EFFECTIVE:  April 7, 2008

APPROVED BY:  Furqaan Clover, Chairman

                                                                                     

World Series of Hip Hop                                                                                     

Atlanta, GA 2008

 

SECTION I – TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION

1. As used herein, “WSOHH” means World Series of Hip Hop and its parent, affiliates and subsidiaries including, but not limited to, Indie Film Exchange, Inc. World Series of Hip Hop reserves the right to refuse anyone entry into the tournament, in its sole and absolute discretion.

2. Any person or entity paying a registration fee for himself, herself on behalf of another

rapper warrants and affirms that he/she/it is not engaged in illegal activity and that no funds

derived from such activity will be used to pay the registration fee. World Series of Hip Hop will, in its sole and absolute discretion, determine its satisfaction with the warranty given anyone who registers for the tournament.

3. Entry into the World Series of Hip Hop is limited to rappers with proof of age that World Series of Hip Hop, acting in its sole and absolute discretion, deems appropriate.

4. One entry per person. If a rapper enters as a member of a Crew, WSOHH will use its best efforts to insure that members of the same crew do not face each other in opening rounds.  Crews may not substitute members at any time.  

5. World Series of Hip Hop may limit the number of entries into the WSOHH and may award entries in its sole and absolute discretion. World Series of Hip Hop may award a limited number of entries through satellite tournaments, third party marketing arrangements and or other promotional activities in its sole and absolute discretion.

6. There are six (6) registration categories: 1. Heavyweight Male – Rapper must be a male twenty-five (25) years of age or older. 2.  Heavyweight Female – Rapper must be a female twenty-five (25) years of age or older. 3.  Middleweight Male – Rapper must be male between the ages of twenty-one (21) and twenty-four (24).  4.  Middleweight Female – Rapper must be female between the ages of twenty-one (21) and twenty-four (24).  5.  Lightweight Male – Rapper must be male between the ages of eighteen (18) and (20).  6.  Lightweight Female – Rapper must be female between the ages of eighteen (18) and (20).  Birthday cutoff is August 4, 2008; rapper must register in the category he/she will qualify for as of the birthday cutoff date.  Registering for the wrong category may cause a rapper to lose his/her place in the tournament.  Such rapper will be refunded his/her registration fee.

7. Winners must show their valid picture identification (driver’s license, state identification card, or military identification card) at registration, and in order to collect prize. If participant is not a U.S. citizen, a current passport, consular identification or alien registration card is required.  Winners are responsible for any and all taxes, licenses, registrations and other fees.

8. Employees of World Series of Hip Hop and its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, owned, operated or managed properties, contractors hired for the operation of the WSOHH or parent companies and immediate family members of such employees at director level or higher as determined by World Series of Hip Hop are not eligible to compete in any WSOHH events, unless approved in advance by World Series of Hip Hop Chairman. Immediate Family is defined as: spouse, children, and any relative or other person residing in the employee’s place of residence.

 

SECTION II – BATTLE RAP RULES

9. Rappers may not use or carry any ‘props’ into the Cipher.  No external items of any kind may be used to enhance a rapper’s lyrics.  Judges are instructed to penalize the offending rapper.

10. While inside the Cipher rappers are not to touch opponents.  Judges are instructed to penalize the offending rapper.

11. While inside the Cipher rappers are not to speak are make sound effects during his/her opponents allotted time.  Judges are instructed to penalize the offending rapper.

12. No tournament recycling.  Rappers are not to recycle lyrics he/she used in an earlier round.  At the conclusion of each round WSOHH staff members will review tapes of the winner’s previous rounds.  The offending rapper will be automatically disqualified and his/her opponent will advance to the next round.

13. No biting.  Rappers are not to use lyrics that he/she heard or read from any other rapper whether these lyrics where used in the WSOHH tournament and/or from a published recording.  Two consecutive bars of bitten lyrics will result in the automatic disqualification of the offending rapper.  His/her opponent will advance to the next round.

14. ABSOLUTELY NO GHOST WRITING.  Any rapper found to have used ghost written lyrics in the World Series of Hip Hop shall be banned from the World Series of Hip Hop tournament for life.  The offending rapper will be required to return any and all prizes awarded by the World Series of Hip Hop in any current or previous tournament participation.

15. Each match will consist of three (3) rounds, with each rapper having the same allotted time.

16. Championship matches will consist of five (5) rounds, with each rapper having the same allotted time.

17. If the score is tied after three rounds, the competing rappers will continue into Sudden Death rounds. 

18. In Sudden Death each rapper will have a turn; the allotted time will be doubled.  At the end of the round Judges will score the round, if the scores remain tied Sudden Death continues for additional rounds until the tie is broken.

 

SECTION III – TOURNAMENT SCHEDULING

19.  World Series of Hip Hop reserves the right to change WSOHH tournament times in its sole and absolute discretion.

20. World Series of Hip Hop may cancel, modify, relocate or reschedule the WSOHH for any reason with prior notification to all participating rappers.

21. World Series of Hip Hop is not responsible for electronic transmission errors or delays resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials, or for technical, hardware, software, or telephone failures of any kind, lost or unavailable connections, fraud, incomplete, garbled, or delayed computer transmissions, whether caused by World Series of Hip Hop, users, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the promotion or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions which may limit, restrict, or prevent a participant’s ability to participate in the tournament.

22. World Series of Hip Hop is not responsible for injuries or losses arising or resulting from participation in the WSOHH and is not liable for any acts or omissions by employees, whether negligent or willful, in the conduct of the WSOHH, and is not liable in the event of any equipment or software malfunction.

23. If for any reason the tournament is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes within or beyond the control of World Series of Hip Hop which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this tournament, World Series of Hip Hop reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the tournament.

 

SECTION IV – RAPPER CONDUCT AND TOURNAMENT INTEGRITY

24. World Series of Hip Hop may impose penalties upon any person or Crew, who gives, makes, issues, authorizes or endorses any statement or action having an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interest of the tournament as determined by World Series of Hip Hop, acting in its sole and absolute discretion. This may include, but shall not be limited to expulsion from the event and property, forfeiture of a rapper’s entry fee(s) and prize monies entitled and/or loss of the right to participate in this or any other tournament conducted by World Series of Hip Hop.  World Series of Hip Hop may hold responsible and may impose penalties on an individual rapper for the actions and/or conduct of members of his/her Crew, even if the offending crew members are not participating in or have been eliminated from the tournament.

25. World Series of Hip Hop may disqualify any person for any prize based upon fraud, dishonesty, violation of promotional rules or other misconduct while on the property or otherwise occurring in relation to the World Series of Hip Hop or as otherwise reasonable or necessary for World Series of Hip Hop to comply with applicable statutes and regulations, in its sole and absolute discretion.

26. Any attempt by any person to deliberately damage any program or to undermine the legitimate operation of this tournament may be a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, World Series of Hip Hop reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent of the law.

27. All decisions regarding the interpretation of World Series of Hip Hop rules, rapper eligibility, scheduling and staging of the tournament, and penalties for misconduct lie solely with World Series of Hip Hop Chairman, whose decisions are final.

28. World Series of Hip Hop employees will use reasonable commercial efforts to consider the best interest of the tournament and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process, with the understanding that “best interest of the tournament and fairness” shall be determined by World Series of Hip Hop, acting in its sole and absolute discretion. Unusual circumstances can, on occasion, dictate that the technical interpretation of the rules be balanced against the interest of fairness. World Series of Hip Hop decision is final and non-appealable and shall not give rise to any claim for monetary damages.

29. The WSOHH is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

30. Tournament Rules and any and all changes in the rules effective as of April 7, 2008 through April 6, 2009 will be available at the tournament facilities.

31. Where a situation arises which is not covered by these rules, World Series of Hip Hop shall have the authority to render a judgment, including the imposition of a penalty, in accordance with the best interests of the tournament and the maintenance of its integrity and public confidence.

 

SECTION V – RAPPER LIKENESS AND IMAGE

32. Prior to entering and competing in the Tournament, each rapper must execute a Rapper Release Form. Failure to do so may, at the option of World Series of Hip Hop subject the rapper to immediate disqualification at any point in the Tournament. If the rapper is disqualified he or she shall forfeit all entry fees and not be entitled to any Tournament prize monies or any other prize consideration that he or she may have qualified for at the point of disqualification.

33. World Series of Hip Hop reserves the right at all times to ban any apparel or other means of advertising that contains obscene images or words or is otherwise deemed objectionable by World Series of Hip Hop. World Series of Hip Hop also reserves the right to exclude any individual(s) acting in a disruptive or inappropriate manner.

 

SECTION VI – PRIZING AND CIPHER ASSIGNMENTS

34.  First three (3) opening rounds of the tournament will consist of one (1) minute rounds.  Subsequent rounds will consist of one minute and thirty seconds (1:30).  Final 8 through Championship rounds will consist of two minute (2) rounds.

35. Prize structures are set forth in Section IX. Prizes and entries are non-transferable.

36. Rappers will be assigned a Cipher and slot time through a random computer selection.

37. If the rapper is not present at his/her assigned Cipher no more than two (2) minutes after the slotted time, his/her opponent shall advance to the next round and the offending rapper shall record a defeat.  If rapper shows up after his/her slot time but enters the Cipher before two minutes have elapsed he/she may compete.  Judges will award first round to opponent of offending rapper.

 

SECTION VII – WSOHH SCORING RULES

38. Matches are scored on a three (3) category; five (5) points must system.  The three categories being: 1. Lyrics; 2. Flow; 3. Presence. Judges must award five points in each category to the rapper they believed to be most efficient in the respective category of the round. 

39. Judges will penalize rappers for violations inside the Cipher during a match.  Cipher violations are: 1. Talking (TK)- Judges may penalize 3 points to the offending rapper for talking and/or making any sound effects during opponents active time.  This penalty may also be incurred by a rapper continuing to rap after his/her allotted time has lapsed.  2. Touching (T) - Judges may penalize 3 points to the offending rapper for touching his/her opponent at anytime while inside the Cipher.  3. Stuttering (S) - Judges may penalize 3 points to the offending rapper for stammering or stopping during his/her delivery. 4. Props (P) - Judges my penalize 3 points to the offending rapper for the use of any items inside the Cipher to enhance his/her performance.

40. “Body”: If judges award the first two rounds to a rapper, the so awarded rapper automatically advances to the next round, his/her opponent records a defeat. The rappers forgo the third and final round.

41. Score Card Decision:  If the first two rounds of a match are split between rappers, they will continue for a third and final round.  At the conclusion of the third round the score cards are collected by WSOHH staff and delivered to the onsite score card panel.  At the end of the respective round results will be posted along with matches for the next round.

 

Sample Score Card:  
                                                                       

 

Rapper A

Rapper B

Rapper A 

Rapper B

 Rapper A

Rapper B

 

Round 1

Round 1

Round 2

Round 2

Round 3

Round 3

Lyrics

        5

      

         5

 

        5

 

Flow

 

       5

         5

       

 

        5

Presence

 

       5

         5

       

 

        5

Penalties

T, S

 

 

TK, T

P

 

TOTALS

-1

10

15

-6

2

10

 

 

MATCH RESULTS: 

In round 1 Rapper B earned 10 points for exhibiting a better Flow and Presence, while Rapper A had the better Lyrics of the round.  Rapper A was penalized twice, once for touching his opponent and once for stopping in the middle of his delivery, thus Rapper one ends the round with a deficit of -1.  AFTER ROUND 1 – RAPPER B LEADS 10 to -1

 

In round 2 Rapper A came on strong winning all categories and earning 15 points for the round.  While Rapper B incurred two penalties ending the round with a deficit of -6. AFTER ROUND 2 RAPPER A LEADS 14 (-1 + 15) to 4 (10 + -6)

 

NOTE: The first two rounds are split so we continue to a third and final round.

 

In round 3 Rapper A is awarded 5 points for having the better Lyrics of the round and is penalized for using a prop in the match, ending the round with a total of 2 points.  Rapper B is awarded for both Flow and Presence and does not incur any penalties for the round for a total of 10 points. 

RAPPER A WINS THE MATCH 16 (-1 + 15 + 2) to 14 (10 + -6 + 10)

 

NOTE: Rapper B won rounds 1 and 3 but loses the match on points, primarily because of penalties incurred.

 

SECTION VIII – MOST VALUABLE CREW AWARD ELIGIBILITY

42.  To be eligible for the Most Valuable Crew Award and its accompanying cash prize as set forth in Section IX, a Crew must have a minimum of three rappers competing and in good standing.  Each member must have acknowledged and named the Crew on his/her registration form at the time of registration.  At no time will any changes be allowed to any rappers registration form to add/change crew affiliations. 

43.  If a Crew member is disqualified from tournament competition for any reason his/her crew will not be eligible for the Most Valuable Crew Award and its accompanying cash prize.

44.  The cash prize will be made payable to the Crew name only.  WSOHH has no jurisdiction as to the disbursement of these funds.

45. Scoring formula for the Most Valuable Crew Award is as follows:

 

                        1st Round Loss = -20

                        1st Round Win = .5

                        2nd Round Loss = -15

                        2nd Round Win = 1

                        3rd Round Loss = -10

                        3rd Round Win = 5

                       

            Subsequent rounds Losses increase by 5 and Wins increase by 5.

 

                        Example:

                                                Rd. 4 Loss = -5, Win = 10

                                                Rd. 5 Loss = 0, Win = 15

                                                Rd. 6 Loss = 5, Win = 20

 

            Crew is awarded 10 point bonus for each member advancing to Championship Rounds.

            Each Crew’s total score is then divided by the number of members competing in the rap battle tournament; the result is the Crew’s final score.

46. In the event of a tie score, the Crews will face off in a five round battle.  Each round will consist of three (3) minutes.  Only one Crew member may rap in any one round.  No one Crew member may rap for more than two rounds.  Judges may declare a “Body” if one Crew has won the first three consecutive rounds, otherwise the match continues for the full five rounds and the score cards are tallied.  If the score cards are tied, the battle goes into Sudden Death rounds.

 

By submitting a Pre-Registration form and Registration Fee to World Series of Hip Hop for registration in and/or participation in the WSOHH, such persons and/ or entities agree to these rules.

 

 

SECTION IX – BATTLE RAP TOURNAMENT PRIZE STRUCTURE*

 

Most Valuable Crew Award

The winner of the Most Valuable Crew Award will earn a cash prize of $100,000

 

HEAVYWEIGHT MALE

Final 64-Heavyweight Male rappers who advance to the final 64 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $1,000.

Final 32-Heavyweight Male rappers who advance to the final 32 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $2,500.

Final 16-Heavyweight Male rappers who advance to the final 16 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $5,000.

Final 8-Heavyweight Male rappers who advance to the final 8 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $25,000.

Final 4-Heavyweight Male rappers who advance to the final 4 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $50,000.

Championship Round-Heavyweight Male rapper who suffers defeat in the championship round earns a cash prize of $100,000

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION MALE earns cash prize of $1,000,000

 

HEAVYWEIGHT FEMALE

Final 64-Heavyweight Female rappers who advance to the final 64 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $1,000.

Final 32-Heavyweight Female rappers who advance to the final 32 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $2,500.

Final 16-Heavyweight Female rappers who advance to the final 16 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $5,000.

Final 8-Heavyweight Female rappers who advance to the final 8 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $25,000.

Final 4-Heavyweight Female rappers who advance to the final 4 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $50,000.

Championship Round-Heavyweight Female rapper who suffers defeat in the championship round earns a cash prize of $100,000

 HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION FEMALE earns cash prize of $1,000,000

  

MIDDLEWEIGHT MALE

Final 64-Middleweight Male rappers who advance to the final 64 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $500.

Final 32-Middleweight Male rappers who advance to the final 32 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $1,250.

Final 16-Middleweight Male rappers who advance to the final 16 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $2,500.

Final 8-Middleweight Male rappers who advance to the final 8 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $12,500.

Final 4-Middleweight Male rappers who advance to the final 4 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $25,000.

Championship Round-Middleweight Male rapper who suffers defeat in the championship round earns a cash prize of $50,000

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION MALE earns cash prize of $500,000

 

MIDDLEWEIGHT FEMALE

Final 64-Middleweight Female rappers who advance to the final 64 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $500.

Final 32-Middleweight Female rappers who advance to the final 32 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $1,250.

Final 16-Middleweight Female rappers who advance to the final 16 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $2,500.

Final 8-Middleweight Female rappers who advance to the final 8 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $12,500.

Final 4-Middleweight Female rappers who advance to the final 4 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $25,000.

Championship Round-Middleweight Female rapper who suffers defeat in the championship round earns a cash prize of $50,000

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION FEMALE earns cash prize of $500,000

 

LIGHTWEIGHT MALE

Final 64-Lightweight Male rappers who advance to the final 64 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $250.

Final 32-Lightweight Male rappers who advance to the final 32 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $625.

Final 16-Lightweight Male rappers who advance to the final 16 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $1,250.

Final 8-Lightweight Male rappers who advance to the final 8 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $6,250.

Final 4-Lightweight Male rappers who advance to the final 4 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $12,500.

Championship Round-Lightweight Male rapper who suffers defeat in the championship round earns a cash prize of $25,000

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION MALE earns cash prize of $250,000

 

LIGHTWEIGHT FEMALE

Final 64-Lightweight Female rappers who advance to the final 64 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $250.

Final 32-Lightweight Female rappers who advance to the final 32 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $625.

Final 16-Lightweight Female rappers who advance to the final 16 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $1,250.

Final 8-Lightweight Female rappers who advance to the final 8 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $6,250.

Final 4-Lightweight Female rappers who advance to the final 4 round and suffer defeat in that round earn a cash prize of $12,500.

Championship Round-Lightweight Female rapper who suffers defeat in the championship round earns a cash prize of $25,000

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION FEMALE earns cash prize of $250,000

*Prize structure based on minimum amount of registrations, WSOHH may increase or decrease prize structure based on total number of registrants.  Final prize structure will be posted on http://www.wsohh.com/ August 1, 2008.