Command the Machine Battle

It is a public professional AI-assisted hip-hop producer / creator battle on the Vanguard Platform.

Participants submit original AI-assisted hip-hop tracks, receive judging, and the strongest eligible participants may advance through the competition.

The core question is simple:

Can you command the machine — and still make it hit?

Individual artists aged 14+ may participate.

Participants aged 14–17 need parent or legal guardian authorization.

Yes, this Event is free.

Submit one original AI-assisted hip-hop track between 60 and 90 seconds.

This does not need to be a full song. It can be a hook + verse concept, song excerpt, producer sketch, battle-style AI-produced piece, cinematic hip-hop idea, experimental hip-hop prototype, or short original track.

You can choose one of two directions:

• Command the Machine — create an original AI-assisted hip-hop track that proves you can command the machine, not just generate sound. This direction is about control, concept, production, vocal direction, and overall impact.

• Vanguard M.C. — represent yourself. This direction is about who you are as a creator: your identity, taste, message, style, hip-hop vision, and the kind of sound you want to bring into Vanguard.

No. Your submission should feel created for this Event and this round.

Do not pull an old track from your catalogue and submit it as if it was made for the brief.

Yes.

If you have the rights, permissions, licenses, and tool-term clearance required.

You may not use unauthorized voice cloning, misleading artist impersonation, or unlawful use of a real person’s voice, likeness, name, image, persona, brand, or identity.

Yes, if the applicable tool terms allow your use and you have the rights needed to submit the work to this Event and grant the required Event and promotional permissions.

You are responsible for checking the tool terms, licenses, subscription rules, commercial/public-use restrictions, and any other conditions that apply to your generated content.

Yes, where requested by the submission form, Event Terms, or Round Materials.

You may be asked to disclose which tools were used and whether AI was used for music, vocals, lyrics, artwork, video, production, editing, or other creative purposes.

Explicit language and mature themes may appear in battle content, but you must flag explicit content if the submission form asks you to do so.

Explicit content does not allow threats, doxxing, harassment, hate-based conduct, or unlawful material.

No, not without permission.

Do not submit content that clones or imitates a real artist’s voice, uses a public figure’s voice or likeness, or falsely suggests that a real person performed, endorsed, approved, or participated in your submission.

General genre influence and broad stylistic inspiration may be allowed where lawful, non-misleading, and consistent with the Event rules.

Only if you have the rights, license, permission, and clearance needed to use it in this Event.

You are responsible for beats, samples, loops, collaborators, credits, vocals, Synthetic Voice, voice models, visuals, linked materials, and all third-party materials.

Yes, where the submission flow allows it.

Optional visual materials may include cover art, short-form video, reel, vertical clip, visualizer, lyric clip, teaser, or other visual presentation materials.

Optional visual materials may be considered under the published judging rules.

Yes.

Your music stays yours. Vanguard does not become your label, publisher, distributor, manager, or owner.

Yes, within the Event context.

Vanguard may use your submission to run, judge, display, document, and archive the Event.

Broader promotional use is handled by the Content Promotion & Media License.

No.

Vanguard cannot sell your track as a standalone product without a separate written agreement with the relevant rights holder or rights holders.

Round 1 uses a Qualifying Score from 0 to 5.

Judges may consider theme fit, originality, lyrics and writing, hook or song idea, hip-hop identity, production, arrangement, vocal direction, AI creative direction, structure, replay value, and overall song impact.

Where optional visual materials are allowed, Judges may also consider an Optional Visual Bonus of up to 1 point.

Later battles use a 5–2–5 judging structure:

• Lyrics & Writing — 5 points
• Flow, Vocal Direction & Fit — 2 points
• Overall Song Impact — 5 points

Maximum battle score: 12 points.

This reflects the difference between a human MC battle and an AI-assisted producer / creator battle. The goal is not only clean delivery — the goal is to create a track that actually works.

Because this is not a human MC performance battle.

In this Event, AI tools may generate technically smooth vocals. Judges are not only asking whether the vocal sounds clean. They are asking whether the creator selected, shaped, and directed the vocal result in a way that serves the song.

The bigger focus is writing, concept, production, and overall song impact.

The first-place eligible winner may receive a cash prize based on the number of eligible Round 1 submissions.

The maximum cash prize for this Event is CAD $500.

Prize eligibility depends on the final number of eligible submissions, compliance with the Event rules, verification, and prize delivery requirements.