Drake to participate in select events throughout the year
In 2020, Drake brought together Ultimate Rap League (URL) and Caffeine, setting the battle rap scene on fire. With over 8.7 million in total viewership, millions of fans watched, voted and supported their favorite MCs during live battles — resulting in some of the largest entertainment streams in the world.
The collaboration continues as Drake, Caffeine and URL announce a huge new slate of events locked in for 2021. The schedule will feature both up and comers and the biggest MCs in the culture. Drake will star in two large-scale events this year on Caffeine and also pull in some of his favorite artists to perform.
This Saturday, February 13th, one of the most lyrical couples, Remy Ma and Papoose will appear on URL’s Kings vs. Queens 2 on Caffeine and perform an original freestyle for the show.
The biggest battles on Caffeine draw hundreds of thousands of fans who watch, vote for winners and chat with friends and famous MCs. The high level of interactivity is driving unheard-of watch times, with the average watch time over 100 minutes for the main event battles. These main events regularly trended No. 1 on Twitter, alongside UFC, NBA, MLB and NFL. The biggest event of the year drew an audience of 350,000 and was one of the biggest livestream events on any platform in 2020.
“Before Caffeine, I remember how difficult it was to stream battles, so to have made it easy enough that millions are watching and the fan base keeps growing is amazing,” states Drake.
Caffeine and URL have pioneered a unique and interactive social broadcasting format, producing livestreaming events that have elevated battle rap to its rightful place on the world stage. In a year when almost everything was delivered virtually, URL and Caffeine produced live, socially distant events at real venues and fans online could watch, comment and directly vote on the outcome. The highly produced virtual events were a first for battle rap.
“We brought battle rap into new and different corners of the world on Caffeine this year,” says Smack White, co-founder of URL. “We’re writing the playbook on how to leverage technology for the advancement of the culture and make art more accessible.”
In 2021, Caffeine will host 163 URL events, including 22 highly anticipated main events like the upcoming battle of the sexes Kings vs Queens 2 on Saturday, February 13th. Popular formats are making their debut on Caffeine, such as the 2v2 battle Double Impact 4 and Queen of the Ring, with the return of the popular multi-week, single-elimination battle rap tournament Ultimate Madness 3.
Fans can also catch extra battles in the form of URL Reloaded, where fans can unlock new battles during main events that will premiere the next day. Faceoffs will air on Fridays, Main Events on Saturdays, Reloaded on Sundays, Recaps on Mondays, and Primetime on Wednesdays.
Caffeine hosts over 20 custom channels for battle rap personalities like Jay Blac and Brooklyn Babs, and MCs including DNA, GOODZ, O’fficial, Tay Roc, Tsu Surf, and 40 BARRS.
