In the world of battle rap, names like Smack White and competitions like Ultimate Rap League and Queen of the Ring are just as common, household names like Jay-Z and Drake are prevalent in Hip Hop. In Latin American countries where Hip Hop music and battle rap occupy two distinct spaces, rappers like Yartzi and Adonis are known as the gods of the game and Red Bull Batalla is their Olympics.
TheSource.com had a chance to sit down with the DR and PR natives during the Batallas qualifier in Dallas to discuss their origins in battle rap, the factors that separate freestyle from battle rap, and the psychological preparation that needed to leave with a victory in Batalla.
Rapper and songwriter Yartzi, who is originally from Puerto Rico, used the platform of battle rap to assimilate into mainstream music, where he has written songs for a host of artists and even earned a platinum record along the way. “These writings never occurred to me,” says Yartzi.. “It was just something that happened and I got to that point because of battle rap.” He explains how he ended up writing songs for some of the best known reggaeton artists, saying:The second time I won the Red Bull title, there were some reggaeton artists who were following the movement and when they saw the news that a Puerto Rican won, they started DMing me and giving me their support. In one of those messages,” He continued, “I met a reggaeton artist named Randy. He is in a duo called Joel Y Randy. They are one of the biggest duos in reggaeton history worldwide. We became friends and one time we were in the studio, his singer didn’t show up and he asked me if I could do it. The first song we recorded is actually the only one that has been released to date called “23”. He topped every reggaeton chart this year. It went double platinum and it’s the first single I’ve released.”
Adonis, a Long Islander with Dominican roots who has been freestyling since coming to the US at age ten, explains that there is a difference between freestyling and battle rap, but the distinct factors are more mental and grounded. in ability. “The battle is a little different because it requires a little more psychology”says the Batalla veteran. “When you freestyle, you can rhyme about anything. When you’re fighting, like with Red Bull Batalla, you have some concepts, so you have to rhyme about it. And you have to make sure it rhymes with attitude. Maybe not attitude, but you definitely have to be confident against your opponent. It’s more of a mental sport.”
Adonis says competitions like Supremacia and Dioces De La Cities are great training grounds for youngsters and newcomers, but Batalla is like the world championships for Latin American freestyle artists. “It’s like you’re dreaming of playing basketball. You can play in college, Europe, Mexico, but once you get to the NBA, that’s it.says Adonis. “Red Bull is the NBA of freestyle. It is the Mecca of freestyle for any Latin American artist. We all know this is the biggest competition in the US, so it puts a lot on our shoulders, which makes us give more. You have to be really good and that’s because of the name that Red Bull has.” He goes on to say that battle rap has surpassed the Hip Hop music genre in Latin America, but the core of the culture is still the same. “It’s like you’re dreaming of playing basketball. You can play in college, Europe, Mexico, but once you get to the NBA, that’s it. Red Bull is the freestyle NBA. It is the Mecca of freestyle for any Latin American artist. We all know this is the biggest competition in the US, so it puts a lot on our shoulders, which makes us give more. You have to be really good and that’s because of the name that Red Bull has.”
The Batalla USA final is set for October 8 in Miami while the international finals will take place in Mexico City in December.
