Late night shows are getting huge amounts of traffic on YouTube and James Corden’s show is one of the frontrunners in that category. One of the most entertaining segments on his show “The Late Late Show with James Corden” is “Drop The Mic” which involved James going against one or more special guests in a rap battle. Various celebrities have graced the stage against James including Anne Hathaway, David Schwimmer, Kevin Hart, Dave Franco and Usain Bolt.
It has become so popular that it’s actually being made into a fully-fledged show of its own. To add more credibility to the show is emcee extraordinaire, actor and Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man. Meth’s co-host will be Hailey Baldwin and the show is scheduled to start airing on the 2nd of May 2017 on TBS.
The show is most likely going to gain a lot of popularity due to its format. Reggie Watts provides a beatbox while the guests attack each other verbally and at the end of it the audience decides who the winner is by applause. This is definitely a more engaging and audience-friendly approach than the currently popular format of battle rap where the battles are completely acapella and generally not judged. The beatbox is a great idea because it adds a layer of dynamism to the overall performance since the beatboxer can switch it up based on the performance of the rappers. The stand-alone version will feature 4 guests per show will battle and only one will be declared the winner.
Personally I think it’s a great idea. It will allow more people to enjoy light-hearted battle rap in an easy-to-consume format. It will also feature people who are more popular than most battle rappers hence an extra reason to watch. It will definitely not become a competitor with the likes of King of the Dot, Ultimate Rap League, Udubb Network, Queen of the Ring or Don’t Flop but it will provide a much-needed and more diluted alternative. Not everyone can stand to listen to two men talk about how big their guns are or what violent acts they’ll perform on one another so this is indeed a welcome thing.
Meth seems to be getting a number of TV projects seeing as he’s also a character on the VH1 series The Breaks which also features other notable artists T.I. and Teyana Taylor. Meth will also be a part of Snoop Dogg’s “Mount Kushmore Wellness Retreat Tour” which will also feature Wiz Khalifa, Lil Uzi Vert and Cypress Hill to mention a few.
