THE BATTLE OF IDEAS

The Battle of Ideas is a fusion of rhythm and reason, a platform where economics comes alive in lyrical debates. What started as a creative venture has since morphed into a global phenomenon, transforming textbooks and igniting intellectual curiosity, and now we’re taking it to the next level.

Bad ideas are on the rise.

Activist education, cancel culture, and identity politics are killing civil discourse and real debate. 

RETURN OF COMMUNISM

Favorable opinion of the term ‘Communism’

RISE OF ANTISEMITISM

Antisemitic incidents in the US

DISCOMFORT SHARING VIEWS

Of college students self-censor their opinions

By bringing together rhythm and reason, our rap battles entertain, educate, and foster a culture of meaningful dialogue for the next generation.

Our goal is to advance a culture of freedom and civil discourse by exposing intellectually curious young people to the full range of perspectives on major issues using the emotional resonance and stickiness of top-40 quality music videos.

We’ve proven we can produce viral hits!

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60K Comments

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215K Likes

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21M Views

“I’ve shown [the rap battles] to multiple groups of 100 people at a time.”

— Carlos Carvalho, Professor of Statistics, McCombs School of Business, UT Austin

That’s just one professor at one school. Now imagine classrooms across the country, full of students.

Featured Rap Battles

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The March of History: Mises vs. Marx
The March of History: Mises vs. Marx

Is history marching inevitably towards centrally planned socialism, as Karl Marx proclaimed? Or is the best path to continued progress and expanding prosperity liberal, democratic capitalism as recommended by Ludwig von Mises?

Is history marching inevitably towards centrally planned socialism, as Karl Marx proclaimed? Or is the best path to continued progress and expanding prosperity liberal, democratic capitalism as recommended by Ludwig von Mises?

Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek
Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek

In "Fight of the Century", Keynes and Hayek weigh in on these central questions. Do we need more government spending or less? What's the evidence that government spending promotes prosperity in troubled times?

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession ended in the summer of 2009. Yet we're all uneasy. Job growth has been disappointing. The recovery seems fragile. Where should we head from here? Is that question even meaningful? Can the government steer the economy or have past attempts helped create the mess we're still in?

In "Fight of the Century", Keynes and Hayek weigh in on these central questions. Do we need more government spending or less? What's the evidence that government spending promotes prosperity in troubled times? Can war or natural disasters paradoxically be good for an economy in a slump? Should more spending come from the top down or from the bottom up? What are the ultimate sources of prosperity?

Keynes and Hayek never agreed on the answers to these questions and they still don't. Let's listen to the greats. See Keynes and Hayek throwing down in "Fight of the Century"!

Fear the Boom and Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek
Fear the Boom and Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek

In Fear the Boom and Bust, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century, come back to life to attend an economics conference on the economic crisis.

In Fear the Boom and Bust, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century, come back to life to attend an economics conference on the economic crisis. Before the conference begins, and at the insistence of Lord Keynes, they go out for a night on the town and sing about why there's a "boom and bust" cycle in modern economies and good reason to fear it.

“The Keynes vs Hayek battles so further propelled me into my love of learning that I constantly think about how I would not be the same person I am today had it not been for John Papola's ingenuity in co-founding and promoting this... EO and their rap battles have literally changed my aim in life.”

— Calvin Tran, Filmmaker

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