Recap: Chess versus rising West-coast up-n-comer Saynt had been talked about for a minute now. It was just a matter of getting the former KOTD star on URL. But I’d be lying if I didn’t think that once he finally got here, Smack would give Saynt a tune-up or two before the yung’un got to see the likes of Chess. Guess I was wrong as here they are with Saynt’s URL debut on a Traffic 5 card and for the most part it’s a goodie. Saynt, displayimng confidence throughout the battle, came through with a pretty solid effort (esp. in round 3, his best in the bout), especially scoring with fire personals, gutsy 4-bar setups and rich name flips and all-in-all made things competitive when he wasn’t stumbling a bit with his flow, slipping-up or over-extending himself with elongated turns that were often mired in subpar bars. Still, looking to finish his 2022 with a banger, Chess didn’t come to play. The Young Gawd dialing up a steady and righteous mix of heavy-handed name flips, clever wordplay, sturdy wrestling bars, fiery punchlines and hitting struggle bars/storytelling to pull out both the 1st and 2nd rounds for the win before getting edged to a more haymaker-lit Saynt in the 3rd.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “See, he really up here trying to rap with me, and that to me is like Cactus Jack on a shirt…Travis tee [travesty]!”