Music

'He dominated me!' The livestreaming beat battles shutting down lockdown


‘You’re bringing violins and saxophones to the war, blud!” says Skepta from behind his laptop, taunting producer Jae5 in an Instagram beat battle last week. Promoted like a heavyweight championship fight, these lockdown boredom-beaters have a simple premise: two rappers or producers go head-to-head on Instagram live, taking turns to play their biggest tracks. Fans in the comment section decide the winner. Skepta, with a wealth of clash experience as an MC, was able to see off J Hus’s go-to producer with ease; rappers including Brit-winner Dave, Chip, and Novelist joined fans in debating the clash in the comments, firing up flame emojis with each new song.

Battles like these are keeping rap and grime fans across the world entertained during the coronavirus pandemic, and show the genres’ agility in the face of adversity. US hip-hop superproducers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland kicked off the movement in March, and paved the way for a series of face-offs under their Verzuz banner. Boi-1da overpowered Hit-Boy with Drake hits, while 2000s mainstays Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch went back and forth until Storch pulled for his biggest hit, the Dr Dre classic Still DRE, and took the win. On Saturday night, Lil Jon sipped from a bejewelled chalice and blasted Turn Down for What while his opponent, Auto-Tune fanatic T-Pain, showed off his gold discs to the sound of collaborations with Kanye West and Flo Rida. Usher and Chance the Rapper were among the 280,000 people watching live.

Since the lockdown came into force, everyone from Coldplay’s Chris Martin to metalcore band Code Orange has been livestreaming performances to keep fans’ morale up. Beat battles, however, with their unpredictable nature and interactive audiences, feel closer to the spontaneous nature of a great gig. DDot Omen, rap producer and manager, holds the unenviable task of scoring the Verzuz battles. Brought on board by friend Swizz Beatz, he says the key to winning a battle is “having the better songs” – but you need more besides. “It’s about the heat of the moment. Some people can reference sales figures but how has that song aged? Real-time reaction matters and you’re having to counter someone else’s music, too.”

Speaking from New Orleans, Mannie Fresh is still smarting from his recent loss – “This is not a jab at Scott but he played a lot of R&B songs. I was told it was a hip-hop battle” – but concedes that there are no rules in a face-off. “Nothing’s off-limits,” the producer best known for his work with Lil Wayne says. “It’s a battle! You just have to be entertaining.” He’s also keen to point out the history behind the trend. “Hip-hop is based on this. If you go way back, to Kool Moe D and Busy Bee, people have always gone up against an opponent in this way. Things get said but we know it’s all done in love and friendly competition.”

Unlike the glossy stateside events, Skepta’s battles with Jae5 and another recent one with grime pioneer Jammer have felt more organic and in keeping with the spontaneous nature of the genre’s founding pirate-radio clashes. Jae5, speaking from his home studio the morning after his Skepta clash, admits he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. “It was my first ever clash and I learned a lot. He dominated me. Skepta has had hits before I even knew how to load up FruityLoops,” he laughs. Regrets over his song choices aside, he feels that this moment will last beyond the lockdown period. “Obviously this is the only way we can do this right now but I think it might stay. I could see Wiley and Skepta clashing like the old days and doing it on Instagram. You don’t have to leave your house to touch big numbers.”

He’s right: the beat battle train shows no sign of slowing down. Next up in the Verzuz series will be a contest between songwriters Babyface and Teddy Riley – catnip for 90s R&B fans.

How this will all play out long-term is less clear. The beat battles capitalise on the fact that everyone – musicians and fans alike – is stuck indoors and bored stupid. Will the same be true when touring, club appearances and being able to see friends resume? DDot Omen is bullish, revealing talks are already ongoing with brands about monetising the Verzuz battles. Moderation, however, is key. “You don’t want to oversaturate it and make it corny,” he says. “Otherwise, next thing you know, other people who are less appreciative of history will jump on it and it’ll get diluted.”





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