Global InformationEpic Rap Battles of History information
| Epic Rap Battles of History | |
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| Genre |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 88 (list of episodes) |
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| Running time | 1–5 minutes |
| Production companies | Maker Studios (1–5) Independent (6–pres.) |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube |
| Release | September 26, 2010 – present |
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Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB) is a YouTube web series and music project created by Peter "Nice Peter" Shukoff and Lloyd "EpicLLOYD" Ahlquist. The series pits historical and pop culture figures against one another in a rap battle format. The characters portrayed are often determined by suggestions from viewers in the comments sections of the channel's videos. Shukoff and Ahlquist write each song themselves, researching the subject in order to find obscure details to use as references in the lyrics, although certain Patreon subscribers have also contributed to the writing process.[1][2] Following an extended hiatus, the channel returned with a bonus battle in December 2018, and the sixth season debuted on April 20, 2019.[3] As of February 23, 2023, the channel has 14.9 million subscribers and approximately 4 billion total video views.[4]
The popularity of the music videos has led to mainstream partnerships, such as with Ubisoft, using the "Blackbeard vs Al Capone" episode to promote Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.[5] Additionally, "Terminator vs Robocop" in the fourth season was used to promote the upcoming release of the film Terminator Genisys and featured an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ERB's popularity has also led to collaboration with mainstream artists.[6][7][8] Shukoff and Ahlquist also created a two-minute rap battle scene used in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.[9]
Although early episodes of the series featured only Shukoff and Ahlquist, later episodes have regularly featured guest appearances, and other internet celebrities such as Dan Bull, Lisa Donovan, Timothy DeLaGhetto, George Watsky, DeStorm Power, Jesse Wellens, PewDiePie, Jenna Marbles, Lilly Singh, Ray William Johnson, Rhett and Link, and Smosh. Media celebrities like musicians Snoop Dogg, Chali 2na, T-Pain, Jackie Tohn and "Weird Al" Yankovic, actors J.B. Smoove and Gary Anthony Williams, and the comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have also appeared in the series.
On July 3, 2013, "Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney" became the first of its singles to be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. 10 other singles, "Adolf Hitler vs. Darth Vader", "Albert Einstein vs. Stephen Hawking", "Dr. Seuss vs. William Shakespeare", "Master Chief vs. Leonidas", "Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates", "Justin Bieber vs. Ludwig van Beethoven", "Mario Brothers vs. Wright Brothers", "Mr. T vs. Mr. Rogers", "Abe Lincoln vs. Chuck Norris", and "Adolf Hitler vs. Darth Vader 2", were subsequently certified Gold as well.[10]
- ^ Humphrey, Michael (October 26, 2011). "Epic Rap Battles of History: Talking Brash Wit With A YouTube Hit". Forbes. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ Francisco, Eric (November 29, 2017). "The Dudes Behind 'Epic Rap Battles of History' Eye an Uncertain Future". Inverse. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ Epic Rap Battles of History [@ERBofHistory] (December 7, 2018). "ERB Season 6 Billionaire Bonus Battle is HERE like a Boolean value of 1" (Tweet). Retrieved December 7, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ "ERB YouTube channel statistics - StatSheep". Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Ubisoft Promotes Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag with Epic Rap Battles in new Video". Player Essence. October 21, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ^ Glenn, Devon (June 12, 2013). "'Epic Rap Battles' Creators on Snoop: 'He's an Innovative Dude, That Dude'". Social Times. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- ^ Barness, Sarah (June 17, 2014). "Weird Al And 'Bill Nye' Face Off In Epic Rap Battle Because The Universe Is Infinitely Awesome". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ Gutelle, Sam (June 16, 2014). "Weird Al Is Isaac Newton In New 'Epic Rap Battles Of History' Episode". Tubefilter. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- ^ "6 Point Harness Makes a Splash With 'SpongeBob Movie'". Animation World Network. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Epic Rap Battles of History". Recording Industry Association of America. December 30, 2014. Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2014.