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The 1,500-Year History of Rap Battles
Defeating an opponent through rhyme goes back way longer than most people may think
In contemporary popular culture, rap battles are a popular activity where multiple rappers take turns directing off-the-cuff lyrics at their opponent(s). Typically consisting of insults and bragging, the performer who comes up with the most creative, damning and unanswerable rhymes emerges as the winner, as determined by an audience. The modern version originated in the 1980s but its origins comes from flyting (also called fliting), an ancient practice of exchanging insults by way of verse that dates back more than 1,500 years.
Flyting is an Old English word that roughly translates to “quarrel.” It was a popular practice of exchanging insults, usually through poetic-style verse, between the 5th and 16th centuries. Examples are rife throughout the history of the English, Norse, Celtic and others. These exchanges could get heated, including accusations that touched on perversion, being a coward and worse. Even famed mythical figures like Beowulf and Norse god Odin were avid flyters, engaging opponents in insult battles as a prelude to more physical confrontations.
Competitive flyting became popular in Anglo-Saxon England. As a form of entertainment, combatants would square off in feasting halls…
