"I'm the Best, Mang. I Did it."

My friends and husband and I have been obsessed with Eli Porter. His rap battle against Envy is posted below and is considered to be “controversial” because of the outcome. Clearly, Eli should have won, but the guys who ran the show were too busy clowning the guy to give him props (see how street I am?). At first, I saw this video and immediately was like “what the fuck is this and man do I feel awful for laughing at this retarded kid.” But as I watched Eli and listened to him, he really blew my mind up. Sure he lost his way, but he was gathering his thoughts. He took the time to step back and pause, then terminate with extreme prejudice. Who is this man and how has he freestyled his way into my heart? His message is so simple. “I’m the best, mang. I did it.” Just like that. Simple but not simplistic. Ambitious but not arrogant. He just is the best. He knows it. There are few things in life I carry that much certainty with. But Eli knew he was in fact, the best.

After some internet research, I found a small article on Eli in the Urban Dictionary. Here’s what they had:

“Infamous for committing what was quite possibly the longest pause in a rap battle ever. Despite this shortcoming, many still regard him as one of the top 5 emcees Dead or Alive.

Examples of Eli Porters work:
“See I’m the best maynne, I deed it”
“Look at these dentals mayne, with the dent on the grill”
and widely considered his Magnum Opus:
“You need to stay in the shade no wonder why you came out you were already in the gay parade”.