For the first edition of this, my new music column, I decided it’d be fun for me, a punk rock girl, to check out some rap battles. I have yet to really explore the musical landscape of the Victoria hip-hop scene; The Bridge Live Rap Battles presented by Set the Bar at the Victoria Event Centre on Saturday, January 20 was the first hip hop event I’ve ever gone to in Victoria. I had a blast; it was hilarious and jaw dropping.
Prior to going I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was this going to be like the battles in 8 Mile? Or was that just Hollywood? Well, it’s mostly the same. There are no beats dropped while the rappers battle, it’s filmed for YouTube and Twitch, and booing is not allowed.
Set the Bar is one of a few battle rap leagues in Canada, but I’m foggy on how it works. Winners weren’t announced. I only know for sure who won one of the battles; EB, from Victoria, said he “Took the ‘L’” (in other words, lost) against Illcoz, from Sooke.
There were six battles, including the main event. The only rappers not from Vancouver Island were Surrey’s Devious and one of the main event rappers, Carter Deems from Atlanta, Georgia. Everyone else was either from Victoria, Sooke, Nanaimo, or Campbell River.
The territorial jabs were great—only Nanaimo walked away unscathed. The clarity of “Welcome to Victoria. Campbell River sucks,” delivered by Victoria’s David Kinch—a Camosun alum—was beautiful. Devious took flak simply for not being from Vancouver Island.
The rappers proved that Canadians are not always nice. Everything a rapper had done or said, where they’re from, their physical features, or their heritage was fair game. When Sirreal, from Nanaimo, called Devious ugly, a woman in the audience got upset. Sirreal, without skipping a beat, quickly shot back, “It’s a rap battle, anything goes.”
The first comment against Indigenous rapper Nuckzy, representing the 14 tribes of Nuu-Cha-Nulth territory near Campbell River, made me squirm. Then I saw him standing proud, looking like a lion ready to pounce. This was meant to be a battle, but Kinch had just declared a vicious war.
But in a place where nothing is considered racist or body shaming, there are some good burns. Nuckzy threatened to beat Kinch like bannock dough. Kinch fired back at Nuckzy’s size accusing him of being the reason the ferry buffet shut down. Out of context, other lines were even more offensive.
Devious, whose legal name is Sam, was roasted by Sirreal with a twist on Dr. Seuss’ famous lines about “Sam I am” from Green Eggs and Ham. The imagery that Sirreal used against Devious was genius. Mocking Devious’ long neck by comparing him to a giraffe and a squeeze toy whose eyes pop out pleased the crowd. Sirreal also explained he’d rather build people up than destroy them, but it’s a rap battle; at the end they shake hands and have a drink together. Sirreal was one of my favourites.
But the main event was the best. Kreative, brother of Nuckzy, started his intro with saying something in his native tongue then ended his intro with, “If you’re not First Nations, you’re last.” Carter Deems started the first round with, “Fuck Christopher Columbus,” and continued with an overly self-deprecating round mocking his own whiteness. Kreative shot back on the Columbus remark suggesting Deems should get status for it. Kreative also had a line taking a stab at the Indian Act; dark humour was used from both angles. I don’t know who took the official “W,” but I give it to Kreative. If Campbell River sucks, it’s better than Atlanta, Georgia.
Correction: This article originally stated that the quote from Kreative was “If you’re not First Nations, you’re fucked!” when it was “If you’re not First Nations, you’re last.” We apologize for the mistake.