Ultimate Rap League

Ultimate Rap League
Industry Battle rap
Founded October 26, 2009
Founders Troy "Smack" Mitchell, Eric Beasley
Headquarters NYC, New York, United States
Key people
  • Smack, E. Beasley, Street Star Norbes, Cheeko, Rain910, ThisisTwizz, NuNu Nellz, Derez, BELIKEIKE
Brands SMACK/ URL, PG
Divisions East Coast, Midwest, West Coast
Website urltv.tv

The Ultimate Rap League (commonly referred to as SMACK/ URL) is a Battle Rap league based out of New York City by acclaimed hip hop promoter Troy "Smack White" Mitchell out of Queens, NYC.[1]

Rappers, music executives, DJ's and athletes such as Sean Combs, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Joe Budden, Cassidy, King Los, Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Funkmaster Flex, Kid Capri, Bow Wow, Jadakiss, Lupe Fiasco, Adrien Broner, Kevin Durant, Nick Cannon, Lloyd Banks, French Montana, DC Young Fly and Mos Def have shown support towards the league.[2] Infamously, Drake was called out to battle at a Smack/ URL event in 2015.[3]

About

The league originally grew out of the popular series of street DVD's known as S.M.A.C.K. DVD[4] (an acronym for Street Music, Arts, Culture & Knowledge) that ran between 2002 and 2008.[5] The rap DVD's often feature in-depth interviews and details about many up and coming rappers lives. Many DVD's featured a rap battle at the end of the DVD which was often filmed right on the street, a cappella and without judges. These battles heavily influenced future rap battle leagues and competitions such as MTV's Monday Night Fight Klub,[6] GrindTimeNow.net and King of the Dot, setting a new standard for modern day battle rap.

Today, the URL averages up to millions of views on many of their rap battles. They strongly protect their history in the battle rap culture through their slogan "You Can't Copy Respect", advising battle fans to "follow the innovators, not the imitators". The league has helped provide a platform for many aspiring artists to grow on. Rappers such as Charlie Clips, Conceited, Hitman Holla, Tsu Surf, Hollow da Don, Aye Verb, Goodz, Calicoe and Big T were all part of the first wave of battlers for the Ultimate Rap League. Many key figures including Smack himself have been featured on BET[7] and XXL Magazine[8] due to their parts in URL's success. Their battles are also commonly debated by battle rap bloggers, promoters and featured on WorldStarHipHop.com.

References

  1. ↑ "Ultimate Rap League | THE WORLD'S MOST RESPECTED MC BATTLE ARENA". urltv.tv. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  2. ↑ "URL | Summer Madness 2 | Results". BattleFix. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  3. ↑ "DRAKE CHALLENGED TO BATTLE RAP AT SMACK/ URL MC BATTLE EVENT". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  4. ↑ "Troy "Smack" Mitchell: Lights, Camera, Action - AllHipHop.com". themaven.net. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  5. ↑ "SMACK Talk: The Secret Success Of The Rap Battle Industry". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  6. ↑ "First Rule Of Fight Klub: Do Talk About Remy Martin". MTV. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  7. ↑ "Your Guide To BET's "Ultimate Freestyle Friday" Season 3". Battle Rap. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  8. ↑ "Battle Rap Brings the Craft Back to the Basics". XXL. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
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