Epic Rap Battles make history memorable

“I have no pride for you who ruined everything my revolution was doing to stop the Bourgeoisie. I fought the bondage of classes, the proletariat masses.”

At first, a listener may think that these lyrics belong to some random popular video popped onto their YouTube feed. In reality, these words were spoken by an actor playing Vladimir Lenin, a Russian Communist revolutionist, in the rap battle video Grigori Rasputin vs. Joseph Stalin from the YouTube channel Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB).

Started in 2010 by YouTuber Nice Peter, ERB has become a YouTube sensation with over 13 million subscribers. Each video spotlights two iconic cultural figures in a rap battle.

So far, the show has had four seasons and continues to offer fresh, entertaining content. Some of the channel’s most popular rap battles include Darth Vader vs. Adolf Hitler, with over 90 million views, and Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney, with close to 120 million views.  

After four successful seasons, the producers are planning to return with a fifth season, which is projected to premiere on May 2. Fans can suggest and vote for rap battles that they want to see in the upcoming season. Some of the suggested battles include pitting the 2016 presidential candidates against one another and Ulysses S. Grant vs. Captain America.

Most of the ERB videos incorporate little historical knowledge and focus instead on clever quips. For instance, the rap battle with Renaissance artists Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci vs. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles showcases comedic lines, such as when the artist Donatello raps, “Hard shell, but you're gross in the middle. Wouldn't want to touch you with a 6-foot chisel!”

However, some videos do provide insight into historical figures through the rap lyrics. According to junior History Bowl captain Bryant Chang the rap battle between Grigori Rasputin, an influential Russian mystic, and Joseph Stalin, the notorious Soviet dictator, is one of the few educational ERB rap battles, since the lyrics “incorporate actual facts into the rap.”

During one of Chang’s favorite parts from the video, Vladimir Putin appears while rapping, “Blow it up like a tuba while I'm balling in Cuba. Doing judo moves and schooling every communist сyka.” These catchy phrases not only educate viewers, since the Soviets were allies with Cuba, but also entertain through with comedy.

ERB’s most viewed video, a satire of the 2012 presidential race between Republican Mitt Romney and Democratic incumbent Barack Obama, achieves this balance between education and entertainment. Both banter with each other, with Romney spewing, “You're all Barack and no bite, with no change and we're all still hoping” and Obama returning, “So rich and white it's like I'm running against a cheesecake!”

These lines and many other ones throughout the rap are the reason the video has garnered over 100 million views.

Chang also said that the song includes topics that he is familiar with, including Guantanamo Bay, unemployment and the stimulus package.

As the new season of ERB nears, Chang hopes its creators keep working to put out more entertaining and educational videos.

“Most of the videos on YouTube do not offer content that combines history and entertainment,” Chang said. “Epic Rap Battles of History is one of the few series that accomplishes this ceaselessly.”