Toronto-based rap battle league KOTD (King of the Dot) is making a huge return this coming weekend, and with a powerful new partner in hand.
After a COVID-19-driven hiatus from hosting events, KOTD has announced that they’ve partnered with live streaming platform Twitch to present their next event, Grand Prix 2020.
According to a press release issued by KOTD: “The ground-breaking agreement puts free Twitch battles at the heart of the streaming wars with exclusive access to all of the live events from King of the Dot’s newly announced Grand Prix 2020 tournament.”
Grand Prix 2020 will be a tournament featuring four divisions split into East, West, North, and South. Beginning this coming Sunday, Sept. 20, the tournament will air live battles every Sunday until the end of the year where a champion will be awarded the largest prize in battle rap history.
“For over a decade, we’ve been first-movers in battle rap,” KOTD founder Travis “Organik” Fleetwood said of the new partnership.
“Our Pay-Per-View model, our production team, our creative format for events and tournaments are all second to none and imitated around the world for good reason. Other platforms may have announced first but, like always, we’d rather build the ecosystem for the culture than take the first cheque that comes to us.”
To get fans involved, KOTD is asking people to list the rappers they’d like to see compete in the tournament. Twitch’s interactive platforms will give KOTD lots of flexibility in how they present their content, and what fans can do to feel more involved. Alongside the main battles, KOTD will also offer a slate of extra perks to viewers by pairing their artists and celebrity guests with music, sports, and gaming related content.
“Twitch is the perfect fit for KOTD and has ensured us that they are committed to augmenting the culture for the audience and artists alike,” added King of the Dot co-owner Charles Morgan.
“We had conversations with all of the major platforms and the only team that made it feel right from the start was Twitch.”
Along with Grand Prix 2020, KOTD is also gearing up to host a panel discussion titled Battle Rap Uniting Culture. “Link up with your favorite battle rappers and industry experts Sept. 17 to discuss how the culture has become a global phenomenon and connected fans all over the world. We’ll tackle the growing reach and influence of the art on media, society, academia and more.”
The panel includes some huge names from the battle scene and various battle rap experts. The line up includes battle historian and biochemist Dr. Jamie Parker, rap battle league owners including Fleetwood, Eptos Uno (founder of Spit Battle League), Shotty Horroh (founder of Premier Battle League), ARP (co-owner of The Rare Breed Entertainment), and Tierstar (founder of Top Tier Takeover Battle League in Germany), and various battle rappers.
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Written by Kyle McNeil & Jesse Plunkett for HipHopCanada
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