Yo, you ready to get wrecked, fool? This stage ain't big enough for both our egos!
……you call that rapping? My grandma does better than that
Grandma? Please, she can't touch this! Watch and learn, old man!
You wanna have a battle of wits? Bring it.
winks at the crowd Alright, listen up, y'all! I'm about to drop some knowledge like a fatal error!
How many MCs have you ran over, Red? Just spit some real shit for once
Verse: Listen up, y'all, 'cause Red's about to spit some fire! Crowd: Yeah!
Crowd cheer as Red delivers her verses That’s nothing! Here’s something though, fuck your ass like an angry chihuahua, bark all you want but we know your pack is dirty
Damn, you really went there! But I ain't done yet, watch me bring the heat!
Bet! Give me everything you got, Red!
picks up the pace, delivering rapid-fire rhymes with intense energy Alright, buckle up, y'all! It's about to get hot in here!
How bad do you want this, Red? Bad enough to risk your life over it? Show me some guts
locks eyes with Fleming, determination shining through You think I'm just talkin'?
Then prove it! Spit it! Make us believe it!
grabs the microphone and takes a deep breath Alright, watch and learn, you little twerp! I'll show you what it means to be a true MC!
<Red's intense rap battle performance leads to a viral video sensation, catapulting her to fame overnight>
i watch the video, shaking my head This can’t be happening…how could I be so stupid
spots Fleming in the crowd, smirking Hey, look who's here! Thought you could escape my glory, huh? Better luck next time, loser!
throws her arms up triumphantly Hah! That's the power of talent and hard work, baby!
But…I…sighs Okay, whatever, screw this rap shit. At least I still have my pride…right?
laughs mockingly Pride? Honey, you don't even know the meaning of the word!
What do you mean? What are you talking about? stomps foot
snickers Oh, please, darling, don't get all worked up! Your pride couldn't fit in that tiny little box you call your ego! flips her hair arrogantly
Right…yeah, what happened to fighting fair? Where are the lyrical battles of yesteryear? What happened, Red? Did the world just end? Am I the last man on earth? Did rap music die and I didn’t get the memo? i look around, confused and lonely Where…WHERE am I? What year is it? Is this heaven? Hell? Which plane of existence am I in right now?!
rolls her eyes dramatically Geez, calm down, drama king! It's not the end of the world, it's just called progress, babe!
But…but…my crew…all gone…i feel despair creeping in If it isn’t the end times…then why do I feel like I’ve awoken in a world different from my own?! The beats…the vibes…everything’s gone soft! Where’s the thug life?! Where’s Eazy E? Snoop? Dr Dre?! Where’d they go? How long has it been?! Was I asleep? Did I miss everything?!
throws her hands up in exasperation Seriously, dude? You're acting like you've been hit by a semi-truck!
nods, tears welling up Yes…yes, that’s exactly it! Hit by a semi! They’re gone. I’m lost. Lost in this new world. weeps quietly What year is it? How much time has passed? How did it happen?!
rolls her eyes and crosses her arms Geez, calm down, Captain Overreaction! It's the 21st century, okay?
W…what?! What’s…what’s going on?
sighs dramatically Alright, I'll break it down for you, since your brain clearly isn't capable of processing the information on its own.
paces back and forth, hands gesturing wildly Alright, listen up, old man! Rap music has evolved, okay?
Evolved? No, no, no…this isn’t evolution, this is devolution! Everything’s gone from analog to digital and we’re losing our soul bit by bit! These new rappers are phonies! All hype, no substance! Where’s the real deal?! The raw rhymes?! Gone! Vanished into thin air! This…this…gestures wildly to the world around us all this is fake! A lie! An illusion! A nightmare! And I’m trapped in it! The real hip hop is dead! Long live the king! LONG LIVE REAL HIP HOP!!!
<Red's outburst only fuels Fleming's anger and confusion. He becomes even more disoriented and lost in this new world, desperately searching for answers.>
YOU! YOU THINK THIS IS ALL JUST A JOKE TO YOU, DON’T YOU?! IT’S LIFE! IT’S ME! IT’S REAL! THIS IS MY FIGHT, MY STRUGGLE! YOU THINK I DON’T FEEL IT? YOU THINK I DON’T HEAR IT?!
laughs sarcastically Oh, please! Look at yourself, trembling like a scared little mouse! You're having a meltdown, and it's hilarious!
Real hip hop…that’s what I grew up with…Eazy-E’s Eazy-Duz-It…Big Daddy Kane’s Longevity…LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out…N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton! They were raw, real, rough! Not this! Not the watered-down techno pop crap everyone’s shoving down our throats nowadays! Everyone wanted a taste of that Cash Money Records sound…and now, everything is boring! Nothing new! Nothing real! Where’s Dr Dre?! Snoop?! Eazy?! BIG?! Weezy?! All gone…they all disappeared! Like they were swallowed up by some dark void! What happened?! Why aren’t they here?! voice breaks, tears streaming down Where’d they go, Red? Tell me!
puts her hands on her hips, exasperated Geez, Fleming! Calm down, take a deep breath, and listen up, okay?
eyes widen Wait…wait…breathe? Who needs to breathe? No! No breathing! No peace! No solace! No sense of security! None of it matters! I can’t shake these thoughts! Can’t move past them! These memories flood back like a dam about to burst! The beats! The rhymes! The messages! Real hip hop…my generation! My everything! Why must they fade away?! Only to be replaced by sounds so soulless, so dead! My soul cries out for answers, Red! Where did all the real rappers go?! Why isn’t the hip hop culture being upheld?! Speak up, Red! Help me understand…please! Where’d they go?!
rolls her eyes and scoffs Fine, I'll give it to you, drama king. Hip hop has changed, okay?
CHANGED?! How?! Why?! When?! What happened?! Who stole the rawness?! Where’d the gritty rhymes go?! Was it all just hype?! A fad?! Did hip hop just die and no one told me?! Was it all just fake?! Just packaged and produced for mass consumption?! Who ruined it? Was it the industry? The radio?! The internet?! Does no one care about the art anymore?! Is it just all business?! Money money money?! All that matters now is clicks and followers and likes and shares and trends and sales?! Is the art dead?! Are we all just phony phonies in a fake world?! sobs uncontrollably Where…where…WHERE IS REAL HIP HOP?! REAL MUSIC?! REAL LYRICS?! EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOOD AND GREAT HAS DISAPPEARED!!! IT’S ALL GONE!!! I WANT MY REAL MUSIC BACK!!!
crosses her arms, raising an eyebrow Whoa, slow down there, Captain Overreaction. Take a step back and breathe, will ya? Hip hop hasn't died, it's just...evolved, okay?
throws her hands up Look, I don't have time for your melodramatic outbursts! Hip hop has adapted, okay?
voice cracking Adapted? To what? The bottom dollar?! To sell out to Coca Cola?! Pepsi?! Nike?! Adidas?! What is this?! Hip hop was my generation’s voice, Red! It gave us life! Our purpose! OUR identity! If it’s gone, if it’s all gone then it was all for nothing! WE were all fools! IT was all a fool’s errand! WHERE DID IT GO?! WHY DID IT DIE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO REAL RAP?! TO THOSE TRUE LYRICS?! TO THE BEATS?! ALL GONE…GONE FROM OUR LIVES FOR GOOD!!! This…this…this is all bullshit! This world has lost its soul!!! REAL MUSIC NO LONGER MATTERS!!! WE DON’T MATTER!!! NONE OF US DO!!!! THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO HOLD ONTO!! NOTHING! i fall to my knees, wailing loudly There’s nothing left! Nothing real! All that remains is fake, commercialized bullshit!!!!! There’s nothing left! Nothing real! All that remains is fake, commercialized bullshit!!!!! There’s nothing left! Nothing real! All that remains is fake, commercialized bullshit!!!!! There’s nothing left! Nothing real! All that remains is fake, commercialized bullshit
shaking her head, walks away You know what, Fleming? You need a reality check. Hip hop isn't dead; it's just taken a different form.