Out of all the wacky “viral” videos floating around the Internet, none quite captures the zeitgeist like Search Engine Rap Battle, a self-promo from video production and new media company Seedwell.
The concept is simple. Three rappers, representing top search engines MSN, Google and Yahoo, have decided to throw down in a freestyle rap battle, complete with a hyperactive host, an “oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”-ing, 8 Mile crowd, and a scruffy DJ.
The depiction of the sites’ hip-hop alter egos is spot-on: MSN, reminiscent of the company’s butterfly logo, is wearing blue tights and wings, Google is depicted as a hippie raver on a segway, and Yahoo plays the company’s maverick ideal to the hilt.
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And then there are the raps. According to user voting, Google comes out on top, beating both MSN and Yahoo head-to-head, but Yahoo definitely gets in the dig of the night in his victorious battle against MSN. Raps the Yahoo: “The only hot mail you got is when Ballmer gets sweaty!” Snap!
Peter Furia, the battle’s producer and co-founder of Seedwell, said the idea was to “revisit the hilarity and nerdiness” of their Mac vs. PC rap video, which they released last year. They’ve certainly succeeded. It doesn’t get much nerdier than rapping about Steve Ballmer and search engine optimization (unless you’re spitting rhymes about the Large Hadron Collider).
Furia said they shot all three segments in a couple hours during a “rager” of a party. That definitely comes through. It’s obvious everyone is having a good time, which, next to a winning concept, is probably the most important thing when trying to host a rap battle and/or go viral.
Aside from the aforementioned Mac vs. PC video, Seedwell has produced Big Dog Beta and Invisible Ride and is planning “a dirty south crunk music video spoof that will put a critical eye on the pharmaceutical industry.”
The company is currently working on Spaceship Excellent, which follows an alien music group (billed as Ken Kesey meets Parliament Funkadelic) that’s come to the U.S. to interview earthlings and, of course, find their leader (who they think is Eisenhower).
It’s a creative, compelling blend of web series, person-on-the-street interview, music video, and on-tour documentary that could certainly create more than a few new Spaceship Excellent fans. But all in all, it’ll be hard to top Search Engine Rap Battle.
