Organik — co-founder, owner and host of King of the Dot — stepped into CBC Radio’s “Q” Studio in Toronto, Canada on Jan. 28 for an informative interview on the transformation of KOTD and the evolution of battle rap culture.
As Canadian rapper/temporary radio host Shad described it, battle rap has gone from being a stepping stone to fame for emcees into becoming a platform and culture in itself. Where underground emcees once saw battle rap as a right of passage into the mainstream industry, there has been a shift as mainstream artists take an interest in attempt to participate in the battle rap world.
Organik talks about how he began as a battler himself, rapping over Wu-Tang’s “Enter the Wu Tang: 36 Chambers” tape, entering competitions and networking as a solo entity before the social media era. His connections and involvement in the scene inspired him to create something that made it exciting to be a battle rapper, where everyone can be involved.
KOTD started in an alley in downtown Toronto, explains Organik, continuing that he felt like battle rap had potential in becoming what it is today but wasn’t sure whether or not, at the time, it would meet its potential.
“Battle rap before ... it was always popular but once you added the visual aspect to it, I mean, people gravitate towards characters, you were able to kind of visualize a character and, you know, add so much more to the competitive nature that battle rap really brings,” said Organik.
Organik also talks about when KOTD first caught U.S. attention in 2009, when some Canadian emcees travelled to Oakland to battle. Here's the footage of Organik vs. Dizaster:
“It was huge in the fact that Canada and America had never collaborated like that or anything, so that event was actually promoted as Canada vs. U.S.A.” said Organik.
Now, as modern battle rap has become, in a sense, its own world and mainstream artists consider taking on this rising culture, Organik says it is risky.
“These people are out here to cut throats, that’s what battle rappers do and if you’re not in that aggressive mentality it’s probably not a smart thing to do as an artist,” said Organik, adding that mainstream artists can still learn a lot from stepping in the ring. “It’s sharpening up your pen game tenfold. You can’t get away with filler lines or anything like that. You can’t bridge a gap with just like, you know, a weak line or nothing like that.
When discussing the vulgarity that often goes with battle rap and whether or not this may negatively affect the appeal and future growth of the culture, Organik points out that in due time people will understand the game.
After the interview, the “Q” Studio hosted its first ever battle, between Canadian emcees Charron and Tycoon Tax. Check it out here.
Check out BattleRap.com's picks for the Top KOTD Battles Of 2014 too.
Cover photo via @CBCRadioQ.
Where do you think battle rap will be in five years? Let us know in the comment section below.
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