Epic Rap Battles of History#History
{{Short description|YouTube video series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox television
| image = ERBoH logo.png
| caption =
| genre = {{ubl|Comedy hip hop|Battle rap|Nerdcore}}
| creator = {{ubl|Nice Peter|EpicLLOYD}}
| director = {{ubl|Dave McCary |Jackson Adams |Daniel M. Turcan |Forrest Whaley |Peter Shukoff |Mike Betette |Lloyd Ahlquist }}
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 7
| num_episodes = 90
| list_episodes = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes
| executive_producer = {{ubl|Peter Shukoff|Lloyd Ahlquist}}
| runtime = 1–5 minutes
| company = Maker Studios (1–5)
{{nowrap|Independent (6–pres.)}}
| network = YouTube
| first_aired = {{start date|2010|9|26}}
| last_aired = present
}}
Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB) is a YouTube web series and music project created by Peter "Nice Peter" Shukoff and Lloyd "EpicLLOYD" Ahlquist. The series pits historical and pop culture figures against one another in a rap battle format. The characters portrayed are often determined by suggestions from viewers in the comments sections of the channel's videos. Shukoff and Ahlquist write each song themselves, researching the subject in order to find obscure details to use as references in the lyrics, although guest stars featured in the battles as well as certain Patreon subscribers have also contributed to the writing process.{{cite news|last=Humphrey|first=Michael|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhumphrey/2011/10/26/epic-rap-battles-of-history-talking-brash-wit-with-a-youtube-hit/|title=Epic Rap Battles of History: Talking Brash Wit With A YouTube Hit|newspaper=Forbes|date=October 26, 2011|access-date=December 30, 2014}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/38430-epic-rap-battles-season-6-youtube-trump-nazis|title=The Dudes Behind 'Epic Rap Battles of History' Eye an Uncertain Future|last=Francisco|first=Eric|date=November 29, 2017|work=Inverse|access-date=December 7, 2018}} Following an extended hiatus, the channel returned with a bonus battle in December 2018, and the sixth season debuted on April 20, 2019.{{cite tweet|user=ERBofHistory|number=1071117277238571008|title=ERB Season 6 Billionaire Bonus Battle is HERE like a Boolean value of 1|language=en|author=Epic Rap Battles of History|author-link=Epic Rap Battles of History|date=December 7, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2018}} As of February 23, 2023, the channel has 14.9 million subscribers and approximately 4 billion total video views.{{cite web|url=http://www.statsheep.com/ERB|title=ERB YouTube channel statistics - StatSheep|access-date=20 June 2019}}
The popularity of the music videos has led to mainstream partnerships, such as with Ubisoft, using the "Blackbeard vs. Al Capone" episode to promote Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.{{cite web|url=http://playeressence.com/ubisoft-promotes-assassins-creed-4-black-flag-with-epic-rap-battles-in-new-video/|title=Ubisoft Promotes Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag with Epic Rap Battles in new Video|publisher=Player Essence|date=October 21, 2013|accessdate=June 10, 2014|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224724/http://playeressence.com/ubisoft-promotes-assassins-creed-4-black-flag-with-epic-rap-battles-in-new-video/|url-status=dead}} Additionally, "Terminator vs. Robocop" in the fourth season was used to promote the upcoming release of the film Terminator Genisys and featured an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ERB's popularity has also led to collaboration with mainstream artists.{{cite web|last=Glenn|first=Devon|url=http://socialtimes.com/epic-rap-battles-creators-on-snoop-hes-an-innovative-dude-that-dude_b129383|title='Epic Rap Battles' Creators on Snoop: 'He's an Innovative Dude, That Dude'|publisher=Social Times|date=June 12, 2013|accessdate=June 18, 2014}}{{cite news|last=Barness|first=Sarah|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/17/weird-al-bill-nye-epic-rap-battle-video_n_5500937.html|title=Weird Al And 'Bill Nye' Face Off In Epic Rap Battle Because The Universe Is Infinitely Awesome|work=Huffington Post|date=June 17, 2014|accessdate=June 17, 2014}}{{cite web|last=Gutelle|first=Sam|url=http://www.tubefilter.com/2014/06/16/weird-al-yankovic-epic-rap-battles-of-history/|title=Weird Al Is Isaac Newton In New 'Epic Rap Battles Of History' Episode|publisher=Tubefilter|date=June 16, 2014|accessdate=June 18, 2014}} Shukoff and Ahlquist also created a two-minute rap battle scene used in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.{{Cite web |title=6 Point Harness Makes a Splash With 'SpongeBob Movie' |url=https://www.awn.com/news/6-point-harness-makes-splash-spongebob-movie |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Animation World Network |language=en}}
Although early episodes of the series featured only Shukoff and Ahlquist, later episodes have regularly featured guest appearances from internet celebrities including Dan Bull, Lisa Donovan, Timothy DeLaGhetto, George Watsky, DeStorm Power, Jesse Wellens, PewDiePie, Jenna Marbles, Lilly Singh, Ray William Johnson, Rhett & Link, and Smosh. Media celebrities like musicians Snoop Dogg, Chali 2na, T-Pain, Jackie Tohn and "Weird Al" Yankovic, actors J. B. Smoove and Gary Anthony Williams, and the comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have also appeared in the series.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}
On July 3, 2013, "Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney" became the first of its singles to be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. 10 other singles, "Adolf Hitler vs. Darth Vader", "Albert Einstein vs. Stephen Hawking", "Dr. Seuss vs. William Shakespeare", "Master Chief vs. Leonidas", "Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates", "Justin Bieber vs. Ludwig van Beethoven", "Mario Brothers vs. Wright Brothers", "Mr. T vs. Mr. Rogers", "Abe Lincoln vs. Chuck Norris", and "Adolf Hitler vs. Darth Vader 2", were subsequently certified Gold as well.{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Epic+Rap+Battles+of+History%22 |title=RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Epic Rap Battles of History |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |date=December 30, 2014 |access-date=December 30, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104181412/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Epic+Rap+Battles+of+History%22 |archive-date=November 4, 2015}}
History
File:NicePeter Paris-2014 2.jpg
The idea for historical figures rapping against each other was conceived by Ahlquist, who pitched the idea to Shukoff as an improvised show titled "Check OneTwo"; both were working in improv at the time along with Zach Sherwin, who would later become a regular guest on the series. They were met with high levels of difficulty at first and decided that the concept would fare much better as a YouTube series than an improv show. The first three rap battles were each shot on a $50 budget.{{cite web|title=Peter states that first 3 battles cost approx $50|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjW9I6jo7bQ|publisher=YouTube|work=ERB2|access-date=December 23, 2013|at=1:25|format=YouTube video|date=February 16, 2013}}
Before the web series existed on YouTube, Shukoff and Ahlquist recorded their first song, which was a battle between Child's Play antagonist Chucky and actor Michael J. Fox.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yMZ8eKQeVo |title=The First Epic Rap Battle of History - Michael J. Fox vs Chucky |publisher=YouTube |date=February 19, 2012 |access-date=May 19, 2014}} The song was freestyle and poorly made; as a result, it was not released to the public.
On September 26, 2010, the first rap battle was uploaded to YouTube, featuring Shukoff as John Lennon and Ahlquist as Bill O'Reilly.{{cite news|last=Kaufman|first=Leslie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/arts/television/epic-rap-battles-seeks-staying-power-on-youtube.html|title=Making Silly Showdowns for YouTube|newspaper=New York Times|date=October 29, 2013|access-date=October 30, 2013}} The 15th episode, "Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD", marked the end of the first season. This battle pitted Ahlquist and Shukoff against each other with cameos from all of the characters they had played over the 14 prior episodes. At the end of the battle, KassemG arrives and convinces Peter and Lloyd to continue the battles on their own channel. Epic Rap Battles of History later returned on December 8, 2011, hosted on their new channel (moving from Shukoff's personal channel), ERB, with behind-the-scenes videos on their second channel, ERB2.{{cite web|url=http://www.collegenews.com/article/video_epic_rap_battles_of_history_hitler_vs_vader|title=College News grades Epic Rap Battles of History Season 2|publisher=College News|date=December 14, 2011|access-date=December 15, 2011}} Both channels were created in 2006, however it's unknown what they were used for until 2011, as the oldest video on ERB is from 2011, and the Wayback Machine's earliest record of the ERB and ERB2 channels is from November 2011, when they were called ERB's Channel and ERB2's Channel, respectively. Shukoff and Maker Studios also created the official website for the series,{{cite web|url=http://epicrapbattlesofhistory.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129065855/http://epicrapbattlesofhistory.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 29, 2011|title=Epic Rap Battles of History|publisher=Epic Rap Battles of History|access-date=March 23, 2013}} where fans could vote on winners for each video, and read short comical autobiographies by each character.
On September 27, 2012, following a four-month pause after the "Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates" episode, a video was released on the series' YouTube channel where Ahlquist (voicing to an animation of Theodore Roosevelt) announced that new episodes would be released every two weeks until the Christmas holidays,{{cite web|last=Gutelle|first=Sam|url=http://www.tubefilter.com/2012/10/02/epic-rap-battles-of-history-return/|title='Epic Rap Battles' Returns, Will Post 6 Episodes Over Next 3 Months|publisher=Tubefiler|date=October 2, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2014}} starting with the 22nd episode "Frank Sinatra vs. Freddie Mercury" (aired on October 1, 2012).{{cite web|last=Perez|first=Daniel |url=http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/11585/20121002/epic-rap-battles-pits-queens-freddy-mercury.htm |title='Epic Rap Battles' Pits Queen's Freddy Mercury vs Frank Sinatra In Season 2 Premiere [VIDEO] |publisher=International Digital Times |date=October 2, 2012 |access-date=October 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130123732/http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/11585/20121002/epic-rap-battles-pits-queens-freddy-mercury.htm |archive-date=November 30, 2012 }} "Moses vs. Santa Claus", aired on December 10, 2012, was the last battle before taking a break for the holidays.{{cite web|author-link=Lloyd Ahlquist|last=Ahlquist|first=Lloyd|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4BJzBwYUMA|title=Epic Rap Battles of History News with Theodore Roosevelt.|publisher=YouTube|work=Epic Rap Battles of History|date=September 27, 2012|access-date=October 9, 2012}}
On February 17, 2013, Epic Rap Battles of History was nominated for five Streamy Awards, winning four of them.{{cite web|url=http://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/3rd-annual-nominees/|title=3RD ANNUAL NOMINEES|publisher=Streamys|access-date=February 17, 2013}} Shukoff and Ahlquist also performed part of the "Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates" battle live.
On September 9, 2013, ERB uploaded a trailer video on their channel announcing that Epic Rap Battles of History would return on October 7, 2013 for a third season.{{cite web|author=Epic Rap Battles of History |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asJg0NfC3og |title=Epic Rap Battles of History - Behind the Scenes - Rasputin vs Stalin |publisher=YouTube |date=April 22, 2013 |access-date=April 25, 2013}}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjOExpYDmJA |title=Epic Rap Battles of History News with Teddy Roosevelt 2 |author=Epic Rap Battles of History |publisher=YouTube |date=May 22, 2013 |access-date=June 17, 2013}} On October 14, ERB released a second video with Ahlquist voicing Theodore Roosevelt, who announced the upcoming season's schedule.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnaXw6UJids |title=Epic Rap Battles of History News with Adam Smith |author=Epic Rap Battles of History |publisher=YouTube |date=October 14, 2013 |access-date=October 15, 2013 }} The third season went on hiatus after the release of "Donald Trump vs. Ebenezer Scrooge" on December 19, 2013. In March 2014, an episode of Shukoff's weekly show The Monday Show, published on March 11, and a third announcement video of Epic Rap Battles of History News, published on March 18, confirmed that Season 3 would continue on May 5. "Weird" Al Yankovic, Smosh, and Rhett and Link were also confirmed as guest appearances.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxOVW2CNw7Q |title=Epic Rap Battles of History News, Season 3.5 |publisher=YouTube |date=May 18, 2014 |access-date=May 19, 2014}} The third season concluded on July 14 with the release of "Artists vs. TMNT", depicting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo in a battle against Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo.
On September 30, 2014, a teaser video for the fourth season of Epic Rap Battles of History, featuring the Ghostbusters and MythBusters, was released; the series returned on November 10, 2014 with its 46th episode, "Ghostbusters vs. Mythbusters".{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-huwiIHUDSc |title=Epic Rap Battles of History Season 4.|publisher=YouTube|work=Epic Rap Battles of History|date=September 30, 2014|access-date=September 30, 2014}} This season also marked the first animated battle: "Zeus vs. Thor", which was animated entirely with Lego bricks and minifigures; Forrest Whaley served as animation director. On December 15, 2014, when "Steven Spielberg vs. Alfred Hitchcock" was released, the fourth season went on hiatus. The season continued on May 25, 2015 and concluded with the release of the season finale, "Jim Henson vs. Stan Lee", on August 3, 2015.
It was confirmed in a podcast by Shukoff that there would be a fifth season, with pre-production starting in November 2015 once they came back from the world tour.
On December 16, the first off-season battle was released, entitled, "Deadpool vs. Boba Fett."
On February 26, 2016, it was announced that Season 5 would begin on May 2, 2016,{{cite tweet|user=givememotion|number=703462631865122823|title=MAY 2. BUT I STILL CAN'T FIND MY PHONE|language=en|access-date=2016-03-26}} and on March 22 it was announced that production had begun.{{cite tweet|user=ERBofHistory|author-link=Epic Rap Battles of History|number=712343932433096704|title=The crew getting ready for our first shoot of the season!|language=en|access-date=2016-03-26|link=no}}
Season 5 officially began on May 2, 2016, with the release of the first battle of the season, "George R. R. Martin vs. J. R. R. Tolkien". ERB released battles every other Monday as of the first half of Season 5.{{cite tweet|user=givememotion|number=727618519689388032|title=Every other. Get ready! RT @cody7ydoc: @givememotion Will there be a new battle every other Monday for this set?|language=en|access-date=2016-05-14|link=no}} On July 12, 2016, "Alexander the Great vs. Ivan the Terrible" was released. This marked the midseason break.{{Citation|last=ERB|title=Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible - Epic Rap Battles of History Season 5|date=2016-07-12|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbH1BVXywY|access-date=2016-07-18}} Ahlquist later confirmed they were planning to return mid to late October. Filming began for the second half of Season 5 on September 23. On October 26, Season 5 resumed with "Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton". The final episode of Season 5, "Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD 2" was released on January 9, 2017, where Ahlquist and Shukoff battle against each other once again, as it is a sequel to the Season 1 finale. Following the fifth season, ERB went on an extended hiatus.
In 2016, Epic Rap Battles of History was nominated for an Emmy Award in the newly initiated category Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.
In 2018, Shukoff announced there would be a sixth season during a performance at Anime Midwest.{{Citation|title=Untitled|url=https://instagram.com/p/Bk6lVoUnWYZ/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/Bk6lVoUnWYZ |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|publisher=Instagram|author=Nice Peter|date=July 6, 2018|access-date=December 9, 2018}}{{cbignore}} On November 30, 2018, a video was posted on the official ERB YouTube channel, confirming that Season 6 would premiere in 2019. A "bonus battle" between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg was released on December 7, 2018.{{cite web|author=Nice Peter|title=Epic Rap Battles of History News 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkCqXiKxCVs|date=November 30, 2018|access-date=December 9, 2018|publisher=ERB/YouTube}} In December 2018, Ahlquist said that they had gone "fully independent" of their production company.{{citation|title=Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg. Behind the Scenes|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7AAbZya8w8|access-date=2018-12-07|date=2018-12-07}}
On April 20, 2019, the Season 6 premiere ("Freddy Krueger vs. Wolverine") was released. ERB once again went on hiatus in December, after "Thanos vs. J. Robert Oppenheimer".
After a 10 month hiatus, ERB returned, with their third election rap battle, "Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden".{{Cite web|date=24 October 2020|title=Donald Trump vs Joe Biden. Epic Rap Battles of History|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkGK7bitav0|access-date=7 November 2020|website=YouTube}} On December 5, 2020, Ahlquist stated in a Behind The Scenes video for their next battle, "Harry Potter vs. Luke Skywalker" (their second Lego-animated collaboration with Forrest Whaley), that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ERB would be transitioning from Season 6 to Season 7 earlier than expected, rather than further postpone Season 6. Several planned battles and concepts would be holdovers from Season 6.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gh6900CpPc|access-date=2021-11-27|website=YouTube|date=2020-12-05|title=Harry Potter vs Luke Skywalker. ERB Behind the Scenes}}
On May 28, 2021, the ERB Twitter account announced a new episode to be released on June 14, featuring EpicLLOYD as legendary Viking hero Ragnar Lodbrok and Nice Peter as English King Richard the Lionheart. The episode was sponsored by the video game Rise of Kingdoms.{{cite tweet|user=ERBofHistory|author-link=Epic Rap Battles of History|number=1398385362293100548|date=May 28, 2021|title=A storm is brewing! Brand new ERB out June 14th! Sponsored by @riseofkingdoms Download their awesome game at: https://bit.ly/3yEHTVS #erb #Ad #rokvikings #riseofkingdoms}}
On November 27, 2021, ERB released a new rap battle episode, titled Jeff Bezos vs. Mansa Musa on their YouTube channel.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCeUvPL9rMc|access-date=2021-11-29|website=YouTube|date=2021-11-28|title=Jeff Bezos vs Mansa Musa. Epic Rap Battles Of History}} This was followed by the first "three-way" battle in the show’s history ("John Wick vs. John Rambo vs. John McClane") on December 18, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN5lzg3TE60|access-date=2022-10-31|website=YouTube|date=2021-12-18|title=John Wick vs John Rambo vs John McClane. Epic Rap Battles of History}} The next episode, "Lara Croft vs. Indiana Jones", released on October 26, 2022,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abKAgJUjOFU|access-date=2022-10-31|website=YouTube|date=2022-10-26|title=Lara Croft vs Indiana Jones. Epic Rap Battles of History}} followed by "Henry Ford vs. Karl Marx" on December 1, 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFgbw9D5M-E|access-date=2023-12-02|website=YouTube|date=2023-12-02|title=Henry Ford vs Karl Marx. Epic Rap Battles of History}} The next episode, "Godzilla vs. King Kong", was released on February 23, 2024 being the first battle to use motion capture.{{Citation |title=Godzilla vs King Kong. Epic Rap Battles of History | date=February 23, 2024 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhkBAKV1yMg |access-date=2024-02-23 |language=en}} The next episode, "Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris", their fourth election rap battle, was released on October 26, 2024.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVZtKKryjfU |title=Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris. Epic Rap Battles of History |date=2024-10-26 |last=ERB |access-date=2024-10-29 |via=YouTube}} The next episode, "Napoleon vs Charlemagne" was released on February 12, 2025.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgXSLLULGyU |title=Napoleon vs Charlemagne. Epic Rap Battles Of History |date=2025-02-12 |last=ERB |access-date=2025-02-14 |via=YouTube}}
Format
Battles begin with a narrator speaking in a deep and somewhat unclear voice, first saying ‘Epic Rap Battles of History’ (in a mostly monotonous way; sometimes the "e" of "Epic" is longer in upwards glissandoing and this leads up into the rest being said as usual) while the logo appears on screen. The names of the contestants are then announced ('[CONTESTANT 1] vs. [CONTESTANT 2]') (the part announcing the name of the second contestant is in the same monotonous way), while the contestants and their names appear on screen. One contestant will rap against the other first, followed by the other, and so on. It is very common for many different ‘clones’ of the same contestant to appear while they are rapping. Different rap battles go on for different lengths of time, and some battles may only have two verses per contestant, especially earlier ones. The first 14 battles, except the 5th and 10th, only have 2 verses per contestant, while the 5th and 10th battles to be made (Hulk Hogan and Macho Man vs. Kim Jong Il and Billy Mays vs. Ben Franklin) have third party rappers entering after some time, but still have a total of 4 verses only. Many rap battles feature a third party rapper entering the battle after some time, and as many as ten rappers have entered a battle (in "Ghostbusters vs. Mythbusters"). When the battle concludes, the narrator asks the viewer who they think won and who should appear next, followed by the credits.
Cast
The two creators of the series (EpicLLOYD and Nice Peter) portray the majority of the fictional and historical characters featured. Zach Sherwin is the most common guest-rapper, having portrayed eleven characters across six of the seven seasons of the series. George Watsky portrayed one character in each of the first three seasons, namely William Shakespeare, the Fourth Doctor, and Edgar Allan Poe. DeStorm Power has also portrayed three characters, being Mr. T, Kanye West, and Shaka Zulu.
The online creator duo Rhett & Link have portrayed three characters each, including the Wright brothers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and Donatello and Leonardo da Vinci.
The comedy duo Key & Peele have portrayed opposing figures in "Gandhi vs. Martin Luther King Jr." and "Michael Jordan vs. Muhammad Ali".
Other people with two appearances throughout the series include Kimmy Gatewood, Timothy DeLaGhetto, Ray William Johnson, Dan Bull, KRNFX, and Wax.
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+List of cast members ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Cast member ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Appearances ! colspan="11" |Seasons |
| 1
!2 !3 !4 !{{Abbr|B|Bonus}} !5 !{{Abbr|B|Bonus}} !{{Abbr|F|Flash in the Pan Hip Hop Conflicts of Nowadays}} !6 !{{Abbr|C|Cancelled}} !7 |
|---|
| EpicLLOYD
|40px |93 |various {{Collapsible list |title = Characters | Bill O'Reilly, Adolf Hitler, Chuck Norris, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Gandalf, Thing 1 and Thing 2, James T. Kirk, John McCain, Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Sagan, Mr. McFeely, John "Hannibal" Smith, H. M. Murdock, Templeton "Faceman" Peck, Leonidas I (voice), Mario, Elvis Presley, Bill Gates, Frank Sinatra, Mitt Romney, Clint Eastwood, Robin, Christmas Elves, Adam, Thomas Edison, Babe Ruth, Skrillex, Joseph Stalin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pleistarchus, Marlon Brando, Marty McFly, Al Capone, Pablo Picasso, J. P. Morgan, Walter White, Superman, William Wallace, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (voices & portrayals), Lilly Truscott, Adam Savage, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (voice), Clyde Barrow, Thor (voice), Hannibal Lecter, Alfred Hitchcock, Bill S. Preston Esq, Harry Houdini, The Terminator, Socrates, Stan Lee, Dr. Phil McGraw, Deadpool (voice), Elon Musk, Dianne Feinstein, Jean-Luc Picard, George R. R. Martin, Gordon Ramsay, James Bond (Sean Connery), Bruce Banner, The Hulk (voice), Frederick the Great, Donald Trump, Theodore Roosevelt, PewDiePie, The Burger King, Larry Bird, Bill Clinton, Wolverine, Robin Williams, Steve Irwin, Vlad the Impaler, Pennywise, Thanos, Ragnar Lodbrok, Jeff Bezos, John McClane, Karl Marx, King Kong, Charlemagne, Mutt Williams }} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |
| Nice Peter
|40px |85 |various {{Collapsible list |title = Characters | John Lennon, Darth Vader, Abraham Lincoln, Lady Gaga, Hulk Hogan, Ludwig van Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, Easter Bunny, Napoleon Dynamite, Vince Offer, Albus Dumbledore, The Cat in the Hat, Mr. Rogers, Christopher Columbus, Himself, Master Chief, Luigi, Michael Jackson (adult), Steve Jobs, HAL 9000 (voice), Freddie Mercury, Tenth Doctor, Batman, Santa Claus, Nikola Tesla (voice), Lance Armstrong, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Grigori Rasputin, Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Putin, John F. Kennedy, Steve, Blackbeard, Bob Ross, Donald Trump, Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Rick Grimes, Bill Nye, George Washington, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (voices), Jimmy Olsen, Krillin, Miley Stewart, Jamie Hyneman, Romeo Montague, Zeus (voice), Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, Ted "Theodore" Logan, David Copperfield, RoboCop, Friedrich Nietzsche, Julius Caesar, Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog (voice), Billy the Kid, Boba Fett (voice), Mark Zuckerberg, J. R. R. Tolkien, Thomas Jefferson, Austin Powers, Bruce Jenner, Ivan the Terrible, Charles Darwin, Tony Hawk, T-Series, Ronald McDonald, Big Bird, Guy Fawkes, George Carlin, Jacques Cousteau, Sigmund Freud, Count Dracula, The Joker, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Joe Biden, Luke Skywalker (voice), Edward Scissorhands, Han Solo (voice), Yoda (voice), Richard the Lionheart, John Rambo, Indiana Jones, Henry Ford, Godzilla, Napoleon Bonaparte }} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |
| Zach Sherwin
|40px |11 |various {{Collapsible list |title = Characters |Albert Einstein, Dr. Emmett Brown, Sherlock Holmes, Ebenezer Scrooge, Stephen King, Egon Spengler, Voltaire, Walt Disney, Alexander the Great, Wayne Gretzky, John Wick }} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} | |{{ya}} | | | | |{{ya}} |
| George Watsky
|40px |3 | {{unbulleted list|William Shakespeare|Fourth Doctor|Edgar Allan Poe}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| DeStorm Power
|40px |3 | {{unbulleted list|Mr. T|Kanye West|Shaka Zulu}} |{{ya}} | |{{ya}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Rhett McLaughlin
|40px |3 | {{unbulleted list|Wilbur Wright|Donatello|William Clark}} | |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Link Neal
|40px |3 | {{unbulleted list|Orville Wright|Leonardo da Vinci|Meriwether Lewis}} | |{{ya}} |{{ya}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Keegan-Michael Key
|40px |2 | {{unbulleted list|Mahatma Gandhi|Michael Jordan}} | |{{ya}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Jordan Peele
|40px |2 | {{unbulleted list|Martin Luther King Jr|Muhammad Ali}} | |{{ya}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Kimmy Gatewood
|40px |2 | {{unbulleted list|Marilyn Monroe|Hillary Clinton}} | |{{ya}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Timothy DeLaGhetto
|40px |2 | {{unbulleted list|Kim Jung-Il|Sun Tzu}} |{{ya}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Ray William Johnson
| |2 | {{unbulleted list|Boba Fett (only voice)|Goku}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Dan Bull
|40px |2 | {{unbulleted list|Jack the Ripper|Winston Churchill}} | | | |{{ya}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| KRNFX
|40px |2 | {{unbulleted list|Grant Imahara|Lao Tzu}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Wax
|40px |2 | {{unbulleted list|Quentin Tarantino|Freddy Krueger}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Lisa Donovan
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Sarah Palin}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | | |
| Alex Farnham
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Justin Bieber}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colin J Sweeney
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Billy Mays}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mickey Meyer
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Dr. Seuss (didn't rap)}} |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | | |
| Jesse Wellens
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Leonidas I (didn't voice)}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Bentley Green
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Young Michael Jackson}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Angela Trimbur
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Cleopatra}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Iman Crosson
| 40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Barack Obama}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Mike Diva
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Bruce Lee}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Kyle Mooney
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Dr. Watson}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Snoop Dogg
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Moses}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Jenna Marbles
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Eve}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| Dante Cimadamore
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Nikola Tesla (didn't voice)}} | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | | |
| PewDiePie
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Mikhail Baryshnikov (cameo)}} | |{{ya}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | |
| Atul Singh
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Boba Fett (didn't voice)}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Brian Neunhoffer
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Boba Fett (didn't voice)}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Michelle Glavan
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Miley Cyrus}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Jessi Smile
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Joan of Arc}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| "Weird Al" Yankovic
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Isaac Newton}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Chali 2na
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Neil deGrasse Tyson}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Ian Hecox
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Michelangelo}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Anthony Padilla
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Raphael}} | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | | |
| Mark Douglas
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Raymond Stantz}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Chris Gorbos
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Peter Venkman}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Walter Downing
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Winston Zeddemore}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Taylor Cu
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (didn't voice)}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Grace Helbig
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Juliet Capulet}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Hannah Hart
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Bonnie Parker}} | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | | |
| Robert Hoffman
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Deadpool (didn't voice)}} | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | |
| Ivan "Flipz" Velez
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Boba Fett (didn't voice)}} | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | | |
| Mamrie Hart
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Julia Child}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| J. B. Smoove
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Frederick Douglass}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Ben Atha
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|James Bond (Daniel Craig)}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Jolie "NoShame" Drake
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Caitlyn Jenner}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Mike O'Hearn
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Hulk (didn't voice)}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Mike Betette
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Pompey the Great}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Meghan Tonjes
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Catherine the Great}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Brian Walters
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Ash Ketchum}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| T-Pain
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Stevie Wonder}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Lilly Singh
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Wonder Woman}} | | | | | |{{ya}} | | | | | |
| Rob Rico
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Che Guevara}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Natasha "MC Goldiloxx" Lloyd
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Wendy}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Valin "Zeale" Zamarron
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Richard Pryor}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Gary Anthony Williams
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Bill Cosby}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Jackie Tohn
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Joan Rivers}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Cara Francis
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Mother Teresa}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Boyinaband
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Harry Potter (voice)}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| The Jackpot Golden Boys
| |1 each | {{unbulleted list|Ron Weasley|Fred Weasley|George Weasley}} | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | | |
| Shay Carl
|40px |1 | {{unbulleted list|Henry VIII}} | | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | |
| Susan Deming
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Hillary Clinton}} | | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} | |
| Scru Face Jean
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Mansa Musa}} | | | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} |
| Croix Provence
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Lara Croft}} | | | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} |
| Kimberly Michelle Vaughn
| |1 | {{unbulleted list|Kamala Harris}} | | | | | | | | | | |{{ya}} |
Episodes
{{main|List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes|l1=List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes}}
{{Series overview
| color1 = #B3022E
| link1 = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Season 1 (2010–2011)
| episodes1 = 15
| start1 = {{Start date|2010|9|26}}
| end1 = {{End date|2011|11|16}}
| color2 = #00A0DF
| link2 = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Season 2 (2011–2013)
| episodes2 = 18
| start2 = {{Start date|2011|12|8}}
| end2 = {{End date|2013|4|22}}
| color3 = #00AC72
| link3 = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Season 3 (2013–2014)
| episodes3 = 12
| start3 = {{Start date|2013|10|7}}
| end3 = {{End date|2014|7|14}}
| color4 = #FFD300
| link4 = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Season 4 (2014–2015)
| episodes4 = 12
| start4 = {{Start date|2014|11|10}}
| end4 = {{End date|2015|8|3}}
| color4S = #010A24
| link4S = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Bonus Battle (2015)
| linkT4S = Bonus
| start4S = {{Start date|2015|12|16}}
| color5 = #E66AB7
| link5 = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Season 5 (2016–2017)
| episodes5 = 12
| start5 = {{Start date|2016|5|2}}
| end5 = {{End date|2017|1|9}}
| color5SA = #010A24
| link5SA = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Bonus Battle (2018)
| linkT5SA = Bonus
| start5SA = {{Start date|2018|12|7}}
| color5SB = #989898
| link5SB = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Flash in the Pan Hip Hop Conflicts of Nowadays (2018–2019)
| linkT5SB = Flash
| episodes5SB = 3
| start5SB = {{Start date|2018|12|16}}
| end5SB = {{End date|2019|1|26}}
| color6 = #F28500
| link6 = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Season 6 (2019–2020)
| episodes6 = 11
| start6 = {{Start date|2019|4|20}}
| end6 = {{End date|2020|12|5}}
| color6SC = #010A24
| link6SC = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Cancelled episode (2020)
| linkT6SC = Cancelled
| start6SC = {{Start date|2020|2|15}}
| color7 = #8B00AE
| link7 = List of Epic Rap Battles of History episodes#Season 7 (2021–present)
| episodes7 = TBA
| start7 = {{Start date|2021|6|14}}
}}
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable"
|+ Awards and nominations for Epic Rap Battles of History | ||||
| | Year
!| Award !| Category !| Result !| Recipient(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="7"|2013 | rowspan="5"|3rd Streamy Awards | Best Writing: Comedy | {{nom}} | Peter Shukoff, EpicLLOYD |
| Best Online Musician | {{won}} | Peter Shukoff | ||
| Best Original Song | {{won}} | Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist ("Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates") | ||
| Best Music Series | {{won}} | Epic Rap Battles of History | ||
| Best Use of Fashion & Design | {{won}} | Mary Gutfleisch | ||
| rowspan="2"|1st YouTube Music Awards | Video of the Year{{cite magazine|last=Spangler|first=Todd|url=https://variety.com/2013/digital/news/youtube-music-awards-nominees-announced-1200749352/|title=YouTube Music Awards Nominees Announced|magazine=Variety|date=October 21, 2013|access-date=October 27, 2013}} | {{nom}} | "Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney" | |
| Artist of the Year | {{nom}} | Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist | ||
| rowspan="5"|2014 | rowspan="5"|4th Streamy Awards | Best Writing | {{won}} | Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist, Zach Sherwin, Dante Cimadamore, Mike Betette |
| Music Video | {{won}} | "Goku vs. Superman" | ||
| Costume Design | {{won}} | Sulai Lopez | ||
| Editing | {{nom}} | Andrew Sherman, Ryan Moulton, Daniel Turcan, Peter Shukoff | ||
| Collaboration | {{nom}} | Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist, Snoop Dogg ("Moses vs. Santa Claus") | ||
| rowspan="5"|2015 | rowspan="4"|5th Streamy Awards | Writing | {{won}} | Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist, Zach Sherwin, Dante Cimadamore and Mike Betette |
| Costume Design | {{won}} | Sulai Lopez | ||
| Editing | {{won}} | Andrew Sherman, Ryan Moulton, Daniel Turcan and Peter Shukoff | ||
| Collaboration | {{won}} | Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist, Grace Helbig, and Hannah Hart | ||
| rowspan="1"| 26th Producers Guild of America Awards | rowspan="2"|Outstanding Digital Series | {{nom}} | rowspan="3"|Epic Rap Battles of History | |
| rowspan="3" |2016 | 27th Producers Guild of America Awards | {{nom}} | ||
| 68th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Short Form Variety Series | {{nom}} | ||
| 6th Streamy Awards | Collaboration | {{nom}} | Peter Shukoff, Lloyd Ahlquist, Meghan Tonjes, Mike Betette and Zach Sherwin | |
| |2017 | 69th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Short Form Variety Series | {{nom}} | Epic Rap Battles of History |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{official website|http://erbofhistory.com/}}
{{Streamy Awards Winners CSS Discontinued}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2010 web series debuts
Category:American comedy hip-hop musical groups
Category:Maker Studios channels
Category:Streamy Award-winning channels, series or shows