Recap: In this much anticipated three-round battle from The Riot, Mr “Anti-URL” A. Ward gets his dream battle against Tay Roc and results are about what you’d expect. The more haymaker-lit and pocket-switching Tay Roc taking the first two rounds (which included a classic sublime/classic 1st) via some superb wordplay, clever name flips, witty bars, adept use of religious themes, piercing gun bars and a gang of gritty punchlines. And while Ward kept it competitive with a bunch of impressive freestyles/rebuttals and pretty solid punchlines throughout, the Christian battle rapper’s watered-down personals and lack of efficiency towards the end of both his opening rounds would contribute to him falling short. Despite that, with a will to win proving equally intense and proficient on both sides, the final round ended in a tie. Thus, allowing Ward to avoid the 30.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “I’ll pull up with a K for you, spark that iron, you pull up on nigga’s and pray for ’em, you call that slidin’?!”
