Aspiring rappers battle it out at Rap Battle auditions

ARMED with mics in hand and lyrics as diverse as the country itself, aspiring rappers from across Namibia battled it out at the auditions for the first ever Rap Battle. The young hopefuls who unfortunately only consisted of men mostly showed promise to become some of the country’s best rappers.

The auditions, which took place at the Cellar of Rock at the Warehouse Theatre, happened on Saturday afternoon. Those who auditioned either did a freestyle, a song of their own or battled with another rapper. The auditions were lively and featured some interesting talent with the main organiser of the event saying that as a judge, he was impressed with the talent. “There was definitely talent. The guys are hungry and there’s a lot of talent in terms of lyrical content,” Popyeni Kaxuxwena of PK Administrations said. For him, the auditions were a testament to what young, aspiring rappers have to bring to the industry. “As much as there were some hiccups and some chance-takers, there were a lot who you can see are trying to take the art to the next level.”

Participants were judged on their lyrical skills, flow, bars, delivery as well as their ability to connect with the crowd and project their voice properly. One of the judges made continuous emphasis on the importance of being a rapper who can make reference to their own surroundings and tell the stories of their communities instead of falling into the trap of copying the work of international rappers.

Judging the aspiring rappers was a panel consisting of individuals who have an extensive background in the Namibian hip-hop industry. DJ Kay Cee is also the owner of one of the country’s longest running underground rap battles, the Namibian Rap League, Harry Msimuko, a Spoken Word poet and emcee who has been organising rap cyphers around Windhoek, and Tashiya Kadhila who has worked in radio for many years.

The next Rap Battle takes place on 22 April again at the Warehouse Theatre, and will feature four categories including the battle and freestyle. Fourteen participants will battle it out at this main event and stand a chance to walk away with a rap king trophy as well as N$5 000.

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