Recap: Spitfire, electric, aggressive and highly competitive battle between Tsu Surf and Geechi Gotti not only lives up to the hype, but judging from Gotti’s head nod approvals throughout the battle, might be the realest he ever felt another battler got at him in the ring. But then, Surf kicking gritty, real-life narratives has never been in issue for the Jersey rapper. Instead, it’s always been his ability to stay consistent during an entire battle and not choke (as Gotti, eloquently pointed in the 3rd round: “You see it seem like he really wrote wit’ heart, he told y’all everythang…but he left out the chokin’ part!”). And thankfully, in a battle coupled with stoppages and repeats of lines where you might’ve thought Surf was about to choke, he doesn’t here. And maybe that’s because he knew what he up against what with the ever steady Gotti bringing his usual assortment of stifling (“Seen niggas get shot by a .40 then become an R.I.P. tat in Old English!”) punchlines, wicked personals, authentic gang-bang talk and bodacious gun bars. Yet, for all of Gotti’s slamming street narratives and shitload of haymakers dropped in each round, the Compton rapper was hurt a bit by some mediocre punches here and there, a few reaches and even rebuttals that didn’t quite hit. Add to that a consistently game for the street talk, rapidly punching and (“You ever been shot by a Crip?, I have, nigga too scary, they had me in that county eatin’ muffins, tryin’ to get that last Blue buried (blueberry’d)!”) hard-hitting, scheme/wordplay-heavier, effectively personal when addressing his own shit and his (“This this nigga first NOME ever, nobody fuckin’ care, how you do on UFF? Oh you wasn’t there, what about the BET Awards? Smack this isn’t fuckin’ fair, Gladiator School?,Snoop, nigga you was where?, when you was selling hair I was sellin’ here!”) opponent’s shit, more performance-heavy and gripping throughout Surf rarely dishing any filler and the edge here goes to Surf in both the 1st and 2nd round’s before a slightly (“This shit is sad, I’m talking death after death, we really live that shit, closed caskets, we don’t even know if he in that bitch!”) punch-heavier Gotti edged the 3rd despite a dope and complete turn by Surf.
Verdict: Tsu Surf (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tsu Surf – “Every time a nigga say a sad bar, don’t mean that’s a wow, my cuz had PS2, he still died, he only playin’ Dreamcast now!”
