This makes me wonder if it’s possible that modern battle rap is a direct descendant of medieval flyting, or if this a case of convergent cultural “evolution” where two very similar practices arose without any apparent connection.
Rap battles apparently can be traced to the Black American tradition of Dozens, a duel of insults that ends when the losing party is knocked sufficiently off balance to not be able to come up with a riposte. Though trying to psych people out with words is a recurring phenomenon: blues singers, for example, would compete to improvise the most outrageously filthy lyrics while performing live. (The original, unreleased version of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” came from this tradition.)
This makes me wonder if it’s possible that modern battle rap is a direct descendant of medieval flyting, or if this a case of convergent cultural “evolution” where two very similar practices arose without any apparent connection.
Rap battles apparently can be traced to the Black American tradition of Dozens, a duel of insults that ends when the losing party is knocked sufficiently off balance to not be able to come up with a riposte. Though trying to psych people out with words is a recurring phenomenon: blues singers, for example, would compete to improvise the most outrageously filthy lyrics while performing live. (The original, unreleased version of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” came from this tradition.)