What else should we react to? 🤔 Comment below! Also if you like the song in the intro support the channel directly & download my new album ‘Blacklist’ now 🖤 www.knoxhillmusic.com
For ERB, The Terminator Vs. Robocop. For anything else, either Black Ash Days by Trademarc and DC The Midi Alien or Kill Bill O'Reilly by The East Coast Avengers.
One thing I love about this rap is how each John's style of rapping fits with their character. McClane's is very witty and jokey since he makes a lot of quips in his movie. Wick's is super precise and skilled throwing each punch with clean accuracy a lot like how he fights. And Rambo's is super masculine with how he emphasises certain words and he gets directly to the point because that's how action heroes were during his time.
It may be a stretch, but Rambo's "then ding, I pop up hot behind ya like toast" might be a reference to that scene in Pulp Fiction where Butch (played by Bruce Willis) shoots Vincent Vega as the toast slices pop up.
Thank you, Knox!!! P.S. This was Zach Sherwin’s first appearance in an ERB in 5 years, with Tony Hawk vs Wayne Gretzky being his last appearance till then.
16:40 The scene you're talking about is from The Dark Knight where the joker does his magic trick with a pencil. Also a great scene, but yeah he jams it into the dudes neck in John Wick.
To be fair Wick put a pencil through a guy who is leaned against the table and later mash the back of the other's guys head into another pencil against the column so it's easy to miss match
I really like the beat on this track too. They kept using the same drums, but switched the instrumentals up to fit each character. McClain has this 80's action movie vibe, Wick's part added Cyberpunk-like synths and Rambo had this melancholic vibe from the first movie. Very nicely crafted.
Bruce isn't known for being overly muscular. That's part of the reason that die hard was so popular he wasn't unrealisticly muscular like most action heros of the time.
''I seek peace, but I'm packing Parabellum.'' Parabellum is the subtitle of the third John Wick movie, referenced in the movie as the Latin phrase "Si vis pacem, para bellum" - "If you want peace, prepare for war." Rambo does not always want to kill his enemies, and he prefers to be left out of a fight when he can.
@@flakycroissant9349 Actually, ammunition. 9x19mm Luger ammo, perhaps the most common handgun and SMG cartridge in the world, is also called 9mm Parabellum.
The assassin mafia in the John Wick films is international and respecting no nationalities. Wick himself comes from what appears to be a Romany clan that traveled through Russia and/or Southern Europe before coming to the City, but wasn't specifically Russian. And the language they use isn't strictly Russian either from what I recall.
Zack Sherwin coming back as John Wick, hilarious Rambo performance by Peter, and Lloyd nailing his McClane impersonations, and all that only a month after the last ERB AND just in time for Christmas? We're the real winners here
@@heccmcgee4352 2001 Basically their child was stillborn in 1999, they divorced, and two years later she died too I wouldn’t be surprised if Keanu agreed to play Wick because he could relate to the personal tragedy of losing his wife tbh
In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is an ambiguous character. Some stories have her be evil, and other have her help the hero find his love and/or defeat the villain (usually Koschei the Deathless, who is unambiguously evil)
@@glamourweaver we do not have a "boogieman" per se in our folk lore. So to translate something that does not exists is kind of like scratching nails on a chalkboard for most native speakers 🤣🤣
9:10 Baba Yaga in the movie is supposed to be "бабайка" (babayka) instead :) It is, actually, translated as "the boogeyman", and would've made so much more sense in the context. One of the things that annoy me the most in the English version, actually! Source: am Russian. Thank you for your breakdowns, I always enjoy them quite a bit. Cheers!
Great review, Knox! About Rambo's "pop up hot behind you like toast" line, heard someone say that's a reference to Pulp Fiction, where the toast pops behind Willis' character's back right after he shoots Vincent in his apartment.
26:49 the "I seek peace but I'm packing Parabellum" is a little deeper than that. It comes from the original latin phrase "si vis pacem, para bellum" which basically translates to "if you want (or seek, in this case) peace, prepare for war"
The fun fact about Wick's nickname is that he is not the Baba Yaga, he's the guy you send to kill Baba Yaga, because he is the only one who can pull that off. So late, but this video is so amazing, keep it up mate, awesome work
The rhyme flow in the first John Wick is next level. He goes from ect- to exc- (excommunicado, excremental, ex-comando) to an extended o-. I didn't think anything was going to replace the Darth Vader flow of "Paint you a picture, son..." to "Put a gun in your mouth and fired up" as my favourite ever flow. I was wrong. Great reaction/breakdown as always. Sorry you have the vid, hopefully it'll clear up fast.
I guess Im old... There is another level to the John Shaft quote. Its a direct reference to the Movie "Shaft" where John Shaft is played by Richard Roundtree and amazing soundtrack by Issac Hayes. They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother... (Shut your mouth) I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft (Then we can dig it)
@@HBPgaming707 I noticed the same thing. However, I feel that a lot of people don't know or don't remember that Shaft's first name is John. In pop culture, he is only referred to as Shaft. I haven't seen the movies in ages, so I don't remember how often his first name was used or if it was used at all.
I gave the edge to McClane. His hits just felt a bit more disrespectful and harder hitting while Wick seemed a tad too interested in his style/swag for me. They were so close though that I can easily see why some folks gave Wick the gold. Rambo felt more like comic relief to me even though he had a couple nice bars too. Great breakdown, Knox. I enjoy the way you tease all that info out of the lyrics.
At the end of the behind the scenes vid on ERB2, Peter drops some bars they demoed for Rambo and they are 200% better than anything that ended up in the battle.
I almost always agree with Knox but in this one i agree with you. McClane did hit the most hard and in special against Wick. He dissed his dog and his wife. PS: Wick did have the best flow and rymes but this is a battle not a freestyle.
In case you haven't remembered yet, Roy was the name McClane gave himself so he wouldn't identify himself to the bad guys who were listening to the radios too
Great breakdown but with that triple play on John Shaft there is a very underrated fourth in the fact that Samuel L Jackson, who has played John Shaft in 2 movies, costars with Bruce Willis in Die Hard with a Vengeance.
I’m not sure if you caught the double meaning behind the ”I seek peace but I’m packing parabellum” bar. There is a Latin phrase ”Si vis pacem, para bellum” which translates to ”if you want peace, prepare for war”. Seems fitting for Rambo.
in one of the john wick movies(if i remember correctly) they compared the baba yaga to the boogey man and one of the bad guys exclaimed that john wick is the man they hire to kill the boogey man.
Another clever wordplay reference to John Wick's "only need one clip" refers to the final battle of John Wick 2 where he was only given a single clip of ammo (6 bullets total) to take out all of the bad guys. 😊 A second clever reference (in case you missed it) about his calling a dinner reservation referred to the part where such a call would summon the cleaners to dispose of bodies, meaning that in this rap Wick was implying that the other two are going to need body bags once the battle is done! Lol. 😊
Lighten Up Wick had yet another meaning even beyond the ones you mentioned, i dont know if you caught it or not. But if you pay attention to the lighter it self, it's a Zippo. Zippos use Wicks to light them selves. And as he says "Lighten Up Wick" at the same time he thumbs the striker to get the flame.
Knox is always very surgical with his breakdowns, I love how he just vibes and breaks down. Also I love how erb represents all three characters accurately.
I don't think anyone picked up on the the fact that the John Shaft line is also referencing Shaft played by Richard Roundtree, someone else who could have been in this battle. You should check out the behind the scenes, they talk about how they do the music.
Yea the origin of Baba Yaga from the Slavic tells (where it originally came from) is a witch who lives in a house that walks on chicken’s legs and eats children
With Wick's verse, he could also be mentioning Shaft starring Samuel L Jackson, I think his name is John too and it's a movie where a guy named John kills people. Also, "popo is no foe" is a double entendre because he's saying that John McClane isn't a threat to him, but also referencing his friend/associate Jimmy from John Wick 1-2, who is a cop.
"Rambo: "All right, guess I'll be the one to draw first blood." (a callback to the first Rambo movie in 1982: First Blood) John Wick: "Or maybe, you could draw an audience to see any of your new movies." (I think Rambo and McClane don't have any good movies anymore, but John Wick is still really good) John McClane: "Come out to the coast, we'll have a few laughs! Sounds sweet." (Callback to Die Hard #1)
Knox bro, I really didn't like this battle as much as their other work but your breakdown made this enjoyable and allowed me to appreciate all they have done. I dig your work, keep the hits coming
The beat for Rambo was really great, it had the sad strings for Rambo: First Blood which was sad in tone, the the booming bass and drums for Rambo 2 and 3
Hey, shout out to all the Age of Antiquity/Classical studies crew that go out of their way to bring up the "seek peace/packing parabellum" double... Y'all have made me appreciate that line a lot more.
honestly wouldn't know who won because i've not seen any of their movies (partly because I'm not a movie person), after hearing you break it all down I would definitely give the win to Wick. in order I'd say Wick, McClane and Rambo.
I think you missed another part of the POW word play. Stallone is Italian and a not so nice term for Italians is WOP(meaning WithOut Papers). When Italians arrived in New York most had no papers identifying who they were. NYC officials gave these immigrants names and sent them off to live in the Big Apple with new names.
6:47 POW is also the onomatopoeia for a punch, typically *to the mouth* so yeah, making more fun of his facial impediment by also threatening to punch him in the face regardless of whether he wins or loses.
I'll post this since I had to look it up myself. Rambo said "I seek peace, but i'm packing Parabellum". Parabellum translates as 'prepare for war' and the parabellum ammunition is called that because the slogan of the company that made it was "if you seek peace, prepare for war". Translation: "I seek peace, but I'm [preparing for war]". Awesome line. Marry christmas, and thanks for doing the yearly x-mas video that ERB put out, this was more fun then any of them.
30:30 when you mention the expendables before John Wick said that he also says "I'm thinking I'm Back" from his famous quote "Yeah, I'm thinking Im back!" It gave me chills hearing that other than that I love your breakdowns to many videos you've made!
Something I haven't seen anyone point out yet is the "finish you right in the lobby" line could be taken as a double because Wick was in Fortnite and they had a lobby before each match would start back then. Also my opinion on the rappers are that McLane had the better punches, Wick had the better flow, and Rambo had the better track.
@@simaomachado4894 Isn't mission accomplished also what it says at the end of a call of duty lobby, which is a video game about military men which rambo is?
The amount of details and wordplay that comes into ERB is freaking insane. I’ve seen some reactions from others and they normally miss more than half of the jewels these guys create and it’s quite sad to see. However, you sir, did quite a fantastic work here and ai salute you!
Other layer for the whole "I seek peace but I'm packing parabellum" - parabellum being a (very common type of) 9mm round, but it also means "prepare for war" in latin. Hence the line is also a reference to seek peace/prepare for war. Of course, the original 9mm name is also a reference to that Latin quote (Si vis pacem, para bellum), and the 3rd Wick movie also references that quote, so it's kind of a reference to the same thing.
I love erb reactions & if you want a good knowledgable reaction then no ones comes close to you. You pick up every bar even the obscure ones that most reactors miss. Massive respect for your knowledge on every erb I’ve seen you react to.
Hoping you're feeling better, Knox. You really should do some Pentatonix. Many a "reactor" have, but most just watch without substantive commentary. I love that you actually break things down. Pause away! Pentatonix does covers as well as original stuff. They're A Capella (though you'd never know it just listening).
There’s a forth layer to the shaft line since it’s a reference to Blacksploitation icon John Shaft, who was played by Richard Roundtree and then later played by Samuel L Jackson.
Love the breakdown mate! I may be digging a bit too deep, but I think the line from Rambo: "Simon says you can PTSDeez nuts!" has another meaning to it. Now it's been a long time since I saw it, but Die Hard With a Vengeance has a cut ending in the special features. Basically, McClane loses his job and finds Simon in a hotel and challenges him to a game with an RPG on the table. I think that may be a double to why Rambo has an RPG at the end of his verse.
Also in the "south is where your marriage went" line , his wife literally moved from New York south to LA to further her career and McClane didn't move with her because he didn't think it would pan out
If you watch behind the scenes there's a funny story about how they phoned a vent guy about making the Die Hard vent shot and the guy gave them the exact details on how to make the shot work, including the lighting and size of vent they needed
Also, all three of their verses reflect their characters: McClane is sassy and snarky, Wick is slick and subdued and Rambo is over the top and batshit crazy
The parabellum line is a triple. An old Latin saying is si vis pacem para bellum, translates to if you want peace, prepare for war. If memory serves it was a major part of the US War Doctrine during the latter half of the 1900's like Vietnam and Korea.
Actually Knox in John mclanes first line when he talks about going out west and having a few drinks he is referencing a movie line he says while mocking what his wife told him
Rambo's line "I seek peace, but I'm packing parabellum" is also a reference to a the phrase "Sī vīs pācem, parā bellum" which is Latin for "If you want peace, prepare for war".
I could also take the “Simon says PTSD deez nutz” bar as a reference to Stallone’s movie Demolition Man. Referencing Simon Phoenix in different interactions with him, he’ll say something like “Simon says BLINK”
i love how he pauses every second and yaps about the refrences while having no reaction and make it a living hell for people who just wanna see your reactions while this is a reaction video
In regards to the pencil in necks line, where you thought he slammed his head into the table with a pencil…I think you may be thinking of Joker doing that in the 2nd Bale Batman movie. “Watch me make this pencil disappear” *SLAM* “Ta-Da!”
Ummm..... in the john wick movie he literally shoves a pencil in a man's ear into his brain on the table, I think thats more of what he's talking about lol
Thank you for mentioning the Baba Yaga. I had the same reaction to them using 'Baba Yaga' as the Russian word for 'Boogeyman'. All wrong. 🤦♀️ Also, you should look up the original lyrics to the 'hang low' song. 😆
WOW!! what a breakdown. but Knox, you missed one reference that I noticed. at the 26 min mark… Rambo: ding, I pop up behind you like toast. Die Hard quote from first movie, when they blow up a vehicle with an RPG: “OMG, THE QUARTERBACK IS TOAST!!” 😉
What else should we react to? 🤔 Comment below! Also if you like the song in the intro support the channel directly & download my new album ‘Blacklist’ now 🖤 www.knoxhillmusic.com
I suggested you react to twenty-one pilot - Christmas 🎄 saves the year since it's Christmas 🎁.
Brodnax- Nola
For ERB, The Terminator Vs. Robocop. For anything else, either Black Ash Days by Trademarc and DC The Midi Alien or Kill Bill O'Reilly by The East Coast Avengers.
Did Your Best -- Nova Rockafeller
Blackbeard vs Al Capone
One thing I love about this rap is how each John's style of rapping fits with their character. McClane's is very witty and jokey since he makes a lot of quips in his movie. Wick's is super precise and skilled throwing each punch with clean accuracy a lot like how he fights. And Rambo's is super masculine with how he emphasises certain words and he gets directly to the point because that's how action heroes were during his time.
Agreed
I approve of this message
The nailed the comic levels of manly for rambo
How in the everloving fuck did I never realize they are all Johns?
@@hundvd_7same
It may be a stretch, but Rambo's "then ding, I pop up hot behind ya like toast" might be a reference to that scene in Pulp Fiction where Butch (played by Bruce Willis) shoots Vincent Vega as the toast slices pop up.
That's not a stretch at all! So cool to caught that.
Makes a lot of sense.
They were pop tarts
Good catch
No, I think you're thinking too much about that line
Thank you, Knox!!!
P.S. This was Zach Sherwin’s first appearance in an ERB in 5 years, with Tony Hawk vs Wayne Gretzky being his last appearance till then.
he was tony hawk? or was he wayne? I cant tell who he is
@@LocseryuOfficial Wayne
@@biggestwanderer8827 thanks
And I think they said in the bts it was his eleventh time on
Damn I didn’t even realize it had been that long, he’s so iconic for erb
I swear Sherwin just steals every single ERB he's in, his verses are like tactical nukes
i still like his old aggressive bee song
not the dracula one's tho. He got antimatter bomb out of existence in that.
@@theobsidiangaming5381 if you mean the dracula battle somehow, he wasn’t in that one so uhh
@@theobsidiangaming5381 that was Peter
mcclane was better
16:40 The scene you're talking about is from The Dark Knight where the joker does his magic trick with a pencil. Also a great scene, but yeah he jams it into the dudes neck in John Wick.
I was waiting for this answer lol
i think he was referring to the moment when wick shoved the pencil deep into the guys ear
To be fair Wick put a pencil through a guy who is leaned against the table and later mash the back of the other's guys head into another pencil against the column so it's easy to miss match
It's also a reference to the first two movies where they tell the story of John Wick killing 2 or 3 people in a bar with a pencil
I saw this one coming... anyway, could you do George Carlin vs Richard Pryor next? I promise you'll love it.
I think he already did it.
Few months ago
@@JB-yq4em Not as far as I can see.
@@greninjassj691
My apologies I thought he done that one. He has done so many I lost track which ones he did/didn’t do.
@@JB-yq4em It's fine, hopefully he'll do it soon
Everyone like this so he can see it
I really like the beat on this track too. They kept using the same drums, but switched the instrumentals up to fit each character. McClain has this 80's action movie vibe, Wick's part added Cyberpunk-like synths and Rambo had this melancholic vibe from the first movie. Very nicely crafted.
Mclane also had jingle bells
@@BeautifulEarthJa you're right! I missed that and Knox even called it out later in the video after I made the comment. Really cool touch!
Bruce isn't known for being overly muscular. That's part of the reason that die hard was so popular he wasn't unrealisticly muscular like most action heros of the time.
''I seek peace, but I'm packing Parabellum.''
Parabellum is the subtitle of the third John Wick movie, referenced in the movie as the Latin phrase "Si vis pacem, para bellum" - "If you want peace, prepare for war." Rambo does not always want to kill his enemies, and he prefers to be left out of a fight when he can.
@@flakycroissant9349 Actually, ammunition. 9x19mm Luger ammo, perhaps the most common handgun and SMG cartridge in the world, is also called 9mm Parabellum.
@@AlexanderAzarov yeah. And this comes from the phrase "Si vis pacem, para bellum."
Man I’m always impressed by the amount of bars you catch, appreciate you bro
Thank you brother 🙏
Rambo's "no love for commies" could've been a shot at Wick, because if I remember correctly John Wick was a member of the Russian mafia.
The assassin mafia in the John Wick films is international and respecting no nationalities. Wick himself comes from what appears to be a Romany clan that traveled through Russia and/or Southern Europe before coming to the City, but wasn't specifically Russian. And the language they use isn't strictly Russian either from what I recall.
He was a Soviet American if I remember correctly.
@@diamond_dio5835yeah I think he was born in the Soviet union
@@AlexanderAzarov I think he was a Belarusian Roma?
@@vintage-radioHe was. Born in Belarus
Zack Sherwin coming back as John Wick, hilarious Rambo performance by Peter, and Lloyd nailing his McClane impersonations, and all that only a month after the last ERB AND just in time for Christmas?
We're the real winners here
“Gets a free wick…Candle not included”
I just found it amusing how he made the same joke McClane does
"More survival wife" hits so much harder when you remember that Keanu's wife also passed away..
😞
Bro no way when
@@heccmcgee4352 2001
Basically their child was stillborn in 1999, they divorced, and two years later she died too
I wouldn’t be surprised if Keanu agreed to play Wick because he could relate to the personal tragedy of losing his wife tbh
In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is an ambiguous character. Some stories have her be evil, and other have her help the hero find his love and/or defeat the villain (usually Koschei the Deathless, who is unambiguously evil)
One this she isn’t though is a translation of “Boogieman”
@@glamourweaver we do not have a "boogieman" per se in our folk lore. So to translate something that does not exists is kind of like scratching nails on a chalkboard for most native speakers 🤣🤣
@@teykoval2939 there’s Babay, who abducts misbehaving children at night
@@artembentsionov ну да можно так. Ну тогда и барабашку туда. But I guess babai would be the closest thing we got I guess.
She also has long drooping breasts
9:10 Baba Yaga in the movie is supposed to be "бабайка" (babayka) instead :) It is, actually, translated as "the boogeyman", and would've made so much more sense in the context. One of the things that annoy me the most in the English version, actually!
Source: am Russian.
Thank you for your breakdowns, I always enjoy them quite a bit. Cheers!
Watch the Pitch Meeting for John Wick. They address this and it's hilarious. 😆
@@BoydOfPray now that's the name I haven't heard in a long time. Will do, thank you!
эх если бы они хотя бы ударение правильно ставили
Thank you for the education.
As a pole I always thought it made perfect sense, because we do actually talk of Baba Jaga taking the chlidren, but I guess slavs differ.
Great review, Knox!
About Rambo's "pop up hot behind you like toast" line, heard someone say that's a reference to Pulp Fiction, where the toast pops behind Willis' character's back right after he shoots Vincent in his apartment.
O
Pop tarts actually
26:49 the "I seek peace but I'm packing Parabellum" is a little deeper than that. It comes from the original latin phrase "si vis pacem, para bellum" which basically translates to "if you want (or seek, in this case) peace, prepare for war"
Nice
Parabellum is also basically the subtitle of John Wick 3!
And this was *Rambo's* line
The fun fact about Wick's nickname is that he is not the Baba Yaga, he's the guy you send to kill Baba Yaga, because he is the only one who can pull that off. So late, but this video is so amazing, keep it up mate, awesome work
It's always a treat to watch Zach, his word play is just so insane
Not when we pauses every 0.5 seconds
@@naturallyawesome6723 then watch the original
@@cv5870 no you
The rhyme flow in the first John Wick is next level. He goes from ect- to exc- (excommunicado, excremental, ex-comando) to an extended o-. I didn't think anything was going to replace the Darth Vader flow of "Paint you a picture, son..." to "Put a gun in your mouth and fired up" as my favourite ever flow. I was wrong.
Great reaction/breakdown as always. Sorry you have the vid, hopefully it'll clear up fast.
So "do your ears hang low" is a clean version of an old marching song, which goes: "Do your balls hang low, do they wobble to and fro." etc.
I guess Im old... There is another level to the John Shaft quote. Its a direct reference to the Movie "Shaft" where John Shaft is played by Richard Roundtree and amazing soundtrack by Issac Hayes.
They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother...
(Shut your mouth)
I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft
(Then we can dig it)
I feel like every reactor I've seen do this misses the Shaft reference. Damn shame.
@@HBPgaming707 I noticed the same thing. However, I feel that a lot of people don't know or don't remember that Shaft's first name is John. In pop culture, he is only referred to as Shaft. I haven't seen the movies in ages, so I don't remember how often his first name was used or if it was used at all.
I gave the edge to McClane. His hits just felt a bit more disrespectful and harder hitting while Wick seemed a tad too interested in his style/swag for me. They were so close though that I can easily see why some folks gave Wick the gold. Rambo felt more like comic relief to me even though he had a couple nice bars too.
Great breakdown, Knox. I enjoy the way you tease all that info out of the lyrics.
Wick was better when it comes to flow, but McClane was better when it comes to hitting the opponents in the nuts.
At the end of the behind the scenes vid on ERB2, Peter drops some bars they demoed for Rambo and they are 200% better than anything that ended up in the battle.
I almost always agree with Knox but in this one i agree with you. McClane did hit the most hard and in special against Wick. He dissed his dog and his wife. PS: Wick did have the best flow and rymes but this is a battle not a freestyle.
I also gave it to McClane. Very close to Wick. It’s a really good battle.
@@luk3ragerman479 If it wasn't a battle Wick would have won. Insane flow and rymescemes. But to bad for him this is a battle.
"There's a child that's getting murdered in the other room." Knox 2021
In case you haven't remembered yet, Roy was the name McClane gave himself so he wouldn't identify himself to the bad guys who were listening to the radios too
And Ellis (that was his last name) was the hostage who says ‘Hans , Bubbe , I’m your white knight’ just in case Knox sees this
What about Raven? I haven't seen Rambo yet
@@heyoitsmenate I believe it was Rambos code name , I haven’t seen it either but I remember seeing it somewhere on a comment section
@@grandtheftak3666 sweet
Great breakdown but with that triple play on John Shaft there is a very underrated fourth in the fact that Samuel L Jackson, who has played John Shaft in 2 movies, costars with Bruce Willis in Die Hard with a Vengeance.
I’m not sure if you caught the double meaning behind the ”I seek peace but I’m packing parabellum” bar. There is a Latin phrase ”Si vis pacem, para bellum” which translates to ”if you want peace, prepare for war”. Seems fitting for Rambo.
Whoa dude. The first Rambo, First Blood, was incredibly nuanced story about the treatment of vets with ptsd. The sequels not so much.
in one of the john wick movies(if i remember correctly) they compared the baba yaga to the boogey man and one of the bad guys exclaimed that john wick is the man they hire to kill the boogey man.
"Do your ears hang low" is actually a sanitized version of the British soldier version "Do your balls hang low" it was a WWI trench song
It's also making fun of Stallone's dangling lower lip grimace he always has going on
Another clever wordplay reference to John Wick's "only need one clip" refers to the final battle of John Wick 2 where he was only given a single clip of ammo (6 bullets total) to take out all of the bad guys. 😊
A second clever reference (in case you missed it) about his calling a dinner reservation referred to the part where such a call would summon the cleaners to dispose of bodies, meaning that in this rap Wick was implying that the other two are going to need body bags once the battle is done! Lol. 😊
"Parabellum" means "prepared for war" in latin. Also I think that "ding" reference is for Bruce Willis scene in Pulp Fiction with Travolta.
Haha now I remember.
Reminds me of the punisher with Tom Jane, where he's preparing for war, he says Sic Vis Pac um Para bellum
If you want peace, prepare for war
Lighten Up Wick had yet another meaning even beyond the ones you mentioned, i dont know if you caught it or not. But if you pay attention to the lighter it self, it's a Zippo. Zippos use Wicks to light them selves. And as he says "Lighten Up Wick" at the same time he thumbs the striker to get the flame.
Knox is always very surgical with his breakdowns, I love how he just vibes and breaks down. Also I love how erb represents all three characters accurately.
Wick's Mujahedeen line was epic.
I don't think anyone picked up on the the fact that the John Shaft line is also referencing Shaft played by Richard Roundtree, someone else who could have been in this battle. You should check out the behind the scenes, they talk about how they do the music.
You got the thumbs up when you confidently declared that "Die Hard is a Christmas movie". I couldn't agree more. Excellent breakdown.
I loved the “I’m thinking I’m back” Wick reference.
Been waiting for your breakdown 😎 let's goooo
Btw, Baba Yaga is a type of Boogeyman of sorts, that's why that's his nickname. He inspires fears
Yea the origin of Baba Yaga from the Slavic tells (where it originally came from) is a witch who lives in a house that walks on chicken’s legs and eats children
With Wick's verse, he could also be mentioning Shaft starring Samuel L Jackson, I think his name is John too and it's a movie where a guy named John kills people.
Also, "popo is no foe" is a double entendre because he's saying that John McClane isn't a threat to him, but also referencing his friend/associate Jimmy from John Wick 1-2, who is a cop.
"Rambo: "All right, guess I'll be the one to draw first blood." (a callback to the first Rambo movie in 1982: First Blood)
John Wick: "Or maybe, you could draw an audience to see any of your new movies." (I think Rambo and McClane don't have any good movies anymore, but John Wick is still really good)
John McClane: "Come out to the coast, we'll have a few laughs! Sounds sweet." (Callback to Die Hard #1)
Knox bro, I really didn't like this battle as much as their other work but your breakdown made this enjoyable and allowed me to appreciate all they have done. I dig your work, keep the hits coming
The beat for Rambo was really great, it had the sad strings for Rambo: First Blood which was sad in tone, the the booming bass and drums for Rambo 2 and 3
Hey, shout out to all the Age of Antiquity/Classical studies crew that go out of their way to bring up the "seek peace/packing parabellum" double...
Y'all have made me appreciate that line a lot more.
He was called Baba Yaga not because he is it, but because he was the one sent to kill the Baba Yaga.
The part where Rambo says Simon says you can pts deez nuts is a reference to the film demolition man where the main Villain is named Simon
honestly wouldn't know who won because i've not seen any of their movies (partly because I'm not a movie person), after hearing you break it all down I would definitely give the win to Wick. in order I'd say Wick, McClane and Rambo.
Yea, John won
I think you missed another part of the POW word play. Stallone is Italian and a not so nice term for Italians is WOP(meaning WithOut Papers). When Italians arrived in New York most had no papers identifying who they were. NYC officials gave these immigrants names and sent them off to live in the Big Apple with new names.
Now that's a huge stretch
@@donniehamilton7797 in ERB, nah
and POW is a comic book word for getting punched, like biff, bop, pow
6:47 POW is also the onomatopoeia for a punch, typically *to the mouth*
so yeah, making more fun of his facial impediment by also threatening to punch him in the face regardless of whether he wins or loses.
Best thing ever the add under the video Hillshire Farm add and say "Ohhh Hill Yeah" ... How much that cost
also i enjoy the fact stallone plays in demolition man the antagonist simon phoenix main catch phrase is simon says so that was also a nice touch
I'll post this since I had to look it up myself. Rambo said "I seek peace, but i'm packing Parabellum". Parabellum translates as 'prepare for war' and the parabellum ammunition is called that because the slogan of the company that made it was "if you seek peace, prepare for war". Translation: "I seek peace, but I'm [preparing for war]". Awesome line. Marry christmas, and thanks for doing the yearly x-mas video that ERB put out, this was more fun then any of them.
30:30 when you mention the expendables before John Wick said that he also says "I'm thinking I'm Back" from his famous quote "Yeah, I'm thinking Im back!" It gave me chills hearing that other than that I love your breakdowns to many videos you've made!
Something I haven't seen anyone point out yet is the "finish you right in the lobby" line could be taken as a double because Wick was in Fortnite and they had a lobby before each match would start back then.
Also my opinion on the rappers are that McLane had the better punches, Wick had the better flow, and Rambo had the better track.
Also, Gruber makes his entrance and impact in the lobby of Nakatomi, but dies falling from an upper floor.
That line is a triple because Rambo at the end of the movie almosts kills the captain with a knife in the lobby and says "Misson accomplished" to him
@@simaomachado4894 Isn't mission accomplished also what it says at the end of a call of duty lobby, which is a video game about military men which rambo is?
So talented with your music and bar breakdowns. Hope you and your family have an amazing Christmas Eve and Christmas 🎄 ❤
'mine where u were trapped' could also be 'MIND where u were trapped' because rambo had PTSD so it's like a play on words
"Do your ears hang low" originally was a marching song in World War 1. The original lyrics are "Do Your Balls hang low".
Dude, watch the behind the scenes on this one, it's awesome. You'll love how they got that duct shot. Friggin epic.
I wanted to point out with the “Lighten up, Wick” line, that as a visual triple to the double, he lights a match
The amount of details and wordplay that comes into ERB is freaking insane. I’ve seen some reactions from others and they normally miss more than half of the jewels these guys create and it’s quite sad to see. However, you sir, did quite a fantastic work here and ai salute you!
Other layer for the whole "I seek peace but I'm packing parabellum" - parabellum being a (very common type of) 9mm round, but it also means "prepare for war" in latin. Hence the line is also a reference to seek peace/prepare for war.
Of course, the original 9mm name is also a reference to that Latin quote (Si vis pacem, para bellum), and the 3rd Wick movie also references that quote, so it's kind of a reference to the same thing.
I know Rambo is mostly the comedic relief character in this, but that decent dad line is my favorite one in the whole thing
I love erb reactions & if you want a good knowledgable reaction then no ones comes close to you. You pick up every bar even the obscure ones that most reactors miss.
Massive respect for your knowledge on every erb I’ve seen you react to.
Hoping you're feeling better, Knox. You really should do some Pentatonix. Many a "reactor" have, but most just watch without substantive commentary. I love that you actually break things down. Pause away! Pentatonix does covers as well as original stuff. They're A Capella (though you'd never know it just listening).
There’s a forth layer to the shaft line since it’s a reference to Blacksploitation icon John Shaft, who was played by Richard Roundtree and then later played by Samuel L Jackson.
Love the breakdown mate! I may be digging a bit too deep, but I think the line from Rambo: "Simon says you can PTSDeez nuts!" has another meaning to it.
Now it's been a long time since I saw it, but Die Hard With a Vengeance has a cut ending in the special features. Basically, McClane loses his job and finds Simon in a hotel and challenges him to a game with an RPG on the table.
I think that may be a double to why Rambo has an RPG at the end of his verse.
Yes, you would be correct.
the pencil scene you were thinking of was joker in dark night "the magic trick" scene! love your break downs knox! feel better
Also in the "south is where your marriage went" line , his wife literally moved from New York south to LA to further her career and McClane didn't move with her because he didn't think it would pan out
The Nakatomi bar at the beginning could also be a reference to when the CEO got his head shot off.
If you watch behind the scenes there's a funny story about how they phoned a vent guy about making the Die Hard vent shot and the guy gave them the exact details on how to make the shot work, including the lighting and size of vent they needed
Also, all three of their verses reflect their characters: McClane is sassy and snarky, Wick is slick and subdued and Rambo is over the top and batshit crazy
The parabellum line is a triple. An old Latin saying is si vis pacem para bellum, translates to if you want peace, prepare for war. If memory serves it was a major part of the US War Doctrine during the latter half of the 1900's like Vietnam and Korea.
Actually Knox in John mclanes first line when he talks about going out west and having a few drinks he is referencing a movie line he says while mocking what his wife told him
Congratulations Knox!!! Hope this is the beginning of good things for you & your family!!! Sorry I'm late to the party!
You have a merry Christmas and feel better Knox Hill
Holy shit. 32 minutes. Change your name to the Milk Man, because you're so good at it.
Rambo's line "I seek peace, but I'm packing parabellum" is also a reference to a the phrase "Sī vīs pācem, parā bellum" which is Latin for "If you want peace, prepare for war".
I didn't know you were ill .. feel better ... excellent reaction. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
I could also take the “Simon says PTSD deez nutz” bar as a reference to Stallone’s movie Demolition Man. Referencing Simon Phoenix in different interactions with him, he’ll say something like “Simon says BLINK”
Thanks Knox been waiting for this vid!
That "pop up hot behind you like toast" seems to be a Pulp Fiction referrence.
At first I was thinking that was a bit of a stretch, but Bruce Willis was in that toaster scene. You could be right.
Babiyaga in Russia was inherently “the boogie man”, who ate children who told lies.
i love how he pauses every second and yaps about the refrences while having no reaction and make it a living hell for people who just wanna see your reactions while this is a reaction video
Even under the weather and you still pulled this off. Now go get some rest and get better. Hope you have a Merry Christmas! 🎄☃️✌️❤️
In regards to the pencil in necks line, where you thought he slammed his head into the table with a pencil…I think you may be thinking of Joker doing that in the 2nd Bale Batman movie.
“Watch me make this pencil disappear”
*SLAM*
“Ta-Da!”
Ummm..... in the john wick movie he literally shoves a pencil in a man's ear into his brain on the table, I think thats more of what he's talking about lol
I love how Knox knows every reference from every scene, he doesn't even need to look it up, lol
Thank you for mentioning the Baba Yaga. I had the same reaction to them using 'Baba Yaga' as the Russian word for 'Boogeyman'. All wrong. 🤦♀️
Also, you should look up the original lyrics to the 'hang low' song. 😆
The best Zach wordplay I've ever seen is his "No E" ft. Watsky. It desperately needs some reactor love.
Sherwin and Watsky together is always fire!!!!!
The table and head pencil was the joker from the dark knight trilogy
Happy holidays to you and family. So happy you are feeling better🙏❤
Yesss finally, I've been refreshing your page for the last 6 hours xD merry Christmas knox hill!
I have no idea how you remember all the movie facts! Lol I can't remember 20 minutes ago...
Merry Christmas knox!
Only our man Knox can go from PTSD to sexy chicken in five seconds.
MERRY CHRISTMAS KNOX! Get well soon bro
WOW!! what a breakdown. but Knox, you missed one reference that I noticed. at the 26 min mark…
Rambo: ding, I pop up behind you like toast.
Die Hard quote from first movie, when they blow up a vehicle with an RPG:
“OMG, THE QUARTERBACK IS TOAST!!” 😉
9:12 They address that in the first movie, he gets called the "Baba Yaga" but it gets corrected as "The one you call to kill the Baba Yaga"
Rambo's First Blood is also a Christmas movie! The town has christmas decorations all around. So the ho ho ho was for both of them.
Dude, how will you miss Col. Sam casually walking by telling Rambo to "tell 'em" ???