A unique new show rising on the music scene, “Whose Rhyme is it Anyway?” will bring three rappers to campus on Saturday for a night of rap battles and freestyling.
“Whose Rhyme is it Anyway?” consists of three rappers — Playdough, Manchild and Heath McNease — who display their hip-hop skills by engaging in freestyle rap battles.
The show encourages audience participation by selecting people from the crowd and allowing them to come on stage to participate in activities with the artists.
Tickets for this event are free for students with ID and will be available in advance as well as at the door.
John Kubinsky, chair of the Union Activities Board Entertainment Committee and a senior in criminology, said the show will be a unique experience.
“This event gives students a feeling that they are involved, and I think that is key in what makes this event stand out from others,” Kubinsky said.
Student Government, the UAB, WKNC Radio and Lucas Gambit Entertainment, a local entertainment company, are sponsoring the event.
After the show, the party will continue at Ruckus Pizza and Bar in the Mission Valley Shopping Center, where McNease will perform free of charge.
John Jenkins, a freshman in First Year College, said he is glad to see this form of entertainment come to campus.
“It’s a good opportunity to see something new and exciting around campus this year,” Jenkins said.
Playdough, a two-time champion of the event, has released two full-length solo albums with international distribution through EMI and Sony.
“I’ve been touring and traveling the world doing hip-hop music since 2001. I live in Dallas, Texas, where I am the freestyle battle rap champion of the city,” Playdough said.
According to Playdough, he has also won the Skribble Jam TX battle, is a five-time winner on 97.9 The Beat’s Freestyle Fridays and was asked to participate in the invitation-only Red Bull Emcee contest.
Playdough said he has been freestyling for roughly 13 years but has only been serious about it for the last five. He said the idea for the show stemmed from previous shows and his work freestyling with the other two artists.
“We would talk about ideas and things that would make our freestyles more fun and challenging amongst each other. It eventually evolved into the idea of doing it in front of people and implementing some classic improv exercises into the mix,” Playdough said. “Once we realized how entertaining a whole show based around that concept would be, we decided to officially go for it.”
This year, Playdough said he plans to continue pursuing music through different avenues, other than just “Whose Rhyme.”
“This year I put out my Bible Bus mixtape and have traveled from the east to west coasts doing shows to support it,” Playdough said. “I’m trying to stay in the studio when I’m not on the road to finish up my next solo full-length called Hotdoggin, with plans of releasing it in the spring of 2011. In the meantime, I’m wrapping up another mixtape called Writer Dye that I’ll be putting out at the end of this month.”
“Whose Rhyme is it Anyway?” begins Saturday at 7 p.m. in Witherspoon Student Center. `
