Rap Battles in The Studio
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Introduction
Every Saturday, at 9 PM EST, The Studio hosts rap battles. Now, you might be asking how we host rap battles in a chatroom. As crazy as it sounds, it works out just fine. Let's go through the process.
Step One - Sign-ups and Preparation
The sign-ups begin the day after the rap battles (typically Sunday, but depends on your time zone). You can PM any staff member in The Studio, and we'll get you signed up. A sign-up process would look something like this:
User: "Hey, can I get signed up for this week's rap battle?"
Studio Staff: "Hey, sure, I'll get you signed right up!"
We like to promote creativity, so only original raps are allowed. You'll get all the time you need to prepare for the rap battles (we typically have four or five rounds per Saturday, so having one rap for each round is recommended) up until ten minutes before starting, when we require all our participants to meet up in Studio for a roll call. During roll call, we basically go through the list of participants and highlighting each person who signed up in the chat, to see who showed up on time. People who are not present for roll call will not allowed to participate and will receive a warning (more on warnings below). After roll call, we set up the participants in a tournament bracket and have our rappers advance through the rounds.
Using any rap you haven't written yourself or haven't been involved in the creation of is against the rules and will result in your disqualification and you will receive a warning. An example of an unoriginal rap is:
"With everything happening today
You don't know whether you're coming or going
But you think that you're on your way
Life lined up on the mirror don't blow it
Lil Wayne - Mirror"
Even if you post the song title and artist, it still wouldn't be YOUR rap; as such, you are not allowed to use unoriginal raps.
Step Two - Presentation
You can go three ways with this. You can copy and paste your rap from wherever you have it saved (Notepad, Pastebin, Word, etc.). You can also freestyle in chat, or you can upload your rap to SoundCloud or YouTube and post the link to it in chat when it's your turn. Keep in mind, however, that there is a time limit of three minutes regardless of how you present your rap.
Something you can do when uploading to SoundCloud is to make a beat, or have some sound effects. This will not only give more depth to your rap, but it might also draw in more votes. Here is a good example, made by one of our own auth members, jordanguitarman.
Here is an example from one of our winners, Airwolf, showing what we look for in a rap:
Minds get blown
Every time I rap into the microphone
Apocalypse Now, I'm gonna end you with this Perish Song
Ghostly Ghoulish Froslass so icy Strong
I'm more Broken than Dark Void Darkrai without Sleep Clause
I'm here Honing my Claws to strike, Fatty Ass Santy Clause
My rap flow is ill, sicker than a Muk with Pokerus
It'd be a fun bout, if you could actually fucking cuss
I'm holding a Rawst Berry for all your burns
My rap has you confused and paralysed, you can't make U Turns
You better knock off, I'm a flying Pikachu
Gonna thunder on your parade, You've got a real issue
But hey aleuser didn't I give you my last win? I am too Sympathetic
It won't change a thing, Your name on the intro is a sham, quite Pathetic
You've been rapping for centuries, so much blood sweat and tears
I'm a talented Ace with a lyrical masterpiece, thanks for the win, Cheers
Airwolf used this rap in the finals against aleuser. It is a prime example of a rap that does not excessively curse and creatively uses Pokémon references to tease his opponent.
Step Three - Voting
After every one-on-one rap in the round has finished, our users vote on which rap they liked the most. This is how we decide who moves up the bracket and ultimately who the winner is. For each rap battle, we make a Strawpoll that looks something like this. We will then post it in chat so that everyone spectating can vote on their favorite raps. After a few minutes, we decide the winner from the poll that corresponds to the current rap battle.
Some Additional Information:
We have a warning system, which dictates that if a user breaks a rule (plagiarizes a rap, doesn't meet up for roll call, or breaks any rule on our rule page) they will first receive a warning. On the second offense, they will be instantly disqualified (if applicable); on the third offense, they will not be permitted to enter the upcoming rap battle, and on the fourth offense, they will be permanently banned from entering rap battles. It should also be noted that if a staff member finds that your rap crosses the line, even marginally, they might choose to end your rap without a prior warning and disqualify you.
Also, we run a leaderboard, on which users gain points for each rap battle won. At the end of each month, the user with the most amount of points gets recommended for Room Voice, as it reflects both their knowledge of music and respect for rules.
Feel free to read more about the rules on our website. Don’t hesitate to PM our staff if you have any queries.
See you in The Studio!
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