Recap: I’ve said it before, when the battle itself can reach its immense hype, you know that you got a potential classic on your hands. That’s certainly the case in Geechi Gotti versus K-Shine, two battlers who had a stupendous 2018 meeting on the Smack/URL stage for the ‘Champion’ of the year. Gotti, with a hardbody, (“I don’t even think Shine real, he need a diamond tester, arm stretch ya, y’all gonna find K laid out with his fore head open, coroner showed up, I’m like ‘What y’all waiting on, y’all already know K slogan!'”) wordplay-heavy, personal and aggressive round 1 didn’t lose the opening round as much as a witty, gun-savvy, more performance heavy, rapid-punchline (“Give him rounds from the .80, Party Arty back!”; “Pound on the side of coffee mug like ‘No. 1 Dad!'”) kicking Shine won it with a little variety to edge what was easily one of the hardest-hitting 1st rounds we’ve ever seen in battle rap. Round 2 was also fire with Gotti lifting up his performance game to dish fire personals, talk that hard (“I don’t wanna hear no Blood call, keep it neutral, I’m ain’t saying but [Bwoh!]…rather let the coroner ‘Suwoop’ you!”) gang shit and continue to flex with sizzling gun bars as well bodacious punchlines. On the other hand Shine came through with another fire, (“Compressor, I let it whisper in ya ear, ‘Gotti can ya keep a secret!'”) iron-friendly, punchline-crazy turn, that while consistently solid throughout, didn’t reach the overall potency and precision of his opponent. Anyone who’s paid attention to Gotti’s battle rap career would know that he’s the rare rapper who can often have his 3rd round be his best and that can be argued here as the Compton, CA, rapper once again shows off the ability to kick that real, street shit that one can only speak on if they lived it. Spouting on the everyday, hard knock lives of himself as well as his homies, Geechi is well-equipped with those real (“I’m one of the realest nigger’s in this shit, I demand that stripe, my partner got a ‘L’, then they charged him with another body, yeah I said that right, ‘cuz ain’t never coming home, But somehow he got a second chance at life!”) polemics on surviving the streets, much less the mental and physical effects it has on those trapped in the hood. And while Shine once again came through with another witty, punch and wordplay-heavy, (“I palm the biscuit, heat-seeking till I find the victim, then take the sensors off…this non-explicit!”) gun-blasting turn that left you wanting more, altogether it just wasn’t enough to beat a more intricate and condensed turn by Gotti.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “All that clique shit in battle rap, I ain’t feeling it ‘cuz, you nigger’s was fighting over Twork like it was only one bitch in the club!”
