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New word order>> MC battle Word War One
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Just when you were thinking to yourself that you wouldn’t mind checking a fresh MC battle in Montreal, here comes the brand new quarterly concept Word War One. This new head-to-head contest, which encourages rappers to come with some improvisational creativity, is the brainchild of Thierry Charlebois and LNG Productions, who are trying to present the classic battle arena in a different light. “We’re really trying to reach out to people who maybe have never seen a battle, or don’t even know that much about hip hop,” says Charlebois. “Right now, we have 12 MCs, but we’re looking to get more like 22 over the four shows.” Unlike battles you may have seen where the house DJ runs segments of instrumentals for a set amount of time, the participants in Word War One will be freestyling to the sounds of a live jazz band, who will provide the backdrop for the bars and hooks on stage. “The musicians are from McGill’s jazz program, and we’ve had a few practices with them already, and it’s sounding pretty good. The music is amazing.” When WW1 takes place on Feb. 3, one lucky word warrior will walk away with $150 cash, two beats from the LNG stable and the chance to compete in the final battle next December. As an added bonus, the audience will be treated to performances by Cirque du Soleil singer Kathryn Samman, Quebec City’s KenLo and She-Low the Hebrew, who makes the trip from California to take the Montreal stage. “We’re trying to join the creation of spur-of-the-moment music with spur-of-the-moment lyrics,” Charlebois continues. “It gives the musicians, the MCs and the audience a chance to experience a live show, instead of one or two guys on the stage with a beat rolling in the background.” While I personally have no problem watching a capable MC rip a hot beat off the top of the head, the live jazz band won’t work for everybody. Those of you familiar with MC battles know that whether it’s beats or live drums, it all means absolutely nothing if you can’t rap.
At les Saints on Saturday,
Feb. 3, 8 p.m., $13
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