Rising Stars: Epic Rap Battles of History

In this series, I like to tell you about an artist or group that has caught my attention. They’re not mainstream, but they have the potential to become pretty well-known given their extraordinary level of talent. I blogged about Karmin before they hit it big, and now they’re signed with L.A. Reid and have had smash hits on the radio.

I don’t have a particularly good ear for music that is well crafted or inventive. I just know what I like. I can’t promise that any of these artists will ever make it off YouTube, but I can say that I think they should. This is just my way of spreading the word about how amazing they are.

You guys seemed pretty impressed when I posted about George Watsky, the famed “Pale Kid Raps Fast” artist. Well, I’ve got another one for you. This is a web series called Epic Rap Battles of History. They take two fictional or historical figures and pit them against each other in a rap battle. Viewers get to decide who wins and who will be featured in the next one.

The guys who put this together (their internet personas are Nice Peter and EpicLLOYD) have a slew of talented people they can call on to dress up as these famous figures. They often play the parts themselves, but when a different person is better suited, they hand the reins over with no problems. (It just so happens that George Watsky has appeared in their videos twice, as well!)

It sounds silly and farfetched (and it IS), but these are well constructed raps that are intelligently written. They take facts and phrases from these people’s lives, give the characters larger than life personalities, and pit them against each other. Not to mention all the videos are hilarious.

(It’s come to my attention that I have, uh, a very specific sense of humor. These videos are completely ridiculous and a little rude, to put it lightly. The actors swear and make fun of the people they’re playing, just FYI.)

One of the best examples to see how they incorporate language and facts about these people into a rap can be seen in this video Shakespeare versus Dr. Seuss.

 
Crazy, right!? Some of them are a little more farfetched than others (Genghis Khan versus the Easter Bunny, anyone?), but they’re all so well written that you can’t help but just sit at your computer and laugh.

Another favorite one of mine is Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney, which is hilarious no matter which candidate you supported.

 
The thing I really enjoy about ERB is that they had a random idea and went with it. They didn’t let fear or money hold them back. In fact, their first rap battle was funded on just $50. They have more money now, but the principles are still the same. They do it because they love it, and that shows.

It’s a strange comparison, I know, but I draw inspiration from these guys. Their talent and passion is obvious and that has translated into their success. (And I mean SUCCESS – most of their videos have 30+ million views.) I can only hope that one day my passion will do the same for me.

You can check out season 1 and season 2, as well as behind-the-scenes for season 1 and season 2.

Website

Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

So, tell me honestly – what do you guys think? Am I just really weird, or do you find these as funny as I do?

Rising Stars: George Watsky

I’ve sort of let this particular series fall by the wayside, but it’s time I brought another great person to your attention! Now, before we really get into it, I just have to warn you that this probably won’t be for everyone. Give him a chance, though, and let me know what you think of him!

George Watsky is a brilliant, brilliant guy. There’s two distinct sides of him: the spoken word poet and the rapper/musician. I like them both just about equally, but I can understand how some people lean to one side or the other.

George is a 20-something recent Emerson graduate from San Francisco, California. He’s a 2006 Brave New Voices National Poetry Slam champion and has released several albums, some of them even for free! He’s peaked at #7 on the iTunes hip-hop charts and has even been on the Ellen Show…twice!

Here’s a nice little timeline of how I got to know him.

(Language warning! Nothing too horribly bad, but you’re going to want to send the kids out!)

First, I found him via this interesting little video, (apparently, formerly) titled “Pale Kid Raps Fast”:

Then I watched some of his spoken word videos. Here are two of my favorites:

V is for Virgin

S is for Lisp

He’s also got a few music videos out. This one is probably my favorite:

“Man of Constant Sorrow” featuring Dylan Saunders (which makes my Starkid-heart skip a beat!)

So, why do I like Mr. Watsky so much? For one, he’s incredibly intelligent. His word play is fantastic, and he has a real talent for make you think while you listen to his poems/songs. I also always have a soft spot for someone who has self-deprecating humor such as he does. He’s a real person and has no problem admitting to his obvious dorkiness. He’s great at interacting with fans, and he’s not in it for the money. You can’t help but like someone who wants to create art simply for the sake of creating.

Here are the various places where you can find him:

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Website

If you’re weird and a nerd like I am, here is the Rap Genius link to all of his songs. You can look up his lyrics and learn the meanings.

What do you guys think of him? Which side do you like better, the poet or the rapper? Which videos are your favorites?

Featured Video: “Look at Me Now” and Pancakes

I’m sure if you know what YouTube is, you know of its destructive power toward that little thing we like to call productivity. I can’t tell you how many times in college I’ve tried to sit down and write a paper, only to find myself on YouTube for hours looking at cute kittens or funny videos of people acting stupid. And since I’ve left college? Not much has changed. I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.

I’m also here to tell you that there is no sense in resisting. YouTube is too strong, and we are only weak mortals.

Anyway, this is a new series I’m calling “Featured Video” where I’ll be posting an interesting or funny video that I happened to come across while procrastinating. It differs from the “Rising Stars” series in that I won’t be talking about an artist and why I think they’re amazing, but just posting a single video, a quick blurb, and awaiting your take on it.

Now, most of the people reading my blog – whether you follow or just happened to stumble across it – can probably get a pretty good sense of the type of person I am. I like to read and write. I love movies. I love being a geek. But you might not know this:

I love rap.

I don’t know why. It seems to go against everything that I appear to be: small town, simple, quiet, moral, meek, and nerdy. I don’t like violence. I don’t like swearing. I’m pretty straight-laced, as far as most people go. But rap is my favorite kind of music.

Now, before you judge me, just hold on to your exclamations of surprise and your opinions about hip hop. I’ve got some pretty good defenses, but you have to give me time to get my thoughts in order before I can share them. In the mean time, check out the video below. It is set to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now” and the guy (MacLethal) cooks breakfast while he spits his own rap to the beat. It’s hilarious. (CAUTION: Yes, he swears. He says some things that aren’t really all that funny, but the guy is obviously talented at rapping AND making pancakes. I know people who can’t do one or the other, let alone both at the same time.)

(If you want to check out the lyrics, go to the video on YouTube. He’s got them in the description.)

Rising Stars: Karmin

You know how sometimes you hear a song and it just speaks to your soul? How you catch a band performing and you’re riveted to your seat? You find that their voices are beautiful, or powerful, or inspiring. The beats make you want to get up and dance or sing along to the slow melody. And the lyrics feel like they’ve been written for you?

That’s how Karmin is for me. They’re a new band – YouTube stars, actually – and I really, really want to do this article justice because I believe in them so much.

To start off, let me just quickly talk about their rise to fame (or almost fame, as I think a lot of people still don’t know who they are). Amy and Nick hail from small towns in Nebraska and Maine and met at Berklee College of Music in Boston. They both had been in bands before, but nothing was working out. They had already been dating for a little while before they figured they would just form their own group – thus Karmin was born. “Karmin” is a combination of “carmen” (Latin for “song”) and karma. Nick lends his classic rock/jazz style and appears to know how to play just about every kind of instrument  from the keyboard, to the trombone, to the cajon (that’s a wooden box). He’s got a pretty good voice too, and brings wonderful harmonies into the mix. Amy is the power singer. She can play guitar, but she’s got some pipes and she puts them to good use. Did I mention she’s also an amazing rapper?

If you think you’ve heard of Karmin before, chances are that it was this song:

They started off doing covers on YouTube as well as original songs. Musically, their style is simple, catchy, and amusing. They change the songs they cover to make them their own, and keep it PG for all ages. They’ve got just the right mix of sincerity, humor, and talent. Nick seems to be an easy going guy and you can tell he’s really into the music – I get dizzy just watching him bob his head up and down as he plays. Amy has got this great ‘40s look down – suicide roll (Karmin style) and bright red lipstick to boot. She’s got a great and distinctive style – though that doesn’t hold them back: not only can they rap, but they can do country songs and pop songs equally as well.

Check out this great Adele cover:

These guys are the real deal. They’re down to earth and genuine, and you can tell they care about staying who they are and true to their fans. They are engaged and the chemistry between them is off the charts. They’ve got raw talent and great song writing capabilities. And they just signed to Epic Records with L.A. Reid. These guys are ones to watch, I promise.

Please do me a favor and check out a few of their other covers (I love “6 foot 7 foot” and “Written in the Stars”). They’ve covered a huge range of really popular songs, so I’m sure you can find something you’re interested in. While you’re at it, listen to some of their original songs, too.

Here’s their first single “Crash Your Party” which debuted a couple of weeks ago.  Their album will drop early next year.

(As I was writing this, I found out they are now VEVO Lift artists. AND the retweeted me!)

Some other info:

Their Youtube Channels:  KarminCovers and KarminTube

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Itunes

**Please leave me a comment below! I’d really like to know if you’ve heard of Karmin before, or if this is your first time being exposed to them. Which are your favorite covers? Which are your favorite original songs?**