Is this really a thing? Sign language Rap Battle?!

Posted by samantha on Apr 16, 2014 in What I Think

After spending my evening cleaning I was going through my nightly routine to prep for bed with Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! on for background noise.

This is not typically what I would watch at night, but for some reason I did. It must have been divine intervention to lead me to enjoy the hilarity of what happened.

Kimmel had Wiz Khalifa sing “Black and Yellow” for a Sign Language Rap Battle. Yes, seriously. Three young ladies were challenged to sign while the rapper sang his lyrics, each taking turns.

Check it out.

So, why is this even a thing? I’m not sure where the concept came from, but I think it is very interesting. I mean, the few hearing disabled or impaired people I know tend to enjoy hip hop music because they can feel the beats even if they can’t hear the entire complexity of the song.

Why not have a display of people signing the lyrics for them to enjoy another aspect of the song. Okay, sure, they could read the lyrics on a subtitled video. Maybe no one else feels this way, and that’s alright.

I appreciated the challenge as it called to mind learning American sign language as a girl. Of course, we learned hymns and Girl Scout songs mostly, but hey, it still counts, right?