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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p dir="ltr" align="justify">Comedians Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Ahlquist are best known for their YouTube channel, Epic Rap Battles of History. Now, they’re taking their act on tour.</p>

Comedians Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Ahlquist are best known for their YouTube channel, Epic Rap Battles of History. Now, they’re taking their act on tour.

A YouTube act is coming to the Gainesville stage this weekend — and it’s going to be epic.

In 2010, Epic Rap Battles of History comedians Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Ahlquist (aka Nice Peter and EpicLLOYD) created their YouTube channel, Epic Rap Battles of History, where they place famous figures from past, present, reality and fiction against each other in a rap battle. Now, the comedians are bringing their show out on the road for the first time, said Pat Lavery, owner of Glory Days Presents.

"And this is the only show in Florida," Lavery wrote in an email. "That in itself is a big deal."

Today, the YouTube sensation is the 17th most subscribed channel on YouTube with more than 12.5 million subscribers and a total of 1.7 billion views.

"At the time I got into it, it was the golden age of YouTube," said creator Shukoff. "I never would’ve expected that it would get to this."

ERB will be performing Monday at High Dive, located at 210 SW Second Ave. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $23 at the door and advance tickets can be purchased for $20 at Hear Again Music and Movies, the High Dive box office or ticketfly.com.

ERB has created 57 episodes in a span of four seasons. Their most watched videos include "Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney," "Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates," "Master Chief vs. Leonidas," and "Mario Bros. vs. Wright Bros."

For every video created, Shukoff, Ahlquist and the team spend hours discussing lyrics, beats, editing, costume design, storyboards and more. It takes approximately four-to-six months to create six one-to-five-minute videos with the perfect blend of music and humor.

Because it’s a digital series, the team has had the freedom to work independently but has managed to consistently improve as the years passed. In 2015, ERB was nominated for Outstanding Digital Series at the Producers Guild of America Awards.

"We’ve been allowed to make mistakes and learn from them on our own, which I think is what has helped us grow," Shukoff said.

ERB has also had various special guests make cameo appearances in rap battles such as Weird Al as Sir Isaac Newton in "Sir Isaac Newton vs. Bill Nye the Science Guy."

"We met at a YouTube party and he had said he’d like to be in a video sometime…When we stumbled upon Isaac Newton we thought that’d be perfect so we called him and he said, ‘Sure, I’ll do it’," Shukoff said.

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Lavery expects the show to feature some of ERB’s greatest hits performed live. The duo is coming to High Dive armed with about 25 different costumes and props.

While this is the first time the duo performs as Epic Rap Battles of History, this isn’t their first show together. The comedians met in Chicago when they were touring colleges together with the improv comedy troupe Mission Improvable. It’s safe to say they’re going back to their roots.

"The show is still pretty loose; there are a couple moments where you don’t know what’s going to happen," Shukoff said. "The songs are the centerpiece of the show but around that we interact with the audience to rap and dance and do all sorts of funny stuff."

Shukoff is also no stranger to High Dive. Last year, he ended his solo U.S. improv tour in Gainesville.

"It was one of my favorite shows that year. We had a blast," Shukoff said.

According to the comedian, the tour manager always looks for attitude in the people and in the people running the venue. To Shukoff, there is something cool about Gainesville.

When asked what is one last thing the audience should know, Shukoff urged rappers to come prepared.

"We’re going to need a William Shakespeare and a Goku," he said.

Comedians Peter Shukoff and Lloyd Ahlquist are best known for their YouTube channel, Epic Rap Battles of History. Now, they’re taking their act on tour.

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