Rapper Laughs: An Introduction to Crapbattles

Wordsmithery takes a great many forms: whether printed in stuffy old tomes with pages like gossamer, or as living blizzards of syllables, spat in murky rooms. There are a great many people who have little respect for the rap scene, seeing it as one seething pit of misogynist tendencies, aiming only to exacerbate society's existing ills and foibles. But, for all that it thrives on cutthroat insults delivered in meter, the skilful wordplay of these underground orators can startle and astound just as much as Dickens ever did. 

It's worth bringing up Dickens particularly, because his talent for revealing the truth of the socio-economic landscape of his time – that of a deeply unfair society not wholly dissimilar to our own – can often also be seen in rap. And it's possibly more than mere coincidence that the battling scene has found favour again during a recession: whenever people have less food and more about which to gripe, an unfettered and growling verbal protest can provide a fine distraction.

Battles afford the chance for people to gather and watch those with eloquent tongues bemoan their fate, berate their opponent, and glorify themselves. At its best, the rap battle can tap into the natural urge to watch a fight, sating an inbuilt hunger to see who comes out on top. This is the real trick of rap battles – to stoke that primal want, provoking the sheerest of thrills through words alone. The tribal wins and losses are hard felt, and sometimes mere reality can become ethereal. 

Though relegated underground over the last few decades, a resurgence of the form in recent years has seen large crowds flock to darkened rooms to witness these duels of vocabulary once more. Battling is seen as a gateway to becoming established as a rapper, and certainly since the battle league Don't Flop was created, there is much more of a scene in the UK than ever before – something one of the league's founder members, Oshea, keenly backs up: "Before Don't Flop there was a battle scene but there was never really the opportunity to showcase yourself on a regular basis," he says. "I'd still say it's underground but compared to before Don't Flop, the scene was a lot different."

The battle leagues, for all their serious bluster, have a lot in common with an ostensibly less serious scene, itself brimming with those who are gifted with words. The life of someone attempting to establish themselves in the rap world bears startling similarities to that of a burgeoning standup. Their more humorous brethren may climb onto slightly smaller stages, in (hopefully) quieter rooms: but the game is pretty much the same. Both require confidence and verbal dexterity, and both can run the gamut in subject matter, approach and delivery. Both will be required to practise their art for little to no pay at every open spot they can travel to, until their name carries incrementally more weight.

"It's interesting to see even the most seasoned performers get very nervous before a battle" – Neil Bratchpiece

That rappers may wish for cheers while comedians shoot for laughs is inconsequential, since by happy coincidence the pursuit is the same: shape your words, and provoke the required reaction. That there is true communion here is clearly what inspired Neil Bratchpiece, aka The Wee Man, to start pitting rappers against standups in battles held as part of the Glasgow Comedy Festival a few years back: "Having been to rap battle events and watched a lot online I wondered how comedians would fare doing it," he says. When Ro Campbell, one of the comics who performed at these early events, suggested running some comedian-only battles during the Edinburgh Fringe featuring the wealth of potential pairings to be found there, a new crossover genre was born.

Comedian Rap Battles (which also run regularly at The Stand venues) are a thing of wonder: all sweat and testosterone, as screams, gasps and uproarious laughter fill the space. The air crackles with electricity, and it feels quite unlike any normal comedy gig, to audiences and performers alike. As Bratchpiece says, "It's interesting to see even the most seasoned performers get very nervous before a battle" – and it's surely a testament to how singular an experience it is that Justin Moorhouse wasn't put off. "I spent more time, and worried about it more than my whole Edinburgh show," Moorhouse says. "Afterwards I got upset that I'd hurt my mate's feelings... I would do it again, though."

There's also a regular rap battles event between comedians based in Liverpool – called Crapbattles – which is run by Hot Water Comedy. The first event was held in September, but they'd been in the planning for a couple of years. The thinking behind it, says promoter Paul Blair, was simple: "I've always followed online battles and enjoyed the 'funny' ones much more than the 'serious' ones, so thought that mixing that with comedians and a regular comedy audience would be perfect."  

Crapbattles is co-hosted by Oshea, who says "my whole style of rapping has been a comedic approach, so for me personally it was the perfect thing to get involved in." He was very impressed by the level of wordplay on display, particularly in the duel between Monty Burns and Rob Mulholland: “That battle could have easily taken place at a 'proper rap battle' event." High praise indeed for what could easily be seen as two best mates digging through the insult box for the most sickening treasure they could find.

Comedians are typically already masters of an artful insult – and it's become a tradition in comedy rap battles to go for the lowest of blows. With nothing considered off-limits, quite often the horrified gasps of the assembled throng can be more deafening than the laughter. Some of the topics merrily traversed during the Burns/Mulholland battle were astonishing: with a newborn baby, recent family bereavements, and a relative's degenerative illness being mocked and pulled apart with glee. 

If you're one for morose delectation, such verbal bitch-slaps are a thing to behold – and to take part in. The opportunity has had a remarkable effect on Rob Mulholland: "It’s a great chance to be as horrible as is humanly possible about someone, right to their face. It’s very therapeutic." So much so, he actually has plans to join a 'serious' battle league in the new year, having found he has an unexpected talent for it: "I love hip-hop, but I never thought I could be a rapper – I’m living the dream."

It's perhaps unsurprising that Burns and Mulholland's rematch at the next Crapbattles event in January is already highly anticipated. What is something of a surprise, is that one of the biggest names in Don't Flop, Micky Worthless, will be battling Oshea's fellow host, local comedian Tony Carroll. With comedians adding a rap string to their bow, and rappers stepping in to battle comedians, the two scenes are jollying up together rather nicely. 

So with lines blurring yet further, and news of other comedian battles popping up across the land, this odd little dance between two distinct art forms may not sit undiscovered for too long. Nor should it – the two echo and complement each other wonderfully.