Board 8 > The Most Epic "Epic Rap Battles of History" - Bracket and Predictions!

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EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORYYYY
https://challonge.com/9zq0opri

Thanks to all nominators! We've got 32 epic rap battles ready to duke it out, but which one will make history and come out as the Most Epic of them all?

Personally, a lot of my favorites got in, as well as some battles that I don't have enough cultural context to fully appreciate, so it's exciting to get a good mix between those that I'm familiar with and those that I hope I'll get new appreciation for.

We'll start the tournament tomorrow at around 8 AM GMT+7 (8 PM EST), each day will feature two matches and will run for 24 hours. There will be a battle for third place.

I'll prepare the links for all qualifying ERB in this topic so you can check them out before their match. Here are your rap battles:

[Theodore Roosevelt vs Winston Churchill] VS [Albert Einstein vs Stephen Hawking]
[Guy Fawkes vs Che Guevara] VS [Count Dracula vs Vlad the Impaler]

[Napoleon Bonaparte vs Napoleon Dynamite] VS [Mario Bros. vs Wright Bros]
[Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers] VS [Michael Jordan vs Muhammad Ali]

[Jim Henson vs Stan Lee] VS [Deadpool vs Boba Fett]
[The Joker vs Pennywise] VS [Wonder Woman vs Stevie Wonder]

[Gordon Ramsay vs Julia Child] VS [Harry Potter vs Luke Sywalker]
[Batman vs Sherlock Holmes] VS [Tony Hawk vs Wayne Gretzky]

[Steven Spielberg vs Alfred Hitchcock] VS [Ash Ketchum vs Charles Darwin]
[Rasputin vs Stalin] VS [Babe Ruth vs Lance Armstrong]

[Steve Jobs vs Bill Gates] VS [James Bond vs Austin Powers]
[Artists vs TMNT] VS [Shaka Zulu vs Julius Caesar]

[Stephen King vs Edgar Allan Poe] VS [Darth Vader vs Hitler]
[Rick Grimes vs Walter White] VS [Zeus vs Thor]

[Thanos vs Oppenheimer] VS [Jack the Ripper vs Hannibal Lecter]
[Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible] VS [Sir Isaac Newton vs Bill Nye]

WHO WON? WHO'S NEXT? YOU DECIDE!

whoops I forgot to nominate after the one

good bracket regardless though

[Theodore Roosevelt vs Winston Churchill]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owTPZQQAVyQ
VS
[Albert Einstein vs Stephen Hawking]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn7-fVtT16k

[Guy Fawkes vs Che Guevara]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yow_BJeb8TI
VS
[Vlad the Impaler vs Count Dracula]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noLKTNmmy10

[Napoleon (Bonaparte) vs Napoleon (Dynamite)]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeNYDwbm9qw
VS
[Mario Bros. vs Wright Bros.]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_hKLfTKU5Y

[Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N_RO-jL-90
VS
[Michael Jordan vs Muhammad Ali]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_uOtAkEf6U

[Jim Henson vs Stan Lee]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXBJIZ1NXFU&t=232s
VS
[Deadpool vs Boba Fett]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g708PmJAbuI

[The Joker vs Pennywise]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2WxaeIJcqY
VS
[Wonder Woman vs Stevie Wonder]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7jL0NJ98Nc

[Gordon Ramsay vs Julia Child]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99-n42Xb6NQ
VS
[Harry Potter vs Luke Skywalker]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ver1OZdK2bA

[Batman vs Sherlock Holmes]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17CLlZuiBkQ
VS
[Tony Hawk vs Wayne Gretzky]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goMYHB2Grvg

[Steven Spielberg vs Alfred Hitchcock]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wYtG7aQTHA
VS
[Ash Ketchum vs Charles Darwin]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC7H99-7wxk

[Rasputin vs Stalin]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT2z0nrsQ8o
VS
[Babe Ruth vs Lance Armstrong]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtO-6Xg3g2M

[Steve Jobs vs Bill Gates]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njos57IJf-0
VS
[James Bond vs Austin Powers]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7xDGi5lp4

[Artists vs TMNT]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HZ5V9rT96M
VS
[Shaka Zulu vs Julius Caesar]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOm_2dGzqp0

[Stephen King vs Edgar Allan Poe]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56R3hU-fWZY
VS
[Darth Vader vs Hitler]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFA-rOls8YA

[Rick Grimes vs Walter White]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krQHQvtIr6w
VS
[Zeus vs Thor]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_xFOmYxKYw

[Thanos vs Oppenheimer]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1vXC-vKgKg
VS
[Jack the Ripper vs Hannibal Lecter]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfkR5o_bcSg

[Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbH1BVXywY
VS
[Sir Isaac Newton vs Bill Nye]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yis7GzlXNM

Bully! I love competition!

Submitted a favorites bracket. Harry Potter/Luke Skywalker vs. Gordon Ramsay/Julia Child in round one pains me, those are two of my favorites (which then runs into Wonder Woman/Stevie Wonder, another of my favorites). I expect a number of my favorites to go down quickly since they run into the heavy hitters pretty early. But at least most of those heavy hitters are battles I still like a lot.

It does feel a little weird not having Obama/Romney in there. While Vader/Hitler was what put them on the map, I always felt like Obama/Romney and Jobs/Gates were what really cemented their presence during that era of YouTube. So it's a bit strange seeing battle that's really important to their history not make the bracket.

Yeah and additionally, having NO presidential rap there does feel off. Out of those, my favorite is Trump vs. Hilary.

As for me, the hardest R1 match for me is definitely Steve Jobs/Bill Gates vs. James Bond/Austin Powers. I love both of those to death, with great editing and a twist towards the end.

Some of the high-nominated ones are definite head scratches for me - barely remember them? May have been "one and done" viewings when they first came out years ago, resisting the urge to rewatch until their round's up, but yeah. The one I did rewatch (Alexander the Great vs. Ivan the Terrible) I really didn't like, so not sure how I'll feel about the others! I might do a prediction but probably not...

I also thought about nominating U.S. election stuff but when it was near the end and I saw Vader/Hitler wasn't in yet, had to give that one a double. I wonder if it still holds up after all this time but had to get it in by virtue of being the map-putter, like stafoc said.

Napoleon vs. Napoleon ripe for the round 1 upset (by virtue of my three double-noms on it) but at least it's against another one I like so could be worse.

Think I'm rooting for:
-Favourite pick: Spielberg/Hitchcock
-Dark horse pick: Rick Grimes/Walter White

Day 1 topic up
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80301127#1

MartinFF7 posted...

-Favourite pick: Spielberg/Hitchcock
-Dark horse pick: Rick Grimes/Walter White

Favorite is Roosevelt/Churchhill
Dark horse is Che/Fawkes...which is in the same four-pack.

Won't be voting for Grimes/White. Never seen either show. That whole episode means literally nothing to me.

Today's matches:

Roosevelt > Churchill

High quality battle. Longtime fans of ERB will know that Teddy was a commonly used almost mascot level sort of character that was used to promote various things before this was a battle. That is the source of the "what's up bitches" line and why his face is edited to move that way. My favorite parts beyond that from Teddy are his comeback "at least they didn't ditch me while they were alive like yours did" and of course "give my big stick a suckles" is hilarious. Churchill was pretty good though. His Rushmore line is super dirty.

Hawking > Einstein

This is an older battle obviously. The disses here are not quite as high brow but still for an earlier battle, it's one of their better offerings. Making fun of Hawking being in a wheelchair is pretty low, but I think the line's best battle is Hawking's "your mama" joke.

Guevara > Fawkes

This is really close but the guy they got to play Che is just too smooth. His first verse is so clean and when he does the famous pose it almost looks too realistic. "What's the Fawkes say now" will no doubt not age that well, but for my age group I feel like it'll remain funny. Despite me not thinking he won, Guy Fawkes opens up with a great line pointing out the flaws in Che's first verse, which is always really appreciated and a good selling point of a real rap battle.

Vlad > Dracula

Objectively, this isn't better than what it's against despite me voting for it. I just really like the eerie beat here and the horror elements. Vlad is super creepy and evil, and as a big fan of Fogo I marked out to hear it referenced in this one. Dracula did come off as looking a bit hokey, which I get is what they were going for in a way. I think my favorite line overall was the, "Did you shapeshift those punch lines, cause they mist. Your skill's like your reflection: it doesn't exist". One of the best lines overall in the whole series imo.

Roosevelt vs Churchill is really solid and a well-earned 1-seed. I didn't really like it that much at first but it grew on me. Roosevelt had better disses but I really liked the delivery of many of Churchill's lines. That closing line also had great energy.

Hawking vs. Einstein is definitely a classic, though it does show its age. If it were made later on, the make-up for Einstein would be much better for sure. The effect they went for Hawking's voice is really nice though.

Fawkes vs. Guevara is a fun one. Yeah, I really like Che's character work here. Not to mention he's so hot lmao. It's weird that they went with so many aged references for Che's lines though (even by the time it was released - epic fail, what the Fawkes say). And man I really don't like the line "it's more like V for very bad hat".
Fawkes' rebuttal is really good though, and the "ump-Che" line is very clever.

Vlad vs. Dracula is another one I'm not too big on. This interpretation of Dracula is a bit, uh, too soft for my taste? Hokey is a good way of putting it. Dunno if it's more accurate to the original novel. And the costume looks a bit cheap too.

Oh I forgot to nominate the Ghostbusters vs. the Mythbusters. That's also a fun one.

D1 Results
Would you look at that! Our first upset already. It was quite a close match but the scientists took down the politicians in the end. But the revolutionaries swiftly vanquished the draculs.

Roosevelt vs. Churchill: 10
Einstein vs. Hawking: 12

Fawkes vs. Che: 16
Vlad vs. Dracula: 5

D2 Topic
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80302313

Raka_Putra posted...

Would you look at that! Our first upset already. It was quite a close match but the scientists took down the politicians in the end. But the revolutionaries swiftly vanquished the draculs.

The T-Pain-esque autotune for Hawking is what sells it imo

It's definitely a great choice. It's up there for ERBoH sound editing alongside Oppenheimer.

I was pretty afraid that would happen. Oh well.

Unbelievable. Not an awful match to lose to, but wow. Oh well, maybe Che/Fawkes will actually have a chance R2 now.

Yeah... I figured older battles would get the nostalgia boost, but I thought Roosevelt/Churchill was strong enough that it wasn't going to fall like that. Not that Einstein/Hawking is bad... I like it and it's probably one of the few S1 battles that still holds up like Charon said. But still a disappointing result to me nonetheless. At least now I know what to expect for the remainder of the tournament's matches haha.

stafoc posted...

I figured older battles would get the nostalgia boost

Not even ERB can escape NostalgiaFAQs it seems

I watched these for the first time yesterday and thought Einstein/Hawking was better. I was aware of this series but have no particular nostalgia for it and haven't seen 98% of them.

Lopen posted...

I watched these for the first time yesterday and thought Einstein/Hawking was better. I was aware of this series but have no particular nostalgia for it and haven't seen 98% of them.

Im in the same boat. Before last night, I had never watched one and knew nothing about the series besides the name. Einstein/Hawking was easily my favorite of the fourpack.

It's just weird to me I guess. The older battles are just a little more "simple"; there aren't layers upon layers of stuff you have to dig through to find the references too. I guess some people might just prefer that. But the older battles as a result contain lines that are just... not good. Like that Einstein line "um, that was Hawkard" is just... objectively awful. Like one of the worst lines in ERB in my opinion.

I actually thought the writing in both was pretty good (Hawkward line was awful, sure). But the beat and flow was just so much better in Roosevelt vs Churchill. Like Einstein vs Hawking is musically quite bad. They hadnt figured out how to make beats back then.

Today's matches:

Bonaparte > Dynamite

I mean... yeah this is another example of badness from season 1. I feel bad for characters like Bonaparte and Genghis Khan who got wasted on dumb opponents. I just don't think Napoleon Dynamite warranted an inclusion and he's just not very "epic". Yeah it's a fine impersonation of the character, but he's literally one of these easiest and most frequently impersonated characters. There aren't any really good lines. Way too many short jokes that aren't super funny. I guess the "only type of dynamite that's never going to bang" would get my vote as the best line from the battle.

Wrights > Marios

I have a huge bias towards R&L so I'm going to choose them if they appear. That said, it's elementary here and not close because I hate the take on the Mario Bros. here. Like there's a small attempt to do an accurate Mario but Luigi is not even Luigi, he's just a guy screaming dressed like Luigi. I'm not really sure what Peter was thinking about here because Luigi has a set character and I'm not sure why you don't play him the right way here. Again, it's a product of the early seasons I think. I did love a lot of lines from the Wrights though. The Donkey Kong punchline is great.

West > East

This is a tough battle and some people don't like the longform style of ERB but they're usually my favorite battles. This one was pretty awesome and chock full of great references for all those involved. It would be hard for me to pick just one line from this battle but if I had to I think I'd lean "I'll be picking about your wu with my method, man". It's fun when the groups turn on one another too. Just a ton of great stuff here.

Jordan > Ali

Very even battle, and the better appearance from K&P. Jordan's opening was very strong and has the "double dribble balls that nobody can see" line which is savage. But the "came back a Wizard, like Gandalf the Black" was super dirty too. I only give it to Jordan because what the heck, the first Space Jam does NOT suck.

D2 Results
The first-ever duo battle of ERBoH took the win pretty cleanly. Philosophers vs. Athletes were much closer all day, but the East vs. West battle eked out a win.

Bonaparte vs. Dynamite: 6
Marios vs. Wrights: 16

East vs. West: 13
Jordan vs. Ali: 10

D3 Topic
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80303561

Sorry for being a bit late, slept in due to it being a Saturday.

Wow, Roosevelt vs Churchill losing to Einstein vs Hawking is a massive RIP. I think Einstein vs Hawking is probably my favorite of the Season 1 raps, but Roosevelt vs Churchill is probably my favorite ERB in a musical sense. At least I get to avoid choosing between Roosevelt vs Churchill and Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers, which I both love dearly for entirely different reasons.

v_charon posted...

Very even battle, and the better appearance from K&P. Jordan's opening was very strong and has the "double dribble balls that nobody can see" line which is savage. But the "came back a Wizard, like Gandalf the Black" was super dirty too. I only give it to Jordan because what the heck, the first Space Jam does NOT suck.

When I first listened to Jordan vs. Ali, I wasn't aware of Ali's health problems so I had to look up the "double dribble balls" line and man, that's a dirty one.

But my favorite dirty line is from Costeau vs. Irwin: "And just to be clear because I'm no veterinarian. Were you killed by a fish kids pet at the aquarium?" oh god

I dunno, "one more Superman who's never going to walk again" might take it overall for me.

I'm 1/4 so far, so that's cool.

With the upsets and all, yeah, it's legitimately not bad.

And now that you mention it, Johnbobb is at 4/4, which is lowkey crazy.

Today's matches:

Jim Henson > Stan Lee

I feel a little mixed on this battle. At the time it was released, I thought it was truly awesome but looking back I think they wasted Disney a bit here. At the time, if people aren't aware, Disney sort of owned ERB in a way since it then existed under a wing of Disney known as Maker Studios which had entered a deal with ERB at the beginning of that season. The battle is still good between the main two guys though, interesting to see them come together at the end. Really like Henson's lines of "you're going to need Avengin'" and "sign your name on all Jack Kirby's comic books".

Boba Fett > Deadpool

As much as I prefer Deadpool the character and agree with him that Fett is one of the most overrated characters in the world, I think that's what allows him to win here. Deadpool himself remarks it's a little hard to diss someone that you basically know nothing about. Great lines from Fett like "Boba Fetty Wap" are pretty classic.

Stevie Wonder > Wonder Woman

I mean yeah, good on them for getting T-Pain to do it and it's funny. I don't think it's super great overall though, especially for a later season episode. It's a fairly even battle but it's hard to top the line of "your first story is you, running off, with a guy" successfully.

Pennywise > Joker

This is in the running for one of my overall favorites. The effects here are just awesome and I like that they decided to go with Hamill's Joker but still referenced basically every iteration of the character (outside of Leto's which Pennywise does for him). This is yet another super dirty bar found here, "No one's dying to play with Joker... except for maybe Heath Ledger". Too soon, too soon.

I actually really like SW/WW, mostly because I think Stevie Wonder is one of the best verses in all of ERB. T-Pain is so much better than anyone else they've had do this and his delivery is so slick.

"You couldn't walk in my shoes, so stick to your reboots
With plots so thin even I can see through"

and

"You're a misguided C- on the Bechdel Test joke
And my worst song is better than your best tv show"

Are both so good. Also "I'm a man who comes from a higher ground and I say DC is a whole step down" is incredibly clever. "Suffering Sappho, you got that wack flow" is really good too. Honestly his whole verse is just excellent.

Still though I nominated Pennywise vs Joker too so I get if it wins. Really tough first round matchup for me.

And lean Henson vs Lee because there is something so unnerving about that Disney verse that I really like it. Like when he grabs them by the back of their necks and tells them to look at his assembly line of joy, it is an interesting look into what creative expression has become since the days of Lee/Henson. Like that "hop on my steamboat boys, but don't rock it" - there's something so threatening about that line that it really stuck out to me.

Deadpool vs Fett is really good too but it very much feels like a typical EpicLloyd performance to me. He has very similar characters/deliveries/mannerisms if you watch enough of these.

I think what sets the battle for Deadpool and Fett apart is that even though Peter and Lloyd voice the characters, they're physically portrayed by dance artists who can do things that aren't very typical on ERB.

Oh that's really interesting and I wouldn't have guessed that. That spastic "fly away" move Deadpool does I've seen in like five other battles and its an EpicLloyd staple.

Edison does it with the go back to your pigeons line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ1Mz7kGVf0
Larry Bird does it with the you suck at flying line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ5VSyOugcE

And yes I've watched way too many of these why do you ask?

He also does that as Vlad during the Count Chocula line lol

D3 Results
Henson vs. Lee: 8
Deadpool vs. Fett: 9

Joker vs. Pennywise: 9
WW vs. Stevie: 7

Wowie, our closest day yet so far. Henson/Lee vs. Deadpool/Vett was neck-to-neck until the last vote.

Day 4 Topic
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80304742

After Day 4 I think I'll have a break day so we can restart at around 8 PM EST (8 AM my time).

Raka_Putra posted...

Henson vs. Lee: 8
Deadpool vs. Fett: 9

oof

"Fun" fact: all the rappers in that match are owned by Disney now!

Raka_Putra posted...

"Fun" fact: all the rappers in that match are owned by Disney now!

guess Walt really did win that battle

Stevie Wonder is owned by Disney? Did they buy his catalog or something?

In Match 1, not both matches!

Though knowing Disney, perhaps it's only a matter of time.

I have a late entry

https://youtu.be/gd5SlaCfgHQ

LMAO I don't follow Sonic Forces and what the heck

D4 Results
Decent matches today, but the winners ended with comfortable margins. Our plucky protagonists served the chefs and the sportsmen outperformed the fictional detectives.

Ramsay vs. Child: 6
Harry vs. Luke: 11

Batman vs. Holmes: 7
Hawk vs. Gretzky: 10

The next round will start around 8 PM EST tomorrow to re-normalize the time.

Ah, that one hurts. Forgot how much I liked Ramsay vs. Child and listened to it multiple times over the past day. I just could never get into either of the lego ERBs even if they're technically and lyrically quality.

Top seeds keep dropping like flies, that makes 1, 4 and 5 out (and inflated #8 but that doesn't count). Hoping 3rd seed loses but won't hold my breath there... now worried about #2 tomorrow!!!

First result I'm really disappointed in there. As someone who gets most or all the references in it Harry vs Luke is no good imo. Ramsay vs Child isn't totally amazing but it's quality, and the Julia Child rapping in character is impressive.

Yeah, I'm sad Ramsay vs. Child got eliminated. It had flaws (especially the overuse of fat jokes on Ramsay's side) but I really liked it. And the video production in the beginning of Ramsay's first verse was really cool.