[Critical Analysis] Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible. ERB. Chisel This! Episode 29 

Didn't Pompey die right before he gave a speech. Therefore, him dying before his rap goes along with the theme of the greats all dying like how they did in actually history.

Oh man, I can't wait for his thoughts on Pompey's Verse, then again anyone who has seen Pompey's incredible verse was left speechless and even brought Tupac and Biggie Smalls back from the grave to approve it

What about when Catherine said 'Checkmate?' Ivan died playing chess and when you win, you say checkmate. That's got to mean she caused his undoing in the battle.

I was at first like, nah, he is not going to sing Cat's part...and then he did, gosh, those harmonies were on point.

When in Russian his name is actually Ivan the Fearsome (or bodeful, or rampant, or even formidable...)

what was that other guy's job? gloss over wikipedia articles?

I think one of the reasons why Nice Peter was able to pull off Ivan the Terrible is because he's of Russian descent and showed that before in another ERB vid.

this history guy brings down the video for me. you can sum up these great historical figures for the purpose of the rap battle very easily, it almost seemed as if he didn't have a script and was asked to just say something about them in 3,2,1, go! for anyone who is actually curious: Ivan the terrible was the first man to unite all of the russian states under one nation and became "the first tzar of ALL of Russia". a good ruler and loved by the common people with a hatred for the nobility, as he aged he grew mentally unstable and took out his paranoia on the russian nobles in brutal and ruthless executions and assassinations as he believed they were doing to his family. Alexander the great was a Macedonian prince and military leader in addition to being openly bisexual, he died at a young age from malaria at a time where his army was on the verge of mutiny as he pushed them too far for too long, his death split a united great into multiple factions controlled by his former generals. Frederick the great was a prussian (german) military leader and king nicknamed old fritz by the people, in his youth he was more interested in music and philosophy than war and ran away from his duty as a prince. He went to war for the first time when he was made king, attacking Austria, as it turned out he was an excellent military leader, he died at 74 years old in an armchair, leaving instructions on how he wanted to be buried. the story he was homosexual is disputed with historians split on whether he was homosexual or he was impotent and implied his own homosexuality too hide that fact. Pompey the great. Pompeii was one of the members in the first roman triumvirate along with Caesar and Crassus. All three were military leaders some people argue Pompey was a better one than Caesar and others vice versa while Crassus is considered the weakest of the three. Pompey is famous for running the pirates out of the Mediterranean and converting some to the roman navy (roman general were also admirals), marrying Caesar's daughter Julia whom he supposivly loved dearly (bonding the two men, however her death split them permanently) He was the general who put down Spartacus' rebellion and despite his hatred of politics held the consul office three times (highest office of power). Pompey was killed in egypt and beheaded by his killers, they presented his head to Caesar who (famously) reacted appalled and distraught that this great roman hero and general was killed in such a gruesome was by assassins and not on the battlefield, Caesar punished his killers and the egyptians who helped them. Catherine the great was the longest female ruler of Russia and was able to expand Russia greatly not only because of her excellent leadership, but similar to Augustus (Octavian), she knew to pick the right man for the job and allied herself with many prominent nobles, great generals, and diplomats who were very loyal to her. Catherine ordered russia's first paper curency, led an educational revolution and saw to it that russian arts flourished. despite this however the serf's viewed her in contempt and considered her a fake tzar believing that a tzar should not do what she wants and thinks is best but should listen to her people and do what they want, this triggered multiple rebellions over her reign. Catherine suffered a stroke at 67 years old and died in a coma later on. The horse story suggests she died from internal damage after having sex with a horse, she was also known for romancing many attractive young men from multiple countries and possible having an "erotic room" (i'd look it up, hard to explain quickly) I hope that helps anyone interested in a brief description of the historic importance of these characters and I think I covered most of the points in the rap :)

the other guy made alexander sound like a good guy. Alexander, like all conquerers and leaders, was power hungry and merciless for the most part. Guess the correct word would be "more sane than ivan"

> It takes a Russian to take down a Russian Probably worth mentioning that Catherine The Great had not a single bit of Russian blood in her veins as she was a Prussian princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg before Orthodox baptising (which was required in order to be a wife of Russian prince Peter).

Your history is off. Catherine and Frederick did have connections. Their reigns overlapped each other by 20 years or so. The first thing her hubby did after the Empress died was to stop the war between them and later on Catherine did negotiate a treaty for some 8 years. Both of them worked together to overthrow the Polish government (though by the time she put her lover on the throne, Fredie was dead.) It also wasn't a rumor that her kids weren't her hubbies. This is a known fact. Her hubby... well, he hated Russia. He'd had a terrible upbringing and the Russian Empress sort of "rescued" him from all that when she decided to make him her heir. He didn't appreciate it, however. He sort of reverted to a second childhood or something. He notoriously played with his toy soldiers on their wedding night. When it was made known to the Empress what he was like, Catherine was basically strong armed into finding a lover to have an heir. This was naturally taken up by her detractors after the fact (thus the horse rumor.) Pompey's death actually had HUGE importance. It was what got Rome to overthrow Cleo's brother in Egypt (which allowed her to gain the throne alone and brought the eventual death of Ancient Egypt all together.) He was very significant in and of himself as well.

I didn't catch it until later, but it was interesting how both Alexander and Frederick asked for what killed them. "Go fetch me a drink so I can stay refreshed." "So bring me my chair, I weary..."

I never noticed until this video how...phallic Catherines garrote wire is.

Um... The horse segment is a reference to the fact that for a long while it was rumored that she died while having sex with a horse. I didn't see anyone mention it, so I felt the need to do so. Good job though, love these anyway.

Better morals? Alexander made his army march through the desert, as a punishment for wanting to go home, and Pompey Magnus a weakling, Jacob your knowledge and comprehension of ancient history is more than just lacking.

The “expansion pack” was also a refference to the speech Alexander gave to his soldiers when they wanted to go home from India. He named every nation he brought under his rule all for them, the macedonians. Also the beat on the Frederick XII. was played on marching drums probably refferencing prussian millitary might.

Wait, how could anyone who claims to be good at history suggest that Alexander had better morals and was a kinder spirit? Sure he was a good military commander, but he was also a megalomaniac destroyer.

This was by FAR my favorite rap battle. Not only am I a bit of a history nut but as you said Peter did an amazing job at portraying Ivan the Terrible. I have watched this one over and over again. I hope they are able to make even more like this. :)

jacob can sing higher than my girlfriend i dont know how to feel about this

Zach's Alexandar is probably one of the best characters this seaosn

Actually the whole horse part regards to Catherines death where her enemies who hated her greatly made jokes on how she died fucking a horse. I read this off of Wikipedia I don't know how reliable it is.

As a history geek specifically interested in European battle tactics in the early modern age I came rainbows when Frederick appeared on screen

I accidentally saw your name appearing in the writers list in the new ERB, congrats! I don't know if you've been working with them before, but it was nice to see your writing skills recognised.

I have to say, the best part of Peter's performance as Ivan is that one moment before Pompey shows up. The way his happy face turns into that incredulous look is always amazing and hilarious to see. XD Also, great job on this analysis!

Good job Mat as always ! First time I comment one of your video but as a big erb fan I follow your channel since you make those analysis (great scott, still dont understand the peoples who think a immediate reaction to this kind of intricated and layered stuff has any value). Just one thing that I want to ad : I also really liked the Frederick part because I think this is one of the first time Lloyd do this kind of happy/funny character ('I would payyy a guyyyyyyyy' ). I mean, he is usually the angry dude, the manly badass or the villain and this portraying was unexpected and refreshing !

I'm so glad I found this channel I've been looking at reaction videos for a year and half and all I've been looking for all this time is actually a critical analysis. Great Channel you probably won't notice but you just earned a new subscriber

God I love that this battle kept the historical references and jokes so smoothly and consistently coming and also that, as you did kind of go into, it played to everyone's strengths - while Lloyd and Zach always have excellent delivery and energy, IMO, Peter's the most fun as an actor, as it were. Also, I "PFFF"-ed on your wordless zoom into Catherine's garrote.

That dude knows literally nothing about Pompey the great

Im so glad you pointed out the instruments! I loved the drums and guitars that were used to move along the emotions of the characters.

Why is Jacob's face inside a potato?

Oh my god, Jacob 's cover.

Something that I noticed about the battle that I thought is a good little subtle conclusion to the 'story' in the video. Alexander says the line in his verse "you died in the middle of a game of chess". Both Alexander and Fredrick foreshadows their own deaths in their lines (as pointed out in this video) with "go fix me a drink" and "now bring me my chair", I believe that the same happens with Catherine's last line "checkmate" with her as a pawn in a game of chess. This concludes the line earlier "died in the middle of a game of chess" with the battle ending with a finishing move in a game of chess, the ending is supposed to represent Ivan dying leaving Catherine the Great as the only survivor from this battle, although you never see him die given the scenario it's safe to assume that's what's happened. Don't know if anyone else noticed that too or if anyone else has pointed it out in the comments here but I just think it's a nice little thing to make this battle even better.

Yo, your channel is dang great dude! Love your style and hard work you put on your videos. Totally going to check your album out!

6:49 forgot to mention that на здоровье (na zdorov’ye) means ”On Health” or “Bless You!” in Russian, so Ivan gave a false toast to Alexander the Great

I'm really relieved that this episode felt normal.. I thought the guest star was going to ruin it. Happens alot. Ty

It always surprises me how quickly you're able to make these. It's only been a week since the battle was released, you must be so dedicated!

I love how Peter/Ivan has jumpcuts of getting ideas for killing the Greats. I'm glad I'm not the only one who actually figured it out

I can't wait for the butchering lyrics series! That sounds like it will be great!

Pompey best verse "WHAT ABOUT ME! POMPEY! YEAH!!" best line ever

Only 11,000 subscribers?!? Damn man, you deserve at least 500,000. I'm definitely gonna find a way to spread the word about your channel, you make good content. Keep it up!

Next time try to at least read some Wikipedia. Your history look out was so poor. And yes, this ERBH battle was epic.

First video of yours that I watch, and I'm glad I found it. I love how you analized everything, even the little details. It was really entertaining and I'm totally going to watch more of your videos. Oh, and I couldn't stop laughing when the Jesus-looking guy started singing Catherine's part! Hahaha. Amazing. Great job!

That cover at the end, oh god, I certainly wasn't prepared for that. That editing was priceless. The increasing number of heads and effects popping up were hilarious. I was laughing my ass off. Great episode as always. I'm very excited for the next batch of ERB episodes not only for the raps themselves, but also for what you're coming up with on the next Chisel This instalments. Cheers, matey! Freaking love your stuff. Can't wait for the album you're dropping in two weeks. I'm sure it'll be fire.

12:36 Could have been a great argument - but you missed something. You were right about Crassus - he was just a rich guy. But Pompeius was not at all the weak person - he was basically a legend after getting rid of basically 90% of all pirates in the Mediterranean. (He possibly also had his title "magnus", the great, here, but that's a thing I am not entirely sure about. Also, he was one of a very few people who got that title before they died) He was a very important person at that time, one of THE most important. Caesar surely did greater things and is more known today, but here is the thing you missed - he, at that time, was a young politician who had not achieved the things he is now famous for yet. He was the absolute weak part of the Triumvirate. We have a rich guy, a powerful military guy, and Caesar. Not a rich guy, the great conqueror, and Pompeius. I don't really blame you for not knowing this - though it would've been great to see -, because I only know it because I learned Latin and by that a lot about Caesar etc for almost six years by now. ^^" I just wanted to point it out :)

How have I just found your channel? This is actually amazing, please keep this up dude! And I'm excited for your album, I'm a huge Pokemon fan as well :)

I loved this battle for just how much is in it. Several great characters, good music, nice rapping, good history, and it all looked good plus you could go through it several times and still notice new little things.

I am... Soooooo glad I kept this video playing after Mat4yo signed off...

I like that the oblique attack tactics line could be broken up into 2 seperate thoughts to double down on the double entendre, like if you add in the word “I’m” “oblique attack tactics, I’m not exactly straight”

You've put so much thought into this buddy! You deserve more subs!!

that burn on those "reactors" though. i knew I sub to the correct guy! Another good video mat! I knew I could rely on you to break this down on a molecular level!

youre one of the best react/analysis channels ive ever seen

Interesting fact about Ivan Grozny(you know, in Russian it is not "The Terrible"(Ужасный), it is like "Aaressive", "powerfull", "threatening"; Google Translate translate this word as "formidable", lol): he, as a pious orthodox, has his own pominalnik. Pominalnik is a list of all the men you have killed. You need to pray for them. And he prayed for *every* in almost *every* liturgy. About 4 000 men in the list, and he prayed for every one, lol. First I kill, then I confess my sin of killing. God would forgive, right?

Wow these analysis' are getting popular. They totally deserve it

i've watched this battle a few times and I never noticed that Ivan was mixing the drink that he handed to Alexander, great job man; I love these.

I would like to see a part 2 of "Fans Get Chiseled" tbh

Great chisel episode. I almost wish this ERB had more issues with it so I could hear you re-do a verse in addition to having Jacob's harmony version all together lol.

Notice how Frederick II of Prussia's introduction background is Berlin (the capital city of both the Margravate of Brandenburg and the Kingdom of Prussia) but changes to the Hohenzollern castle (the ancestral home-estate of his dynasty).

This is a great rap battle. I really like the way Catherine started her part (her inflections). It reminds of a song (not sure what it's called) and/or a battle theme. Like she's already prepared for victory. :)

Holy cow, excellent analysis.

Holy Crap!! I've been waiting for this!!

My favorite part is when Peter starts doing that happy dance like "It's another great day! And another great victory!" . . .something about such a threatening and murderous villain doing such a goofy villain dance is so funny to me.

Btw, you forgot to say the catalyst of Ivan the Terrible going crazy was the death of his wife, Anastacia

Finally! I completly agree with you, I mean it's the best battle so far! And Hey, What about making another Chisel This with battles of the community? It'll be great! And I'm way too hyped for the Fire Red Version album!

Oblique order is a refined version of the tactics Alexander and Philip used where there army's advanced at on angle with cavalry on one side so it all ties back

It is also worth noting some extra word play in Lloyds verse. He used the line "Tundras and taigas and bears, oh my!" Taiga being the Russian for a snowy forested area. But the phrase as a whole is obviously a play on "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my", from the Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy. The phrase "Friend of Dorothy" is a somewhat outdated term for a gay man. Coming from the line in the film "You have some queer friends, don't you Dorothy?" So some more clever word play on the fact that Frederic the Great was possibly gay, which Mat4yo, being a younger chap, might have missed. Of course if he didn't, and just didn't feel it needed explaining, feel free to pelt me with potatoes for wasting your time.

expected analysis, got a dude explaining most simple things about the video, niiiice

"Nice Peter absolutely slaughtered this character." So much irony in this statement.

This is the first video of yours that I've watched. Keep it up! Love your work!!!

I'm surprised you didn't mention Catherine made a throwback to. When Alexander talks about Ivan's death, he mentions him dying during a game of chess. To finish off her rap battle, Catherine says "Checkmate!" almost as if she's killing Ivan like he killed the other greats.

When Fritz 1st appeared, I gasped 😰 It's der alte Fritz!!!

I'd like to see a Chisel This! on your thought process while making your philosophical Pokemon songs/raps. It'd be good to have some hints/tips

Thanks for making this man! I love it when you make a new chisel this!

hey mat love your videos man will you do critical analysis on older erb's ?

Also the reason why Pompey didn't rap his part because he was assassinated when he was about to make a big speech.

HANNIBAL LECTER VS JACK THE RIPPER! Chisel it!

Have you considered doing a chisel this for one of the Princess Rap Battles?

They actually did shockingly well with Ivan the Terrible's verse to make sure it wasn't that good compared to the others, forcing him to resort to trickery. It was really interesting to see for the first time because I thought at the beginning that it was gonna be another weak one, but it was my favorite along with the philosophers episode.

Have you ever thought about chiseling an eminem song? I think you would have a field day with the flow, technicality, and rhyming. Would love to see it.

Thanks for subscribing, dude! I really appreciate it!

This was a great redemption from the last blunder

Hey, you mentioned all the times the characters allude to a later part or even their death. Alexander: "While you died in the middle of a game of chess." Catherine: "Empress to Tsar 8 bitch, checkmate."

Good chiseling. By the way, just to blow you head more : Fredrick modernized oblique tactics, that were known for ages before him. For example, one of the antique masters of oblique tactics was Alexander the Great. Kabooom.

Great indepth analysis! :D

The line "drop dead Fred" is also apparently a play on a movie name. The more you know.

Are you gonna do old ones while waiting for the new ones to come out?

Does anyone else think that a lot of why Peter's acting was so fantastic in this rap is because his costuming was far more complex than it usually is? Usually Lloyd's the one whose acting I prefer and he's also usually the one in a crazier costume. I mean, Lloyd's had Alfred Hitchcock, Sean Connery, Stan Lee, George R. R. Martin and some other quite complex costumes but his acting's usually pretty good no matter what -- but in raps where Peter has more complex outfits (Caesar vs. Shaka, Jefferson vs. Douglass, East vs. West philosophy with Peter as Nietzsche) his acting seems to be SERIOUSLY solid.

Mr. Mat, why did you have Dies Irae being played at 15:22?

Correction. Zach Sherwin is fully apart of ERB. He is an official writer.

Hey mat4yo! I just found your channel, and thank you for not being the typical react channel, could you make a video on my favorite rap battle Jack the Ripper vs. Hannibal Lecter? Thanks in advance, and sorry for my english, it's not my native language

Great critic. The best one out I have to say :-)

As a former history major, this rap battle made me giggle like a school girl. I like when the "history" is empathized in epic rap battles of history. I can't wait for your butchering rap series. (I sympathize since I fixed up most of Rihanna's lyrics in my head for fun...) PS My condolences for your future mental scarring that comes from fixing any Kanye West lyrics...

I adored the title cards as well!!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖

THANK YOU

Yeah when I first saw this battle I thought it was kinda meh.. But then, the more I watch it, it only gets better and better ;)

Hey, you seem to really like analyzing the lyrical structure of raps, you should take a look at some of Dan Bull's work, he's an amazing rapper and lyricist!

I can't stop watching the end XD

Well I was looking for a reaction from someone knowledgeable about the history of the characters and would add to the rap instead of just barely reacting, this'll certainly do.

Ive seen the ERB so many times, on the like 10th time of watching the ERB this popped up in my recommended. I thought someone can't talk about this and be interesting for 18 minutes. I was completely wrong

Don't forget about Ivan's horse joke

yup! enjoyable as always. late night thought buffet!