Inaugural event to take place at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Initially announced back in January, Eminem’s competitive battle rap league will arrive in all its poison-tongued, shade-throwing glory on July 12.
Total Slaughter is being launched by Eminem, his manager Paul Rosenberg and the four members of the Shady Records crew Slaughterhouse as a national platform for the art of battle rapping.
“I’m a passionate battle fan, so this is something I’ve always thought about doing,” Eminem told Rolling Stone. “I came up battling at the same time I was making records and learning my way around the studio. It’s a little bit different in terms of the kinds of tools you need, but the competitiveness is the same. The times I didn’t win gave me just as much light in the past as when I did. It’s all about your performance.”
His manager added: “What we look at this opportunity as, is a way to do for battle rapping what UFC did for MMA. That’s really the model we’re basing it on. It’s this great thing that a lot of people love, but it’s very splintered, and it’s very niche, and it’s not really brought into the right production levels that it can or should be.”
The inaugural event will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom and feature the likes of Slaughterhouse rapper Joe Budden taking on Hollow Da Don and a rematch between Harlem’s Murda Mook and Loaded Lux, whose 2007 battle is a classic.
Sadly there’s no sign of battle rap veteran Eminem getting in the ring.
“I don’t think at this point it would make any sense. They know everything about him. Everything,” says his manager. “So, he’s kind of an easy target. Plus, let’s be honest, you gotta be in shape for this. This isn’t something that you just go do on a whim. You gotta be in shape, your brain’s gotta be ready for it, you gotta be in that mode. And Marshall hasn’t done stuff like that for a really long time. But let me tell you something, when he was doing it, he was a fuckin’ killer.”
Total Slaughter tickets go on limited pre-sale on May 2, and will be on sale to the public on May 16.
Meanwhile, following the release of The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Eminem is rumoured to be working with his old crew D12 again.
