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ABOUT EPIC RAP BATTLES

The record-breaking digital series “Epic Rap Battles of History” (ERB), created by Peter Shukoff (aka Nice Peter) and Lloyd Ahlquist (aka EpicLLOYD), features comedic rap battles between historical and/or pop culture figures—such as Albert Einstein vs. Stephen Hawking and Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates. The series, which airs on the YouTube channel /ERB, is currently the most viewed format on YouTube on a per episode basis. The series as a whole has over 1.1 billion views with more than 4.5 million subscribers to the ERB channel and due to its popularity has spawned an additional channel — /ERB2 which features behind-the-scenes content.

Musician, comedian Nice Peter and actor, comedian, and emcee EpicLLOYD first met freestyling on a porch in Chicago. EpicLLOYD recruited Nice Peter to join the improv comedy group Mission IMPROVable, which he helped found at the University of Massachusetts and later expanded across the country. In 2009 the improv group began the M.i. Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, CA and after separate moves to Los Angeles, Nice Peter and EpicLLOYD connected again in the comedy circuit performing at the club.

In 2010 Nice Peter, already a well-established YouTube personality with Maker Studios, suggested that one of the live segments he, EpicLLOYD and MC Mr. Napkins (Zach Sherwin) were performing—an improv rap show that featured comedic, poignant altercations between two characters suggested by the audience—was better suited as a digital format. The duo brought the idea to Maker and hit the ground running with filmmaker Dave McCary. Tapping into his growing YouTube fan base, Nice Peter went to his channel subscribers for potential matchup ideas. Premiering on Nice Peter’s channel in September 2010 as “Epic Rap Battles of History,” John Lennon vs. Bill O’Reilly, the first battle in the series, was an instant hit. It was Episode #2 though, Adolf Hitler vs. Darth Vader that became a viral sensation—with now over 62 million views. After fifteen battles the series ended its first season with The Final Battle: Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD and launched Season 2 in December 2011 with a dedicated YouTube channel—/ERB.

“Epic Rap Battles of History” has featured appearances from hugely popular digital stars including LisaNova, Timothy DeLaGhetto, KassemG, Rhett and Link, Prank vs. Prank, George Watsky, Alex Farnham, and DeStorm Power, among others. In addition to the /ERB YouTube channel, the series’ behind-the-scenes channel /ERB2 features vlogs, bloopers, extra footage and more. The ERB official website is another hub for the series while also allows fans to vote for who they think won each battle. YouTube artistic sensation Mary Doodles additionally contributes to the property with her “Epic Rap Battles of History” time-lapse painting and drawing videos. The series has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and The Huffington Post.com, among others, and generates an unprecedented average of 30 million views an episode. Season 2, Part 2 launched in October 2012 with an exciting slate of new battles.

ABOUT NICE PETER AND EPIC LLOYD

Nice Peter

Comedian, musician Peter Shukoff, known online as Nice Peter, is best known for his original music and comedy on his hugely popular YouTube channels /NicePeter and /NicePeterToo (www.youtube.com/nicepeter, www.youtube.com/nicepetertoo), along with on his YouTube channel with personality EpicLLOYD—/ERB, which is home to the record-breaking comedy series “Epic Rap Battles of History.” Peter currently has over 575 million views and 2 million+ subscribers to his NicePeter and NicePeterToo channels alone, and is the 10th most subscribed musician on YouTube.

Originally from Rochester, New York, Peter grew up as an entertainer performing as an Irish dancer, an actor, an amateur magician and taught himself to play the guitar by the time he had completed high school. Following school, he focused his efforts on improv and musical comedy where he spent over ten years performing across the globe in Chicago, Los Angeles, England and a thousand strange clubs in between. Originally performing as Peter Shukoff, Peter was given the nickname “Pete Nice” after the popular 1980s rapper. After an announcer introduced him inaccurately one evening as Nice Pete, the new name stuck. While performing in Chicago, Peter met Lloyd Ahlquist (aka EpicLLOYD) who recruited him to join the improv comedy group Mission IMPROVable. In 2009, the group began the M.i. Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, CA and after separate moves to Los Angeles, Peter and Lloyd connected again in the comedy circuit performing at the club.

In 2010, Lloyd suggested Peter as a songwriter for The Station, the first hub channel of Maker Studios, now a multi-vertical, next generation media company. Peter’s work with The Station exposed him to other online talent, spawning collaborations such as the creation of the Shaytard’s theme song and video content such as “Street Music” with KassemG. Having found a dynamic, creative group of content creators along with an outlet that allowed him to channel the same energy he had for live performances, Peter officially joined Maker Studios in May 2010. Through Maker, Peter launched his channels NicePeter and NicePeterToo, which feature music and comedy content such as the recurring series/uploads “Picture Songs” and the “Monday Show.” Peter’s work with some of the biggest stars in YouTube immediately created interest in his channels and within a few months Peter had already garnered over 100,000 subscribers to his channel, cementing him a spot in the YouTube space.

Later that year, Peter suggested that one of the live segments he, EpicLLOYD and MC Mr. Napkins were performing—an improv rap show—was better suited as a digital format. The duo brought the idea to Maker and hit the ground running with filmmaker Dave McCary. Tapping into his growing YouTube fan base, Peter went to his channel subscribers for potential matchup ideas. Premiering on his own channel in September 2010 as “Epic Rap Battles of History,” John Lennon vs. Bill O’Reilly, the first battle in the series, was an instant hit. It was Episode #2 though, Adolf Hitler vs. Darth Vader that became a viral sensation—with now over 62 million views. After fifteen battles the series ended its first season with The Final Battle: Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD and launched Season 2 in December 2011 with a dedicated YouTube channel—/ERB. The series has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and The Huffington Post.com, among others, and generates an unprecedented average of 30 million views an episode. Season 2, Part 2 launched in October 2012 with an exciting slate of new battles.

In 2011, Peter was named the “King of Dot Comedy” by G4’s “Attack of the Show” and has been profiled by the Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post and Wired Magazine, to name a few. With over 780 million views and 3.5 million+ subscribers between his three channels (NicePeter, NicePeterToo, ERB) Peter is one of the most popular and prominent personalities on YouTube.

Lloyd Ahlquist

Comedian, writer Lloyd Ahlquist, known online as EpicLLOYD, has been performing professionally for the past 13 years and may be best known for his original online content on his popular YouTube channel /EpicLLOYD (http://www.youtube.com/) along with his channel with personality Nice Peter—/ERB, which is home to the record-breaking comedy series “Epic Rap Battles of History.” Lloyd has over 12 million video views and nearly 250,000 subscribers to his channel, which is quickly gaining momentum, due to his hit original rap series “Dis Raps For Hire.”

Originally from New Hampshire, Lloyd’s entertainment career began at the University of Massachusetts where he co-founded the comedy improv group Mission IMPROVable (http://www.missionimprovable.com/). Lloyd and his M.i. companions performed improv acts across campus, later packing up their lives in one giant moving van to study and perform in Chicago. The group eventually took to the road performing at colleges and clubs all over the country. While in Chicago, Lloyd trained at The Second City, Improv Olympic and Annoyance Theatre. Along the way he met Peter Shukoff (aka Nice Peter) who he recruited to join Mission IMPROVable to satisfy expanding tour dates. Lloyd later relocated to Los Angeles and in 2009, the improv group began the M.i. Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, CA. Lloyd is still an active owner, board member, performer and teacher at the club today. After Peter also relocated to the L.A. area, he and Lloyd connected again in the comedy circuit.

In 2010 Nice Peter, already a well-established YouTube personality with Maker Studios (http://www.makerstudios.com/), suggested that one of the live segments he, Lloyd and MC Mr. Napkins were performing—an improv rap show—was better suited as a digital format. The duo brought the idea to Maker and hit the ground running with filmmaker Dave McCary. Tapping into his growing YouTube fan base, Nice Peter went to his channel subscribers for potential matchup ideas. Premiering on Nice Peter’s channel in September 2010 as “Epic Rap Battles of History,” John Lennon vs. Bill O’Reilly, the first battle in the series, was an instant hit. It was Episode #2 though, Adolf Hitler vs. Darth Vader that became a viral sensation—with now over 62 million views. After fifteen battles the series ended its first season with The Final Battle: Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD and launched Season 2 in December 2011 with a dedicated YouTube channel—/ERB.

Prior to the launch of ERB Season 2, Lloyd joined Maker Studios himself, introducing his own channel /EpicLLOYD to his fans and featuring original hip hop music along with the recurring original rap series “Dis Raps for Hire.” For the series, Lloyd chooses user-submitted comments and requests for him to lyrically “destroy” or insult another person that is bullying or harassing the user. The videos attract hundreds of thousands of views per upload. Lloyd has been featured on Forbes.com, The Huffington Post, "CinemaBlend.com, and NewMediaRockstars.com, among others and has additionally appeared on television in FX’s “The League.”

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