Recap: Offhand, I think that Soul Khan is the last noted battle rapper to actually “retire” and really mean it. Still, when you’ve been in the game as long as he has, co-own a league and get the high-priced, legend that is Loaded Lux to come battle on your platform, if you’re Arsonal why not battle him yourself, call it your sendoff and go out on a high note? Then too, with battle rap being so unorganized what with fans caring way more about the here-n-now than the past, no one will care if you battle the likes of Da Uso Hipnosis and Hollow da Don less than a year after your “retirement” match anyway.
As for the battle itself? Elongated with a boatload of filler (esp. from Lux in the latter rounds, people can stop with that ‘over the head’ bar excuses) and even with the long history these two have… underwhelming, especially when it came to the personals and what with both battlers failing to bring their A-game. That said, Kung Fu Lux, with what was easily his strongest round, edges a (“Roscoe Jenkins in here, acting like he too good for the family reunion!”) boastful 1st with more haymakers before Arsonal (who had a pretty solid 1st), tho still beleaguered by a pen that constantly spouts pedestrian bars, takes the 2nd and 3rd with a nice combo of randomly impactful disrespect bars, fiery (“I shoot with one arm out, chin down, that’s a violin tactic!”) punchlines and deep-seated personals that brought down a bit his opponent’s Vanglorious chapter in battle rap.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “You Under Brother Polite, new covenant, where consciousness meets commerce, well right now you at Newark Symphony Hall nigga, where your conscious can meet Converse!”
