In addition to the main releases, there are two spin-off projects:

Resonance battles

In April 2015, the battle Oxxxymiron vs Johnyboy received one million views and entered the history of world hip-hop as the most viewed battle in a day. On March 21, 2016, this record was broken by the battle of video bloggers Yuri Khovansky and Dmitry Larin, which received more than two and a half million views in one day. In June 2016, Oxxxymiron’s battle against him overtook the most popular rap battle in the US at Summer Madness 2 between Loaded Lux ​​and Calicoe in terms of views. In April 2017, a BPM battle between video bloggers Eldar Dzharakhov and Dmitry Larin received 7.7 million views within 24 hours of its release. On August 14 of the same year, a rap battle between Oksimiron and Gnoyny was released, which broke this record, gaining more than 9.1 million views in the first 24 hours after publication.

Battle scheme

A traditional battle takes place without microphones or an accompanying beat. Before the battle itself, each of the participants is filmed separately, where they introduce themselves, talk about themselves, their future opponent and their personal opinion about him. Participants have prepared a text for three rounds in advance, which they read in turn, standing face to face with their opponent. After this, three (sometimes five) judges give their votes to one or another participant. In the first season, after the host announced the victory of one or another participant, the judges gave mini-interviews one after another, where they explained the reason for their choice, and the participants talked about their impressions of the battle.

Battles of the Main Event format (open event) involve participants performing against each other on stage or in the open air with a microphone, and the winner is determined by the vote of the audience.

In BPM battles, the participants in the competition know the musical beat in advance and use a microphone. Performances consist of three or two rounds and take place without a judge's decision.

Scandals and incidents

Pasha Technique's performance at the Main Event

Member of the Kunteynir group Pasha Technik On April 11, 2014, at the Main Event in Moscow at the Volta club, in a battle against Brol, he came on stage with a mug of beer and poured it onto the first rows of spectators. At the beginning of the first round, Pasha took off his pants, shouting insults at the audience. Throughout his performance, he threw various objects at the audience, including: bath salts, a banana, a dildo, about six CDs with his album and several bottles of water. As he himself said, he did not prepare for the performance, and showed the audience pure freestyle.

Fights on Versus: Offseason

On September 9, 2014, several fights occurred during the filming of Versus: Offseason. Yuri Khovansky, who repeatedly spoke poorly of the work of Noize MC, was punched in the face by the latter several times.

A former member of the Sins of the Fathers group Galat was beaten by St. Petersburg rapper D.Masta. The conflict lasted a year and a half, when D.masta “gave bream” to all members of the “Sins of the Fathers” group for making unflattering statements about him. During the battle, D.Masta interrupted and prevented his opponent from battling. At the end of the battle, D.Masta hit Galat for quoting:

End of Season II of Versus Battle

In the last battle of the season, Artyom Tatishchevsky and TrikoPuchon were supposed to fight, but the latter did not show up for the event and received an automatic defeat - 3:0.

Censorship

In the battle "Versus X #SlovoSPB - Ernesto Shut Up X Purulent", published on July 27, 2016, digital censorship appeared for the first time. Moments of mention of the former head of Chechnya Akhmat Kadyrov, Patriarch Kirill and “non-existent Ukrainians” were covered with interference.

Today, only people who completely ignore the fact of the existence of YouTube do not know what a version battle is. Everyone else has at least heard about this phenomenon, and many have watched the episodes, the most popular of which receive tens of millions of views.

How to become famous on the Internet?

In the 21st century, thanks to the development of the network, you can become popular in a few days:

• Many heroes of viral videos have this “unwanted popularity”;
• Many modern stars are trying to “promote” themselves in in social networks;
• For some, gaining popularity becomes an end in itself and the result of painstaking work;
• The Internet has become another “springboard into people” for the talented and ambitious.

The main desire is already clear - it’s easy to monetize your recognition and turn it into very real profit. Enough:

1. Gather your audience;
2. Get people interested in quality materials;
3. Steadily release new content over a period of time;
4. Intrigue your viewers or readers.

And if at first you have to work independently for your popularity, then everything will follow the “snow globe” principle. Although, by relaxing and resting on your laurels, you can lose the lion’s share of your audience at the expense of those who have not yet achieved significant success, but are no longer averse to “biting off a piece of someone else’s pie.”

What does versus mean?

Latin and English language completely agree, versus - opposition. Theoretically, it could imply a confrontation between anyone or anything. If you remember your childhood and the game Mortal Combat, before each fight between the characters there was a “vs.” - short for versus.

But in this case we are not talking about old games:

• Versus is a St. Petersburg project designed to popularize rap culture;
• Author and permanent presenter - Restaurateur;
• Within each episode there is a confrontation (battle) between two rappers;
• Each person is given 3 rounds and complete freedom of speech;
• At the end of the episode, a jury of 3 or 5 judges renders its verdict;
  Each member of the panel of judges casts his vote for the one he considers the winner, motivating his action;
• No financial rewards, only respect and popularity.

Over the entire existence of the site, the number of videos on the channel has exceeded one and a half hundred, but really popular videos - less than 10.

However, it is difficult to say that the audience was not interested in the remaining battles - from 500 thousand to 3 million views, on average.

Viewers give their preference to episodes in which they take part:

1. Oxxxymiron;
2. Rickey F;
3. XXOS;
4. Larin and .

How to get to the Versus Battle as a spectator?

During the first releases, one strange moment caught my eye - the venue was half empty, no crowd. With the growing popularity of the channel, the situation changed; during each new version the bar is packed to capacity, but in connection with this they opened new problems:

• The 17/03 bar itself is not designed for a large number of spectators;
• A certain number of “tickets” go to participants and organizers to invite their friends and support;
• There is no particular desire to let strangers into the “celebration of life” after tour events.

So it turns out that ordering tickets online or buying them on the spot is unrealistic. If you know someone or someone knows you, no problem, they will guide you through. And the financial component will not help much in this matter. Theoretically, anyone can write to the project participants, but everything depends on charisma and amenability.

During the filming of Versus FreshBlood, everything is somewhat simpler - the project participants have not yet “caught their star,” so they are more active in making contact and it is not so difficult to become an invited guest who will support one of the speakers.

The popularity of the project helped revive the careers of many already forgotten performers and even gave popularity to newcomers:

1. RickeyF- remembered for the immoral battles in the second season of FB;
2. Alphabet- winner of the first season, a native of Kazakhstan and owner of an outstanding fastflow;
3. XXOS- the winner of the second season, drinking away the prize fund and acquired popularity;
4. Oxxxymiron- one of the strongest representatives of the entire site;
5. - a performer who “lit up” in 2016, a destroyer of spiritual bonds.

What is Versus BPM (BPM)?

For a better understanding, abbreviations should always be spelled out:

1. B- beats;
2. P- per;
3. M- minute.

Parameter beatsperminute indicates the speed of music playback - the number of quaternary notes sounded in 1 minute. Most performers use the range from 30 to 240 bpm, but for battles I liked the number 140:

• High speed;
• The ability to set your own aggressive style;
• Not so fast that you can no longer make out the words;
• Looks impressive from the outside.

Among domestic performers there are many for whom such speed is an insurmountable barrier. And for just a few, this bit will be too slow.

For a long time, the “Versus battle” platform ignored this format, refusing beats, but since the fall of 2016, the approach to the situation has changed:

• It has become simply impossible to deny the popularity of 140 BPM;
• Other venues were getting deserved attention for the new format;
• Many famous rappers expressed their desire to hold a battle to the beats.

The result was more energetic and less drawn out rounds with good music. A plus for the audience and a good bonus for the organizers in the form of audience growth.

Popularity of the version on Youtube

Versus is a successful project on YouTube, designed to popularize rap culture:

1. The most popular releases were with Oxxxymiron, Slava CPSU, Rickey F, Khovansky and Larin;
2. In each confrontation, performers have three rounds to express what they think about their opponent;
3. The number of views on the most popular battles is already measured in tens of millions;
4. It is almost impossible to go to the shooting of the issue without having any acquaintances;
5. New formats appear too rarely, and advertising only becomes more numerous.

The project definitely has a future. At least due to the number of subscribers and regular viewers that they have already attracted. But the quality of the content is steadily falling, new interesting performers are not appearing, and the greed of the organizers is only growing. And maintaining the interest of the audience is not so easy.

Yes, it was funny when grown-up guys or yesterday’s schoolchildren stood opposite each other and hurled their last words at their opponents. But it's interesting to watch once, maybe twice. Yes, even a dozen. But not from year to year.

Even people who are not interested in rap culture already know what a Versus Battle is due to its incredible popularity. I wonder how long she will last.

Video: how do rap fights go?

“Versus” is the largest rap battle in Russia; it is a prototype of an American show on the Internet, during which participants take part in reading prepared excerpts of texts in the style of rap and hip-hop, standing opposite their opponent. In Russia, more than 1 million 33 thousand people subscribed to the “Versus Battle” page on the Vkontakte social network. The same number of subscribers are on the YouTube video channel.

Versus - no restrictions

In Russia, rap and hip-hop culture is inferior in scale to the American movement, and domestic performers of this genre have not yet become global stars, such as Eminem or Jay-Z. And yet there are enough fans of the “black neighborhood style” in the country - and recently the opportunity to hold a speech duel between rappers has expanded the horizons of this trend and attracted hundreds of thousands of fans to the culture.

Stars who take part in rap battles and perform at a decent level secure their place on the Russian hip-hop walk of fame.

In this regard, “Versus” is a kind of platform for the release of emotions through creativity, an opportunity to prove to oneself and fans of the genre that not everyone can “read” with dignity.

A distinctive feature of this channel is the absence of lexical restrictions in statements to your opponent within the round: that is, curses, insults and swearing at the enemy in Versus battle are allowed if they are not immoral or calling for hostility on the basis of nationality. Such “low blows” will not go unnoticed by the judges (most often there are three of them, but there may be five), and a participant with such a meager vocabulary and the inability to use it will not win the battle.

A little about the creator of the battle

The father of “Versus” is a restaurateur, the permanent presenter of each episode on the channel and the main organizer of all meetings. He received his nickname due to the fact that the first battle was organized right at Timartsev’s workplace - in a restaurant.

Subsequently, he and his friends came up with the idea to transform the idea into something larger. And now “Versus” is a full-fledged, mature project that gave birth to such a star in the rap and hip-hop industry as Noize MC.

Timartsev, without hesitation, openly says that the project has not yet brought in millions of dollars, which many people mistakenly think - the reason for this is, of course, that this movement is only gaining momentum in Russia, and for the idea to bear financial fruit, you have to wait more than one year.

"Versus": how much?

The rules of rap without rules are simple: there are always two participants in each battle, they know each other in advance. Before the start of the verbal battle, each of them must prepare 3 passages (one in each round) addressing their opponent and read them out. As a rule, the form of address is “tasteful insult.” The brighter, wittier, and sharper the participant’s reading, the more chances he will have of winning.

Victory is awarded based on the decision of the judges, each of whom is an expert in his or her field. But the results, as a rule, become clear to everyone even before the end of the battle - spectators who directly observe the process along with the restaurateur and judges can support or boo the participant.

Fresh blood: rappers from the yard rock stadiums

To expand the boundaries of the battle and give aspiring rappers a chance to become famous, the organizers created another platform for those whose names are known only in a narrow circle - “Versus: Fresh Blood”. At the qualifying stage, the winner in this category is determined only by the viewer of the channel - which balances the chances of all beginning artists, and makes it possible to gain instant popularity among fans of the genre.

Nickname

Real name— Alexander Timartsev

Place of Birth— Leningrad

Family status— Married

Activity— Organizer of the rap battle “Versus”

vk.com/restorator_official

Restaurateur biography

I think everyone has asked the question: “Who is a Restaurateur?”

So, the Restaurateur is Alexander Timartsev (according to his passport), the organizer of the most famous rap battle platform on YouTube, called “Versus”.

The restaurateur is easily recognized by his tall stature and famous bald head.

Restaurateur before Versus

Since childhood, Sasha has been connected, one way or another, with rap culture; it all started with listening to cassettes with albums of Western hip-hop artists. The social circle also consisted of rap lovers or figures, so the Restaurateur was at the very beginning of hip-hop culture in Leningrad.

In 2012, he took part in the then popular freestyle battle “Huyax”, together with Galat, Jubilee and many currently famous battle ms. At the same time, he recorded his own tracks, but never found fame.

Why "Restaurateur"?

The story began back in the days of the “huyaks”, the guys were thinking about where to hold the next battle, since they did not have a specific site. Sanya offered to hold it in the restaurant where he worked at that time; by the way, the battle was not held, but the nickname remained.

How was the Versus battle created?

In 2013, Restor decided to organize his own platform, together with videographers Cuts & Scratches, we thought about the name for a long time, there were two options: “Contrast” and “Versus”, well, I think you understand which option you chose. In order to film the first battle “Harry Ax” vs “Billy Milligan” from start to finish, Sanya had to invest about 200,000 rubles in the project, and since he was then working in an Apple equipment store, this was a significant amount for him. As you can see now, Versus Battle has fully recouped its investment.

Personal life

Alexander Timartsev is married to his wife Evgenia. They met in 2012, and in 2013 the couple already tied the knot. The restaurateur has two children: son Arthur and daughter Vika.

At the moment, the Versus battle, led by the Restaurateur, is the largest battle platform not only in Russia, but also in the world, although at its core, the participants are rappers; people of different guises are increasingly beginning to resolve issues through the Versus battle. Videos of battles receive tens of millions of views, they are commented on by TV stars, great athletes, and politicians. Versus has made stars of many people, or resurrected careers, for example, such as: Oxxxymiron, Rickey F, Hip Hop of the Lonely Old Woman, Teeraps, Purulent, etc.

Versus Battle is the name of the St. Petersburg site where rap battles take place. A rap battle is a rhymed competition of performers in which they must hit the enemy in a caustic and accurate manner. IN modern form The battle rap genre originated in the West in the early 1980s and came to Russia in the early 2000s. There are online battles and offline battles. The first ones take place on the Internet, and their participants send recorded tracks to the organizers, after which they are judged. Offline battles are those that take place live: participants stand opposite each other and in front of an audience of spectators. The latest is Versus Battle. It was created as an analogue of the foreign projects Don"t Flop in the UK and King of the Dot in Canada. Their releases are published on the Internet in video format. The word versus with Latin language translated as “against”, that is, literally Versus Battle is “confrontation”.

Modern battles are more about modern poetry than about hip-hop culture. The Internet does not have the censorship that we are used to on television, and due to freedom of speech, they began to gain popularity. “Versus” appeared in 2013, but in Russia it is far from the only one. However, it was he who managed to gain the greatest fame in the CIS countries. The reason for its popularity is, first of all, the fact that already eminent hip-hop and rap performers, known in wide or narrow circles, perform on the site, and not newcomers to the genre. Among them, for example, Oxxxymiron. Battles with his participation have several tens of millions of views. His battle against Johnyboy in 2015 went down in the history of world hip-hop as the most viewed battle in a day, gaining one million views in 24 hours, and now it is the most viewed battle in the world - it has more than 40 million views. In 2017 Oksimiron's battle against Glory of the CPSU has already collected more than nine million views in a day. Another wave of popularity for rap battles was brought by video bloggers who also took part in Versus. Larin's battles against Khovansky and Dzharakhov are also among the most watched in the world. Another feature of Versus is the spin-off project Fresh Blood, where little-known but talented performers have the right to show themselves to the general public, and in 2018 also find themselves under the mentorship of Oksimiron or Smokey Mo. On Versus they are “promoted”.

Performances take place both a cappella and with musical accompaniment - musical beats of varying speeds. In order to win a battle, you need not only to write a text with good rhymes and learn it, but also to have charisma, have a sense of humor, dilute the text with punchlines (intonation emphasis on the key line of the text), change the reading technique (flow) and apply other tricks (flips, double time, freestyle, delivery, gang bars), and, of course, know the enemy not only by sight, but also other places that the participants try to touch during the performance. Certain images of the participants often add to the spectacle. The result of the competition is traditionally assessed by judges, but recently it is increasingly left open to the viewer. Fights that caused a public outcry create a lot of noise in the media and social networks. Some even compare them with literary disputes of the early 20th century. It is often thanks to Versus that new jokes and memes appear on the RuNet. Although, to some extent, “Versus” itself has become a meme both among its fans and among haters.