NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF BATTLE RAP, SOUTHPAW IS MAKING A REAL RUN IN RICHMOND

The subculture of battle rap may be one of the last true undergrounds within hip-hop. A few years ago, battle rap really tried to make a push for mainstream success with a reality tv show on FUSE, that had the support of Eminem, a live BET hip-hop cypher – that stole the show thanks to Murda Mook, and a PPV battle event hosted by SWAY and featuring Joe Budden (before his podcast success). But yet, battle rap has failed to grow a casual audience and seems to be destined for financial success only through their hardcore fans that follow leagues like URL.

In Richmond, the Southpaw Battle Coalition has made waves in a short amount of time due to their signature events – which have featured some of the best battle rappers to ever perform in the Cap City. In just a few years, Southpaw owners Radio B and Bravo (both battle rappers themselves, that often are featured on Southpaw battle cards) have featured national battlers like JC, Danja Zone, and Nu Jerzey Twork to battle under the Southpaw umbrella. Along with featuring established top homegrown battlers like MadFace, Moon, and J Morr.  Southpaw has also cultivated new battle rappers like Henny L.O., Cane, Habeeb, Chillum Allah, Chance Fischer, and Breeze the Poet. Not to mention, the mythical-style return to battle rap by Nickelus F, an established legend.  Any way you break it down, any way you try to criticize their methods of acquiring talent, Southpaw has made an instant impact on Richmond’s battle rap culture and overall, they have lifted the battle rap culture in the city.

The other side of the (battle rap) coin is that there are challenges that seem to dogged all of battle rap and Southpaw has not been spared. In battle rap, rappers no-show events and hyped battles don’t always get done. It happens and it’s a black eye on the event and a pain for the league owners. At Southpaw’s recent major event, two major battles didn’t take place. The next day, speaking to a few casual fans that only came to see the main event felt the event was marred. (sidenote: to Southpaw’s credit, they’ve already announced a make-up battle and all pre-sale tickets will be honored for free.) Another challenge that faces battle rap is elevated ticket prices (Southpaw’s last event was priced at $40), maybe $40 is a competitive price for top-level battle events, but the price is not encouraging for casual fans that want to see battle rap for the first time. And if you think a baseball game is long – battle rap events are long. Multi-battle cards take several hours and the length wears on even the most enthusiastic crowds. I believe the length of the event is what leads to lapses in the crowd’s attention, which leads to side conversations and overall problems with the vibe of the event. And while, in Richmond, we’ve been spared from any real violence (I can only recall one small dust-up following a Nick F battle), battle rap overall has a stigma of violence between battle rap crews that take the battle bars too personal, this is no different than bad blood in any combat sport, but it does happen.

Below are a few photos from Southpaw’s recent Legends Never Die battle at Strange Matter. Overall, I believe Southpaw should be commended for their rapid rise in lifting the culture. They are not the only battle rap game in town, but to me, they are in the best position to elevate the battle community in Richmond beyond Richmond. And for that, I say: #WESEEIT

Nickelus F & Michael Millions

Southpaw league owner battles Lu Castro

Southpaw battle owner Radio B battles Rolla

TrillNik battles ZigZag

Habeeb battles Xcel

DJ Melodic

First Ladi Flamez