Hip-hop, as a musical genre, is one born of both remixing
existing material and proclaiming one’s superiority. “I am awesome, more so
than you” is one of the most commonly rapped-about topics, and in the right
hands, it can make for some powerful work. This takes on an even greater
context in the realm of battle rap, where wordplay and rhymes become weapons in
a war of wits, particularly in tournaments and battle leagues specifically
designed for it.
It’s a topic that’s made its way into the realms of cinema
before, like that all-time suburban white boy classic 8 Mile, and this film
comes from the same gene pool with Eminem producing it. Of course, considering
Em’s fall from grace as a result of working on 8 Mile, that news should already
be sending some warning flares, but thankfully, this film turns out good. Like,
really fucking good.
