New York City, the known sire of hip-hop, birthed another groundbreaking sibling in 2001: the MC Challenge. Drawing from a small open-mic session held at of LES landmark restaurant Baby Jupiter, the MC Challenge intended to pay homage to hip-hop’s legacy while breeding its next generation of firespitters. Determined to emerge from the back rooms, the founders fittingly branded the verbal tête-à-têtes End of the Weak. More sophisticated than mere freestyle battles, EOW sessions evaluated written work, beat juggling, and cipher skills and judged the MCs on multiple criteria: lyrics, creativity, stage presence, delivery and crowd response. After a string of competitions, an All-Star MC Challenge, featuring Run-D.M.C’s final group performance, followed. To punctuate the series, New York’s legendary B.B. King Club hosted the MC Challenge of Champions, in association with Lyricist Lounge and alongside longstanding hip-hop headliners Brand Nubian.
Spanning 2002 and 2003, the MC Challenge found life abroad, seeding chapters throughout Europe and finally galvanizing in Paris. After a successful year in Paris, the inaugural EOW International MC Challenge took place in Spain, matching up European winners. The frenzy culminated in a truly international MC Challenge Tour, including top lyricists from Spain, France, the United Kingdom and New York City. Since its inception, the tour has stopped in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, London and five locations in Spain. Additional chapters continue to sprout in Europe.
As with all great entrepreneurs, the EOW founders aren’t resting on their laurels. Noting the rabid fanfare across Europe, as of 2007 they’ve brought their tour to the next logical destination: Latin America. Touching down in Porto Alegre, Brazil, EOW has now breached the Southern Hemisphere. Slated next are progenitive Challenges in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, with an eventual crowning of a Brazilian champion. South American rappers and fans, thirsting for proprietary recognition, have supported the tour in droves.
This fan support has inspired EOW to expand its infrastructure throughout Brazil. To that end, EOW is looking for corporate sponsors who share the same vision: infusing good, organic music into the native population. Their aim is to create a destination and a constructive activity for the inspired but underexposed. To sprinkle competitions throughout the entirety of Brazil, and then to book global acts to headline the national finale, will take significant resources. That said, the cost of such events is a pittance relative to the expenditures outlaid for similar U.S. shows. And the ardent, hungry fans ensure a stable and ever-growing audience for what EOW projects as an annual affair. Ultimately, their fervor reinforces hope for the state of global hip-hop, and proves that no place, no matter how remote, is beyond the reach of the End of the Weak. With proper corporate support, EOW plans to see that statement to its fruition and beyond.
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