After talking to a few of the rappers, the unanimous statement regarding what makes a good rap battle is the freestyle and rebuttal skills of the rappers. The participants of the Raw Barz videos prepare scripts and practice hours before they enter the battle ground as it’s still a fairly new concept. Utsaha, 19, says, “We write down our lines and practice how to deliver them. We analyze our weak points because that’s where our opponent will hit us and figure out how to counter that. While we write down most of our lines, we also do freestyle. That skill is an arsenal.” [break]
Bijay Rai/Republica
From L to R: Nishesh Maharjan aka Litl´ Grizl, Abiral Kafle aka Menace, Utsaha Joshi aka Unik Poet, Balen Shah and Sacar Adhikari.
He has achieved a certain amount of fame thanks to the videos. He’s battled against four opponents but counts the one with Laure as the most memorable.
The opponents size each other up and hurl insults; generally the battles have a fair share of comic element in them which is probably why it’s managed to garner this much attention from a variety of people, not all of whom are rap buffs. These rap battles do not shy away from the most vigorous street slangs, racist lines and outright intense insults. For the participants, it’s part of the battle and everything’s genial after the battle’s over. Yet, the viewers don’t understand that, says Abiral Kafle aka Menace.
The Raw Barz videos have also proved to be a great platform to show their other skills. Prior to the rap battles, Balen Shah, Sacar Adhikari, Utsaha and Aasis had videos of their songs which only had a few number of views. The battles have been a great promotion for their own songs.
Nishesh Maharjan aka Litl´ Grizl agrees, “I guess it’s like a platform for us because through the videos we have started getting hits in our personal videos.”
“Hardly any one watched the songs before, and now people have even started doing covers,” laughs Utsaha. Aasis was already quite popular as Laure for his songs, but even he has jumped from 5000 to 50,000 views in his personal videos on YouTube. Furthermore, the 23-year-old from Pokhara has gigs to perform in and around Pokhara and Butwal. Humor, freestyle skills and a powerful way of delivering lines add to a great performance, he explains. The rapper, however, says that he has no immediate plans to battle again.
Each rapper has now gained popularity. Abiral says, “I receive messages from many people who tell me they liked my battles and also ask how they can join us.” Balen says, “The same people have started respecting me more.”
The current season is now over, and it will revive after a month. The rappers have plans to use less of the English language, and cut down on racist references and vulgar comments in the new battles. “Nepali language has a wider reach and since many Nepalis watch the videos, we want them to be more accessible,” everyone agrees.
The videos have managed to capture the attention of everyone, from teenagers to even older people. People recognize them on the streets. Some even come up to talk to them and want pictures taken with the rappers. Balen states, “Once a 45-year-old doctor stopped his bike and asked Laure whether he was really the one from the video. They talked about the rap battles for some time.”
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