. After a two-year lay off, he released his greatest hits album which regained some of his former success and acclaim. In 1994, his album Interlude was released and failed to gain Moe Dee much of his former success of

702-481: The African-American community. Battle rap is often performed spontaneously, or freestyled , in live battles known as rap battles, where participants will compete on the same stage to see who has the better verses. Battle rap is like verbal warfare, where competitors trade insults, wordplay, and clever rhymes in a competitive setting. It's all about lyricism, delivery, and sometimes even performance. It's

741-703: The DVDs—a cutting edge technological and artistic hustle at the time. Fight Klub is one of the earliest battle rap leagues and was the only league that aired on TV. It aired on MTV2 sometime in 2006. It is hosted by international P. A lot of the original rappers on there are now legendary in the battle rap game such as Arsonal, Jin and Hollow da don . Jump Off TV's World Rap Championships premiered in London 2006, featuring American and British rappers. In Cuba, freestyle battles often follow organized concerts and juxtapose composed songs with ‘flowing’ lyrics that are relevant to

780-679: The Doctor ", " Wild Wild West " and " How Ya Like Me Now ". Kool Moe Dee was ranked No.  33 on About.com 's list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987–2007). Born Mohandas Dewese in Harlem, Kool Moe Dee attended the State University of New York at Old Westbury , where he received a degree in communications in 1985. One of Kool Moe Dee's first feats was being part of the first major rap battle in history. He lyrically attacked Busy Bee after one of his performances in 1981. He

819-461: The Dot's Travis Fleetwood, a.k.a. Organik , built a reputation as one of Canada's elite battle emcees with 4 wins at the Toronto -based freestyle competition Proud 2B Eh Battle MC , where he met a local producer/DJ by the name of RyanPVP. They teamed up to put together the first event which was initially intended to be a flash-mob -style event at Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto. However,

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858-405: The Dot's rise. Smack and Ultimate Rap League (URL) are New York-based battle leagues. Rappers included Aye Verb (StreetStatus), Conceited (LionsDen), DNA (GrindTimeNow) Hitman Holla (StreetStatus), Tay Roc (LionsDen), Hollow Da Don (GrindTimeNow) and many more. Don't Flop is a popular UK battle rap league founded in 2008, following a controversial judging decision in which co-founder, Eurgh,

897-451: The MC and DJ Battles for World Supremacy – a fertile showcase for rappers and DJs to make a name for themselves. 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. Some of the most prominent battles that took place on record are listed in

936-434: The battle that evening. The two would go on to meet on two other occasions during the 1990s, thereby establishing a place in battle rap as one of the earliest and most exciting sagas in the subculture. From the late 1990s to the end of the 2000s, freestyle rapping became very popular, with many artists getting attention for new styles, charisma, and witty punchlines in battles such as Scribble Jam and Rocksteady. Following

975-561: The book, Ego Trip 's Book of Rap Lists , and include such battles as the Roxanne Wars (1984–1985), Juice Crew vs. Boogie Down Productions (1986–1988), Kool Moe Dee vs. LL Cool J (1987–1991), MC Serch vs. MC Hammer (1989–1994), Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg vs. Luke (1992–1993), Common vs. Ice Cube (1994–1996), MC Pervis & Brand New Habits and LL Cool J vs. Canibus (1997–1998) – all of which include memorable battle rap verses. As hip-hop asserted its presence across

1014-407: The country, MC battles were growing in popularity. One of the early predecessors of the contemporary, more confrontational variation of battle rap was the 1994 face-off between Craig G and Supernatural . The battle happened organically, by virtue of Supernatural calling out Craig G while he was performing. As it so happened, Craig G was in the crowd, and the host invited him to the stage. Craig G won

1053-420: The crowd which forms around the battles, consisting of spectators and onlookers. This group serves partly to encourage competition and partly to enhance the communal aspect of rap battles. The cipher is known for "making or breaking reputations in the hip hop community; if you are able to step into the cipher and tell your story, demonstrating your uniqueness, you might be more accepted". These groups also serve as

1092-519: The early punk rock movement. The league markets itself primarily using videos of tense physical confrontations between battlers, something other leagues are keen to distance themselves from. FlipTop Battle League is an example of a battle rap league in the Philippines . Kool Moe Dee Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known by his stage name Kool Moe Dee , is an American rapper , songwriter and actor. Considered one of

1131-645: The forerunners of the new jack swing sound in hip hop, he gained fame in the 1980s as a member of one of the pioneering groups in hip hop music, the Treacherous Three , and for his later solo career. During his career he released a total of seven studio albums (five of them solo), with 1994's Interlude being the last to date. His fast and aggressive rap style influenced following rap figures such as Big Daddy Kane , Beastie Boys , KRS-One , Rakim , Will Smith , N.W.A , Tupac Shakur , Nas , Jay-Z , among others. Among his most famous songs are " Go See

1170-611: The mid-1980s. In 1993, he re-united with his fellow ex members of the Treacherous Three to release the album Old School Flava on Ichiban . His last commercial release was the single "Love Love/What You Wanna Do" which was released on Spoiled Brat Entertainment Inc. Moe Dee appeared in the MTV box office bomb Crossroads as a bartender. Kool Moe Dee conducted a long-running rivalry with fellow New York rapper LL Cool J . Along with other rappers such as MC Shan , Kool Moe Dee claimed that LL had stolen their rap styles. He also felt that LL

1209-430: The police presence and private security at the location forced the event to move down the road to an alley beside radio station Flow 93.5 . After a few events at that location, they were unable to accommodate the growing crowds, so Organik opted to relocate to Alexandra Park for the wide open space and gritty location. The crisp visuals and production value, as well as local celebrity guest judges, contributed to King of

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1248-463: The present situation. Freestyling can allow audience members to integrate into the performance stage. This provides a forum for up-and-coming underground artists to engage in a musical discussion with already prominent underground Cuban rappers. Freestyle battles often turn political when artists incorporate perspectives on social disparities and issues plaguing the Cuban population. A freestyle battle

1287-546: The record label, confirming he was alive and well. J-Kwon released his fourth studio album on March 23, 2010, entitled J-Kwon . In June 2013, he made a diss track titled "Pushing the Odds" produced by H Snow Beatz towards Odd Future and Pusha T after previous disses from both. Rap battle Battle rap (also known as rap battling ) is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults, wordplay and disses originating in

1326-428: The resurgence of freestyle battling in the 21st century, competitions began to move to TV shows shown on HBO , BET , and MTV . In addition, Eminem's 2002 movie 8 Mile introduced battle rap to mainstream audiences, generating a renewed interest and popularity in battling. Starting in the early 2000s, Freestyle Friday is a watered-down battle segment on BET's popular show 106 & Park . Two rappers compete in

1365-571: The shirt they're wearing), or responds to something their opponent said during their previous round. While not as prominent as it once was, the art of rebutting is still respected by many as difficult to do correctly, and a sign of a well-rounded emcee. While many creative minds were battling and organizing battles in the early 2000s, Troy "Smack" Mitchell of Queens New York gathered battle rappers of hood renown including Serius Jones of New Jersey and Loaded Lux, Murda Mook and Jae Millz of Harlem, Smack began recording battles, printing and hand-selling

1404-517: The years to follow. Kool Moe Dee released his second album, How Ya Like Me Now which was his most successful album commercially, achieving platinum status. He then went on to release his third album, Knowledge Is King in 1989, which went gold . In 1990, he performed on Quincy Jones ' album Back on the Block along with fellow rappers Melle Mel , Big Daddy Kane and Ice-T . The album gained considerable critical and financial success and won

1443-428: Was denied a place in the finals of a tournament run by the then-dominant battle league, JumpOff. Since then, notable appearances include Rizzle , Illmaculate , Mystro , and Harry Love. Don't Flop came to mainstream UK media attention in 2012 when one of their battles became a viral video , purportedly showing a teacher battling his student. Although the battlers in question, Mark Grist and Blizzard, were not actually

1482-514: Was disrespecting rap pioneers such as Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz by proclaiming that he was "rap's new grandmaster" without paying due respect to those who came before him. He challenged LL on his platinum selling album How Ya Like Me Now on the single of the same name. He also took a shot at LL by appearing on the album cover with a jeep in the background with the wheel crushing one of LL's trademark red Kangol hats. In 2017 he launched as executive producer and host of Behind The Rhyme ,

1521-406: Was extremely mad at Busy Bee, for talking smack about other MC's, claiming that none of them could beat him in a contest. Moe Dee used some of his rhymes from "The New Rap Language" and "Whip It". He also used a little bit of Busy Bee's style during the battle. In 1985, the Treacherous Three disbanded. In 1986, he went solo, releasing a self-titled album that ranked 83 on Billboard . After meeting

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