I personally enjoy stand up comedy and any type of improvisation like free styling. I think it’s extremely difficult to be good at something like that and it’s something that I feel is underestimated in the arts world. In the article, “Making Silly Showdowns for YouTube”, Leslie Kaufman writes about a YouTube channel called Epic Rap Battles of History. This channel uploads videos with rap battles between a current celebrity and a historical figure. The idea in itself is interesting and original and I could see why they have such a large fan base.
The founders of Epic Rap Battles, Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Alquist, became friends through their shared passion for rap and created the channel in 2009, inspired by a rap battle at a comedy club. I liked that in order to get started they asked YouTube users for suggestions for rap battles, and is ultimately how they got their first idea, “John Lennon vs. Bill O’Reilly”. Someone giving feedback came up with that idea to use historical figures and famous celebrities! It could have easily been me or you and it’s great that because art is something so shared, we’re able to take advice or suggestions from anyone and vice versa. We are now living in a world where we have easy access to everything and everyone, making it that much easier to reach out for help. In a way, I think the art community is drawn closer because of this and we are now combining efforts as a unit to create something inspiring. I think ultimately that’s what the origin of the channel shows us.
Originally, these freestylers winged some of their performances and as their popularity grew, they begin to do more in depth research about their characters and are now able to write intricate scripts that are historically accurate and equally hilarious. When it comes to creating art, there are so many things to do that haven’t been done before, and with access to online sources like YouTube, artists are constantly experimenting and showing off their ideas to online viewers. This channel in particular wasn’t expecting to become as big as it is now, but today they have 7.7 million subscribers. It’s also awesome that they get to work on something they love to do and their job is pretty much to make people laugh I think that’s incredibly rewarding in itself.
The last line stood out to me, claiming that they wouldn’t reveal their revenue, and it ends with the mention that “Mr. Shukoff still drives his 10-year-old Subaru.” This implies that there isn’t necessarily much profit to be made off of what they’ve accomplished, despite their popularity and success. I wonder if income is something they ultimately struggle with, or the pair just chooses to live a modest lifestyle. Either way I think it’s great what they have done for themselves, and for their fans and I encourage you guys to check out some of their stuff, I personally really liked their videos!
Works Cited: Kaufman, Leslie. “Making Silly Showdowns for YouTube.” The New York Times. N.p., 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/arts/television/epic-rap-battles-seeks-staying-power-on-youtube.html?ref=television&_r=1&>
I feel like there pretty well off, even though Mr. Shuckoff is driving a 10 year old Subaru. I have a friend who has 6,000 subscribers and he gets a check for a $1000 every month. So if we do the math, which I am not going to do, that should bring in quite the sum for these guys. Apart from their swimming pools of cash, these guys make some funny videos. I like how they go about choosing their contenders since sometimes they might just have one fundamental relationship and other times the similarities are simple nuances. I agree with you and truly feel that Youtube has become a hotbed of artistic transactions because everyone uses it to showcase something. I think that the best part is when people showcase their talents because it gives us a glimpse into that persons creative mindset. And since art is all about stealing ideas and then making your own, everyone can create their own unique angle from what they have watched. For myself, I find that the teaching community on Youtube is simply amazing. I have the ability to learn multivariable calculus and art history within 30 minutes. In a recent article by the NY Times it details Ray Dalio’s use of Youtube to post videos on his secrets to investing money. Since Dalio is a billionaire hedge fund manager he has a lot of credibility and can offer a lot of useful tips. I think this relate the Epic Rap Battles of History because Dalio is giving us a glimpse at his talents and is doing it in an entertaining way. I would even call this art because he is spreading ideas that could blossom into revolutionary ones.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/economic-theory-via-youtube-and-cartoon/?_r=0
I’m so glad these guys make a profit for what they do! At first I wasn’t sure but when I read the comment above I realized that these guys must be making a little something for their hard work. YouTube is amazing for its ability to give videos popularity and recognition. It’s revolutionary like most technologically advanced things. Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Alquist are equally as talented as a rapper or comedian and should get recognition for their work so YouTube is the perfect place to start. I believe that this new entertainment is absolutely art. They are combining skill, history, music, which are just a few qualifications of “art.” This is interesting because Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Alquist had to find a way to stray from the current spoofs of actors or politicians and a unique way to stray from actual music. They did a really cool thing by combining history and rap.
I am happy you introduced me to epic rap battles of history because these videos are smart, creative, and extremely entertaining. i cannot believe how witty some of the lyrics were. I thought it was really interesting how you viewed Youtube as forum of artists to exhibit their productions and gain personal feedback from actual fans – as opposed to a video website that is great for procrastinating from getting work done. I also agree with this viewpoint. I have seen some video channels that are not only hilarious, but are able to pick up on the social pulse of America and capitalize on it. Americans love musical sketches, so for these guys to come up with scenes that are funny as well is something commendable. The kicker for me was that they were modest enough to take fan feedback and improve their channel by listening to it.
I am also looking forward to more of these types of channels appearing in the future. Youtube allows anybody with artistic drive and passion to create a product, and hopefully earn enough money to ditch the 10-year old Subaru.
Here is an article about another brilliant Youtube channel that combines comedy and exorbitant amounts of unhealthy foods:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/harley-morenstein-epic-meal-time-ama_n_2322169.html
Although it says that he is driving a 10 year old Subaru, I think that the founders of the youtube channel are making a good bit of profit. The amount of views the have on such a large amount of videos generates a good chunk of money. However, I do agree that profit or not they are contributing to the arts in a really cool way. They produce such a unique form of rap combined with history that is truly awesome. The fact that a lot of the ideas for the videos are user generated allows for an interactive nature that is unprecedented in really any form of music. I think that artists like this are important because in addition to entertaining they provide a connection to the viewer. In addition to this, “Epic Rap Battles of History” creates lyrics that directly relate to the lives of the characters they are attempting to portray. I really admire these guys for creating such a creative form of expression and I think that they deserve more than the advertising revenue they get via youtube.
I think this is a great topic and great article. My younger brother who is a computer fiend showed me them and at first I was skeptically…Until I couldn’t stop laughing. This idea is so unique and the ability to get famous from this or even get it out in the first place without much funding is done solely thanks to the help of Youtube. Youtube can teach you how to work your laptop or tie a tie, but it also is the first even ground platform for people to show off their ideas and talents to the world. I don’t have any special talent worth putting on Youtube, but the fact that even if I want to voice my opinion on a topic, Youtube is the place to go. It is free to open an account and to post so it doesn’t discriminate and I think it is a huge help in finding talent regardless of background.
example: this kid started with this and now has a show on Nickelodeon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-ap5Fp2T6c
I love the topic of young YouTube sensations. I think some of them are really interesting, especially the ones who deal more with comedy and entertainment. And some do make money, such as Jenna Marbles. I think with the way technology is changing, this stars are their own forms of blogs. YouTube is great in that it is a free way to voice your thoughts and opinions. And as I mentioned with Jenna Marbles before, “While few people older than 30 probably know who Jenna Marbles is, her popularity is unquestioned among teenage girls who live on the Internet. She has more Facebook fans than Jennifer Lawrence, more Twitter followers than Fox News and more Instagram friends than Oprah. Her weekly videos on topics as quotidian as “What Girls Do in the Bathroom in the Morning,” “My Favorite Dance Moves” and “I Hate Being a Grown Up,” place her in an elite club of more than one billion YouTube views, with more than eight million subscribers and growing.” She is also one of my favorite YouTube stars.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/fashion/jenna-marbles.html?_r=0
These stories of how people become more known through YouTube is really inspiring. Not only Shukoff and Alquist, but other comedians like Ryan Higa, Smosh, and musicians — Justin Bieber is the first to come to mind, but also others like Sam Tsui, Alex Goot, Christina Grimmie, etc. It can be inspiring for some in that anyone can become well-known through something that is portrayed so much in social media nowadays. I think the reason why they didn’t reveal their profits is because they were modest rather than they didn’t earn much from YouTube; with such a large fan base, they are most likely making a decent amount of money. I agree with Jacky in that YouTube can really be the start for something amazing. The internet is a vast and different world from what we’re used to, and it connects people from all over the world. People can express themselves on YouTube and there would probably be someone who shares the same interests, albeit they might be in a different country. YouTube is a great jumping point for something bigger.
Youtube is an excellent way to share artistic views and talents. The fact that Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Alquist are able to share their love of rap and comedy with the world is an amazing opportunity. I am sure making a profit from it is just a side benefit for them. In today’s world many people become famous from youtube videos. It provides a great deal of attention and broadcasting. Take for example, Justin Bieber and Fred ordinary people who posted videos of themselves on youtube doing things they like to do. Now they are on television and performing in front of thousands of people. In this article I found, a guy went from living on the streets to performing at elite clubs by having a friend post a video of him playing a Taylor Swift song on the violin. This is to show you how powerful the internet is and how receptive people can be to artistic talent once you are brave enough to put it out there.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2013/08/10/rhett-price-homeless-violinist-youtube-sensation/3ldrYnhFpEnJloX5qirkFP/story.html
I’m glad to say I am one of those 7.7 million subscribers. Those videos have been hilarious since the start and are really well done. They are funny relevant and entertaining in every sense of the word. I enjoy the characters battling and making fun of each others failures and boasting about their own, surprisingly accurate and well done if you ask me. I have actually learned things from these little 3 minutes videos, the entire time enjoying myself so I say go with it. They are doing a great job and I never hope they stop.
This is my personal favorite because its so hard to tell who won
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhTd4_Ids80
After reading this article, I had to go watch one of their videos. It definitely looks like it takes a lot of work to put these clips together and to write. I can definitely see how this is considered art, and think it’s really cool that Youtube provides such a universal, accessible platform for art to be shared. It also provides them with a way to make profit, just like other forms of art. Overall, I find this idea of making educational videos that are entertaining as a way of income quite interesting. It’s really cool that their videos introduce one to new information, and are still artistic and eye-catching, so it’s great that many people support and subscribe to help them out. For this reason, I think Youtube deserves a lot of attention as well for being such a good support for all different types of art. Youtube is kind of like a virtual museum, but not for paintings, more for a wide scope of videos, pretty cool!
I’m a frequent user of Youtube – years ago, I used to be the type of person to check the website almost daily to see if my favorite Youtubers posted new videos. I even used to post my own videos, which have all been deleted out of sheer embarrassment. I think it’s a great website and it’s going to keep expanding. There already have been, and are definitely going to be more, stories out there like this article – just look at people like Justin Bieber, or even Rebecca Black. Recently, Youtube had its own awards show, for music. This just goes to show you how expansive the sight is becoming. The show was held right here in the city, and was broadcasted live online on Youtube, of course. Youtube is a really great outlet for all to use, from random individuals ‘vlogging,’ to comedians trying to get out there, to musicians posting music videos.
To see more about the YouTube Music Awards, here’s a great article from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/arts/music/youtube-music-awards-show-is-chaotic-and-watchable.html?_r=0
Computers and the internet collectively have revolutionized almost every aspect of our lives. Business, government, marketing, social interaction, teaching, and entertainment have all been affected. Art, along with entertainment, have not been untouched. Historically, art has only been accessible to the wealthy class. Art was and is still is today to some extent something for the elite or wealthy class to enjoy. The common person did not have time or the resources to appreciate works of art. Although this is not always necessarily true because of board definitions of art, the institution of art and art culture has generally been reserved for the rich or the elite. But the internet is changing that. Our age is called the information age for a reason. The internet has really changed how artistic work is defined and accessed.
These videos that Shukoff and Alquist make are a product of this revolution. I personally love this videos and I think it’s clever to clash modern culture with historical figures. It highlight important figures in world history in a humorous way. From an academic perspective although nearly everything they say is inaccurate, it spurs interest and further research about these historical figures. Other than that, the videos seem to made primarily for entertainment value not historical fact so it would be absurd to think otherwise.
Regardless, the following is a video (not really an article) that I encourage you to watch. It documents how the internet has affected art pretty well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=024vLBBJf4I
I think we take it for granted and are often unaware of how accessible art has become to the average person now a days.
The era of the internet has fueled a new generation of artists, writer, musicians, videographers, filmakers, designers, photographers and the list goes on. We are little aware or appreciative of the accessibility of content today.
Epic Rap Battles of History is one of my favorite YouTube channels, and I remember that when my friend first introduced it to me, it only had 10 or so videos. It’s incredible to see how big of a following it’s acquired, even more so when you consider that got famous through YouTube and not mainstream media. It’s easy to forget that it’s as famous as it is, probably *because* it’s not on mainstream television or radio. I’ll ask someone if they’ve heard of it, and they’ll say they haven’t, but when I go online, I’ll see literally millions of people who’ve heard of it. While the Internet is definitely becoming a new source of art and entertainment, and more people are accruing fame through it, it’s still a long way off from being as prominent, entertainment-wise, as, say, television.