Long before he was one of the most revered MCs in the game, Eminem made his name by battling other aspiring rappers. Now, he’s giving up and coming MCs the chance to make a name for themselves in a similar way with his new competition, Red Bull EmSee: The Road to 8 Mile, kicking off on Monday, June 21 at New York’s Bowery Ballroom.

There will be three rounds testing the contestants’ skills. The first will have the MCs rapping over beats; in the second, they must flow about topics that are texted by judges and the live audience and appear on a large screen; the final head-to-head round will involve the MCs spitting acapella.

“I’m looking for somebody to stand out, to be unique and to say the sickest, most ridiculous, most retarded shit you can say, something that makes somebody want to quit,” explained Em.

The judges for the battle will include Just Blaze, The Alchemist, and Craig G. The competition will next head to San Francisco on July 16), Philadelphia on July 20, Orlando on July 29, Atlanta on August 3, Greensboro on August 5 and Houston on August 12, before culminating at Detroit’s St. Andrews Hall on August 26, where Em will decide the national champ.

For more information on the event, visit redbullusa.com/EmSee. —Adam Fleischer

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