Recently battle rap has received a boost, especially in the wake of the Nick Cannon/Eminem beef. However, there is one Philadelphia rapper that doesn’t want to have the words ”battle rapper” attached to his name.
Battle rapper Meek Mill spoke with Charlamagne tha God about his feelings, “I been doing his sh*t for a long time. I am a real vet in this sh*t. Came from the Philly era of having to stand on the corner… I am not a battle rapper… when people say that it makes me mad a little bit… I was only battling people… when you seen me on corners because that’s what was going on…. People were rapping on the corners… and once we got to studios… you ain’t seen me rapping on the corners no more.”
Battle rapper Tsu Surf identified with Meek Mills need to avoid being associated with battle rap, ”It’s just a bad term, in the commercial Hip-Hop world. Its been so boxed in. Like if you a battle rapper that’s all you are good for. Nobody likes the term. Especially since it has been a painted narrative that battle rappers can’t make music.”
Another battle rapper, Math Hoffa drew a comparison about how Meek feels, ”It’s natural for him to feel like that since his success came from making music. That’s like calling Jordan a baseball player. Yeah, he did it but that’s not what he’s known for.”
