Recap: With two exhilarating, punch-drunk rounds as well as arguably the greatest 1st round in battle rap history, there’s really not much you can say negatively about Rum Nitty versus Ave (credit to Smack for predicting this battle could be a classic before it even started). A super-lyrical punchfest from jump, it’s a boastful (“But you ain’t in the streets at all, you bum, your heart not strong enough to run that base…you John Q son!”) and also packing Ave who opens things up and sets the bar high with a classic 1st round that provided textbook 101 material on what incredibly astute (“I stash that fifth, and beat the foul out ya, then point it at the back of your head: that’s Alfalfa!”) wordplay with the proper research and Hip-Hip embedded cultural moxie can separate the top tiers from the rest of the crowd. But not to be outdone and already a noted punchline feen in his own right, Arizona’s Rum Nitty (making his first appearance on the URL stage) would not only prove why he didn’t need a PG with his own turn of rapid haymakers via flexing (“If I whip the piece, your family fucked, headshot your mom’s sister, they gon’ have to M-O-P your auntie up!”) punches after (“If I raise, shit sparkin’, I let that bitch go “blaka,” nigga… like he Facebook stalking!”) punches, but with little to no filler of his own and roundhouse screeds that had the house jumping, the West-coast battler would serve enough heat and frenetic gun bars to make the opening round a draw.
The rare epic battle that was little on personals or schemes or freestyles, had zero rebuttals or much in the way of performance-heavy bars, when it came down who’d take the latter two rounds it was really just a matter of who could punch better. And lack of versatility aside, the 2nd and 3rd rounds still served up a couple of spitfire, competitive turns from both battlers. But with little room for error considering his opponent’s ability to consistently rain down (“That’s child play, the Internet diggin’ this fuckin’ clown, you think you Pac? well, try to be Digital Underground!”) haymakers with steady ease, it’s Nitty’s 2nd round that would be the difference-maker here what with a handful of reaches and subpar punches that allowed Ave to outpoint him. The final round, another classic turn with both battlers on their A-game saw a more condensed Nitty doing just enough (“And on sight, I’ll pick you off, like they photo-flagged him, I’m known for that, mid battle, a 40 clap, that shit will stop Ave dead in a round like a cul-de-sac!”) punch-wise to also force a draw against an opponent who was just relentless throughout the battle, would only add to this battle being one of URL’s best ever.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “See, that’s why we’re different, geek, ‘cuz see I’ve been about the action, 30 under the 40…that’s an improper fraction!”
