Bull Fight: Red Bull’s EmSee Philadelphia Rap Battle

Photo by Kareem Black, courtesy of Red Bull

“You know how much weed they smoke. You expect them to notice some pictures?” Rap veteran Schoolly D posed that question in the decisive moment after the battle between rappers OHM and Jawnzap 7–and sparked raucous laughter from the Gladiator-esque gallery in the Troc’s upper deck and fan pool below.  Philadelphia’s Trocadero was the scene for the melee that was Thursday night’s Red Bull EmSee, an interactive rap battle meant to fish out the best of the best coming up in Philly’s rap-pond. Jawnzap 7, who rocked the No. 7 Eagles jersey, managed to make his own Vick-like scramble out of that round. Judges Schoolly D, Redman, and Joell Ortiz made the call in his favor and matched those tense moments seven more time throughout the night as others made a play for the crown.

The event was hosted by Bun B of UGK fame and was held down by 100.3 The Beat’s DJ Greg Nitty. The roll call went like this: Mic Stew, Uno Lavoz, OHM, Jawnzap 7, Voss, Finesse, DNA, and Zm, all of whom were angling to get a golden ticket to the EmSee finals in Atlanta where judge Eminem and a host of others await the winner. In addition to the beats Nitty proffered, the good folks from Red Bull updated the rap battle for the digital age with a format that integrated TV screens, streaming the aforementioned pictures and lists of words the emcees had to use in their rhymes. The competitors were judged on technical prowess, originality, wordplay, and creative use of the words and images at their disposal.

Although there were a few witty quips out there for the quoting, it was Mr. Reggie Noble who came with the funniest line of the night, in reference to rapper DNA: “You used all the words and they were real clear. And clever too, you clever fuck.” Who knew Redman was an oracle (along with all of the competitors, who–if you believed their raps–were apparently clairvoyant enough to repeatedly predict each other’s sexual orientation as well as the habits and behavior of each other’s female relations)? His blessing ended up being a significant one as DNA and Mic Stew faced off in the finals. Mic Stew rallied to win with a verse that utilized DNA’s initials, declaring in a thrice-used phrase that riffed on the fact that his man had never “done nothing amazing.” Next stop for Mic Stew is the A, where he has got to show and prove that he can do something amazing.