We went to another battle rap event, Active Crime Scene for some dope battles, and we sure got what we expected. TN's own Reaux once again invaded The Trap NY, going behind the scenes to talk to Trap veterans like Showoff, Dre Dennis and more. She talks the climate of battle rap, and gets different perspectives from the MC's themselves. Check out the interviews below, then see what Reaux's 2 cents are on battle rap today.
Interview Featuring: Prez Mafia, Showoff, Dre Dennis
REAL RECOGNIZE REAUX
SCHEMES VS PUNCHLINES:
Punchlines. I like punchlines more because people don't always catch on to the schemes. There are times when the competitors over-saturate their rounds with schemes, and people don't want to hear just schemes, there's got to be balance. On top of that, punchlines make more of an impact with the crowd, whereas schemes take a minute to connect. Its not that punchlines are more important than schemes, the crowd is just more receptive to them.
CHANGES IN BATTLE RAP OVER THE YEARS:
Battle rap is in a decent place, it fluctuates though, some things new and some the same. There are more ups and downs now, but I feel like that's because the game is more saturated than it was before. There's more rappers, more promoters, & more events, but not everybody is cut out the be in this part of the culture. One of the good changes is the introduction of a tier system, not to be confused with a hierarchy, but a chance for rappers to compete at their respective levels and be able to grow. On the other hand, one of the bad changes is everyone thinking they can battle just because, lowering the standard of battle rappers and quality of events in general. Overall battle rap is in a decent place, room for improvement but still evolving.
WHAT ARE HOLDING SOME BATTLERS BACK:
Battlers that come in with huge teams that hype them so much that they drown out the opinion of the crowd. The point of battling on a public stage is for the crowd to judge and react, we know your crew thinks you could rap! Now let us find out for ourselves. Then there's always politics as usual. Politics are the reason why some rappers get a push they don't need, and others don't get a push at all, lowering the quality & credibility of the brands throwing the events. You don't know if someones main eventing because they'e the best or because they homie put them there. Oh, and EGOS. Some of these rappers think they're bigger than they are, and yeah people know you from battling but you're not bigger than the culture itself. Sit down.
FAVORITE TAG TEAM BATTLERS:
Phara Funeral & Shooney Da Rapper
They were the first tag team battlers on the scene, ever, & in fact they're the reason I committed to battle rap in the first place. They're friends, so their chemistry is better than the average team, but on top of that their rap styles mesh well with each others.