The Complete MC Blog

Whoever says that battles are strictly freestyle is a liar. Even if
their rhymes aren’t written before the battle, you better believe
they are looking at you and working out ways to humiliate you
before you both get up on that stage.

Here is how you limit that possibility. Whenever I’m in a battle I
will wear a loud, obnoxious shirt that draws attention (my bright
red T with Bruce Lee on the front is a personal favorite). Other
MC’s who are sizing me up will be formulating punchlines around
that shirt. They can’t help but focus on it!

Here’s the kicker… When my name is called to go up on stage, I
quickly through a jacket over the shirt. This destroys any
punchline my opponent has about it. If they use the line anyways, I
look out to the crowd and act completely bewildered, as if to say
“Why is he referencing Bruce Lee when I’m wearing a brown jacket?”

The key is to dress loud before the battle, then cover up with
something plain during the battle. The same goes for hair: if you
sport a ponytail or cornrows, throw a cap on right before.

Make your opponent beat you in the moment, while you can use any
observation you have of them before the battle.

Tags: freestyle rap battle, freestyle tips, learning how to rap, rap punchlines

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 3:54 pm and is filed under Learn How to Rap Battle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.