The greatest rapper on the planet lives in Portland.
That is, if you believe the results of the World Rap Championships,
a global battle rap throwdown that has been conquered, not once, but
twice by local emcee Illmaculate (along with his partner in rhyme, Los
Angeles-based TheSaurus). The pair came out of nowhere to capture the
2006 ring (he literally has a ring that says he’s the best
rapper), and overcame a close match-up against Detroit duo Quest
M.C.O.D.Y. and Marvwon to take home the 2007 championship and the
$40,000 prize money.
But in addition to reigning over the battle scene, and padding his
bank account in the process, Illmaculate (born Greg Poe) is one of the
many hiphop soldiers in Sandpeople, adding his mic skills to the
10-member crew. He also has his very own mix, Rain Check
Mixtape, and is dedicated to the art of the live show. “When
performing live, whether it is solo or with Sandpeople, that is where
I’m most comfortable,” says Poe. “If anything, battling is more outside
of my comfort zone than performing.”
While that might be the case, during his many onstage battles,
Illmaculate is a natural, his compact frame dancing like a boxer as he
mercilessly unleashes violent flurries of (horrifically insulting)
rhymes, trading off verbal blows alongside partner TheSaurus. (Hit
YouTube to see a wealth of material.)
The two met in California, as he explains: “I heard about the
two-on-two battle event at the Mind Games MC Battle down in Menlo Park,
CA, and I was familiar with TheSaurus, just through the battle scene in
general, and had heard a lot about him and seen a couple battles.” Poe
adds, “I forget who got at who, but we fed well off each other and
figured we had something.”
The two have laid waste to emcees from all over the globe, now
making them marked men in the battle scene. “We are the biggest
targets, but I think we feed well off that pressure. Everyone wants to
knock the champ off to get his title. Everyone is gunning for the top
spot.” But for the time being, there hasn’t been an emcee born who can
pry that championship ring off the fingers of Illmaculate.
Illmaculate performs at Berbati’s Pan on Monday, May 19.