Guilty Pleasure: Epic Rap Battles of History

Finally, a battle between Goku and Superman that Goku can actually win.

The creativity that pops up on the internet from time to time never ceases to amaze me as I "tune in" to the Epic Rap battles of History channel on Youtube.  The thought of two guys making battle rap videos on Youtube based on historical figures would have been comical to me if someone had mentioned it to me just a few short years ago. 

Snoop Lion battles a surprisingly hardcore Santa Claus as the historical Moses

Yet, both Nicepeter and EpicLloyd have done just that, and have created a bona fide internet phenomenon.  With 3 "seasons" of ERB under their belt, the duo don't seem to have any intention about slowing down any time soon.  As a matter of fact, as of this writing, their last video (the ending to season 3) was their most ambitious.  A 4 on 4 battle between the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the actual historical Artists that they are based on.  The turtle costumes actually look great and the beats created by these guys are high quality.

"Neil Degrasse Tyson" cameos in Isaac Newton vs Bill Nye

For comical videos, most of the beats created and used by these guys are incredible.  In many ways, they're far better than a lot of the garbage on the radio to the point where it's almost a shame to use them on comedy songs.  The lyrics always reference to the characters history and/or source material and they try to stay as accurate as possible while remaining comical.  The "disses" thrown in are usually great and also relate to their history.  Watch the end of "Bruce Lee vs Clint Eastwood" for an example of one painful comeback.  Perhaps, the "Astrophysics black guy" Neil Degrasse Tyson going head to head in a brainy rap battle with Sir Isaac Newton is more your style.  Seriously, listen and you'll find some gems peppered throughout each song such as Darth Vader's line to Hitler in their second battle.

Hitler vs Vader was so popular, that it needed 2 sequels.

"Ask Indiana Jones who the fuck I am, I spit shit so focus, I'll break your concentration camp" has references both pop culture and history in a single line.  Hitlers comeback "You couldn't even get your son into the family business!  Everything you do is an epic fail, now stand at attention, and Sig fucking heil" is a genius mishmash of history and popular culture.

Santa himself is quite naughty is this video.

Yes, that's Weird AL, the grandfather of funny songs.

With over 10 million subscribers and millions of views per video, I can see that it's not just a guilty pleasure for me.  These guys are doing fine on itunes selling singles with 3 of their songs even going gold.  Snoop Lion and Weird Al have not just cameoed in their videos, but they have played full on roles. Well played gentlemen.  I hope to see more celebrities join in on the fun.   As a matter of fact, keep bringing the cameo internet famous people as well. Many of them provide their own styles and flow that keep the episodes fresh.

So if you're in the mood to laugh, and listen to some pretty sick beats while maybe learning a little something about history, then give the ERB channel a visit.  Listen to it with your teens (caution, some of the material is definitely not for very young children) who are way into it, and pretend that you're doing it for them.

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