Rap music has evolved over the decades to become one of the most popular music genres. With lots of rappers emerging every day in countries all over the world, Rapt.fm was created as a platform that allows aspiring and established rappers challenge other people to rap battles via the web.
Rapt.fm is a web based service that provides a fun environment for users to freestyle with top rappers and challenge friends to battle; helps record executives find the next rap superstar; and teaches anyone who wants to learn how to rap how to get started.
Erik Torenberg, the Detroit-based entrepreneur and co-founder of Rapt.fm, thinks that the rap industry is due for some changes. According to him, everybody has it in them to freestyle rap — it’s something that can be tapped into with the right amount of mentorship and practice. He believes rapping is a very valuable skill and an effective creative outlet that makes people more confident when communicating with others and expressing thoughts and feelings.
Rapt currently has seven staffers and is part of the Bizdom incubator in downtown Detroit’s Madison building. The concept behind Rapt.fm is quite simple – making it possible for pro rappers and newbie rappers all over the world to challenge each other to one-on-one rap “battles” that can be watched and voted for by an online audience.
Rapt.fm is currently in private alpha mode (not yet public), but the goal is to open it up to the world in the coming weeks. When it is fully launched, it will be a great place for African rappers to showcase their skills to the world. It will also be fun to see African rappers lock horns with other rappers from different countries around the world.
Rapt.fm is not the first website to allow rap battles via web. There have been others such as LetsBeef, RapRivals, and DopeTracks to name a few, but I believe rapt.fm can offer what these other platforms are not offering: better user interface, experience and wider audience.
