In a recent interview with HipHopDX, Slaughterhouse emcee Joell Ortiz commented on the "Total Slaughter" event and gave some indication of what we can expect from Season 2.
DX: You mentioned the Total Slaughter event earlier. I was at the event doing some coverage and it struck me how big of a production it was for battle rap. What was that experience like for you with one of your partners battling in the headline matchup?
Joell Ortiz: It was great being there. All of us, we’re all fans of that battle scene. We like that stuff because first and foremost it’s rhymes. Forget about the stage that it’s on, it’s just like who got iller rhymes and who can deliver it. It’s all emcee when you talk about battling, so emcees are gonna salute that and try to move the culture forward. That’s what we did with Total Slaughter.
There’s so much that goes into battles that kids don’t see sometimes. There’s the behind-the-scenes, the crumpling the paper, the doing your research on your opponent. You try to find a different cadence and flow and approach, maybe an outfit. Maybe a prop. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into battles now, and they’re like theatrical plays. We just wanted more people to see it. We have ways and people around us that could put it on in a different way, so it doesn’t just have to live on YouTube or a website. We bring it to pay-per-view.
Season 2 we’re thinking about doing even bigger things. So many other people wanna be involved. Celebrity rap acts want to rap battle. Signed artists are like, “Man, I would tear this dude’s head off in your ring.” It’s amazing what’s happening. There’s so much that you’re gonna see in Season 2. But to be there, as an emcee, I can say that was the first official battle I was at. I’ve been at battles before and I’ve even been in one or two but not like that. Not produced that well. That stage is huge.
The battlers were saying too, “You look off and there’s a camera to your left, your right, above you, below you.” Television is so much more different than somebody just standing there and you know which mic to rhyme into and you know what’s going on. There’s so much more that goes into television production. You got polished battlers that were feeling like they were stepping into their first battle. It’s crazy though. Man, I feel like battling brings the kid out of everybody. I was standing there like, “Mook did it to Lux!” It just makes everybody 15 again. I can’t wait for Season 2, nor can the guys.
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