Battle Rap and the Will of God

Embodiment via Celebration

I watch a lot of Battle rap hoping to acquire by osmosis the skills of those word wizards. Hours upon end studying their delivery styles and written angles to devastate their opponents’ morale have gotten me no closer, though, to my desired destination.

Dang it…

Whether it’s a witty four-bar scheme that crescendos into a gut-splittingly hilarious punchline, or an eight-bar setup that is just on the cusp of losing my attention before lighting the opp with a cold-hearted blow, I can’t help but admire their gift.

My admiration comes from a place of shock that people can really expand language in such a funny and sobering way. Watching battle rappers at work is like observing a painter who refuses to accept the first marks on her canvas. Their dedication to strain out a pun or form a roomshaker¹ creates in me a sense of appreciation that I can describe as nothing less than mystical. I’m often surprised by the simplicity of their allusions, connections, and wordplay. And it’s this very simplicity (and clarity) that reveals to me its difficulty.

For instance. In one of Rum Nitty’s (one of my favorite batter rappers) battles, he laid out a punch against Ill Will (another well-known battle rapper) that is decipherable to anyone with a basic understanding of guns and human anatomy functions. Peep it:

I was up in the hotel, loadin' rounds for cousin, big rounds I'm stuffin'
They say Ill in the lobby, I grab the nose runnin', I'm coming down with somethin’

This may come across as a simple syntax of words that are clever but not much to write home about. And, because words work best in context, and are most felt when spoken, this pull quote above does not do Nitty’s genius justice. These two bars are a play on Ill Will’s name, (1) being ill in the lobby; and (2) grabbing the nose running, and “coming down with something” speaks to a runny nose, experiencing sickness, and running down the stairs with the gun to target his opponent. To murk him, lyrically speaking.

If you’re not into the battle rap scene these lines may make no sense, but, because of how strong the setup was, that last line sent the room into such a frenzy you wouldn’t know if an elephant set foot in the room or if they just were notified that all student loans were canceled. But, if you are a fan of the arts, and immerse yourself in the world of battle rap, you understand how impressive Nitty’s punch is. Who among us has started to get stuffy and not said, “I’m coming down with something”? The difficulty may not be that high but the relatibility is immense. And to produce this type of material for three rounds that sometimes last 5 minutes each, and add on doing it five to seven times a year (at least) for different opponents, and I’d wager that we have geniuses in our midst.

As much as I admire battle rappers, I get sad as a result of not matching up. I love creativity and artistry. But I feel like no matter how many years of work I put into my craft, I’ll never have the mind of a battle rapper. Obviously, no battle rapper is the same or shares the same level, but as someone who feels the allure of having the smoothness, wit, and skill to adorn my own passions—and the celebration that comes along with it—I start to despise where I’m not and discredit where I am in my giftings because it looks like everyone is enjoying theirs.

Comparison generates unrealistic expectations of self. When you’re convinced that you need strong motivation to get strong results, you’ll push yourself past the limitations you were meant to tend to. And when your skills don’t resemble or surpass those of your heroes, it’s soul-crushing. This cycle has turned many of my passions into objects of resentment.

My obsession with acquiring the talent levels and success rates of battle rappers in my own hobbies, communication skills, and workloads are present in my desire to live out the will of God in my life, too.

In my faith tradition, the crafts of friendship, forgiveness, love, repentance, and hope lay at its center. Embodying them is what I believe to be the will of God. I think Jesus demonstrates this in the mission of his life.

Jesus at work in the realm of friendship resembles a butterfly gathering pollen in his body from the plant of relationship within the Godhead and carrying it over to the plant of relationship among humans, bringing us much needed nourishment and the new chance of becoming fruitful and lifegiving to another. He embodied his very bars when he said in John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.”

Jesus’ forgiveness does the wild work of helping us understand the contamination we’re in and have transmitted, yet he removes it, not with glyphosate, but with an announcement of possibility that we can be transformed because he embodied what it looks like to absorb pain and suffering without (re)creating it.

Jesus has been good at loving people since before they were ever created. His love is generous and prior to our doing anything beautiful or evil. He embodied this through a congruent life and a sacrificial death.

Jesus’ care for the poor speaks back to our habits of empire-making not by mere condemnation but by laying out the rubric of holistic repentance. He embodied this in his speech to powerful people and in his teachings about inner change and societal reimagination.

Jesus’ impulse to give hope, even in the throes of death, has surprised the most skeptical and most eager to believe.

That’s talent. And on a level that I want it too. I’m always wanting to procure what people have, even Jesus. And while that desire is not inherently bad, it reduces humans I admire into mere objects of my study. And that’s dehumanizing when that’s all I’m doing.

I’m learning that the thing that has brought me greatest success in being nice with the words and resemblant of Jesus has been in celebration instead of conquest.

I’ve seen the will of God embodied through my life when I challenge the desires within me that aim to procure instead of embrace. I’ve seen my words bring healing and consideration when my celebration has led to me accepting what God has allotted to me, not in obsessing over another’s.

And even if I don’t get as good as Rum Nitty, or Jesus, I’m aware of what my portion is, and I’m living into in ways that bring life to people.

Though the road to get here in any craft takes a lot of hardwork, humility, and self-awareness, the transformation that leads to a life rooted in God’s will meets us in the desert of surrender. There, the Holy Spirit refreshes us with the waters of improvement and celebration.

1. Roomsharkers are the perfect combination of great lyrics, bar delivery, and embodied performance that leaves the crowd with no choice but to react thunderously.