Recap: Note to self: look out for Polo Roe as his versatile and fierce punch game and permeating wit almost pulled off an upset here in this close 1-rounder from Any Body Can Die Battle League. Too bad for Polo tho as JC being JC takes all comers seriously, which in turn led to Pontiac, Michigan’s finest using a boatload of piercing punchlines, boastful God-pen lines and rigid heaters in a slightly more condensed run to win this one by a nose.
Verdict: JC (W) 1-0
Favorite line: JC – “I told you, I’m heaven sent, you smell me?, I’m way beyond that level y’all fear I’m on!”
Recap: A stellar 2021 for Lu Castro continues as the Bronx, NY, rapper uses a gang of stifling punchlines/storytelling bars, witty personals, performance-stunting shiners and steely darts to beat back a slow-starting, but overall aggressive, gritty and pretty solid effort from teenage battler Noxx in this competitive 1-rounder from IBattleTV.
Verdict: Lu Castro (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Lu Castro – “I will never lose to a nigga with a 14-year-old Justin Bieber cut!”
Recap: Dismissing his opponent’s personal “rat” disses by keenly rebuttling on how him and Oun-P have hung out together in the past. But also proving more worthy overall with the spicy punchlines, witty barbs and braggadocios darts in the 1st, 2nd and 4th rounds (score the 3rd a debatable, while Oun-P.away from the battle rap stage for almost a decade, took the 5th) in the face of some extra hardbody lines from his Bronx adversary, Charlie Clips still gets the win in this close bout from MC War 2021.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 3-2
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “These nigga’s rap like gangsta’s but they ain’t one, they always wanna talk about bullets but who gonna take one?, if you don’t got a death date then make one, or I’m a wrap ya body up and hide it from the world like Drake son!”
Recap: Proof that we can’t just be going around calling anything a ‘classic’, spitfire all the way through, Chess versus Eazy the Block Captain on the URL Summer Madness 11 stage IS A CLASSIC. Indeed, a battle drenched in haymakers with both battlers on their A-game, I dare you to find a dry spot here, much less a single bar that even bordered on being pedestrian. That’s how crazy and competitive this battle was. Chess, aggressive, versatile, steeped in some killer wordplay, rich metaphors and sublime punchlines when he wasn’t scoring with fire name flips, elite gun bars and steady heat (esp. during a classic round 1) throughout the battle, stayed on his opponent’s neck. While Eazy, speaking greasy with that grimy Philly flow and using it to spout a gang of fiery/righteous personals, captivating (“Every time I came home it was drugs on the table, had a decision, should I cross the line?, White girl in a scary movie, I fell for it every time!”) trap/prison talk, witty barbs, head-ringing struggle bars and gritty street rhymes that was at its best during a classic round 2, showed that the hard work he put into getting on that SM stage was well worth it. Nearly equal in time during each round with no slip-ups from either side, a slightly more haymaker-lit Chess takes round 1 before Eazy returned the favor in the second round. The deciding 3rd round was appropriately even money as quantitatively both battlers brought nothing but roundhouse punches in a battle that is arguably the best we’ve seen in 2021.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Chess – “They couldn’t lock this in ’til they had my doe complete, the talk is different, you spoke to P, I spoke to Beasley!”
Recap: Imagine how much more cockier Tsu Surf will get if he regularly brings 3 rounds with him. Pretty much all Surf here (tho a mostly up-n-down John John Da Don did have a standout 2nd round with the dope call-n-response [‘You are not bigger than the culture!’] he did with the crowd) in this Summer Madness 11 bout as the Jersey capo used a blistering barrage of self aggrandizing bangers/schemes, fire personals, fierce gun bars, rigid street rhymes and hitting punchlines to score an impressive 30 against one of his longtime adversaries.
Verdict: Tsu Surf (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Tsu Surf – “All this multiple choice battle rap shit, man, you ain’t runnin’ wit’ the thugs, my multiple choice was: cop out, trial or snitch, my lawyer said, ‘None of thee above!'”
Recap: In this long-anticipated Summer Madness 11 matchup between a couple of battle rap legends, Murda Mook and Reed Dollaz, the duo would keep it close and competitive throughout via a gang of gritty punchlines and aggressive gun bars. Still, outside of a debatable 2nd round, it’s Reed who ends up earning the win. The longtime Philly rapper edging rounds 1 and 3 with a better overall punch game, that safeguarded his legacy when he wasn’t ironically styling on Mook’s contribution to the game, challenging his opponent’s street cred (as did Mook) and celebrated his city’s chapter in battle rap history.
Verdict: Reed Dollaz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Reed Dollaz – “Snub pop, gut shot, watch his abs devour, funny how we in the congregation, but you still couldn’t pass the Dollaz!”
Recap: A bit of a rocky 3rd cost him a shutout, but against an ever-confident, street-thematic, brazen and overall pretty solid Calicoe (who’s best round was actually the 1st), with a story-gripping, macho-stunting, consistently punch-heavier, witty at times and mayhem-lit Geechi Gotti edges the opening round of this Summer Madness 11 matchup before absolutely ham and delivering one of the illest, haymaker-drenched personal breakdowns of a battle rapper you’ll ever see in round 2 (call that a classic) to own the win.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Every time a nigga step to you, he step up, Cal, stop livin’ off yo’ daddy name and get yo’ rep up, nigga, you a grown ass man but worryin’ about ain’t nobody respectin’ you, that’s cuz you in yo’ 30s and yo’ daddy still out here protectin’ you!”
Recap: Not exactly K-Shine or Hollow Da Don at their best during this Summer Madness 11 matchup, but both vets still put on pretty solid performances in what was a much anticipated bout. Hollow, seemingly mimicking Shine’s rambunctious style at times and scoring at will with a gang of wily punches, flexing wordplay and witty/mocking/storied personals in spite of a few subpar lines here and there, would standout when it came to his rigid set-ups and stifling anecdotes. On the other hand Shine would keep it competitive with a bunch of performance-rich mayhem, pointed personals and dope storytelling/4-bar setups (esp. in round 3, his best turn). A close one throughout, the slightly more haymaker lit Hollow takes both of the opening rounds for the win before Shine took the 3rd clearly to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Hollow Da Don (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Hollow Da Don – “Fuck that, fuck that, back to the metaphors…I’ll [bends down] get lower than your credit score!”
Recap: That “Yoshi G., I’m a battle rapper now, are you fucking?!” bar by MVP in the 1st round of this Ultimate Madness 4 tournament final at Summer Madness 11 was fire. But other than that and some gritty/witty lines here and there throughout the battle, one too many subpar similes by the St. Louis battler and a Real Name Brandon who stood tall throughout this championship bout with a gang of sublime local references/heaters that played extra well with the Houston crowd, piercing punchlines and boastful barbs to go along with a spitfire, punch/storytelling-lit and nostalgic 3rd round that the Pasadena, CA, battler dedicated to his grandmother, equated to a hat trick for RNB.
Verdict: Real Name Brandon (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Real Name Brandon – “Let you walk away with this bread, I’ll spin the block quick, Glock lift, he gonna be dying to get out of Houston…DeShaun Watson!”
Recap: There’s two Rio’s?! Anyway, solid showing by Rio who with a bunch of righteous punchlines and earnest street rhythmn’s in this 1-rounder from GOTG, should get another plate or two. But a Lady Caution without any hiccups flow-wise, much less on her shit with a gang of boastful barns, sizzling punchlines/name flips and ready-for-that-action gun bars gets this one easy.
Verdict: Lady Caution (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Lady Caution – “Clap you as soon as we see you…mosquito!”
Recap: In a Summer Madness 11 battle that saw neither battler bring their A-game when it came to punches and consistency, with an aggressive supply of brazen punchlines, some stellar multi’s, performance-rich bars (esp. when it came to shoulder bumps), mocking personals, fiery wordplay and heated storytelling/gun bars, in both of the opening rounds Arsonal (outside of a lame alphabet scheme) also takes advantage of an inconsistent and elongated Lu Castro to edge the win, before the Bronx captain who was makimng his 1st SM appearance put forth a righteous and steadily fire turn to salvage the 3rd.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “Now this round gonna get real ugly, Seal ugly, bet you twety dollars, I’m talking Harriet Tubman on a bill ugly!”
Recap: Well, that was surprising. After using a gang of spicy punchlines/personals to take round 1 and utilizing the same aggressive formula to withstand the passionate personals and nifty storytelling rhymes/schemes from opponent Cali Smoov and force a draw in round 2, an early, out-of-nowhere 3rd round choke by The Saurus allows a cleaner-punching Smoov to spout an assortment of mayhem-rich darts, piercing struggle bars and solid punches to score a 10-8 in the final round and get the win in this KOTD Season 1 matchup.
Verdict: Cali Smoove (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Cali Smoov – “I’m battling The Saurus on King of the Dot, wow I’m in heaven, this would’ve been a big deal for my career…in 2007!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from She Go Hard, both K Prophet and Shooney Da Rapper bring an assortment of aggressive punches to keep you in tune. But it’s the more consistently brazen, name flip-lit and iller with the wordplay/personals Shooney who scores more haymakers for the win.
Verdict: Shooney Da Rapper (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shooney Da Rapper – “Bitch, you really out here dressed like my Uncle Bobby!”
Recap: From KOTD’s Season 1 tournament, Reverse Live gives a strong effort with a bunch of wily personals and brazen punches on his opponent Stuey Newton. But seemingly coming off a couple of battle losses, a determined Stuey, in his bag throughout the bout with a bunch of fierce name flips, more intricate punches, some stellar wordplay and stinging gun bars/personals, takes both of the opening rounds for the win before a debatable 3rd.
Verdict: Stuey Newton (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Stuey Newton – “Fuck the fan vote, I got the pole [poll] in the building!”
Recap: Nice, gritty effort from Bells in this 1-rounder from GOTG. But a consistent barrage of fiery gun bars/name flips, fierce bully lines and witty/standout punches from Lu Castro gives the ‘Big Dawg’ the win.
Verdict: Lu Castro (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Lu Castro -“I ain’t gonna get up here and tell you how I killed a hundred nigga’s ‘cuz I only killed 96!”
Recap: Dope 3-rounder from IbattleTV sees Kang give Real Deal all he can handle with a gang of fiery, unorthodox punches and abstract raps that made you stop and pay attention throughout the match. But the slightly more condensed, versatile, punch-heavier, 4-bar set-up-lit and hard-hitting/witty with the personals Mr. Deal does just enough in the opening rounds to gain the win before Kang took the 3rd.
Verdict: Real Deal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Real Deal – “You look like a garage band drummer who creatively fights with his band mates!”
Recap: With both battlers spouting a gang of fiery schemes, hard-hitting personals and stinging wordplay/punchlines throughout their 3 rounds, Emerson Kennedy vs. First Ladii Flamez on URL’s Civil War card is not only a competitive goodie, but a spirited barfest that brought the heat when it came to nuance. Still, EK in his bag too when it came to (“You see Moses burning bush if you clearly hedging flames!”) sterling name flips, would edge round 1 despite an aggressive and gritty turn (that was interrupted towards the end by her throwing up) by Flamez. Round 2 would feature a spitfire opening freestyle by EK that with more piercing punches/personals allowed the Salt Lake City rapper to score a draw against a wordplay-heavy, boastful and scheme-lit run by the First Lady. The final round would serve as the only clear round of the battle with EK delivering his lightest turn of the night (tho it was solid what with its artful use of righteous punchlines), a 3rd offering that would get handily beat back by a versatile and sublime-punching Flamez to make this one a debatable.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: First Ladii Flamez – “I will Black and beat the White out your bitch…no Grey Area!”
Recap: Danny Myers pays a visit to South Carolina and makes quick work of G Dot. The Bar God surpassing a mostly monotonous, but mayhem-lit 4-bar punching effort from his opponent with a fiery and aggressive mix of mocking personals, raucous punchlines and witty barbs to handily get the win in thsi 1-rounder from South Carolina Battle League.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “My nigga’s will shoot you because they need practice!”
Recap: From URL’s Civil War card, a bunch of dope schemes and solid punches/gun bars/personals over the course of rounds by Kid Chaos made this battle competitive. But outside of a minor slip-up in round 1 (which was equated by KC in the opener), this one was all Jey The Nitewing. The Washington battler commanding the stage with not only sinister pauses before he spoke, but a gang of mocking personals, killer style breakdowns/name flips, righteous punchlines, witty barbs and brazen lyrical shiners to take all 3 rounds (round 2 was the closest) for an impressive win.
Verdict: Jey The Nitewing (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Jey The Nitewing – “I could get straight to the ‘head shot!’ or wait for the anticipation to grow, it’s like a gun on the table…my presence alone can change the way you approach!”
Recap: Struggling a bit with his flow after a stellar round 1, but still able to deliver some mean name flips, witty barbs that included a few freestyles and rigid personals/storytelling bars that for the most part hit, after the two split the first two rounds, Hollaluyah Jones is also able to take advantage of a Heavy Half choke and spout a shortened, but punch-steady and clean 3rd round for the win in this 3-rounder from Smoke Room Battle League.
Verdict: Hollaluyah Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Hollaluyah Jones – “I used to hide crack in my teeth, that was white on top of the gum, I really had an over bite!”
Recap: Nothing out of the ordinary here as Cortez and RI 28 Grams kick a gang of fiery gun bars with your resident mayhem, braggadocios barbs and a few wily personals mixed in. A close GOTG 1-rounder either way, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit Cortez who edges the win.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Cortez – “I don’t need a trailer, it’s 28 Grams, you getting cooked in a meth lab!”
Recap: Plenty of fiery gun bars, gift-wrapped mayhem and gritty punchlines make for a dope back-n-forth between Coffee Brown and Lady Caution here on URL’s Civil War card. But outside of being a little elongated in the early rounds, it’s the more consistently hitting and overall spicier with the name flips and personals Ms. Brown who handily takes rounds 1 and 3 (call the 2nd debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Coffee Brown (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Coffee Brown – “Roc, I stand this man’s ways, this a broke ho, nobody want this Lady in man cave!”
Recap: Th3 Saga and Ill Will meet up on One Shot Battle League and as to be expected it’s a goodie with Saga spouting a gang of fire (“Coke so white, it started a mega-church!”) punches while also declaring that the days of opps dishing ‘masturbation bars’ should be over what with his recent marriage (yeah, good luck with that). Still while Saga rapped a little longer in this 1-rounder and via a choppy flow to start things off didn’t help his cause, the ever-brazen but uber-witty and personal when need be Will would also spit a bunch of fierce punches to score at whim and combined a more condensed turn, edge this one here.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “I go way back with the malice, stay back with the challenge, I’ll start a fight in Indiana…who want they payback from the Palace!”
Recap: Sizzling name flips, hard-hitting personals, fiery wordplay and raucous gun bars/punchlines, it’s all there for Ill Will and he’d need them all to score enough haymakers and beat back a strong performance from a brazen and witty at times LL Coogi in this competitive 1-rounder from The Rap Committee.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “I wouldn’t put on Coogi if I was Biggie in ’93!”
Recap: A 1-rounder from Major League Battles that was filled to the rim with plenty of braggadicous darts and pure, utter mayhem, despite a pretty solid and aggressive turn by Florida battler ComeUp Zo (who was much better with the punches in the latter half of his round), a bullish Fonz’s more consistently-lit set-ups and spicy similes gives The Landlord the win.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “You’ze a goof, I’m the truth, Snapple top, the fucking G.O.A.T., I close out rounds like an Apple watch!”
Recap: From IBattleTV, solid showing from Suni Talynt, who with some versatility to his punches and a little wit and off-the-dome heat, managed to score a debatable 3rd. Other than that, another day at the office for Chef Trez who reconciled his gov’t name getting made fun of with a gang of spicy 4-bar punches, some fierce name flips, boastful barbs, a handful of piercing rebuttals and the usual assortment of gritty punchlines/wordplay to handily take both of the opening rounds for the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “You my 3rd Hispanic opponent, but your stock low so [Loso] why BS around me!”
Recap: In a 1-rounder from Kill Switch Battle League that was laced with gritty street missives from both battlers, a more name flip-lit, graphic and rigid with the mayhem as well as intricate with the set-ups/punches Cortez handily takes gains the win over Problems.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Cortez – “The Grim Reaper is in this bitch and I want all the smoke and like Black Up’s I’m here to set the tone!”
Recap: In a competitive 1-rounder from GOTG, although struggling a bit with his transitions and some subpar heat, Bandit Montana’s palette of hardbody punches (esp. liked the ‘God…CashApp’ bar), grip and gore still made their mark. But it’s a brazen 40 B.A.R.R.S., consistently flexing with some sublime name flips, hitting wordplay and braggadocios/stinging punchlines who scores more than enough haymakers to get the win here.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 1-0
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “You been here for 9 years but no one knows you, how the fuck you get your name?, I mean what kind of Bandit can’t even find a way to break into the Gates?!”
Recap: If you run with KOTD giving Bill Collector a ‘perfect score’ and ‘95%’ of the vote in this judged tournament Season 1, Week 7 matchup, you’d swear that BC not only had the battle of his life, but he completely dominated. Except neither was the case here. Because not only have we seen better battles from Bill, but this bout against the ever bullish Stack Almighty was really close. But Bill still earned the vic tho. As after getting busy with the wordplay/similes and out-punching his opponent in an opening round that displayed some extreme focus, despite a fly rebutttal from Stack, Bill would still come back with screeds of excellent lyricism within a versatile barfest that would edge him round 2 for the win before Stack, slightly more condensed, hard-hitting and brazen with the bars throughout, would edge the final round with more consistently spicy darts to avoid getting shutout (tho it should be noted that BC did offer up a fire rebuttal of his own during the round).
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “He’s a beast?!, my calculations scientifically prove that he’s a geek!”
Recap: With the ability to make every bar or riff count, even during a shortened turn Jakkboy Maine’s piercing wordplay, lively gun sounds and hitting punches are enough to beat an aggressive and gritty, but mostly subpar Mega Da Savage in this 1-rounder from Smoke Room Battle League.
Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “When I pull it you getting stabbed or shot up in the face, nigga ask Giannis, that Hawk ain’t shit without the .3 [Trey]!”
Recap: Two of the most prolific battle rappers in the game, Danny Myers and Dre Dennis, meet up on GOTG and outside of clear win in the 3rd round or Dre (where he used a stellar angle dripped in spitfire personals that easily beat what was a throwaway/complimentary turn by Danny), this one was extremely close. Indeed, while in both of the opening rounds Dennis excelled at dishing hardbody set-ups with spicy punches, it’s the slightly more storytelling/punch-lit, witty and condensed Myers who edges both turns for the win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “Hey, I was about to battle this nigga right outside, but Dre got to him first!”
Recap: Spicy, Christian-themed darts, fiery storytelling rhymes, fire set-ups, witty barbs and a gang of stinging gun bars/punchlines…for Ryda it’s a versatile and consistently hitting performance that altogether adds up to more than enough haymakers to beat back a freestyle-lit, but otherwise topsy-turvy (esp. on the name flips) A. Ward in this 1-rounder from House of Wolves.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ryda – “I’m here to let you know I am the first Buddist battle rapper…now see how I’m already the best at that?!
Recap: Seen better overall bouts from both battlers, but this rematch between Born and Xcel at KOTD’s Season 1 tourney is still a goodie with plenty of spicy lyrical burners, standout personals, stunted wordplay/braggadocios lines and fiery 4-bar punches reigning galore. But after losing round 1 while struggling a bit with his flow, Xcel gets it together in the latter two rounds with more consistently hitting darts to gain the win.
Verdict: Xcel (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Xcel – “Talking about you airing a Ruger, this nigga wouldn’t draw if he was Aaron McGruder!”
Recap: From URL’s Civil War card, another pretty solid effort from Real Sikh, filled with some witty barbs, a stockpile of aggressive mayhem and potent punches/name flips/rebuttals that still however wasn’t good enough to beat the punching power of Ave. The Norfolk, VA, vet using a gang of hitting pop culture references, sick name flips, piercing wordplay and sometimes righteous, but mostly flexing punchlines to take all 3 rounds for an impressive win over an opponent who otherwise has had a dope 2021.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “This Captain Planet, yeah the Indian got heart in the ring!”
Recap: Ryda versus Don Marino on URL’s Civil War for the most part is a goodie with the Miami rapper dropping his usual assortment of struggle bars and wily punches for more consistently hitting/spicier punchlines and a creative use of an angle in round 2 that was well lit with hitting personals. However, after getting handily beat in round 1, Ryda would step his punching acumen and via a barrage of witty darts, flexing/mocking personals, fire set-ups/storytelling bars and oft-Mexican themed, but either way still gripping bars that altogether edged both of the latter rounds to the Maryland battler and earned him the win.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ryda – “You got a great resume, low stock, your career’s been an odd one, you gotta be the only Mexican I know that can never get the job done!”
Recap: Against a Loso who seemed to be more interested in 3 rounds of righteous indignation that ironically became redundant at times (when he wasn’t kicking a bunch of subpar name flips) instead of more intricacy with his punches, versatility and performance stunting with his bars, in this URL/Civil War bout, Nu Jerzey Twork has a relatively easy time of it. The still young NJ vet using some stellar wordplay, raucous gun lines, rambunctious punches that landed well (esp. in the early rounds), hardbody religious-tinted personals that broke down his Christian opponent’s more charlatan-esque moments and not one, but two ‘Strapped In!’s screeds to cap a performance that reminded everyone that a motivated Twork can still rap with the best of them.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “I’ll take ya life if you try Twork, the Four Horsemen jump in, there’s hearses right at my mom church, this nigga A. Ward try me, I’ma grab the pipe and the .9 burst, you know how this Four Brother shit go…the white one die first!”
Recap: In an inquisitive battle between a couple of battle rappers/sound systems, Lu Castro delivers enough brazen punches, stinging wordplay, rim-rocking haymakers, some righteous ‘Big Dog’ barbs and graphic mayhem to outlast his opponent in the latter two rounds (after Jakk edged the 1st) and get the win over his former Goonie brethren in what was altogether a pretty competitive and fiery matchup.
Verdict: Lu Castro (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Lu Castro – “Let’s set this wolf trap, line the flex, 9’sand Tek’s, dull-ass blade, fucking boring, condom sex!”
Recap: His only mistake being prolonged rounds, in this URL/Civil War bout against Mike P, T-Top uses a versatile and name-flip lit round 1 before delivering a terrific, set-up savvy and stifling race angle in round 2 (that was capped by a sublime cameo from Top’s ‘white friend’ Anderson Burruss) to take that round as well and get the win before spouting a personal-bent 3rd round, that while redundant in is theme (more knocks on Mike;s girl), was still witty and punch-heavy to make this a 30. Mike P, who struggled to gain any momentum back after Top’s (in front of his hometown, Raleigh, NC, crowd no less) stellar 2nd, never seemed to never be in his bag either way, what with an up-n-down opening round, a Street Fighter scheme that didn’t transition well and a gang of subpar punches that when he wasn’t scoring with his usual assortment of graphic mayhem and jaunty punches/personals, gave him little chance in this battle.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 3-0
Favorite line: T-Top – “I love you, Mikey, just disappointed in the way it was handled, you damn near stopped her from havin’ y’all child, ’cause you felt like you were takin’ a gamble, well, I’m from Carolina, it woulda hurt to see the baby [DaBaby] get canceled!”
Recap: Spouting the kind of versatile and deep-level intricacy with his raps that separates the elite punchers from the rest of the crowd, a consistently punch and wordplay-lit B. Magic puts a bruising for 3 rounds on a mostly mediocre-punching Wrist God to handily get the 30 in this battle from Next Level Battle League.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 3-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Walk up on him, him and the left soon meet, then my right, soon as that bitch connect dude sleep, you get a left then a right after a left [Ooowee!]…what a hook like N.O.R.E. on a Neptune beat!”
Recap: In this competitive 3-rounder from Major League Battles, the gritty, aggressive and unorthodox stylings of T Hurst were enough to consistently keep the heat on opponent Chef Trez. But dipped with a wide load of stifling wordplay, fiery name flips, stinging gun bars and fierce rebuttals/punchlines, the Chef would take both of the opening rounds for the win before a debatable 3rd.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I might get it shaking with this square, but he still getting holes in the end…let’s have a dice game!”
Recap: Said it before, race angles against white battle rappers, for the most part, just come off as lazy penmanship. In other words, unless you’re a B. Dot or some other conscious battler (where it’s already part of your repertoire), unless you can kick some really unique or otherworldly shit that’s never been done before (or, be adept enough to incorporate race bars around one of your noted signature moves, which in X-Factor’s case would be his ‘Priorities’ lines and while he tried to do so, overall it just didn’t work), angling an entire round (as X-Factor does here in his 3rd against Bigg K) towards race just to score some points with the politically correct crowd and maybe get a win, almost never works. That said, even with a so-so 2nd round, it’s all Bigg K here. The Dawg striking once again with a gang of piercing punchlines/name flips, witty personals and stinging storytelling rhymes to beat an X-Factor who after a pretty solid round 1, just landed in a cesspool of nothing but filler and pedestrian punches thereafter.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bigg K – “You work out?, big flex, I caught him at mid rep, pulled a p-90 X, it ain’t part of yoru gym set!”
Recap: Spouting a bunch of spicy name flips, grabbing your attention with some gritty wordplay and dishing a fierce/aggressive mix of grimy mayhem, punchlines and personals, in this 1-rounder from GOTG that featured Tay Roc making his 1st appearance in the Gates, an altogether pretty solid Wise certainly makes a name for himself. Yet, wasting little time (unlike his opponent, who did spit some filler here and there) with straight-ahead potent punches, wily name flips, fire set-ups, a conversational screed or two to go along with a gang of hardbody gun missives and righteous personals, even within the confines of a smaller league, Roc more than makes his presence felt.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “The gun lift, your mom’s won’t recognize you when that bag unzip, she like ‘That wasn’t Wise, you musta done some dumb shit!'”
Recap: Grind Time/KOTD vet Madness takes it right to Don Marino with 3 rounds of witty personals, hard-hitting Mexican barbs and other consistently piercing punchlines to handily beat back a spicy at times, but overall unsteady effort from the Miami legend.
Verdict: Madness (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Madness – “For you, battling me is on the top of your bucket list, for me it’s…whatever the fuck this is!”
Recap: This was unfair. Whether it was a spitfire, personal-lit, touching at times, but also rowdy 3rd round or a gang of stellar set-ups/punches, wily gun bars and mocking personals in the earlier rounds, for 3 rounds Ill Will (who overall, wasn’t even at his best here) dominates the loud and aggressive, but consistently basic bars from Jag. Indeed, even the Atlanta crowd were riled by this bodybag what with the West-coast battle rapper displaying an extreme lack of intricacy to his bars that by the final round just became hard to watch. And when you consider how much hype went into promoting this battle. you might be better off re-watching the faceoff, yunno when Jag still stood a chance to win.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “I’m forever ready, Pontiac got my back very heavy, they just know me as Will, the lights make me ill…like epilepsy!”
Recap: Brazen, mayhem-friendly effort from Noah, in this 3-rounder from WarTown Battles, while solid over all doesn’t hold a candle to the more intricate and consistently hitting, rebuttal spitting, name flip savvy and punchline/gun bar/personal-lit Chef Trez.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “They say the early bird get the worm first, but a desert eagle get the fucking opps!”
Recap: Impressive victory by Arsonal here in what was altogether a dope and competitive battle against his fellow New Jerseyan Real Sikh on URL’s Super Fight 4 card. Da Rebel, after struggling a bit with his flow in round 1 while facing a punch/wordplay-heavy and brazen Sikh, would come back in round 2 (after getting edged in the opener) with a pair of versatile, well-angled, lyrically-sublime, trap-talking, highly personal when necessary and punch-lit to the point of even spitting a rare rebuttal to take round 2 and edge what was a scathing and personal-bent 3rd from his opponent, to get the come-from-behind win.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “I got about 30 on neck, I got a 30 on deck, you still red-shirting pussy, you ain’t put Jersey on yet!”
Recap: The bars are always there. But once again displaying a lack of preparation via slip-ups and a super costly 3rd round choke, in an otherwise brazen battle that was spicy and mayhem-lit with the punches through and through, Lady Caution’s final round blunder would serve as the difference in losing this 3-rounder to Ms. Miami.
Verdict: Ms. Miami (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ms. Miami – “Don’t ever play with my money, you’ll end up on the wrong side of my mood swings!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Flatline Battle Grounds, the slightly more condensed, haymaker-lit and gun bar/name flip/punch-heavy Chef Trez gets the win. But still an impressive showing from opponent Hustle who with a wide variety of gritty punchlines/schemes and an ability to change his flow mid-round, gave Trez all he could handle and could be someone to look out for in the future.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “You gonna swing on who, don’t be the guy to try, ‘cuz I’ll drop Hustle like it’s time to get a 9 to 5!”
Recap: Who said top tier battle rappers don’t battle in the street anymore? Ok, scratch that as the only reason this 1-round, Trap NY matchup between O-Red and Young BMore takes place outside was due to Red showing up to the venue too late. Still, with a good ‘ole reliable bag of fierce translation bars, flexing wordplay and some gritty punchlines/set-ups, against a solid, but mostly pedestrian turn from BMore, it’s the NJ vet who gets the win here.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “I’ll do you like the last Verzuz nigga, yunno, D-Block and the Dips, head shot, you Jadakiss, that mean you carrying your Lox [locks] in this bitch!”
Recap: D.O.T. wins the funniest line of the night with that ‘A nigga twice my size? that just mean I gotta knock him out twice!’ barb. But in this 1-rounder from Our Society Battle League, it’s the more consistently hitting, action-based and mayhem-lit with the punches Sheed Happens who earns teh win.
Verdict: Sheed Happens (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Sheed Happens – “Hood nigga, Gorilla Zo, this my only banger!”
Recap: Not sure why Street Hymns would dish so many long-winded schemes in a tournament battle. That said, in addition to a topsy-turvy punch game that featured a handful of reaches and a Bad Newz that was just consistently gritty/hard-hitting with the pen (when he wasn’t scoring with fierce name flips and some stellar personals), this one-sided Season 1 tourney battle was pretty much decided after round 1.
Verdict: Bad Newz (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bad Newz – “Shot 5 times, you think being a virgin is tough? that’s a whole ‘nother hard!”
Recap: Clearly focused from jump, Prez Mafia uses a condensed and consistent gang of rambunctious punchlines, delicious mayhem and potent name flips to beat back a wily and hitting at times, but altogether unsteady effort from Primetime in this 1-rounder from Gates of the Garden.
Verdict: Prez Mafia (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Prez Mafia – “I set trends, you about to see a bullet more from ear to ear, from time to Time…I only shoot it here and there!”
Recap: Dope Born Legacy NW matchup between Saint Mic and Dre Vishiss sees the latter keep it close and competitive with a variety of spicy punchlines, well-lit mayhem, fiery gang talk and hitting name flips/struggle bars. Yet, while he did get edged in the second round, with a consistent display of potent/intricate wordplay throughout the battle to go along with some witty personals, banging braggadocios darts and fierce setups/punches, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit Saint Mic who takes rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Saint Mic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Saint Mic – “Bitch, I’ve had Bud in the crib since a kid…I’m Rudy Huxtable!”
Recap: Stepping up his wordplay throughout the battle, while dishing a gang of mayhem-lit bangers, hard-hitting personals and some spicy anime bars/name flips, outside of a slip-up prone 2nd round that the more meandering/unorthodox stylings of opponent Sheed Happens probably would’ve edged anyway, Tru Foe takes both the opening round and deciding 3rd for the win in this URL SM$ second-round matchup.
Verdict: Tru Foe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tru Foe – “They put a price on ya life and all it cost me was a fucking bullet!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from GOTG, a semi flow-challenged and bit reach-bent Tink Da Demon still made things close with a slew of graphic, mayhem-lit punchlines. But in the long run it’s a more versatile/hard-hitting with the punches and personals, witty and righteous when need be and most importantly for him, consistent with the heat Chuck Book who gets the edge here.
Verdict: Chuck Book (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chuck Book – “So let this nigga give me problems, the semi popping, then dump him on the side of the highway and leave a Demon on the shoulder like a guilty conscience!”
Recap: From QOTR, Robin Rhymes still needs to work on her delivery, one too many shots at Tay Roc might’ve cost her in the end and for all that insistence at going first to start the battle, how ironic it is that her opener was her weakest round. Still, a much stronger punch/name flip/personal game in rounds 2 and 3 by Robin combined with a 3rd round choke from Lady Caution, allows the Texas battler to take both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: Robin Rhymes (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Robin Rhymes – “Hell, a tranny didn’t wanna suck your nigga dick and you was the next best thing!”
Recap: Strong, punchline/name flip/mayhem-lit efforts by both Lotta Zay and Riggz in this KOTD Season Week 5 match. And while Zay kept it close and made his presence felt throughout with a gang of aggressive and gritty darts, it’s the slightly more consistently hitting, wordplay-spicy and condensed Riggz who took round’s 1 and 2 (score the 3rd debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Riggz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Riggz – “You picked the wrong nigga, y’all better wake the fuck up before I fuck the whole wake teh fuck up!”
Recap: 1-rounder from Street Status comes with a dope mini-doc attached to it beforehand that came with nice footage on the St. Louis as well as a pair of insightful interviews with B. Magic and Tone Bone on their upbringing along with thoughts on the battle which itself was mostly one-sided as besides Bone winning the crowd over at times with some mocking personals and witty barbs, in comparison to Magic’s fleet of stifling 4-bar set-ups and stinging punchlines/wordplay, this one wasn’t that close.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “If you think you Heaven Sent like Keisha Cole, you’ll catch a couple off guard like the ‘Cheater’ show!”
Recap: A much-hyped rematch from their 1-rounder on Snoop Dogg’s short-lived battle league some years back, a buildup captivating, ever confident & street-smart, solid-punching, righteous and personal/gun bar-lit Calicoe, assisted by an elongated, too braggadocios and mostly pedestrian-bar (except for round 2 where his opponent’s bar efficiency was at its best) spitting Hitman Holla, delivers enough consistent heat in the 1st and 3rd rounds to get the win in what was at times a pretty lethargic 3-rounder from RBE’s Max Out 2 card.
Verdict: Calicoe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Calicoe – “If I come with a team of shooters, I am not playing, number one pick don’t give a fuck what the scout saying!”
