Mark Grist is a poet and battle rapper based in

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

, UK, who rose to prominence when his

Don't Flop Don't Flop Entertainment is one of the largest rap battle leagues based in the United Kingdom. It was founded by longtime friends Eurgh (Rowan Faife) and Cruger (Freddie Scott-Miller) in 2008. Since then, notable performers include Oshea, Sensa ...

rap battle Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults, wordplay and disses originating in the African-American community. Battle rap is of ...

against Mancunian MC Blizzard became an internet sensation. The video of the rap battle became the most viewed UK rap battle of all time and Grist is ranked the third most viewed rap battler in UK history. His poe
Girls Who Read
produced by Roundhouse London and published on their YouTube channel has also gained significant fame on the internet, winning two International Luvvie Awards for 'Best individual performance' and 'Best Viral Video'. Grist starred in Channel 4's 'Mr Drew's School for Boys', Redbull TV's 'Mark Grist Battles the World' and his poetry and rap battle videos have gained over 60 million views online. Grist has visited several schools to perform his poetry and raps on several occasions. He has published a collection of his poetry with Burning Eye books.

History

Grist performed in various musicals and productions whilst at school, including many performances with the Bristol Youth Theatre (he later went on to co-direct the company). He studied American and English literature at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

before becoming an English teacher. He noticed that his students felt disconnected from the English curriculum and decided to start working with his students, learning about rap. Following a bet with his students, Grist entered rap battle tournament 'The East of England King of the Mic' held in a Peterborough nightclub, eventually making it through the grand final of the tournament, which he lost to fellow Peterborough MC Mixy (Michael Riccardi). Grist began using rap techniques to teach his students about poetic devices and other elements of the English language, inspiring them to take a stronger interest in the subject. Grist left teaching in 2008 and with MC Mixy formed Dead Poets, a double act that fused

spoken-word poetry Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of recitation ...

with

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, touring the United Kingdom and performing at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

in 2010. After deciding to try out rapping in the

battle league, Grist's battle against MC Blizzard received coverage in the British media, gathering over 5 million internet views in the process and becoming the UK's most viewed rap battle of all time. Grist performed at the Edinburgh Festival again in 2012, receiving positive reviews from The Guardian, the Scotsman and other publications. His storytelling skills and passion for his subject often being cited as his strengths, alongside a complex grasp of rhyme and writing techniques. Grist has written poetry along with collaborator Larsen for their YouTube channel Grist & Larsen, garnering millions of views amongst the poetry scene. Grist's rhymes are inspired by an eclectic range of themes, and are usually upbeat, covering themes of identity, creativity, freedom of expression and colloquial aspects of modern life.

Battle Rap Record (Individual)

, style="text-align:center;" colspan="6", 5 Wins, 2 Defeats , - style="text-align:left; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Res. , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Host League , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=left , - align=left , Promo, , -, , align=left, Loonie , , align=left,

FlipTop Battle League FlipTop Rap Battle League is the first and largest running pro battle conference in the Philippines founded by Alaric Riam Yuson (known as Anygma) in 2010. Also the best battle rap league in the world. The league promotes Pinoy hip hop. FlipTo ...

, align=left, , - align=left , Win, , 5–2, , align=left, Knamelis , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Win, , 4–2, , align=left, Spirited Sage , , align=left, Rap Slam Battles , align=left, , - align=left , Promo, , 3-2, , align=left, Stuart Parsons , , align=left, None , align=left, , - align=left , Win, , 3–2, , align=left, Aukes , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Loss, , 2–2, , align=left, Deffinition , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Promo, , 2-1, , align=left, Soul , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Promo, , 2-1, , align=left, Micky Worthless , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Promo, , 2-1, , align=left, Mixy , , align=left, None , align=left, , - align=left , Loss, , 2–1, , align=left, Zain Azrai , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Win, , 2–0, , align=left, Blizzard , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Win, , 1–0, , align=left, Mos Prob , , align=left, Don't Flop , align=left, , - align=left , Promo, , -, , align=left, Omen , , align=left, None , align=left,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grist, Mark Living people Alumni of the University of East Anglia English male rappers English male poets Year of birth missing (living people)