IPA Beat Battle
The IPA Beat Battle is a producers competition for all styles and machines. We began the beat battle in 2002 to give up and coming producers a chance to showcase their talent and give them the credibility they deserve.
The battle is presented as part of the Words! Hip Hop & Poetry Showcase & Open Mic on the third Saturday* of every month at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. This is a legendary hip hop poetry club in New York City's East Village. It is known as the home for Poetry Slam in New York, as well as the hip hop and poetry open mic and showcase events Words and All That!
*Note: As of September 2007, the date of the battle has changed from the first Sunday to the third Saturday of every month.The event consists of three parts: an equipment demonstration, a showcase, the competition, and a guest performance. Each month we choose four producers to compete in the battle. Competitors bring their own equipment whether it be a MPC, Ensonic keyboard, laptop computer, or Playstation using Music Generator. The competition is set up as a two round tournament where producers compete head to head. The winner is chosen by the audience's response, with the winner moving on to the next round. The tournament champion receives a spot in the Grand Championship.
For all possible competitors: The following is a checklist of things you should have for the battle.
- Beat Machine (MPC, Laptop, Keyboard, Playstation, etc.) - Bring the machine you used to make the beats or a laptop to play your music from.
- Wires - You will need two 1/4" mono cables. If you have RCA cables, you can puchase adapters that will work with our board from most music and electronic stores. We have only 2 sets of RCA inputs on our board, so be prepared. Also, don't forget any power plugs, because we do not have any replacement cords.
- Power Strip - If you only have one device to plug in, then you probably won't need to bring one. However, if you have more than two (ie an MPC/keyboard/mixer setup), you should bring a power strip to ensure that all you devices can be plugged in.
- Beats - The event is multiple rounds, and occasionally, the crowd vote is too close to call, so competitors play a second beat to help determine the winner. So you should bring at least 6 beats to the battle (more if you have).
- Back-Up Disk/CD - In any situation dealing with electronic equipment, stuff can go wrong. Equipment can break down, disks can get errors, your friend who was supposed to loan you his ZIP drive doesn't show, etc. So prepare yourself in case of an emergency.
If you would like to compete in an upcoming battle, just fill out the form below.
Beat Battle Sign-Up Form
Past Monthly Winners
and
Grand Champions
| BATTLE | WINNER |
| August 2007 | Piffery Goodz |
| July 2007 | Marca De Beatz |
| June 2007 | Newo da Kid |
| May 2007 | Optiks |
| April 2007 | DJ PMC |
| March 2007 | Mr. J-Patt |
| February 2007 | No battle |
| January 2007 | Pottz |
| December 2006 | No battle |
| November 2006 | Manifest |
| October 2006 | Mr.BurnEmUp |
| September 2006 | Talent |
| August 2006 | The Italian Job |
| July 2006 | MentPlus |
| June 2006 | Moezarht |
| May 2006 | Omega One |
| April 2006 | Diverse |
| March 2006 | Bad Sport |
| February 2006 | Black Friday |
| January 2006 | Captin Planit |
| December 2005 | the Main Ingredient |
| November 2005 | Brasby of Disco Lobos |
| October 2005 | Dan Curtin |
| Grand Championship III | FredOnes |
| July 2005 | Moezarht |
| June 2005 | Ant B |
| May 2005 | Captin Planit |
| April 2005 | FredOnes |
| March 2005 | Exel |
| February 2005 | Skillz |
| January 2005 | No battle |
| December 2004 | Etch-A-Sketch |
| November 2004 | Philly Ant |
| October 2004 | J. Johnson |
| September 2004 | Taline |
| August 2004 | Chops |
| July 2004 | no battle |
| June 2004 | Hasan Insane |
| May 2004 | Mills |
| April 2004 | Phoenix Rizin & D-Silva |
| March 2004 | P.O.W. |
| February 2004 | M.O.D. |
| January 2004 | Hasan Salaam |
| December 2003 | no battle |
| Grand Championship II | Rugged N Raw |
| November 2003 | Stoni |
| October 2003 | Phoenix Rizin & D-Silva |
| September 2003 | Rugged N Raw |
| August 2003 | Impaq |
| July 2003 | Steel |
| June 2003 | Element |
| May 2003 | Chops |
| April 2003 | Maxwell Smart |
| Grand Championship I | DJ Static |
| March 2003 | Asa Buchanon |
| February 2003 | Mills |
| January 2003 | Rugged N Raw |
| December 2002 | Tru Pro |
| November 2002 | Hasan Insane |
| October 2002 | Rocky Horror |
| September 2002 | Beat Bandits |
| August 2002 | DJ Static |
