MCs from all over the Pacific Northwest will compete in the Better Than You Battle on Saturday for a prize package worth more than $800. Local promoters Strange Folks Presents have hand-picked a group of 16 competitors from Eugene, Portland, Vancouver, Wash., and other parts of the Pacific Northwest.
Competitors include Sleep (of Old Dominion), Illmaculate (winner of Portland’s Hip-Hop tonight battles) and local artists such as Furious, Sapient, DZO and Philosophy.
Until now, only a few smaller and less organized battles have emerged from Eugene.
“We thought it was about time to let Northwest artists strut their stuff in Eugene,” said Phil Bauer, of Strange Folks Presents.
MC battles pit two lyricists against each another in a freestyle competition and test their ability to come up with clever rhymes off the top of their head. Winning requires quick thinking, solid rhythm and an aptitude for improvisation.
Such competitions once took place between two rappers in a park or on the street, but as their popularity has grown, the battles have transitioned to the stage in what is best described as a combination between a concert and a sporting event.
The 16 contestants will try to hold their own through four rounds of one-on-one matches. The combatants will be paired up at random and given two chances each to impress both the judges and the audience. The winners of each match will then face each other in the following rounds until a winner is decided. During the first three rounds, competitors will have 30 seconds per chance. During the final round, the turns will last 45 seconds.
But Hanif Panni, one of the three judges at the Better Than You Battle and a former DJ at KWVA, said it will take more than jokes to win this competition.
“This is based on skills and not jokes,” Panni said. “Punchlines are good, but I want to hear something fresh.”
Both Panni and Bauer emphasize the importance of audience participation.
“If somebody hits a line that’s just sick, I want the crowd to get crazy, but if someone’s not bringing the heat, I expect the crowd to boo them just as loud,” Bauer said. “When the performers can see that the crowd is reacting, they get amped.”
Between a booing crowd and competitors hurling insults at each other on stage, the contest could easily be mistaken for a hostile environment, but contestant James Baker, also known as Furious, stresses that the event is all about fun.
“On the mic, we’ll be saying some of the meanest things possible (to each other), but later we’ll be downstairs having a beer,” he said.
Baker said some of the MCs have been battling each other for a long time, and most are good friends.
Still, Panni is sure the battles will be wholesome, cutthroat entertainment.
“If you like seeing people make fun of each other, this is the place to be,” he said.
In addition to the battle, Portland hip-hop crew sandpeoples will be performing throughout the night, and giveaways provided by sponsors will be available.
The Better Than You Battle will take place this Saturday at WOW Hall (located at 291 W. Eighth Ave). Tickets cost $8 in advance and $10 at the door and are available for purchase at WOW Hall, the EMU Ticket Office and most local music stores.