Cirrus@Austlit

'I knew it would be one of my last rap battles, so my girlfriend invited a friend from university to see me in action. I could sense Anna’s apprehension. She wasn’t a hip-hop fan, saying she despised its homophobia and sexism. The match was a two-on-two written battle – a set-up where the rappers prepare material and research their opponents. It’s basically debating, with more “fucked your mum” jokes. There were the usual insults to start off, but in the second round our opponents zeroed in on my tertiary studies. They compared their lives selling drugs to mine studying and writing, saying that I would finish uni with a useless piece of paper and a debt while they were banking money tax free. The crowd roared and cheered. Of course the diss didn’t bother me – this was a rap battle – but afterwards I realised who its real victim was. Anna was shaken. How could that whole crowd think that having a degree was a bad thing?' (Introduction)