When Brainstorm head Kazuo Oki first came up with the idea of an organized emcee battle in Seattle in 2000, it seemed like a foreign concept. "I first thought about the battle because there were never really any organized emcee battles around that time," he says. "We had success with Scratch Tactics--a DJ battle at the Paradox--and so we booked a date there to make it happen. Then some punk called me and wanted to bring Atmosphere to Seattle that day, so we decided to do the show together and have Atmosphere be the headlining act." The results were tremendous. Not only did the combination of the battle and Atmosphere make the show a sellout, but the lines to get in extended around the block. It was a rare success for an underground hiphop show at the time. "I was just thinking about making it a local thing, but the people in the show thought we could make it bigger," Oki adds.
The following year the organizers took the event up a level, increasing the cash prize from $500 to $2500 and the number of entrants from 38 to 64. They structured the competition like an NCAA basketball tournament, creating a bracket system for emcees across the country to compete in, with the chance to be viewed on an internationally distributed DVD--a product that's helped increase the visibility of Brainstorm tenfold.
Mainstream outlets like Showtime and MTV have tried to duplicate the successful portrayals of Eminem vehicle 8 Mile's emcee battles with their own programs on the topic, pushing the competitions further into the public consciousness. The expanded attention only helps the thriving underground circuit, as it shows that it takes serious skills to transcend prewritten punch lines (which can be saved for street games) and present witty, off-the-cuff improvisational rhyming.
At past Brainstorms, some of the most entertaining lines have come at the expense of the competitors. Last year, one emcee was shot down both for his failed patriotic fashion statement and for slipping up on a previously memorized verse. Personal attacks have gotten controversial, though--another round included ethnic slurs made in the heat of the moment between the eventual winner, Presence, a Caucasian (who will come back to defend his title), and L-Dubble, a Chinese American emcee.
While racial jabs have been all too common in East Coast battles, they haven't been an issue in Seattle events until recently. Presence's comments fueled an interesting debate within the hiphop community. Binary Star's One Man Army, this year's host and headlining act at the contestant showcase on Sunday, says that those types of discussions will only increase Brainstorm's exposure, and force people to think instead of ignoring the issues of racism. "With some of the racial tension that went on last year, I think more [racial consciousness] will be an addition [to Brainstorm]," notes One Man Army. "Not saying it's going to be a black thing," he adds of the event's diversity, "but this ain't a backpacker reunion like some festivals." Indeed, Brainstorm pulls in an even balance of white, black, Latino, and Asian participants, proving the hiphop culture's universal attraction.
The real question for this weekend, though, is this: Will somebody from Seattle have the skills to take the cash, or will our hometown hopefuls allow the prize to leave its source city?
REQUIRED LISTENING
1. The Eastsidaz, "Parking Lot Pimpin" (Doggystyle)
2. G-Unit feat. Jake One, "Betta Ask Somebody" (Shady/Aftermath)
3. Madvillain, "America's Most Blunted" (Stones Throw)
4. Daily Plannet feat. J. Rawls, "Paragon" (All Natural)
5. Dilated Peoples feat. Devin the Dude, "Poisonous" (Capitol)
6. E-Dot feat. Breez Evahflowin & Ill Bill, "My All" (Uncle Howie)
7. Micranots, "Glorious" (Rhymesayers)
8. Jay-Z, "December 4th" (Roc-a-Fella)
9. Saigon, "Letter to Omnipotent" (Raptivism)
