LARNACA, Cyprus — Lyrical duelists in Cyprus spit rhymes in head-to-head contests, keeping alive a tradition known as ''tsiattista'' that emerged centuries before the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
Konstantinos Christou Grilias and Adamos Peratikos are among a new group of poets in this Mediterranean country who battle it out live on stage to the rhythms of the lute and fiddle. The battles are fierce, but you won't find any Kendrick-Drake style beef. Tsiattista made UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.
The similarities with American hip-hop diss songs and battle rap are many: two duelists using their wits and turns of phrase to boast how superior they are, giving opponents a schooling in an onslaught of lyrical beatdowns. It's complete with assertive gestures and the hands-behind-the-back patience of the poet waiting to pounce.
''Even if you'd been a paramedic, I'd send you to hospital with a heart attack,'' Peratikos told one adversary — a line with more snap in the Cypriot Greek dialect, whose syntax is akin to ancient Greek. Grilias dissed his opponent as a lightweight and a laughingstock.
The audience of hundreds along a seaside promenade murmured in approval.
Tsiattista battles which have been around since at least the end of the 19th century, are undergoing a bit of a revival, thanks to performers like Grilias and Peratikos.
''We urge other kids who like it to come along to safeguard this institution,'' said Peratikos, 41. ''The goal isn't about awards, the goal is to keep tradition alive.''
The 44-year-old Grilias said he's never really delved into the world of Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z.