No Bias. No Narratives.
Mister Greco Recap: Don Vido’s gritty gun bars make for plenty of violence as well as a competitive showing. But in this visual 1-rounder from the Word Sport Battle Group, Chef Trez’s frequent dishes of mayhem, off-the-dome heat, sizzling 4-bar set-ups and prolific gun bars are more than enough to score the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – If I see dun I squeeze guns and pop a K near him, he’ll get sent to God around Christmas time…he had a holiday spirit!”
Recap: A bit of an overkill what with the extra length to his round, but in this competitive 1-rounder from OSBL, Ryda still manages to parlay a gang of fiery name flips, pointed vet talk, hitting personals and gritty gun bars/punchlines into a win over a versatile and witty at times, but not as steadily turned up Swervoo.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ryda – “You went from being in the stands to trying to play in the field, now I gotta slide on the field like Jermaine O’Neal!”
Recap: A bit quicker to the punches, fly with the name flips, consistently bullish with the mayhem, some fire storytelling and able to work in some elite gun bars, gang talk and witty barbs throughout his 3 rounds, in this bout from URL’s/Smack Volume 8 card, Shotgun Suge, after getting edged in round 1, comes back to take both of the latter rounds against an overall pretty solid and mostly punch/wordplay/gun line heavy (but a bit filler-prone) Real Name Brandon for the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’m outside with my new .40, I’m Pete Davidson!”
Recap: From The Riot Network, a fire battle that was close and intense throughout, Charron still manages to edge earn the win. The Canadian battler even beating back yet another sublime 3rd round from Ooops (who came 3 of his strongest, punch-heavy, consistently-spicy and righteous rounds ever) with a scathing, highly personal (he even brought out the paperwork) and punch-lit final round that capped a 1st and 2nd round filled to the rim with a boatload of fiery name flips, some stellar wrodplay, more scorching personals and hard-hitting/witty punchlines that with its ability to score one or two more haymakers in both of the latter rounds (score round 1 debatable) allowed Charron to get the vic.
Verdict: Charron (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charron – “You beat cancer? I’ll murder ya crew, now we battling at the airport, your death could be Terminal 2 [too]!”
Recap: A shortened (hey, don’t complain, at least he had one), but still punch-heavy 3rd round might be the only the blight on an all-around sterling performance from Tsu Surf here against an often-flow challenged Nu Jerzey Twork on URL’s Smack Volume 9 card. The Jersey vet, continuing to shine in 2021 after two superb showings versus John John Da Don and Calicoe, stayed consistent and in charge, using a variety of stunted lyrical wizardry, stinging name flips/schemes, action-packed mayhem, brazen set-ups/performance bars and fiery personals throughout (esp. in an epic round 2) his 3 rounds to 30 an opponent who might’ve came back too soon after his last rumble against Tay Roc a couple of months back. And while Twork, when he was focused (he did come with a crazy round 2), did entertain and score via a gang of hitting gun bars, wily personals and hardbody punches, overall his lack of preparation (probably not a good idea to get in petty Twitter beefs days before a big battle) which led to many a slip-up (esp. in round 1), would cost him again.
Verdict: Tsu Surf (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Tsu Surf – “I yell ‘Neighborhood!’ once then the locs around, it’ll look a concert outside if I scream ‘rolling loud!'”
Recap: Whether it’s superb written’s, rebuttals or freestyle’s, as he does again here in this Deathwish Battle League battle against Crash, Chef Trez can make it all look so easy. This time Trez using a variety of steely punchlines, stinging name flips, flashy gun bars and a boatload of nasty off-the-dome heat (esp. in the latter freestyle rounds) to handily (Chef took the first 5 rounds while the 6th was debatable) beat back a gritty throughout and solid punching, but unforced error prone and not nearly as freestyle-lit Crash.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 5-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I never turned down any pressure, nigga’s know I’m extra, I’m like the homie that never got weed…I’m willing to smoke whatever!”
Recap: A fiery battle that featured two classic rounds (Charlie Clips’ round 1 and B. Dot’s 3rd), a rare display of wit from the usually aggressive and righteous Dot and Clips once again using his freestyle ability and ring vet experience to save him from a loss (thanks as well to Dot’s trio of slip-ups in the middle round), after taking round 1 with a roundhouse, versatile, punch/scheme-heavy and personally-lit turn that was flawless in its execution, Clips (who despite his opponent’s unforced errors, almost lost round 2 by nearly choking) dials up just enough blistering off-the-dome heat at Dot (and a heckling spectator in the crowd) to edge round 2 for the win, before a personal/politically-bent, angle-lit and consistently hard-hitting Dot edged a crazy final round to avoid getting shutout.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “A nigga that was Avocado best friend can’t tell me about no black power!”
Recap: From Capitol Rap Battles, KOTD vets Charron and poRICH meet up for a rematch from their last battle that took place nearly a decade ago and tho for rhe most part it’s competitive, the same outcome is produced as despite Rich using his strong wit and punch prowess to get stronger with each passing round, a consistently hitting throughout Charron, via a gang of spicy rebuttals/name flips, witty/rigid personals, piercing similes and fiery punchlines/schemes, still manages to take each round for the 30.
Verdict: Charron (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Charron – “Fuck that I’m the Joker, I’ll kill you on your own show, I been Wildin’ Out, this is Charron Show!”
Recap: After a year of seeing the two go at it back-n-forth online and in person, Viixen The Assassin versus Casey Jay on URL’s Volume 8 more than lives up to the hype. A fierce, aggressive-on-both-sides, close and competitive battle throughout, this match was lit from the start with Casey Jay using a barrage of stifling gun bars, hardbody personals, feelgood racial darts and a gang of stellar punchlines to keep her in the mix, while a loud and performance-bent Viixen unloaded a steady stream of spicy set-ups/punches/similes, witty barbs, head-ringing gun lines and stinging personals on Casey and her Bardashian crew from start to finish. A well fought match with plenty of mayhem to spare, sexual innuendos and some dope movie references mixed in from both battlers, it’s a slightly more intricate and haymaker-lit Viixen who takes rounds 1 and 3 (call the 2nd debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Viixen The Assassin (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Viixen The Assassin – “Stop testing me, saying that you better, I done had it with that, the State vs. Tsu Surf, I’m dropping Case faster than that!”
Recap: Fire battle from URL’s Smack Volume 9 card between the vet DNA and popping newbie Real Sikh saw the former lighting up the room with an aggressive and versatile performance that featured a shitload of fiery name flips, stinging 4-bar set-ups/punches, flexing wordplay/mayhem, spicy schemes, hard-hitting personals (esp. in an elongated, but righteous 3rd round) and rich similes. As for Real Sikh? Yet, another dope showing. The Jersey star staying competitive throughout with a gang of rousing punches when he wasn’t going at his opponent with a bunch of piercing personals and roundhouse lyrical stunting. Still, with a handful of more haymakers in a slightly more steady rounds 1 & 2 DNA gets the win before Sikh gets the edge in round 3, thanks to a more condensed turn that was just as quantitative in over-the-top heaters as his opponent.
Verdict: DNA (W) 2-1
Favorite line: DNA – “You see I’m the best at this, you peep that whole connection Sikh?, human centipede!”
Recap: Eazy the Block Captain versus K-Shine on the Smack Volume 9 card deserves all its praises as the two put on a fire and competitive show throughout their 3 rounds. A cesspool of hard street rhymes, feening (Eazy: “I’ll get close to Shine, I got insight!”) wordplay, stinging punchlines, charismatic machismo, gripping gun bars, piercing personals and greasy name flips on both sides that coupled with Shine’s rich performance bars and Eazy’s instructional gutta talk made for a crowd-pleasing draw, this close battle comes down to a more condensed Shine edging round 1 before a more steady pounding Block Captain took round 2. The deciding 3rd round, equal on straight-laced heat and quantitative haymakers (with Eazy going a minute or so longer longer than Shine), makes this one debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: K-Shine – “Before I had a gun, I had to be in the streets with just a star and a flag liek I’m Vietnamese!”
Recap: I’m guessing that Geechi Gotti’s gets a lot of win’s from fans of battle rap due to the ‘believability’ factor. That is, when he talks that real street shit and gripping gang talk, never once do you think it’s on some make-believe shit ‘cuz he carries himself like he lives it (and well, I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that Gotti’s also a notorious Compton Crip). Still, too busy in these parts to find out who really does what outside of battle rap, from the moment the coin hits the floor, it’s all about bars and execution here. And that said, in this Gates of the Garden 1-rounder, while Dre Dennis kicked his usual assortment of spirited gun bars, hitting personals (tho nothing too out there, esp. when to comes to Gotti ‘tree’ jokes) and raucous punchlines that almost always makes him competitive in battles, a turned-up Gotti would take out his opponent’s soul, using a gang of extra-hard hitting personals bent towards exposing Dre’s alleged league dealings as well as the difference in each battler’s rap stature. Add to that a couple of spicy rebuttals in addition to some gritty punchlines/name flips and it’s the more haymaker-lit Gotti who gets the win here.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Them nigga’s gonna be paying for hsi vacatiosn all fucking summer, that’s what happens when you got a league owner with over a hundred-something battles, but he still an up-n-comer!”
Recap: In this app exclusive 3-rounder from URL, a highly versatile and even vexed at times Loso uses a bunch of hard-hitting/witty personals, rigid, set-up lit punchlines, righteous heaters/name flips, rich metaphors and rigid schemes/fiery Christian-laced darts to score a 30 over the moody stylinsg of the Mad King, who after a strong start in round 1, struggled with his flow to point of choking away his 3rd.
Verdict: Loso (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Loso – “You some logic, we ain’t battling ‘cuz you popping, I only took this plate for the chicken, Wing stop it, you nodded, your stock started dropping, fans dying for you to stop, but you rather Travis Scott it!”
Recap: From URL’s Traffic 4 card, after a somewhat flat showing against Fonz, Lu Castro comes back with a strong and entertaining showing here against Rum Nitty. The Bronx, NY emcee delighting the crowd (and Nitty) with a bunch of witty ancedotes, fierce/aggressive punchlines, and brazen darts/name flips throughout the battle to keep him competitive. But add in some filler here and there along with a few reaches in the battle by Lu to a Nitty who just almost never let up, scoring with stifling punchline after punchline, mocking personals, graphic set-ups and fiery gun bars/name flips/wordplay in 3 slightly more condensed turns to earn the 30.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “You think you equal but you not fam, I’m a hundred steps ahead…like a Travis Scott fan!”
Recap: From URL’s Traffic 4 card, outside of struggling a bit with his flow in round 2, Ace Amin gives a standout performance for 3 rounds here against Danny Myers. The Maryland gunner (esp. during a superlative round 1) delivering a boatload of hard-hitting punchlines, righteous but captivating street talk, wily/mocking personals, some killer wordplay and of course, a shoulder bump at Danny’s expense to make sure you’re paying attention. Besides his opponent tho, there was only one here for Ace: his longwinded rounds that not including the opening round, couldn’t consistently match his heat. And a more condensed Myers would take advantage of that, all the while dishing his usual array of thrifty mayhem, some stinging personals, fancy ‘parallell universe’ bars, sordid (“I’ll shoot him while he on the toilet, he finally got his ‘Holy shit!'”) punchlines/schemes, lofty personals and even a few spicy rebuttals to edge round 2 and tie things up before the two battlers had an equal proportion of syrupy raps in the 3rd to make this one debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Ace Amin – “You got all those muthafuckin’ kids…everyone in here know you don’t know how to use a Magnum!”
Recap: From jump, you could tell that Emerson Kennedy really wanted this one. The Utah-to-Cali battle rapper displaying a shitload of confidence and aggression while airing out a gang of fiery 4-bar-setups, witty/mocking personals, bruising wordplay, fierce street riddims, a spicy rebuttal or two and piercing punchlines/name flips to beat back a mostly solid and versatile, but slow-starting Chilla Jones (indeed, his best round was the 3rd) in rounds 1 and 2 of what was a pretty entertaining and competitive URL/Traffic 4 bout.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “Chill, the last time I stepped on eggshells is because the shoes was off-white!”
Recap: Admittedly, not the best visuals in this 1-rounder from IronKlad Battle League. Butthat’s negated by a competive show as Black Gemini and Chef Trez spill a bunch of graphic mayhem/punchlines and gritty gun bars onto the scene with the more versatile and spicy name flipping Trez taking the win at the end.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I know it’s hard to think outside the box when there’s a casket!”
Recap: 3-rounder from Takeova Battle League finds a versatile JDY spouting a nice effort with plenty of gritty punches and some solid wordplay. However, when he wasn’t supplying a bunch of off-the-dome tutorials to show you how it’s really done, Chef Trez’s spicy mix of fiery gun lines, scheming punchlines and head-shaking set-ups/name flips are more than enough to earn the 3-0.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Y’all gave a lame to me, this ain’t even something y’all could explain to me, only JD that put in work in Atlanta was Jermaine DuPri!”
Recap: In this dope 1-rounder from Bars Over Bricks, a strong, punch-heavy and gritty showing from Murdock gets edged by a more condensed, storytelling-rich, witty, name flip-lit and punch/personal-heavy Swamp.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “You play stupid and you’ll get can fried, then ya man dying, or you might wake up to a band on ya head…nigga, that’s a grand rising!”
Recap: The irony of Zay Smoove talking up Chef Trez’s rebuttal game so much in round 1 and Trez only utilizing one or two the entire battle shouldn’t be lost here. As in this 3-rounder from GOTG, Trez puts aside the off-the-dome zingers and instead dishes a steady barrage of fiery gun bars, festive name flips, graphic mayhem and rich set-ups/punchlines to, despite a solid showing from his sometimes longwinded opponent, earn the 30.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “They thought I was only a shooter when I had the dreds, but I’m cut for whatever [takes off hoody] you see I’m still willing to fade with you!”
Recap: A couple of dudes, King Los and DNA, who’ve been going at it online for a few years now, finally meet up on the URL/Smack Volume 8 stage and for the most part it was a goodie. ‘Industry rapper’ Los, in only his 3rd professional battle, did pretty well here (tho he still needs to work on his timing and performance), delivering three pretty solid rounds that contained fleeting moments of righteous gems, some lofty wordplay and bruisimg personals/punchlines. That said, this was all DNA. The Queens, NY, vet taking his opponent to task with an often sublime mixture intricate lyrical warfare, fire set-ups, brazen punchlines, fierce schemes, grandiose pontificating and to cap it all, a haymaker-rich, personal-lit, personal breakdown-heavy, hard-hitting and superbly-executed 3rd round that amounted to a classic. DNA with the 30.
Verdict: DNA (W) 3-0
Favorite line: DNA – “You do all this talking about Ancestry, but still need DNA to remind you where you from!”
Recap: Battling a fan of yours has got to be a little awkward, no? Still Alaskan battler Phonetic, an admitted admirer of his opponent Jey The Nitewing, puts on a strong showing in this Juneau Rap Battle League 3-rounder what with charismatic storytelling, solid name flips and witty/piercing personals throughout a run that outside some longwinded sermonizing kept him competitive. But despite a solid, yet somewhat lacksadaisical 2nd round (which forced a debatable there) and a near choke in round 3, Nitewing’s trip to The Last Frontier wouldn’t be a waste as the Mad King’s boatload of stinging punchlines/schemes, sharp wordplay, rigid name flips and witty barbs/personals would get him the win in rounds 1 and 3 for the vic.
Verdict: Jey The Nitewing (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jey The Nitewing – “Being this far North, I bet you thought it was all milk and cookies when they locked us in, but if you that close to the Pole, use the whole Mag ‘netic, you can’t be too positive!”
Recap: Well, damn. Offering up scathing disses at everyone and everything from the Drake-lookalike in the crowd to battle rap in general to his opponent Ave joining EFB (that is, when he wasn’t going at the big man’s alleged health issues) an aggressive, versatile, righteous and pressure-cooking B. Dot also utilizes a barrage of stifling punches/schemes/wordplay to out-wit (going in a pretty solid altogether Ave had to know Dot would focus on his noted punching game, so why he didn’t do more with personals and wit as he did in the 3rd round is a bit mind-boggling) and out-flex his Norlfolk, VA, peer and score a 30 in this Smack Volume 8 battle from URL.
Verdict: B. Dot (W) 3-0
Favorite line: B. Dot – “‘I don’t know B. Dot Ave come with the punches!’, yeah but they all fake, fat Blood ain’t gonna raise nothing but his heart rate!”
Recap: A real goodie here between Mackk Myron and KashMoney from KOTD’s Season 1, Week 12 tournamnet as both battlers kept it competitive via a boatlaod of damning punchlines, fiery personals, witty/raunchy barbs (in Mackk’s case) and straightforward heat (in Money’s case). However, despite a consistently strong performance from his opponent (which edged him round 3), it’s the slightl;y more haymaker-lit Myron who takes each of the opening rounds for the win.
Verdict: Mackk Myron (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Macklk Myron – “You got no fans, no classics, no quotes, I’m hot cuz, yacht club, show boat!”
Recap: Fonz uses a consistent barrage of fiery gun bars, biting local references and stifling punchlines to handily beat back the loud and aggressive, but mostly pedestrian street rhymes from Delvo in this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code’s Home 3 card.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “Get a head shot or a nougie, that’s knuckles to the dredlocks, then I choke the life to this biotch until he a dead opp, Hulk Hogan, you knew it was over when seen the nigga leg drop!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code’s Home 3 card, a solid, gritty and name-flip lit turn by TP Sareal gets benched by the stirring ‘plug talk’ of Kyd Slade, who when he wasn’t talking that gripping trap shit, still scored with some brazen performance bars and stinging gun lines/personals to get the win.
Verdict: Kyd Slade (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Kyd Slade – “I don’t need a fiend to test this work, I just look at it and know if it ain’t that…like I know you ain’t that and they know you can’t rap!”
Recap: Better than their first match (which A. Ward won) and more consistently spicy with sizzling off-the-dome heat from both battlers, from Geechi Gotti’s Riot league, this much-talked-about rematchbetween the Kansas City Horseman and the EFB capo lives up to the hype. Ward, with a bunch of stinging/mocking personals, fiery (“God already split a Red Sea, what you think will happen to a blue one!”) punchlines, righteous Christian-laced darts, different flows, witty barbs and some hard-hitting set-ups/wordplay/storytelling throughout the battle, came to win. While an aggressive Gotti, equipped with gritty punchlines/wordplay of his own, vociferous bully lines, discourteous religious darts, oft-wicked (“I will give your mama some angry dick like ‘fuck you mean!'”) personals, fire street-themed, West-coast bangers and steely gun bars, clearly wanted to make up for his earlier loss. And he did, with slightly better consistency with his bars, a couple of more haymakers in each of the opening rounds and the ability to equal Ward’s freestyles with a couple of his own, before the more potent Ward edged the 3rd, give Geechi rounds 1 and 2 for the win.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Nigga, you came prepared for me, but don’t make the worng move, we was literally whipping with a chrome spoon, so much work in the crib, it look like I was home-schooled!”
Recap: Although he’s still doing way too much intrusive shit while his opponent is rapping, one could argue that the version of Serius Jones we see here during this Smack Volume 6 matchup against JC, is the best we’ve ever seen from the Jersey veteran. Sure, Jones is still cocky as ever, his rounds were a little longwinded and he needs to get over the Math personals (hey, if they can still talk about JC’s infamous dance video then they can talk about ‘The Punch’), but for the most part the dated bars (‘tho that Martin bar in the 2nd round was sublime) and reaches were gone, the punches and schemes were much more substantive, the self-deprecation was humbling, he was still witty and righteous when needed and that rapid, more intricate and versatile flow with a mix of some killer personals/wordplay was especially dope to see, especially during what was a superlative 2nd round. That said, JC still edge rounds 1 and 3 for the win. The Michigan battler getting past a surprising 2nd round choke with a variety of crazy set-ups/name flips, gritty punchlines, piercing gun bars, well-executed personals and punch-drunk mayhem during two slightly more condensed turns for what was a close vic.
Verdict: JC (W) 2-1
Favorite line: JC – “Talking about ‘I shoot like KD!’, like it’s something spiritual, till you take the wrong shot, get tore up over a line and the Bucks will finish you!”
Recap: T-Top gets past a rare mid-round slip-up with a raspy mix of fiery punchlines/schemes, some sizzling name flips and bruising gun bars/trap talk to beat back a mayhem-rich, but mostly pedestrian Statz G in this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 1-0
Favorite line: T-Top – “He’ll got shot playing hardball, have his mother screaming ‘G Baby!'”
Recap: Dope battle between homogeneous battlers Chilla Jones and Kid Chaos on Smack Volume 8 ends up going Mr. Jones’ way as the Boston vet’s fiery punches, rigid personals, fire style breakdowns, flexing wordplay and oft-stellar name flips does just enough to beat his performance/scheme-heavy, also personal-lit and gun bar hitting, but elongated (esp. during a meandering round 1) opponent in the deciding round 3 (after Chaos had a sublime and haymaker rich 2nd round) for the win.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “No N.O.M.E.’s or Summer Madness’s, most your peers coming back for the second time, it seems Kid can’t keep up with his class, I thought it was No Child Left Behind!”
Recap: While Swamp’s slip-ups are becoming a little too habitual, the South Carolina battler’s ability to dial up a variety of gritty/descriptive punchlines, raunchy/flexing personals and stinging gun bars/street darts are enough to beat back a pretty solid and witty at times Scotty in this close 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “The clip in this bitch [holds out arm like gun] longer than a bus ride from school and you know you got a fucked up report card!”
Recap: Near upset here as a gritty punch game and some fiery Christian-laced darts from Tubbs almost gave him a win in this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code versus Loso. But despite some topsy-turvy name flips and a few punches here and there that were below his usual standard, a slightly more condensed Loso scores with just enough hitting punchlines and piercing storytelling bars/personals to edge the win.
Verdict: Loso (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Loso – “It’s a difference between when you battling names at home and when you battling cuz you a household name!”
Recap: Aggressive with a gang of brazen punches/personals and bullish semantics, Chetta makes for a pretty solid effort in this 1-rounder from Our Society Battle League vs. First Lady Flamez. However, a more condensed and versatile Flamez, styling on her opponent with a consistent barrage of rigid name flips, fire wordplay, stifling punchlines, righteous banter and gripping set-ups/mayhem/gun bars, does enough to get the win here.
Verdict: First Lady Flamez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “Your punches don’t always have the forces they need, which makes sense ‘cuz big bitches known to struggle with speed!”
Recap: Capped by a gritty flow so sweet you’d probably pay to see him spout gibberish, a consistently punch-lit B. Magic puts on the breaks on opponent LL Coogi (who had his moments, but was mostly so-so here, esp. when using dated personals) with a boatload of haymakers to handily take this 1-rounder from The Rap Committee.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Bitch, I’m something nice, still hot, Arizona summer nice, this will get your nephew’s fingers cut and your uncle iced!”
Recap: Bodybags are rare, but in this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code Nu Jerzey Twork is able to score one. Nu Jerooz using some filthy wordplay, rambunctious gun bars and piercing punchlines/name flips to easily beat back a totally subpar with the punches, slip-up prone and eventually choking BC, who while handily getting beat, still managed to come up with the funniest line of the night with that “I’ve never lost a battle in Texas” finisher.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “They don’t even know you in New Orleans…but the mag on ya [Magnolia]!”
Recap: From The Rap Committee, pretty solid effort from N-Pose whose witty personals and piercing punchlines kept him competitive over the course of 3 rounds here against Charron. Still, despite a solid showing from his opponent, overall the Canadian vet would prove to be too much, scoring with self-deprecating humor, a couple of rare, mid-round rebuttals (and even some dope off-the-dome heat directed at someone in the crowd talking through his turn), some stellar name flips/punchlines and stinging wordplay/personals to take rounds 1 and 3 (call the 2nd debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Charron (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charron – “My food don’t have spice, but you better act like I’m seasoned!”
Recap: From URL’s Smack Volume 8, after a so-so-round 1 that was easily beaten by an elongated, but versatile and piercing Arsonal, a camera-friendly and brazen (“Deep down I’m what nobody wants to see…like Cassidy and Freeway!”) at times Loso ups the ante with a gang of hard-hitting personals, righteous storytelling and pointed/stinging punchlines to take the 2nd round before a debatable 3rd. For Arsonal, a couple (when he wasn’t throwing shots at Murder Mook) of impressive showings in rounds 1 and 3 showed that there’s still plenty left in the tank as throughout the bout the NJ vet scored with a variety of spicy punchlines, stinging personals of his own, some fiery wordplay, pent up heat and mocking religious burners that stayed away from the gaslighting trap many rappers who go up against Christian battle rappers fall in
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Arsonal – “Fuck a GoFundMe, after this they creating a GoFindYou!”
Recap: From Smack’s Volume 8 card, unleashing nothing but lyrical warfare for 3 consistent rounds, a straight-stunting Aye Verb mixes in some righteous talk, rapid braggadocios banter and witty barbs/personals to his repertoire and handily beats back the hardbody, but too anecdotal and often nonsensical stylings of Head I.C.E.
Verdict: Aye Verb (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Aye Verb – “You nigga’s used to spit knowledge, drill and shake something, I killed a gang of y’all but I still pay homage through seances!”
Recap: From Juneau Rap Battle League, Real Deal uses a variety of spicy punchlines and stifling/mocking personals to handily take all 3 rounds of this 3-rounder versus a hot and cold EFA.
Verdict: Real Deal (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Real Deal – “You look like part of a disgruntled band who’s now on their 3rd bassist!”
Recap: Always able to rely on a nice rebuttal game, but also taking advantage of a 2nd round Lu Castro choke, after getting edged by his slightly punch-heavier opponent in round 1, a spirited A. Ward uses a boatload of fly set-ups, righteous/mocking personals, off-the-dome darts, rich storytelling, witty barbs and stinging punchlines/schemes to take round 2 and handily win the deciding 3rd for the vic in this 3-rounder from VLMG & Tha Kulture.
Verdict: A. Ward (W) 2-1
Favorite line: A. Ward – “Hey Lu Lu, you might be wild strong but I’m mildly athletic!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from The Word Sport Battle Groundz, Rio Nkosi raps twice as longer as his opponent and kicks a gang of gritty bars to go along with a mix of rigid personals. But a mostly subpar showing from Rio in addition to a brazen and condensed Tay Roc taking Nkosi to task with bountiful blasts of mayhem and stifling gun bars/punches, gives the Cave Gang capo a handy win.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “You’re the load that your mother should’ve swallowed actually, your birth certificate is an apology letter from the condom factory!”
Recap: Debatable 3rd round, but in this remote, Covid 3-rounder from The Word Sport Battle Groundz, a solid punching Novate proves to be no match for the fiery schemes, street rhymes and fierce punchlines/gun bars from Chef Trez in both of the opening rounds.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I don’t just rap, I [extends hand out like gun] draw and paint everything…I’m a real artist!”
Recap: A highly competitive 3-rounder from We Go Hard between Awthentic and Ru Bando features a lot of ill street rhymes, lucid boasts. piercing name flips, fiery gun bars and hardbody punchlines from both battlers. But after the two split the opening rounds (had Awthentic taking round 1 and before Bando came back to edge round 2), it’s the slightly more consistent and punch-heavy Awthentic who edges the 3rd round for the win.
Verdict: Awthentic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Awthentic – “Peep the plot, same scenario, I got a got a mask on but the music loud, I had to [stretches arms out like a gun] Rey Mysterio!”
Recap: Pretty solid, gritty and versatile effort by Chuck Book, in this 1-rounder from GOTG, gets beat by a much more condensed, rebuttal-slinging, name flip/storytelling-lit, intricate and raucous punching Danny Myers.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “We could take it to the streets, but I got a group of men who voted to take Book out like the council of Nicaea!”
Recap: Aggressively punching from all directions with some mocking personals and rigid gun bars mixed in, a consistently lit Bill Collector handily gets the win over an earnest, but mostly pedestrian Darange in this 1-rounder from GOTG.
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “See the drip?, I’m on stage with the extra glo, you Spanish, so you wear Team Jordans, kleats, boots and Sketchers yo!”
Recap: Yes, there’s battle rap in Alaska. As the Juneau Rap Battle League hosts Marvwon and local spitter Ra for 3 rounds of thrifty punches that the Detroit vet, using a spicy combo of braggadocious raps, witty barbs and gritty punchlines, gets the upper hand on by taking each of the opening rounds for the win before a debatable 3rd.
Verdict: Narvwon (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Marvwon – “My question is, how the fuck you from Alaska and you not cold!”
Recap: In this fiery 1-rounder from Ball Hogg Ent., a pretty solid Turk uses a gang of raucous punches (that Real Sikh line was crazy) and a versatile bars to keep it close. But a slightly more condensed, consistent, off-the-dome spicy, mayhem-rich, just as punch heavy and righteous when needed Danny Myers gets the edge here.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “Me and your bitch, just like that coin flip, I got head twice!”
Recap: Perhaps Dunsh, but other than him dare you to say there’s a more entertaining battle rapper these days than Hollaluyah Jones. The Queens, NY battler singing, exploiting his Wyclef connection, getting spicy with the personals, providing boisterous and witty storytelling and spouting a gang of piercing name flips/punchlines towards opponent Lootchi (who gave a subpar at times, but earnest, aggresive and hardbody effort throughout his turn) for one round on We Go Hard and earning the win.
Verdict: Hollaluyah Jones (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Hollaluyah Jones – “And your bitch a thot too, I really, really, really popped it, you need to really, really stop it, big pussy hole, felt like putting my hand in a hoodie pocket!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from The Rap Committee, a solid, mayhem-lit performance from Panorama with flashes of off-the-dome heat gets blown away by Real Deal’s consistent barrage of fiery name flips, stinging wordplay, syrupy punchlines and witty personals.
Verdict: Real Deal (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Real Deal – “Battle rap’s gonna call for a change when we start dumping nickle’s at this bum, the real question’s is can Pan handle it!”
Recap: After being warned by his opponent about there being ‘levels’ to this shit, a gritty with the punches Scripture gets off to a hot start in this Hit List Battle League 3-rounder. But some subpar bars and a slip-up by the small league star in the latter rounds to go along with First Lady Flamez getting extra spicy with the mayhem, name flips and gripping punchlines, would prove the Richmond, VA, spitter right in the long run and win her the battle.
Verdict: First Lady Flamez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “I know the truth, first lies I viewed came out of Scripture!”
Recap: Only a 1-rounder, but a win over the likes of Ill Will is still an impressive one as despite a strong, brazen and punch-lit showing from his fellow Midwestern opponent, Fonz’s more consistently electric name flips, hard-hitting punchlines/wordplay, rigid personals and flexing bouts of mayhem equates to a few more haymakers and gets him the win in this competitive bout from The Rap Committee.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “The way he been moving is real fake, how you on Smack, RBE, KOTD, but Mackk ain’t get no real plates?, I guess if they keep you stagnant, his position is real safe…nigga in a secret competition with Mackk [Mac] he Bill Gates!”
Recap: Witty and scheme-heavy on both sides with A. Ward also flexing with a handful of spicy off-the-dome theatrics and Charlie Clips getting busy with a gang of fiery 4-bar set-ups and hard-hitting, Christian-laced personals, this dope 1-rounder from The Rap Committee comes down to the slightly more consistently lit and more haymaker scoring Clips edging it in the end for the win.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “Do you got space on your squad for a nigga like me?, ‘cuz I ain’t join nobody camp in awhile, I coudl change my name to Charlie Horse if you want…but then that’d be cramping my style!”
Recap: From KOTD’s Season 1 tournament, a gang of raucous punchlines and upright personals by Bill Collector combined with a slick-talking and witty, but overtly flow-challenged Gauge gives the Norristown, PA, vet rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “Yo, Hitman/Showoff bars, they be the worse rhymes, you said if you and Hutman were in the same building, you’d make me get my get-back on Hitman, why?, he ain’t do shit the first time!”
Recap: ‘Boulevard’ was dropping some gems and may need to make a few more appearances. But other than Street Hymns getting his Steve Urkel/Steffon imitation on in round 2 of this 3-rounder from RBE, the 4 Horseman’s struggles with delivery, reaches, topsy-turvy punches and more condensed schemes coupled with a Bonnie Godiva raining down haymakers from a variety of angles that included a boatload of mocking/spicy (‘Christian Ghetto-Gaggers’…LOL!!!) personals, spicy name flips and some flexing wordplay/punches,, gives the Yonkers, NY, rhymestress a handy 3-0.
Verdict: Bonnie Godiva (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bonnie Godiva – “I bet ya momma just wish she could start again, but real bitches don’t speak on mistakes, we swallow them!”
Recap: Taking advantage of Real Sikh’s mostly pedestrian schemes and punches (as well as one too many personals on his opponent’s last battle against K-Shine) in both the 2nd and 3rd round, after a versatile and spitfire opening round 1 from both battlers that made the opener debatable, Pat Stay uses with a gang of mocking/hard-hitting personals, braggadocios punches, some stinging wordplay and piercing name flips/wit to handily take each of the latter rounds for the win in this Drake-sponsored, URL/Til Death Do Us Part card.
Verdict: Pat Stay (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Pat Stay – “You got a lotta punches but you’ll never have a stronger impact, that last round fucked him up! I was hopin’ you’d get mad!, I’ll smack the fuckin’ dishrag offa Sinbad’s bitch ass!”
Recap: No disrespect to Geechi Gotti, who’s certainly put in the proper amount of work to earn a shot at Loaded Lux. But with the likes of JC on record been wanting to battle Lux or–if we’re going to do the West coast thing–wouldn’t a Dizaster/Lux matchup make more sense than this one? Especially if we’re not just looking to make Lux that secret bonus round you get when you’ve finally conquered your favorite video game. I mean, we got legacies to protect here. That said, despite a mostly solid (except for round 3 where he had a couple of slip-ups), heavy-hitting at times and ever-righteous 3 rounds from Lux, this URL/Til Death Do Us Part bout was all Gotti, who when he wasn’t theratneing to beat up someone in Lux’s entourage for talking through his opening round, outshined the Harlem legend in each round with an aggressive barrage of hard street rhythms, stifling punchlines, piercing name flips, mocking personals, some steely pontifications and flexing mayhem to get the win.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “If I say, I’m gon’ kill you, I’m gon’ kill you, I don’t give a fuck if it’s right or wrong, only thing I’m contemplating is, ‘Do I kill the kids too?’ so you ain’t gotta die alone!”
Recap: From URL’s Drake Til Death Do Us Part card, a so-so 2nd round (where the similes were a little perplexing) and even a 3rd that while pretty solid, still didn’t quite live up to the standard we hold Rum Nitty. But either way, thanks in part to a mostly pedestrian T-Rex (who really needs to display his humor and storytelling more) as well as a personal/set-up lit and mayhem-rich round 1 from Rum that was his hardest turn, in this rematch from their Snoop Gladiator School battle some years back, Nitty delivers enough heat over 3 rounds to get the win and some long needed paypack.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – ‘This shit wild…you wasn’t no Crip when we battled the first time!”
Recap: Highly anticipated, but long in the making, Tay Roc vs. Nu Jerzey Twork (with the vet Roc helping matters by putting plenty of pressure on Twork to come with 3 clean rounds) on URL lives up to the hype with the two battlers dishing a trio of rambunctious and competitive turns that kept the crowd lit. Twork, equipped with a gang of mocking/witty personals (esp. at Roc’s gf Lady Caution), fierce gun lines/name flips, some killer wordplay, brazen (esp. that 2nd round Mook/Party Arty line) punchlines, righteous darts and yes 3 ‘Strapped In”s, showed once again that when prepared, he’s one of the best in the game. On the other hand Roc, consistently scoring as usual with a barrage of stifling gun bars/name flips, graphic mayhem, some rigid personals and rapid, but head-shaking punches/4-bar set-ups, more than did his part to make sure this battle got its just due. However, with the more steadily hitting Roc clearly taking round 2, while a slightly more haymaker-lit Twork took round 3, a fire on both sides opening round comes down to a slightly more versatile and slightly more bar-heavy Roc edging the opener for the win.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Clips is gon’ blaze, you’ll turn up dead, I’ll burn the lead, you my brother, I can’t watch you die, so I turn my head!”
Recap: Mean set-ups/punchlines, stifling performance bars, piercing personals and a variety of head-ringing name flips, it’s all there as Fonz handily beats back a solid and gritty at times Grandaddy Purp in this 1-rounder from Ball Hogg Ent.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “But if you think that fame done went to my head then bitch chance it, and they gonna see me sit a Purp [perp] down like Chris Hansen!”
