It seemed as though every hip hop fan in Detroit made his or her way down to St. Andrews Hall last night to witness the National Championship of the most talked about emcee battle of the summer —Red Bull EmSee: The Road to 8 Mile. When judges Eminem, Mr. Porter and The Alchemist named 18-year old hometown favorite FowL as the national winner, the crowd of over 1,000 fans went bananas. Hip hop legends Bun B, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Xhibit were among the VIPs that came out to support.
The explosive competition featured freestyle rappers from New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Orlando, Greensboro, Houston, Atlanta and Detroit who fought to earn the respect the judges and the crowd. By night’s end, the youngest competitor 18-year-old Saffal “FowL” Tall representing the 313/D-E-T edged out the competition and won the coveted title of Red Bull EmSee National Champion. “A rap battle in Detroit is no laughing matter and it seems that Fowl took it the most seriously tonight,” said Eminem. “So he goes home the winner.”
Red Bull EmSee has a unique format that challenges competitors to battle not only against each other but also against the clock and their mind’s eye. In round one, the MCs are shown five random images and given one minute to deliver a sick freestyle incorporating as many images as possible. When the dust settled, Killa Chris, Phranchyze, D.N.A and FowL were on point to advance to the next round. In round two, the stakes were high as the emcees were challenged to rap about themes that the judges and live audience texted to the screens on stage. D.N.A. and FowL emerged as the winners and proceeded to the highly anticipated final round where they would face off in a traditional head-to-head format. In the final battle, the emcees held nothing back. D.N.A. and FowL lit the place on fire as they hurled non-stop lyrical blows. In the end, FowL brought the house down. His performance earned him the undisputed title of Red Bull EmSee National Champion.
“To be classified as the best in the nation… I’m pretty sure right now, I don’t fully understand it,” said FowL. “but I always told everybody in my neighborhood, I’m gonna’ be the best one day… to actually say I am the best right now, at 18, feels pretty good.”
The Red Bull EmSee Championships also featured guest performances by the charismatic D.R.E.S and tha Beatnik who served as master of ceremonies. In between battles, the crowd was treated to DJ sets by The Alchemist and DJ Dez. Rap super group Slaughterhouse, whose members include Royce Da 5”9’, Crooked I, Joe Budden and Joel Ortiz, delivered a riveting performance that capped off the night.
Next up, Red Bull Emsee: The Road to 8 Mile Mix Tape featuring lyrics by all 8 national finalists with beats provided by Red Bull Big Tune National Champion Frank Dukes will hit the streets this September. The highly anticipated Mix Tape produced by noted Brooklyn-based DJ, Mick Boogie will drop on www.redbullusa.com/EmSee. In addition to lyrics by the eight Red Bull EmSee national finalists, the limited edition compilation also features Ghostface Killah in a song called “Purified Thoughts.” Mick Boogie has collaborated on mix tapes with artists such as Eminem, Adele, Kanye West, Coldplay, Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Photos by Nicholas Shrunk
