So of course we would do all sorts of extra co-curricular activities during our holidays and I got hooked into youtube for 2 days over some freestyle rapping video, OMG, 2 days lesser for studies. Seriously, those videos are really cool. Never could I imagine that the underground hip hop scene would be so huge and every single day there are rap battles going on in one corner of a street, hall, bar, trains, anywhere, anytime.
So incase if you are not familiar with the term rapping, allow me to give a simple explanation. Rapping is referring to spoken or chanting lyrics with a rhythm and is usually the primary ingredient for hip-hop or reggae music. Don't get it? It's alright... check out these videos. A interview and a music video.
This rapper over here in the video is Marshall Bruce Mathers III. Maybe his birth name was kinda long or sounds kinda complicated, well I'm not sure why names must come with numbers too, this hip hop sensation is better known as Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady in the music industry. Arguably one of the best rappers in the world, listed and rated as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines including the famous Rolling Stone magazine, declaring Eminem as the King of Hip Hop and has ranked him 82nd on its list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He has won numerous rap battles in his earlier days, encountering many rappers out in the streets of Detroit and popularizing his homies/group D12 (Dirty Dozen) after rising to stardome. D12 itself has some histories and creative formation of names to live up to its groupname. D12 had 6 members and each of them would create an alter ego. Proof chose Dirty Harry, Bizarre became Peter S. Bizarre, Kuniva became Hannz G. (which later became Rondell Beene), Kon Artis chose Mr. Porter, Bugz became Robert Beck and Eminem created the character Slim Shady (which later became one of the biggest hits songs title - The Real Slim Shady). Therefore, 6 rappers + 6 alter ego + Detroit = D12, lol interesting? Since then, 2 members has left and been replaced up to date.
What is truly great about Eminem to me is that his style when he raps along the lyrics he wrote. He brings a strong emotion in telling the stories he has written bringing his music into life.
Amazing isn't it? You get fame and fortune for speaking fast accordingly to the beat. Damn, I wanna quit my job and be a rapper too. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. According to Wikipedia (6 Oct 2011)...
"to successfully deliver a rap, a rapper must also develop vocal presence, enunciation and breath control. Vocal presence is the distinctiveness of a rapper's voice on record. Enunciation is essential to a flowing rap; some rappers choose also to exaggerate it for comic and artistic effect. Breath control, taking in air without interrupting one's delivery, is an important skill for a rapper to master, and a must for any MC. An MC with poor breath control cannot deliver difficult verses without making unintentional pauses."
In addition to that, most of the prominent and popular rappers that has crafted themselves a big name and wealth in the music industry has come a long long way in their career. Here's another video of a Hip Hop rising star making it big in Hong Kong. An introduction of him, an interview and one music video.
His name? Jin Au-Yeung with the stage name MC Jin, earlier names(100 Grand Jin and Jin the Emcee or even just The Emcee), growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and later living in New York City, now residing in Hong Kong. Jin is fluent Cantonese and English. He the first East Asian Chinese solo rapper to be signed to a major record label. The video itself is self explanatory where he won a lot of battles, writes, thinking of punch lines/words that rhyme everyday and probably these guys uses the dictionary 20 times more than an average person. His major break thru in the rapping scene came in after winning 7 battles in the roll in Freestyle Friday, enabling him to be inducted in the Freestyle Friday Hall of Fame. Freestyle Friday is a local program held in New York City inviting local rappers for rap battling sessions. I personally feel and agree with many that MC Jin is truly a lyrical genius rapper, with his fast thinking and counter attacks (which actually makes sense, sometimes it comes along with foul words too lol) and his ability to connect back to his opposing rapper's rap using his prepared punchlines and creation of new lyrics on the spot is just really cool. Sometimes I go like "he killed it with his last line, amazing!!".
And, a final video of a true real life, rap battle... MC Jin vs Sean Nicholas. Enjoy!
Wow, I don't think being a rapper is that easy after all. I shall stick back to my job for the moment. LOL!
p/s: For the record, kids can rap too
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