The Sweet Release of Writing a Battle Rap

Oakland MC Passwurdz 510 is a professional battle rapper. That means he gets paid to go on stage and publicly humiliate his opponents. It's an art form that dates back to the early days of Hip Hop and has been depicted in movies like 8 Mile. On top of being a competition of lyrical prowess, these battles provide comedic relief for audiences - and a cathartic release for artists, as well. Passwurdz, aka Pass, is also part of the duo ANML PLNT (along with Jordan Jennings, aka Apes), which released an album earlier this year, called "The Box." Now that people are dealing with the emotions of daily uncertainty, I figured it'd be a good time to get some tips from a professional about how to use battle raps to constructively release some pent up emotions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices