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* TheBechdelTest: Due to the constant back and forth about what guys they slept with, Marilyn Monroe vs Cleopatra fails this test.
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* KidsRock: Young Michael Jackson, played by 10-year-old Bentley Green.
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The matchups so far have been [[hottip:*:Battles marked with an asterisk (*) feature people other than Nice Peter and Epic Llyod]]
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# SarahPalin vs. LadyGaga
# HulkHogan and RandySavage vs. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-Il]]
# HulkHogan and RandySavage vs. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-Il]]
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# SarahPalin vs. LadyGaga
LadyGaga *
# HulkHogan and RandySavage vs. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea KimJong-Il]]Jong-Il]] *
# HulkHogan and RandySavage vs. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim
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# BillyMays and VinceOffer vs. BenjaminFranklin
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# BillyMays and VinceOffer vs. BenjaminFranklinBenjaminFranklin *
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# DrSeuss vs. WilliamShakespeare
# MrT vs. [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]]
# MrT vs. [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]]
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# DrSeuss vs. WilliamShakespeare
WilliamShakespeare *
# MrT vs. [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr.Rogers]]Rogers]] *
# MrT vs. [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr.
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# [[{{Halo}} Master Chief]] vs. [[ThreeHundred Leonidas]]
# The Wright Brothers vs. [[SuperMarioBros The Mario Brothers]]
# MichaelJackson vs. ElvisPresley
# [[AncientEgypt Cleopatra]] vs. MarilynMonroe
# The Wright Brothers vs. [[SuperMarioBros The Mario Brothers]]
# MichaelJackson vs. ElvisPresley
# [[AncientEgypt Cleopatra]] vs. MarilynMonroe
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# [[{{Halo}} Master Chief]] vs. [[ThreeHundred Leonidas]]
Leonidas]] *
# The Wright Brothers vs. [[SuperMarioBros The MarioBrothers]]
Brothers]] *
# MichaelJackson vs.ElvisPresley
ElvisPresley *
# [[AncientEgypt Cleopatra]] vs.MarilynMonroeMarilynMonroe *
# The Wright Brothers vs. [[SuperMarioBros The Mario
# MichaelJackson vs.
# [[AncientEgypt Cleopatra]] vs.
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** Joe Dimaggio "took a swing in [Marilyn Monroe]'s batter's box," and Cleopatra has been "tossing Caesar's salad."
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-->'''Elvis'': 'Cause all you wanna do is teach kids the birds and the bees
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** Not to mention ElvisPresley
-->'''Elvis'': 'Cause all you wanna do is teach kids the birds and the bees
-->'''Elvis'': 'Cause all you wanna do is teach kids the birds and the bees
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* BashBrothers: The [[SuperMarioBros Mario Bros]] and the Wright Brothers
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# Cleopatra vs. MarilynMonroe
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# Cleopatra [[AncientEgypt Cleopatra]] vs. MarilynMonroe
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* LetsGetDangerous: Beethoven after chucking over his piano.
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* LetsGetDangerous: LetsGetDangerous:
** Beethoven after chucking over his piano.
** Beethoven after chucking over his piano.
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** Marilyn Monroe taking off her earrings in her second verse.
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Brevity Is Wit
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* BattleRoyaleWithCheese: Thus far, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler, Darth Vader, Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Mays, Albus Dumbledore, William Shakespeare, Doctor Seuss, Fred Rogers, Christopher Columbus, James T. Kirk, King Leonidas, the Wright Brothers, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley have come BackFromTheDead to rap.
to:
* BattleRoyaleWithCheese: Thus far, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler, Darth Vader, Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Mays, Albus Dumbledore, William Shakespeare, Doctor Seuss, Fred Rogers, Christopher Columbus, James T. Kirk, King Leonidas, More than two thirds of the Wright Brothers, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley contestans have come BackFromTheDead to rap.
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* CurbStompBattle: Justin Bieber VS. Beethoven. Given Bieber's reputation on Youtube, you can probably imagine how this goes.
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* CurbStompBattle: Justin Bieber VS. Beethoven. Given Bieber's reputation on Youtube, YouTube, you can probably imagine how this goes.goes.
**YMMV on this, especially if you are a Bieber fan.
**YMMV on this, especially if you are a Bieber fan.
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** Marilyn Monroe got downright vicious when her inablity to have kids was brought up.
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* DontTryThisAtHome: In the behind-the-scenes video for Cleopatra vs. MarilynMonroe, Lloyd shows off a Vader vs. Hitler shirt and tells viewers not to wear it at school because it might get them expelled.
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*** Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt
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*** Cleopatra, Queen of EgyptEgypt.
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** MarilynMonroe is monochrome as well.
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** MarilynMonroe too.
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*** Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt
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** MarilynMonroe too.
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** Decidedly does happen with Cleopatra and her brothers.
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* DesignatedGirlFight: Rap Battle #4 is the only battle, so far, to feature women (although one of the opponents is [[{{Crossdresser}} Nice Peter in drag]]).
** According to his twitter, Nice Peter says that he really wants there to be more raps that include female contestants.
** According to his twitter, Nice Peter says that he really wants there to be more raps that include female contestants.
to:
* DesignatedGirlFight: Rap Battle #4 is the only battle, Two examples so far, to feature women (although one of the opponents is [[{{Crossdresser}} Nice Peter in drag]]).
far:
**According to his twitter, Nice Peter says that he really wants there to be more raps that include female contestants.SarahPalin vs. LadyGaga
** Cleopatra vs. MarilynMonroe
**
** Cleopatra vs. MarilynMonroe
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* EvilVersusEvil: AdolfHitler vs. Darth Vader
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Revealed on iTunes
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# Cleopatra vs. MarilynMonroe
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I don\'t know what idiot thought the Stormtrooper changed Vader\'s mind...
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--> '''Master Chief''': "Cortona says you're Greek, so why don't you stick these lyrics up your ass?"
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--> '''Master Chief''': "Cortona "Cortana says you're Greek, so why don't you stick these lyrics up your ass?"
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* CountryMatters: Subverted in the Vader VS Hitler rematch. Vader is about to make a [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion rhyme with the word "runt"]], but a Stormtrooper comes in and suggests that he uses the word [[PainfulRhyme "nuts"]] instead.
to:
* CountryMatters: Subverted in the Vader VS Hitler rematch. Vader is says a line that suggests he's about to make a [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion rhyme with the word "runt"]], but a Stormtrooper comes in and suggests that he uses the word [[PainfulRhyme "nuts"]] instead.instead sets up for [[MemeticMutation "deez nuts"]].
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** Mister Rogers. He doesn't raise his soft, polite voice even once, but he ''does'' go into CreepyMonotone, calls Mr T "[[FirstNameUltimatum Laurence]]" like a teacher to a naughty child, [[PrecisionFStrike and]] ''[[OutOfCharacter swears]]''.
to:
** Mister Rogers. He doesn't raise his soft, polite voice even once, but he ''does'' go into CreepyMonotone, calls Mr T "[[FirstNameUltimatum Laurence]]" like a teacher to a naughty child, [[PrecisionFStrike and]] ''[[OutOfCharacter and ''[[PrecisionFStrike swears]]''.
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* AccidentalNightmareFuel: When Mr. Rogers ends his battle, his voice and the way he looks at the camera is just downright creepy.
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** IJustWantToBeBadAss: {{Justin Bieber}}.
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** IJustWantToBeBadAss: {{Justin Music/{{Justin Bieber}}.
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** Additionally, the Wright Brothers have a grainy sepia tone and their audio is processed to sound like it was recorded on a phonograph.
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* AccidentalNightmareFuel: When Mr. Rogers ends his battle, his voice and the way he looks at the camera is just downright creepy. * AssShove: A couple.
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* AccidentalNightmareFuel: When Mr. Rogers ends his battle, his voice and the way he looks at the camera is just downright creepy.
* AssShove: A couple.
* AssShove: A couple.
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* AssShove: A couple.
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* AccidentalNightmareFuel: When Mr. Rogers ends his battle, his voice and the way he looks at the camera is just downright creepy. * AssShove: A couple.
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* ElvisImpersonator: [[CaptainObvious [=EpicLLYOD=] as Elvis]].
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* BattleRoyaleWithCheese: Thus far, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler, Darth Vader, Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Mays, Albus Dumbledore, William Shakespeare, Doctor Seuss, Fred Rogers, Christopher Columbus, King Leonidas, the Wright Brothers, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley have come BackFromTheDead to rap.
to:
* BattleRoyaleWithCheese: Thus far, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler, Darth Vader, Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Mays, Albus Dumbledore, William Shakespeare, Doctor Seuss, Fred Rogers, Christopher Columbus, James T. Kirk, King Leonidas, the Wright Brothers, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley have come BackFromTheDead to rap.
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[[quoteright:347:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory_9989.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:347:'''BEGIN!!!''']]
''[[TitleScream EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!]]''
What happens when you take historical figures, popular media personalities, and a handful of fictional characters, and have them pair off and compete against each other...in rap contests?
You get, well, Epic Rap Battles of History. While the "epic" part [[StylisticSuck may be disputed]], otherwise it's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a pair of comedians (Nice Peter and [=EpicLloyd=]) and guest YouTube performers portraying these people rapping off against each other in online videos.
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Season 1:]]
# JohnLennon vs. [[TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]]
# [[StarWars Darth Vader]] vs. AdolfHitler
# AbrahamLincoln vs. ChuckNorris
# SarahPalin vs. LadyGaga
# HulkHogan and RandySavage vs. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-Il]]
# Music/JustinBieber vs. LudwigVanBeethoven
# AlbertEinstein vs. StephenHawking
# GenghisKhan vs. [[EasterBunny The Easter Bunny]]
# NapoleonBonaparte vs. NapoleonDynamite
# BillyMays and VinceOffer vs. BenjaminFranklin
# [[LordoftheRings Gandalf]] vs. [[HarryPotter Dumbledore]]
# DrSeuss vs. WilliamShakespeare
# MrT vs. [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]]
# ChristopherColumbus vs. [[StarTrek Captain Kirk]]
# Nicepeter vs. [=EpicLloyd=]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Season 2:]]
# [[StarWars Darth Vader]] vs. AdolfHitler (rematch)
# [[{{Halo}} Master Chief]] vs. [[ThreeHundred Leonidas]]
# The Wright Brothers vs. [[SuperMarioBros The Mario Brothers]]
# MichaelJackson vs. ElvisPresley
[[/folder]]
You can find the first season on Nice Peter's YouTube channel, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/nicepeter here]], and the second season on its own channel [[http://www.youtube.com/user/ERB?feature=watch here]].
----
!These raps provide examples of:
* AssShove: A couple.
--> '''Napoleon Bonaparte:''' "I'm going to shove your moon boots straight up your poop chute!"
--> '''Columbus''': "I'll stick a flag in your ass and claim you for Spain!"
--> '''Master Chief''': "Cortona says you're Greek, so why don't you stick these lyrics up your ass?"
* ActorAllusion: The Cat in the Hat wears sunglasses identical to Nice Peter's signature look.
** May or may not have been intentional, But the wright bros who launched their first plane in North Carolina are played by RhettAndLink who were both born in said state.
* AnachronismStew; The reason why Beethoven references FaceBook, Columbus references Hulu, Leonidas know of computers and video games, and AdolfHitler knows RickMoranis, among plenty of other things.
* AteHisGun: Mario tried to do so behind the scenes.
* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: Chuck Norris' second verse.
** The Mario Brothers [[DownplayedTrope grow a bit]] in their second verse after eating mushrooms.
* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: Shakespeare's second verse. Turns out he can [[MotorMouth rap]] ''[[MotorMouth really]]'' [[MotorMouth fast]].
* AntiquatedLinguistics: Shakespeare uses this, true to form. See also SophisticatedAsHell below.
* AudienceParticipation: Each showdown is based off a fan suggestion.
* AutoTune: Used for Stephen Hawking's rapping, since it's very difficult to get anything resembling rhythm out of the actual voice synthesizer program.
* BadAss: StephenHawking. Attentive viewers will notice that he's playing AngryBirds ''on the console he uses to speak''.
** AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: You can't get anymore authoritative than these guys.
*** Napoleon, Emperor of France.
*** Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith.
*** Adolf Hitler, Chancellor and Führer of Germany.
*** Genghis Khan, Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
*** Abraham Lincoln, President of USA.
*** Benjamin Franklin, Governor of Pennsylvania.
*** Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska.
*** Kim Jong-il, Leader of North Korea.
*** Leonidas, King of the Spartans.
*** Chuck Norris, who claims to be "everyone's master".
** BadassBaritone: Beethoven, Darth Vader, Christopher Columbus, and Master Chief.
** BadassBeard: Abe Lincoln, Billy Mays, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready CHUCK NORRIS]], and Wilbur Wright.
** BadassBoast: Nearly everyone invokes this.
** BadassBookworm: Ben Franklin is an educated gentleman. Then there's Einstein and (again) Hawking.
** BadassLongRobe: Gandalf and Dumbledore.
** BadassMustache: Ghengis Khan's Fu Manchu, Albert Einstein, Hitler's toothbrush moustache, the Mario Brothers and Orville Wright.
** BackToBackBadAsses: The [[HulkHogan Mega]] [[RandySavage Powers]].
** HandicappedBadAss: Hawking can play a touchscreen-based game ''without using his hands''.
** HotChickInABadAssSuit: Sarah Palin, who can kill moose barehanded.
** IJustWantToBeBadAss: {{Justin Bieber}}.
** KillerRabbit: What the Easter Bunny tries to be.
* BattleRoyaleWithCheese: Thus far, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler, Darth Vader, Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Mays, Albus Dumbledore, William Shakespeare, Doctor Seuss, Fred Rogers, Christopher Columbus, King Leonidas, the Wright Brothers, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley have come BackFromTheDead to rap.
* BerserkButton:
** Einstein pushes Hawking's when he questions the validity of Hawking's Black Hole Theory.
** Dr.Seuss does ''not'' like being accused of writing the ''Twilight'' series.
** Mr. Rogers goes from mostly-polite teasing to outright ''scary'' when accused of child molestation.
* BigBadassWolf: In the final battle (of season 1), [[spoiler: Kassem G]] uses a magnificent flying one.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed:
** According to Kim Jong-Il, [[TakeThat Hulk Hogan's wife thinks so]].
** Master Chief claims to have showed Leonidas' Queen his ''[[UnusualEuphemism plasma cannon]]''.
* BilingualBonus:
** Napoleon Bonaparte gets one at the beginning of his second line. [[hottip:*:"T'as une tête a faire sauter les plaques d'egouts" = "You've got a face that could blow off a manhole cover"]]
** Also, Christopher Columbus gets "Arrivederci! I'ma leave, before this battle begins."
* BoastfulRap: All of the character raps have hints of this. In addition to dissing and countering opponents, the raps also elaborate on the characters' awesomeness. Ubiquitous in every battle is "I [insert awesome thing], you [insert stupid thing]!"
* ButtMonkey: AdolfHitler. Gets frozen in carbonite, thawed out to battle again, then [[spoiler: dropped in the rancor pit]].
* CallBack: The battle against the creators themselves featured cameos from nearly all the characters they've played as before.
** The rematch with Vader and Hitler begins with Hitler frozen in carbonite, just as he was at the end of their original battle.
* CardCarryingVillain: [[StarWars Darth Vader]] and AdolfHitler, naturally. [[TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]] also, particularly during his second verse.
* TheCastShowoff: Arguably anyone, but special mention goes to [[MotorMouth George Watsky]] as Shakespeare during his fast-rap verse. Jaws are dropping. [[hottip:*:Including those of Seuss and the Cat in the Hat.]]
* CompensatingForSomething: Dumbledore asks Gandalf if his staff is part of this.
* CoolVersusAwesome: AbrahamLincoln versus '''ChuckNorris'''.
** Mr. T vs. ''Mister Rogers''
** [[ThreeHundred King Leonidas]] Vs. ''[[{{Halo}} Master Chief]]''.
* CountryMatters: Subverted in the Vader VS Hitler rematch. Vader is about to make a [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion rhyme with the word "runt"]], but a Stormtrooper comes in and suggests that he uses the word [[PainfulRhyme "nuts"]] instead.
* CreatorCameo: If [=EpicLloyd=] isn't playing one of the rappers, he likes to appear in the background as a character who doesn't speak but is referenced by one of them. Examples include:
** CarlSagan in Einstein vs Hawking.
** John [=McCain=] in Palin Vs Gaga.
** JohannSebastianBach in Bieber vs Beethoven.
** [[Series/TheATeam Hannibal, Murdoch, Face]], and Mr. McFeely in T vs Rogers.
** Things 1 & 2 in Seuss vs Shakespeare (the only one where he speaks thus far, since Seuss is TheVoiceless).
** Pleistarchus (Leonidas' six year old son) in Leonidas Vs Master Chief.
** Jon Na, the director of photography for Columbus Vs Kirk, cameos as Sulu.
** [[WebOriginal/AtTheKassemG Omar Gharaibeh]] as Spock in the same battle, [[HotBalls Ceciley]] as Princess Peach in Wright Brothers vs Mario Brothers, and [[SassyBlackWoman LaChandra]] as Tootie in Elvis vs Michael Jackson.
* CreepyMonotone: MisterRogers.
* CurbStompBattle: Justin Bieber VS. Beethoven. Given Bieber's reputation on Youtube, you can probably imagine how this goes.
** The Easter Bunny vs. Genghis Khan. Poor bunny just wasn't cut out for this sort of contest, surrendering by his second verse.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Hitler's verses until Vader uses the Force to bring him into his own screen. May double as AnachronismStew when you notice that Vader claims that he came before Hitler, and all of his screentime is shot in color.
** [[FridgeBrilliance Actually, Vader did come first, as]] StarWars [[FridgeBrilliance is set a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.]]
** The Wright Brothers are in sepia.
** Elvis's first verse is monochrome, showing his earlier days.
* DesignatedGirlFight: Rap Battle #4 is the only battle, so far, to feature women (although one of the opponents is [[{{Crossdresser}} Nice Peter in drag]]).
** According to his twitter, Nice Peter says that he really wants there to be more raps that include female contestants.
* EarlyBirdCameo: The first season finale gives viewers a glimpse of the SuperMarioBros, [[spoiler:[[HenryVIII King Henry VIII]]]], and [[{{Halo}} Master Chief]]. ERB News also revealed the Wright Brothers.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first rap battle (Lennon vs. O'Reilly) lacks the subtitles that later versions have, not to mention being originally censored (an uncensored version was later uploaded). The announcer also had a different voice for the first few battles.
* EpicFail: Hitler claims that Vader's entire life is one big this. Vader doesn't have any comeback...other than laughing as Hitler steps over the Rancor pit before dropping him in.
* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: It is nearly impossible to come to a consensus over who "wins" each rap battle. Everyone's rap style and lyrics are determined by their popular image, so each side will also sound wildly different and some matchups will feel more equal then others. In addition, the raps are accompanied by dramatic elements and special effects that are [[AmbiguousSituation either indicating the current rapper's superiority, or are just for fun]], and this further confuses the issue. The episodes themselves leave the winner up to the viewers, but the YouTube commentators often don't bother.
** Finally averted when ERB allowed viewers to vote on Facebook and on their official site, leading to an official winner, starting with Vader having officially beaten Hitler in their rematch.
* EvilLaugh: Genghis Khan.
* EvilerThanThou: The primary basis of the Hitler vs. Vader match.
* FirstNameUltimatum: [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] gives one of these to MrT.
-->'''Mr. Rogers:''' I'll say this once Laurence, I hope it's understood. Get right back in your van and get the ''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck]]'' outta my neighborhood.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ben Franklin makes several death threats to Billy Mays, promising to "craft a lyrical coffin", telling him to "join or die", and referencing "Death of a Salesman". At first, this just seems like the usual hip-hop trash talk, but then...
* FollowTheLeader: A handful of people have done copycat videos based off the concept, usually low-budget single person productions.
* ForTheEvulz: The reason Hitler gives for ruining the Star Wars prequels.
** Darth only thawed Hitler out for their rematch, and to drop him into the Rancor Pit.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent:
** Most of the battles have the characters doing ridiculous dances and/or poses in the background.
** Stephen Hawking is seen playing AngryBirds.
** Behind the Wright Brothers, you can see biplanes flying, and at one point one crashing into the ground.
* FunWithSubtitles:
** In Kirk Vs Columbus, the word Klingon is written ''in'' [[ShapedLikeItself Klingon]].
** When Luigi's profanity is censored by the sound of collected coins, the subtitles also use the image of coins from the Mario Bros games as a form of censorship.
* GlobalIgnorance: Hulk Hogan apparently thought Beijing was in Korea, not China. Kim Jong-Il does not let that one slide.
-->'''Kim Jong Il''': Beijing is in ''China'', you blond asshole!
* GratuitousFrench: Napoleon Bonaparte breaks into this partway through his rap. Naturally, [[BilingualBonus it translates to]] another TakeThat.
* HamToHamCombat: The entire premise.
* HilariousOuttakes: Behind the scenes, Nicepeter (as Columbus) accidentally smacks Omar Gharaibeh (as Spock) in the face while delivering a neck chop.
* HistoricalInJoke: So many, with them almost [[ShownTheirWork all very well researched]].
* IncrediblyLamePun: While not part of one of the rap battles themselves, Charles Darwin hosts [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzaJRsuvDPQ ERB News]], and spits out two of them.
** As the rap battles continue to ''evolve''...
** Thank you for choosing Youtube.com/ERB. It is, after all, a ''natural selection.''
** There are some cases of puns in the rap battles though.
* JawDrop: In the aftermath of Shakespeare's MotorMouth segment. Even the beat stops.
** Nicepeter's jaw drops when Epic Lloyd stripped out of his leotard.
* JokeCharacter: Even the narrator sighs when he introduces the Easter Bunny.
* JustHereForGodzilla: In-universe, during their Rap battle, Epic Lloyd invokes this as the reason people visit Nice Peter's youtube channel.
--> '''Epic Lloyd''': Nice Peter, who's that? No-one gives two shits! Everyone knows your page is just the place where the Rap Battles live!
* KubrickStare: Dr. Seuss has a frightening one. Given that he never says a word...
* LampshadeHanging: Shakespeare's first verse is in iambic pentameter. This does not go unnoticed.
-->"I hath been iambic on that ass, ye bastard."
* LargeHam: Hitler, Genghis Kahn, Mr. T, Leonidas, and the Mario Brothers.
** They're just the worst. Everyone to appear in these vids is hamming it up.
* LetsGetDangerous: Beethoven after chucking over his piano.
--> '''Beethoven''': I'm committing verbal murder in the major third degree! My name is Beethoven motherfucker, maybe you heard of me!
* MarionetteMaster: Dr. Seuss "raps" through his characters, TheCatInTheHat and Thing 1 & Thing 2.
* MidwordRhyme:
-->'''Mario Bros.''': Like POW!
-->How ya like me now?
-->Spit flames out our mouths like our name was Bow
-->...ser!
* MonochromePast: Hitler's verses are shot in monochrome. Until Vader Force Chokes him into the present, that is.
** Also young Elvis.
* MotorMouth: The [[WilliamShakespeare Bard himself]] pulls this one off at impressive speed, even for typical MotorMouth standards.
* NewsParody: The first battle has a parody news ticker that shows up twice.
* NoIndoorvoice:
** Billy Mays, as usual.
** Luigi.
* NoSwastikas: Adolf Hitler's arm band sports a rock 'n' roll horns shaped symbol.
* PaedoHunt: Courtesy of MrT:
-->'''Mr. T''': So before you come to battle with your PBS crap, how 'bout I call up CPS about them kids on your lap, fool!
* ParodyEpisode: Nicepeter and Daneboe teamed up to give us The Annoying Orange VS M&M in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Solyg7nEX9o Epic Rap Battles Of Kitchenry]].
* PissTakeRap: Done [[StylisticSuck very intentionally]].
* PrecisionFStrike: Almost every single video has at least one well-placed curse word in there somewhere, but [[spoiler:Mister Rogers]] takes the cake.
-->'''Chuck Norris''': '''I AM CHUCK ''FUCKING'' NORRIS!'''
-->'''Lady Gaga''': You are the sum of everything I despise, with the most dysfunctional family since the Jackson fucking Five!
-->'''Beethoven''': My name is Beethoven mother fucker, maybe you've heard of me!
-->'''Kirk''': You spaghetti-eating fuck!
-->'''Nicepeter''': You've got as much music talent as ''Chuck '''Fucking''' Norris!''
-->'''Adolf Hitler''' (in the rematch): Now stand at attention and Sieg fucking Heil!
-->[[spoiler: '''Mr Rogers''': I'll say this once Laurence, I hope it's understood, get right back in you van and get the fuck out of my neighborhood]]
** ClusterFBomb: John Lennon vs. Bill O'Reilly, while maybe not exactly fitting here, is much more frequent in swearing than the other battles.
* RatedMForManly:
** Hitler vs Vader (both battles)
** Lincoln vs Chuck Norris
** Kim Jong-Il vs Hulk and Macho Man
** Leonidas vs Master Chief, so very much!
* RefugeInAudacity: Many of the videos run with this, although the Vader vs. Hitler one is the most blatant about it.
* [[FauxRetro Retraux]]: Aside from the fact that young Elvis is shot in monochrome, both old Elvis and young Michael are shown as if recorded from a VHS around their time. Old Michael even has a special filter on him that makes him appear as in the '90s video clips.
* RunningGag: In the behind the scenes videos, there's a running theme of Lloyd jokingly asking other people if they want to buy some heroin.
** There also seems to be one in the second season's behind the scenes videos of people not recognizing who one of the rappers is supposed to be, such as one man not realizing Lloyd was dressed as Mario.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Subverted in the [=Columbus/Kirk=] battle, where Christopher Columbus seemingly walked out after his opening line.
** Dr. Seuss did a subtle straight version. He got the hell out of dodge before the Cat in the Hat let Thing 1 and Thing 2 free.
** "Later, weirdo, Elvis is leaving the building."
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Quite a few of the matchups are like this:
** Justin Bieber (sensitive) and Beethoven (manly, emphasized by BadassBaritone)
** Easter Bunny (sensitive) and Genghis Khan ([[CaptainObvious manly]])
** Mr. Rogers (sensitive) and Mr. T (manly)
* SequelEscalation: The rematch between Hitler and Vader. Considering this is the first battle of season 2, [[JustifiedTrope this is expected]].
* ShoutOut: Ubiquitous.
* SiblingIncest: Doesn't actually happen, but Mario tells the Wright Brothers to "just get back in [their] biplane and make out with each other".
* SophisticatedAsHell: Shakespeare does this quite a lot.
-->'''Shakespeare''': What light through yonder poser breaks?'
-->'''Shakespeare''': I hath been iambic on that ass, ye bastard.
-->'''Shakespeare''': Ye hoebag!
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: [[AdolfHitler Hitler's]] first name is spelt 'Adolph' on his title card at the beginning, but is spelt in the more conventional way, 'Adolf', in the subtitles where he introduces himself. Both spellings are valid. In the rematch, however, Hitler's title card actually uses the spelling 'Adolf'.
* StealthPun: Several.
** "...ten thousand dollar shoes I use to [[TheBeatles stomp out a beatle.]]"
** "I'll "school" you anywhere - MIT to Oxford"
** "...when you try to put your little p-brane against this kind of mind..."
** "Sorry, Wright Brothers, this time you chose wrong."
** "You might fly like a hawk, but you fight like a kitty."
** "You've been upstaged Bill. Man you just got played" is especially stealthy.
** "I've seen every record you set, man I beat it."
* StupidJetpackHitler: Hitler apparently traveled through time and messed with the StarWars prequels.
* StylisticSuck: ''Everyone'' is basically this, due to the whole premise being a rap BattleRoyaleWithCheese.
* SuperMode:
** In the first Vader/Hitler battle, Vader begins to use TheForce in his second verse to choke Hitler and then freeze him in carbonite.
** Chuck Norris in his second verse, resulting in bursts of fire and AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever.
** The Mario Brothers grow larger in their second verse, complete with the appropriate sound from the game.
* TakeThat: They really like to poke fun at John [=McCain=].
-->'''Lincoln''': I got my face on the side of a mountain; you voted for John [=McCain=]!
-->'''Gaga''': History will regret you like J-J-J-John [=McCain=]!
** Twilight Books. Even Dr. Seuss couldn't tolerate being accused of that.
* TakeUpMySword:
** Hulk Hogan gets shot down via bazooka by Kim Jong-Il, so Macho Man tags in to fight back in place of the injured Hogan.
** After Billy Mays dies mid-battle against Ben Franklin, the [[VinceOffer Shamwow guy]] dramatically emerges to finish the battle.
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Vader, Chuck Norris, Gandalf and Kirk all pull this.
** Mr. T has a variant of this, fool!
* TitleScream
* TimeSkip: In the Elvis Presley VS Michael Jackson fight, both characters go through this. Michael spins into his older, whiter self, and Elvis gets fat from eating too much.
* TranquilFury:
** Master Chief maintains his calm throughout the battle, but you can tell he's pissed off.
** Mister Rogers. He doesn't raise his soft, polite voice even once, but he ''does'' go into CreepyMonotone, calls Mr T "[[FirstNameUltimatum Laurence]]" like a teacher to a naughty child, [[PrecisionFStrike and]] ''[[OutOfCharacter swears]]''.
* TransformationSequence: Young Michael Jackson spins transforming into older Michael Jackson.
* ToiletHumor: Elvis Presley's death on the can is inevitably brought up when he fights Michael Jackson.
* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny: [[InvokedTrope The whole point.]] Just with rap.
* UnfortunateNames: The Wright Brothers, according to the Mario Bros.
-->'''Luigi''': Look at these two; their lives must've been horrible!\\
'''Mario''': Two dorky dudes...\\
'''Luigi''': ...named Wilbur and Orville!
* TheUnintelligible: The announcer gradually becomes this as more videos are released. Each video tries to top the last.
* TheVoiceless: Dr. Seuss lets his art do the talking for him.
* UnusualEuphemism: The Wright Bros have been "playing Donkey Kong" with Princess Peach.
** Master Chief showed Leonidas' wife his "Plasma cannon".
* VisualPun: Billy Mays with his "lightning rod cock".
* WouldHitAGirl: Captain Kirk strikes the Queen multiple times.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Beethoven claims this is why [[TakeThat he can't assault Bieber.]]
* XCalledTheyWantTheirYBack: MrT says this to [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]]:
-->'''MrT''': Hello? It's for you! BillCosby wants his sweater!
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Played with by Shakespeare, featuring such things as "Ye Hoebag".
-->"I'll put a slug between your shoulder blades / Then ask what light through yonder poser breaks."
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Master Chief's rap opens up with this, right after Leonidas kicks him down the well.
** The Wright Brothers spend their first few lines saying this to the Mario Brothers.
* YourMom:
** Vader to Hitler: "So many dudes been with your mom, who even knows if [[LukeIAmYourFather I'm your father]]?"
** Hawking to Einstein: "There are ten million million million million million million million million million particles in the universe that we can observe/ Your mama took the ugly ones and put them into one nerd".
----
->''[[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Who won?]] [[AudienceParticipation Who's next?]] [[CatchPhrase You decide!]]''
->''[[BookEnds [=EPIC! RAP! BATTLESOFHISTORYYYYY!=]]]''
----
[[caption-width-right:347:'''BEGIN!!!''']]
''[[TitleScream EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!]]''
What happens when you take historical figures, popular media personalities, and a handful of fictional characters, and have them pair off and compete against each other...in rap contests?
You get, well, Epic Rap Battles of History. While the "epic" part [[StylisticSuck may be disputed]], otherwise it's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a pair of comedians (Nice Peter and [=EpicLloyd=]) and guest YouTube performers portraying these people rapping off against each other in online videos.
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Season 1:]]
# JohnLennon vs. [[TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]]
# [[StarWars Darth Vader]] vs. AdolfHitler
# AbrahamLincoln vs. ChuckNorris
# SarahPalin vs. LadyGaga
# HulkHogan and RandySavage vs. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-Il]]
# Music/JustinBieber vs. LudwigVanBeethoven
# AlbertEinstein vs. StephenHawking
# GenghisKhan vs. [[EasterBunny The Easter Bunny]]
# NapoleonBonaparte vs. NapoleonDynamite
# BillyMays and VinceOffer vs. BenjaminFranklin
# [[LordoftheRings Gandalf]] vs. [[HarryPotter Dumbledore]]
# DrSeuss vs. WilliamShakespeare
# MrT vs. [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]]
# ChristopherColumbus vs. [[StarTrek Captain Kirk]]
# Nicepeter vs. [=EpicLloyd=]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Season 2:]]
# [[StarWars Darth Vader]] vs. AdolfHitler (rematch)
# [[{{Halo}} Master Chief]] vs. [[ThreeHundred Leonidas]]
# The Wright Brothers vs. [[SuperMarioBros The Mario Brothers]]
# MichaelJackson vs. ElvisPresley
[[/folder]]
You can find the first season on Nice Peter's YouTube channel, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/nicepeter here]], and the second season on its own channel [[http://www.youtube.com/user/ERB?feature=watch here]].
----
!These raps provide examples of:
* AssShove: A couple.
--> '''Napoleon Bonaparte:''' "I'm going to shove your moon boots straight up your poop chute!"
--> '''Columbus''': "I'll stick a flag in your ass and claim you for Spain!"
--> '''Master Chief''': "Cortona says you're Greek, so why don't you stick these lyrics up your ass?"
* ActorAllusion: The Cat in the Hat wears sunglasses identical to Nice Peter's signature look.
** May or may not have been intentional, But the wright bros who launched their first plane in North Carolina are played by RhettAndLink who were both born in said state.
* AnachronismStew; The reason why Beethoven references FaceBook, Columbus references Hulu, Leonidas know of computers and video games, and AdolfHitler knows RickMoranis, among plenty of other things.
* AteHisGun: Mario tried to do so behind the scenes.
* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: Chuck Norris' second verse.
** The Mario Brothers [[DownplayedTrope grow a bit]] in their second verse after eating mushrooms.
* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: Shakespeare's second verse. Turns out he can [[MotorMouth rap]] ''[[MotorMouth really]]'' [[MotorMouth fast]].
* AntiquatedLinguistics: Shakespeare uses this, true to form. See also SophisticatedAsHell below.
* AudienceParticipation: Each showdown is based off a fan suggestion.
* AutoTune: Used for Stephen Hawking's rapping, since it's very difficult to get anything resembling rhythm out of the actual voice synthesizer program.
* BadAss: StephenHawking. Attentive viewers will notice that he's playing AngryBirds ''on the console he uses to speak''.
** AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: You can't get anymore authoritative than these guys.
*** Napoleon, Emperor of France.
*** Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith.
*** Adolf Hitler, Chancellor and Führer of Germany.
*** Genghis Khan, Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
*** Abraham Lincoln, President of USA.
*** Benjamin Franklin, Governor of Pennsylvania.
*** Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska.
*** Kim Jong-il, Leader of North Korea.
*** Leonidas, King of the Spartans.
*** Chuck Norris, who claims to be "everyone's master".
** BadassBaritone: Beethoven, Darth Vader, Christopher Columbus, and Master Chief.
** BadassBeard: Abe Lincoln, Billy Mays, [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready CHUCK NORRIS]], and Wilbur Wright.
** BadassBoast: Nearly everyone invokes this.
** BadassBookworm: Ben Franklin is an educated gentleman. Then there's Einstein and (again) Hawking.
** BadassLongRobe: Gandalf and Dumbledore.
** BadassMustache: Ghengis Khan's Fu Manchu, Albert Einstein, Hitler's toothbrush moustache, the Mario Brothers and Orville Wright.
** BackToBackBadAsses: The [[HulkHogan Mega]] [[RandySavage Powers]].
** HandicappedBadAss: Hawking can play a touchscreen-based game ''without using his hands''.
** HotChickInABadAssSuit: Sarah Palin, who can kill moose barehanded.
** IJustWantToBeBadAss: {{Justin Bieber}}.
** KillerRabbit: What the Easter Bunny tries to be.
* BattleRoyaleWithCheese: Thus far, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler, Darth Vader, Abraham Lincoln, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Mays, Albus Dumbledore, William Shakespeare, Doctor Seuss, Fred Rogers, Christopher Columbus, King Leonidas, the Wright Brothers, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley have come BackFromTheDead to rap.
* BerserkButton:
** Einstein pushes Hawking's when he questions the validity of Hawking's Black Hole Theory.
** Dr.Seuss does ''not'' like being accused of writing the ''Twilight'' series.
** Mr. Rogers goes from mostly-polite teasing to outright ''scary'' when accused of child molestation.
* BigBadassWolf: In the final battle (of season 1), [[spoiler: Kassem G]] uses a magnificent flying one.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed:
** According to Kim Jong-Il, [[TakeThat Hulk Hogan's wife thinks so]].
** Master Chief claims to have showed Leonidas' Queen his ''[[UnusualEuphemism plasma cannon]]''.
* BilingualBonus:
** Napoleon Bonaparte gets one at the beginning of his second line. [[hottip:*:"T'as une tête a faire sauter les plaques d'egouts" = "You've got a face that could blow off a manhole cover"]]
** Also, Christopher Columbus gets "Arrivederci! I'ma leave, before this battle begins."
* BoastfulRap: All of the character raps have hints of this. In addition to dissing and countering opponents, the raps also elaborate on the characters' awesomeness. Ubiquitous in every battle is "I [insert awesome thing], you [insert stupid thing]!"
* ButtMonkey: AdolfHitler. Gets frozen in carbonite, thawed out to battle again, then [[spoiler: dropped in the rancor pit]].
* CallBack: The battle against the creators themselves featured cameos from nearly all the characters they've played as before.
** The rematch with Vader and Hitler begins with Hitler frozen in carbonite, just as he was at the end of their original battle.
* CardCarryingVillain: [[StarWars Darth Vader]] and AdolfHitler, naturally. [[TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]] also, particularly during his second verse.
* TheCastShowoff: Arguably anyone, but special mention goes to [[MotorMouth George Watsky]] as Shakespeare during his fast-rap verse. Jaws are dropping. [[hottip:*:Including those of Seuss and the Cat in the Hat.]]
* CompensatingForSomething: Dumbledore asks Gandalf if his staff is part of this.
* CoolVersusAwesome: AbrahamLincoln versus '''ChuckNorris'''.
** Mr. T vs. ''Mister Rogers''
** [[ThreeHundred King Leonidas]] Vs. ''[[{{Halo}} Master Chief]]''.
* CountryMatters: Subverted in the Vader VS Hitler rematch. Vader is about to make a [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion rhyme with the word "runt"]], but a Stormtrooper comes in and suggests that he uses the word [[PainfulRhyme "nuts"]] instead.
* CreatorCameo: If [=EpicLloyd=] isn't playing one of the rappers, he likes to appear in the background as a character who doesn't speak but is referenced by one of them. Examples include:
** CarlSagan in Einstein vs Hawking.
** John [=McCain=] in Palin Vs Gaga.
** JohannSebastianBach in Bieber vs Beethoven.
** [[Series/TheATeam Hannibal, Murdoch, Face]], and Mr. McFeely in T vs Rogers.
** Things 1 & 2 in Seuss vs Shakespeare (the only one where he speaks thus far, since Seuss is TheVoiceless).
** Pleistarchus (Leonidas' six year old son) in Leonidas Vs Master Chief.
** Jon Na, the director of photography for Columbus Vs Kirk, cameos as Sulu.
** [[WebOriginal/AtTheKassemG Omar Gharaibeh]] as Spock in the same battle, [[HotBalls Ceciley]] as Princess Peach in Wright Brothers vs Mario Brothers, and [[SassyBlackWoman LaChandra]] as Tootie in Elvis vs Michael Jackson.
* CreepyMonotone: MisterRogers.
* CurbStompBattle: Justin Bieber VS. Beethoven. Given Bieber's reputation on Youtube, you can probably imagine how this goes.
** The Easter Bunny vs. Genghis Khan. Poor bunny just wasn't cut out for this sort of contest, surrendering by his second verse.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Hitler's verses until Vader uses the Force to bring him into his own screen. May double as AnachronismStew when you notice that Vader claims that he came before Hitler, and all of his screentime is shot in color.
** [[FridgeBrilliance Actually, Vader did come first, as]] StarWars [[FridgeBrilliance is set a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.]]
** The Wright Brothers are in sepia.
** Elvis's first verse is monochrome, showing his earlier days.
* DesignatedGirlFight: Rap Battle #4 is the only battle, so far, to feature women (although one of the opponents is [[{{Crossdresser}} Nice Peter in drag]]).
** According to his twitter, Nice Peter says that he really wants there to be more raps that include female contestants.
* EarlyBirdCameo: The first season finale gives viewers a glimpse of the SuperMarioBros, [[spoiler:[[HenryVIII King Henry VIII]]]], and [[{{Halo}} Master Chief]]. ERB News also revealed the Wright Brothers.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first rap battle (Lennon vs. O'Reilly) lacks the subtitles that later versions have, not to mention being originally censored (an uncensored version was later uploaded). The announcer also had a different voice for the first few battles.
* EpicFail: Hitler claims that Vader's entire life is one big this. Vader doesn't have any comeback...other than laughing as Hitler steps over the Rancor pit before dropping him in.
* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: It is nearly impossible to come to a consensus over who "wins" each rap battle. Everyone's rap style and lyrics are determined by their popular image, so each side will also sound wildly different and some matchups will feel more equal then others. In addition, the raps are accompanied by dramatic elements and special effects that are [[AmbiguousSituation either indicating the current rapper's superiority, or are just for fun]], and this further confuses the issue. The episodes themselves leave the winner up to the viewers, but the YouTube commentators often don't bother.
** Finally averted when ERB allowed viewers to vote on Facebook and on their official site, leading to an official winner, starting with Vader having officially beaten Hitler in their rematch.
* EvilLaugh: Genghis Khan.
* EvilerThanThou: The primary basis of the Hitler vs. Vader match.
* FirstNameUltimatum: [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] gives one of these to MrT.
-->'''Mr. Rogers:''' I'll say this once Laurence, I hope it's understood. Get right back in your van and get the ''[[PrecisionFStrike fuck]]'' outta my neighborhood.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ben Franklin makes several death threats to Billy Mays, promising to "craft a lyrical coffin", telling him to "join or die", and referencing "Death of a Salesman". At first, this just seems like the usual hip-hop trash talk, but then...
* FollowTheLeader: A handful of people have done copycat videos based off the concept, usually low-budget single person productions.
* ForTheEvulz: The reason Hitler gives for ruining the Star Wars prequels.
** Darth only thawed Hitler out for their rematch, and to drop him into the Rancor Pit.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent:
** Most of the battles have the characters doing ridiculous dances and/or poses in the background.
** Stephen Hawking is seen playing AngryBirds.
** Behind the Wright Brothers, you can see biplanes flying, and at one point one crashing into the ground.
* FunWithSubtitles:
** In Kirk Vs Columbus, the word Klingon is written ''in'' [[ShapedLikeItself Klingon]].
** When Luigi's profanity is censored by the sound of collected coins, the subtitles also use the image of coins from the Mario Bros games as a form of censorship.
* GlobalIgnorance: Hulk Hogan apparently thought Beijing was in Korea, not China. Kim Jong-Il does not let that one slide.
-->'''Kim Jong Il''': Beijing is in ''China'', you blond asshole!
* GratuitousFrench: Napoleon Bonaparte breaks into this partway through his rap. Naturally, [[BilingualBonus it translates to]] another TakeThat.
* HamToHamCombat: The entire premise.
* HilariousOuttakes: Behind the scenes, Nicepeter (as Columbus) accidentally smacks Omar Gharaibeh (as Spock) in the face while delivering a neck chop.
* HistoricalInJoke: So many, with them almost [[ShownTheirWork all very well researched]].
* IncrediblyLamePun: While not part of one of the rap battles themselves, Charles Darwin hosts [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzaJRsuvDPQ ERB News]], and spits out two of them.
** As the rap battles continue to ''evolve''...
** Thank you for choosing Youtube.com/ERB. It is, after all, a ''natural selection.''
** There are some cases of puns in the rap battles though.
* JawDrop: In the aftermath of Shakespeare's MotorMouth segment. Even the beat stops.
** Nicepeter's jaw drops when Epic Lloyd stripped out of his leotard.
* JokeCharacter: Even the narrator sighs when he introduces the Easter Bunny.
* JustHereForGodzilla: In-universe, during their Rap battle, Epic Lloyd invokes this as the reason people visit Nice Peter's youtube channel.
--> '''Epic Lloyd''': Nice Peter, who's that? No-one gives two shits! Everyone knows your page is just the place where the Rap Battles live!
* KubrickStare: Dr. Seuss has a frightening one. Given that he never says a word...
* LampshadeHanging: Shakespeare's first verse is in iambic pentameter. This does not go unnoticed.
-->"I hath been iambic on that ass, ye bastard."
* LargeHam: Hitler, Genghis Kahn, Mr. T, Leonidas, and the Mario Brothers.
** They're just the worst. Everyone to appear in these vids is hamming it up.
* LetsGetDangerous: Beethoven after chucking over his piano.
--> '''Beethoven''': I'm committing verbal murder in the major third degree! My name is Beethoven motherfucker, maybe you heard of me!
* MarionetteMaster: Dr. Seuss "raps" through his characters, TheCatInTheHat and Thing 1 & Thing 2.
* MidwordRhyme:
-->'''Mario Bros.''': Like POW!
-->How ya like me now?
-->Spit flames out our mouths like our name was Bow
-->...ser!
* MonochromePast: Hitler's verses are shot in monochrome. Until Vader Force Chokes him into the present, that is.
** Also young Elvis.
* MotorMouth: The [[WilliamShakespeare Bard himself]] pulls this one off at impressive speed, even for typical MotorMouth standards.
* NewsParody: The first battle has a parody news ticker that shows up twice.
* NoIndoorvoice:
** Billy Mays, as usual.
** Luigi.
* NoSwastikas: Adolf Hitler's arm band sports a rock 'n' roll horns shaped symbol.
* PaedoHunt: Courtesy of MrT:
-->'''Mr. T''': So before you come to battle with your PBS crap, how 'bout I call up CPS about them kids on your lap, fool!
* ParodyEpisode: Nicepeter and Daneboe teamed up to give us The Annoying Orange VS M&M in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Solyg7nEX9o Epic Rap Battles Of Kitchenry]].
* PissTakeRap: Done [[StylisticSuck very intentionally]].
* PrecisionFStrike: Almost every single video has at least one well-placed curse word in there somewhere, but [[spoiler:Mister Rogers]] takes the cake.
-->'''Chuck Norris''': '''I AM CHUCK ''FUCKING'' NORRIS!'''
-->'''Lady Gaga''': You are the sum of everything I despise, with the most dysfunctional family since the Jackson fucking Five!
-->'''Beethoven''': My name is Beethoven mother fucker, maybe you've heard of me!
-->'''Kirk''': You spaghetti-eating fuck!
-->'''Nicepeter''': You've got as much music talent as ''Chuck '''Fucking''' Norris!''
-->'''Adolf Hitler''' (in the rematch): Now stand at attention and Sieg fucking Heil!
-->[[spoiler: '''Mr Rogers''': I'll say this once Laurence, I hope it's understood, get right back in you van and get the fuck out of my neighborhood]]
** ClusterFBomb: John Lennon vs. Bill O'Reilly, while maybe not exactly fitting here, is much more frequent in swearing than the other battles.
* RatedMForManly:
** Hitler vs Vader (both battles)
** Lincoln vs Chuck Norris
** Kim Jong-Il vs Hulk and Macho Man
** Leonidas vs Master Chief, so very much!
* RefugeInAudacity: Many of the videos run with this, although the Vader vs. Hitler one is the most blatant about it.
* [[FauxRetro Retraux]]: Aside from the fact that young Elvis is shot in monochrome, both old Elvis and young Michael are shown as if recorded from a VHS around their time. Old Michael even has a special filter on him that makes him appear as in the '90s video clips.
* RunningGag: In the behind the scenes videos, there's a running theme of Lloyd jokingly asking other people if they want to buy some heroin.
** There also seems to be one in the second season's behind the scenes videos of people not recognizing who one of the rappers is supposed to be, such as one man not realizing Lloyd was dressed as Mario.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Subverted in the [=Columbus/Kirk=] battle, where Christopher Columbus seemingly walked out after his opening line.
** Dr. Seuss did a subtle straight version. He got the hell out of dodge before the Cat in the Hat let Thing 1 and Thing 2 free.
** "Later, weirdo, Elvis is leaving the building."
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Quite a few of the matchups are like this:
** Justin Bieber (sensitive) and Beethoven (manly, emphasized by BadassBaritone)
** Easter Bunny (sensitive) and Genghis Khan ([[CaptainObvious manly]])
** Mr. Rogers (sensitive) and Mr. T (manly)
* SequelEscalation: The rematch between Hitler and Vader. Considering this is the first battle of season 2, [[JustifiedTrope this is expected]].
* ShoutOut: Ubiquitous.
* SiblingIncest: Doesn't actually happen, but Mario tells the Wright Brothers to "just get back in [their] biplane and make out with each other".
* SophisticatedAsHell: Shakespeare does this quite a lot.
-->'''Shakespeare''': What light through yonder poser breaks?'
-->'''Shakespeare''': I hath been iambic on that ass, ye bastard.
-->'''Shakespeare''': Ye hoebag!
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: [[AdolfHitler Hitler's]] first name is spelt 'Adolph' on his title card at the beginning, but is spelt in the more conventional way, 'Adolf', in the subtitles where he introduces himself. Both spellings are valid. In the rematch, however, Hitler's title card actually uses the spelling 'Adolf'.
* StealthPun: Several.
** "...ten thousand dollar shoes I use to [[TheBeatles stomp out a beatle.]]"
** "I'll "school" you anywhere - MIT to Oxford"
** "...when you try to put your little p-brane against this kind of mind..."
** "Sorry, Wright Brothers, this time you chose wrong."
** "You might fly like a hawk, but you fight like a kitty."
** "You've been upstaged Bill. Man you just got played" is especially stealthy.
** "I've seen every record you set, man I beat it."
* StupidJetpackHitler: Hitler apparently traveled through time and messed with the StarWars prequels.
* StylisticSuck: ''Everyone'' is basically this, due to the whole premise being a rap BattleRoyaleWithCheese.
* SuperMode:
** In the first Vader/Hitler battle, Vader begins to use TheForce in his second verse to choke Hitler and then freeze him in carbonite.
** Chuck Norris in his second verse, resulting in bursts of fire and AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever.
** The Mario Brothers grow larger in their second verse, complete with the appropriate sound from the game.
* TakeThat: They really like to poke fun at John [=McCain=].
-->'''Lincoln''': I got my face on the side of a mountain; you voted for John [=McCain=]!
-->'''Gaga''': History will regret you like J-J-J-John [=McCain=]!
** Twilight Books. Even Dr. Seuss couldn't tolerate being accused of that.
* TakeUpMySword:
** Hulk Hogan gets shot down via bazooka by Kim Jong-Il, so Macho Man tags in to fight back in place of the injured Hogan.
** After Billy Mays dies mid-battle against Ben Franklin, the [[VinceOffer Shamwow guy]] dramatically emerges to finish the battle.
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Vader, Chuck Norris, Gandalf and Kirk all pull this.
** Mr. T has a variant of this, fool!
* TitleScream
* TimeSkip: In the Elvis Presley VS Michael Jackson fight, both characters go through this. Michael spins into his older, whiter self, and Elvis gets fat from eating too much.
* TranquilFury:
** Master Chief maintains his calm throughout the battle, but you can tell he's pissed off.
** Mister Rogers. He doesn't raise his soft, polite voice even once, but he ''does'' go into CreepyMonotone, calls Mr T "[[FirstNameUltimatum Laurence]]" like a teacher to a naughty child, [[PrecisionFStrike and]] ''[[OutOfCharacter swears]]''.
* TransformationSequence: Young Michael Jackson spins transforming into older Michael Jackson.
* ToiletHumor: Elvis Presley's death on the can is inevitably brought up when he fights Michael Jackson.
* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny: [[InvokedTrope The whole point.]] Just with rap.
* UnfortunateNames: The Wright Brothers, according to the Mario Bros.
-->'''Luigi''': Look at these two; their lives must've been horrible!\\
'''Mario''': Two dorky dudes...\\
'''Luigi''': ...named Wilbur and Orville!
* TheUnintelligible: The announcer gradually becomes this as more videos are released. Each video tries to top the last.
* TheVoiceless: Dr. Seuss lets his art do the talking for him.
* UnusualEuphemism: The Wright Bros have been "playing Donkey Kong" with Princess Peach.
** Master Chief showed Leonidas' wife his "Plasma cannon".
* VisualPun: Billy Mays with his "lightning rod cock".
* WouldHitAGirl: Captain Kirk strikes the Queen multiple times.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Beethoven claims this is why [[TakeThat he can't assault Bieber.]]
* XCalledTheyWantTheirYBack: MrT says this to [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]]:
-->'''MrT''': Hello? It's for you! BillCosby wants his sweater!
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Played with by Shakespeare, featuring such things as "Ye Hoebag".
-->"I'll put a slug between your shoulder blades / Then ask what light through yonder poser breaks."
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Master Chief's rap opens up with this, right after Leonidas kicks him down the well.
** The Wright Brothers spend their first few lines saying this to the Mario Brothers.
* YourMom:
** Vader to Hitler: "So many dudes been with your mom, who even knows if [[LukeIAmYourFather I'm your father]]?"
** Hawking to Einstein: "There are ten million million million million million million million million million particles in the universe that we can observe/ Your mama took the ugly ones and put them into one nerd".
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->''[[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Who won?]] [[AudienceParticipation Who's next?]] [[CatchPhrase You decide!]]''
->''[[BookEnds [=EPIC! RAP! BATTLESOFHISTORYYYYY!=]]]''
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