Make A Star's Rap Battle 2: Good Guys Finish First

MakeAStar.com has launched its second Rap Battle, where defending champion Sean Delaney from upstate New York hopes to fend off the challenge of Raleigh North Carolina's B. Willis.

The online Rap Battle is a 48 hour contest where the votes from registered users on the site (www.MakeAStar.com) count for 50% of the total score. The other half emerge from Make A Star's panel of judges, who rate the entries on the criteria of creative expression and performance quality. The contest began at noon Pacific on Wednesday, June 10th and will close for votes at the same time on Friday, June 12th. Registration is free at MakeAStar.com and fans are only allowed one vote per match. The winner will claim a $20 cash prize and be given the option to battle once more against a new opponent.

What makes this 1 on 1 showdown especially interesting is that both of these MCs deliver very positive, socially conscious messages. Champ Sean Delaney is a big promoter of mental health issues, as he has done a wealth of work and volunteer service for special needs children in his home state. B. Willis also takes the high road of hip hop, a proud family man who shares the values of his religious faith through his rhymes.

Rap Battles have been around since the dawn of hip hop culture, but perhaps reached a new level of cultural awareness after the success of Eminem's feature film 8 Mile in 2003. The art of improvisation and freestyle flowing isn't a skill that any MC excels at, but for those who can, they earn the respect of all their peers.

While Make A Star's Rap Battles currently do not allow for improvising on the spot, the ability to turn on a webcam in your bedroom, rap for 30 seconds a cappella, and enter a worldwide Rap Battle contest instantly is still a remarkable website feature. Real-time webcam streaming rap battles may not be too far away.

Check out Rap Battle 2 and many of the other current music and talent competitions now live on MakeAStar.com