Written records from the early 16th century provide us with this golden knowledge today: “the first recorded instance of poop being used as an insult” occurred when Scottish poets William Dunbar and Walter Kennedy, both born in the 1400s, “rap battled” in the presence of James IV to compete (nerd alert) in a game of intellect. This practice was a form of back and forth diss dropping known as flyting. Think Shakespearean-type roasting sessions (who does, later on in his active years, use flyting in much of his poetry.)
The goal was to entertain the public, including royals, in the arrangement of live shows commonly taking place in Scotland and England. This epic poetic word battle was a way of seeing just how witty one was, based on the craftiness of their word usage. Opponents, often known as makars, or royal court poets, would attack each other with accusations of wimpiness, stupidity, or being a thirsty hornball. Though as public decency was super important to these medieval humorists, going too far could result in a beating or fine, depending on social status.
A direct way of comparing both parties’ intelligence, the highest people in power of your community would come to witness your unmatched greatness if you won, or depressingly join the winner for a beer if you lost.
However, make no mistake in recognizing that flyting did not begin the art of insult-trading. Black culture, in particular, created a definition for verbally exchanging words as a means of showing resilience, using a sense of humor, and clowning your opponent all the way to the circus: The Dozens.
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