" Freestyle rap battles: opponents using words as fists. The words are improvised as quickly as they are spit. They rhyme. They are to a beat. And they are aimed directly at the specific weaknesses of the opponent.” - The director of 8 Mile, Curtis HansonWit Combats were verbal duels that playwrights would partake in while at taverns in Elizabethan England. In front of crowds they would verbally "punch" one another with insult after insult. Speeding ahead 400 years I think of MTV's show Yomama and a movie that was on tv just last week 8 Mile starring rapper Eminem. Here is a clip of the movie director describing rap battles which are essentially wit combats of today. Note: this movie is rated R.
We do have one little piece of wordplay that has survived between two playwrights. Not necessarily insults but certainly playing off of one another's words. After watching the movie director's clip you can almost hear the rap rhythm of today come through in their words:
Jonson: If, but stage actors, all the world displays,
Where shall we find spectators of their plays?
Shakespeare: Little, or much, of what we see, we do;
We are all both actors and spectators, too.
Question: Are rap battles only hurtful or could we see them as beneficial?
2 comments:
"Rap Battles" are hurtful to most, however if one thinks about it in a non-obsessive way it could be beneficial. Though the purpose of these battles are to harm one another, however if the victim is not overly sensitive, they could use the attacks as pointers for the future to better themselves.
If these words are used to go against someone's race or culture then the only result is hate and there is nothing to be done. It is just a sad reality that there are still racial and cultural barriers amongst people.
I love rap battles. I don't see nothing wrong with them, even if they go against someone's race or culture, because it is usually in a humorous way. The purpose is generally to portray your opponent's traits in a humorous way that also rhymes, which generally gives all the spectators and sometimes even the opponent a good laugh. It is much more beneficial than an actual fight, which is usually the alternative, and creates art in the process. Sometimes you have to look past the political correctness of not offending anyone and recognize the true beauty of spontaneous poetry being created. Life would be boring without it!
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