More than ten years ago, a few hip-hop heads around the country started creating the first few online communities focused on Hip-Hop music and rap battles. This was a time when Facebook had not come into existence yet. A time before streaming services (soundclick was the trending “streaming” service), and when only a handful of emcees even had music videos or even channels on Youtube.
Orkut was the social media platform of choice for the Indian Hip-Hop fan/artist/supporter. Among the many groups, a couple of them really grew to host not only rap battles, but to showcase new music, form alliances and network between a young/niche community.
Battle Rap was still the biggest crowd-puller online for all the artists in these communities. There were legendary “text-battles” that took place here and there were even specific ranking systems to determine the “food chain” of who the best emcees are at any given point in time.
The New Age
Indian Hip-Hop today is moving at a pace that it may even become its own industry in the coming years. There’s crowds of new emcees and hip-hop listeners tuning in to the sounds of the Indian rap culture. A lot of hip-hop artists beyond rap have their own loyal followings and we even see the different elements of Hip-Hop collaborate with each other more and more nowadays.
In 2020, when most events have moved online, it was only right that Battle Rap culture gets the revamped digital treatment it truly deserves. Bombay based rap battle league – B3 India – has launched its first ever online venture to seek new talent across India!
“The aim of this tournament is to revive battle rap culture in a time where the lyrical aspects of Indian Hip-Hop have been ‘dumbed down’ in a way. Skilled artists make the artform look easy, but theres a method to the art. The best thing is that B3 now isn’t limited by boundaries or budget, and we are in search of the best talents from across the country. We look forward to involving these talents on our offline events as well.” says league founder Poetik Justis.
Bang For The Buck
The rules are simple for the first phase, enter via registration which will cost Rs. 100, spit your best bars in under a minute and upload the video to your Instagram.
The selected entries get to battle chosen opponents and by sheer skill alone, win the grand prize pool! As of this moment, the Prize pool has reached Rs. 15,000 and counting. Thanks to the latest global record label 4NCurrency – who has elevated the competition via their official sponsorship of the full tournament. Other prizes include B3 India merchandise, followed by interviews on BARS Magazine and features on India’s Finest Hip-Hop’s Instagram and YouTube! There’s a lot of announcements for prizes that are still flowing in as the competition continues!
If you, or an emcee you know, has the skills to make it through this tournament, let them know #BarsAreBack ! Head over to @battlebarsbombay on Instagram and tune in to the competition! May the best emcee win!
