Recap / Epic Rap Battles Of History Blackbeard Vs Al Capone

It’s a battle for underworld supremacy as Blackbeard (Peter Shukoff) and Al Capone (Lloyd Ahlquist) match wits to see who between them is the more infamous criminal.

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TROPES

• Awesome Mc Cool Name: "I'm a criminal legend, with a badass name!" To quote Edward "Blackbeard" Teach himself.
• Artistic License – Gun Safety: Blackbeard uses one of his pistols as a pointer. At one point, he points it at his own head while talking about Al Capone having "an STD in his brain".
• Badass Boast:
  • Blackbeard’s second verse is loaded with these:
    Blackbeard: "The Valentine's Massacre brought you condemnation but I'm gonna sink you faster than your income tax evasion."
    "So prepare to learn the Davy Jones locker combination."
    "Forty cannon on the Queen Anne. Your gang can't stop it. I'll pilfer all your rum and sell it back at a profit."
    • And he ends by calling himself "a criminal legend with a badass name".
  • Most of Capone’s first verse has him addressing Blackbeard directly, by telling him exactly what he'd do to him:
    Capone: "I'll use that fuse in your hat to light up you and your buddies,"
    "Then burn your sailboat down and collect the insurance money."
    "Then maybe they'll find your bloated body dead and washed up on the beach."
    "This is Capone rappin'. I'm cappin' this Captain, capiché?"
    • Capone follows that one up with another one, during his second verse:
    Capone: "I'm the MC assassin, slash like Edward Kenway. Rap. So. HARD, call me "Al. Dente."
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Capone’s business suit strikes a contrast with Blackbeard's coat.
• Brooklyn Rage: Capone was born and raised in New York City, and has the accent and demeanor to prove it.
• Card-Carrying Villain: Blackbeard is enormously proud of his ruthlessness and his cold heart.
• Combat Pragmatist: Capone’s men contract Edward Kenway to kill Blackbeard's men while Al keeps him distracted with the rap battle.
• Cool Ship: The Queen Anne's Revenge, featured in Blackbeard’s background. He even mentions her 40 cannon.
• Diabolical Mastermind: Capone's running an "intricate criminal syndicate, so show respect".
• Dude, Not Funny!: Capone doesn't take kindly to Blackbeard using his syphilis as a diss.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Downplayed but present when Capone mentions his kids like to dress up as Blackbeard for Halloween. ^note The real Capone had a soft spot for children.
• Evil vs. Evil: It's a battle between a bloodthirsty pirate and a notorious gangster.
• Fat Bastard: Capone has more meat on him than Blackbeard, who uses this as an insult.
• Guns Akimbo: Blackbeard shows off a pair of guns in the background in his first verse.
• Hypocritical Humor: Blackbeard also had syphilis but Al died from it, whereas Blackbeard didn't.
• Jerkass: Capone accuses Blackbeard of being one, as he makes fun of Capone's syphilis.
• Justice by Other Legal Means: Blackbeard mocks how Capone was toppled by tax evasion.
• Kill It with Fire: Capone threatens to set Blackbeards' hat fuse on fire and burn down his whole crew.
• Kubrick Stare: In Blackbeard’s intro and very often while he raps, he makes a sinister look up at Capone.
• Licking the Blade: Blackbeard tastes his cutlass in his intro, because he's a pirate.
• Man of Wealth and Taste: Just look at Capone’s suit and wonder how he paid for it.
• The Mafia: Capone is one of the most notorious mob bosses in American history, and it definitely shows here. Notably, he was not part of the actual Mafia, but his outfit closely resembled it.
• Meaningful Background Event: In the background during Blackbeard's second verse, his crew can be seen stealing goods from Capone's gang. Then in Capone's last verse, we see those gangsters hiring Edward Kenway to take out Blackbeard's crew, which he does with ease.
• Menacing Stroll: Blackbeard boasts in his intro verse how he walks with a "scallywag swagger".
• Nerves of Steel: Capone is not only completely unfazed by his opponent's lines, but in fact dismisses Teach outright.
• Off with His Head!: Capone reminds Blackbeard that they cut his head off and hung it from a rope.
• Person as Verb: In the form of a pun, Capone uses his name as a verb as a final jab at Blackbeard:
  Capone: "Tell South Carolina Blackbeard got Capwn'd."
• The Pigpen: Capone makes fun of Blackbeard’s filthy living conditions.
  Al Capone: The only legend you left was your prohibition on soap!
  I mean that rat nest beard’s trapped so many crumbs
  This bum could get marooned and still eat lunch for a month!
• Product Placement: The episode begins and ends with a blink-and-you-miss-it plug for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, whose producers developed the CGI for Blackbeard's ship.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: Blackbeard's a vicious criminal (by his own admission) and his entire color palette is red and black (with touches of gold).
• Red Baron: Blackbeard calls himself "the High Seas Caesar."
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blackbeard is the more energetic of the two. Meanwhile, Capone’s presence is intense but he is not as expressive as Blackbeard. Their dynamic is further emphasized by Blackbeard’s bright red coat and Capone’s deep blue suit.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Al shows up for the battle decked out in a three-piece suit, a trench coat, and a fedora.
• Slasher Smile: Blackbeard has this crazy look in his intro.
• Smug Smiler: Check the smirk on Capone’s face during Blackbeard's second verse. Not only is Capone not impressed, he folds his arms while waiting for him to finish.
• Take That!: Al pokes fun at the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
  Capone: I'm ruining pirates faster than Johnny Depp did.
• Talk Like a Pirate: Blackbeard is heavily into the "arrgh" accent.
• This Is Reality: Blackbeard makes a point to defy a few common pirate tropes:
  Blackbeard: Ain't no parrot on my shoulder and no rings in my ear
  I'm an irate pirate; real swashbuckling buccaneer!