Over 4,000 Recaps!

Mister Greco

Battle rap enthusiast living in Timbuktu

Geechi Gotti defeats Rum Nitty (Rematch)

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Recap: Both a part of the EFB battle crew, for the second time in 3 years Rum Nitty and Geechi Gotti put their friendship aside for 3 rounds of hardbody punchlines, sick gun bars and gut-wrenching/witty personals. With the two meeting up this time for the URL/Ultimate Madness 4 tournament crown, both West-coast battlers would put on a fire show that was drenched in haymakers. However, outside of a debatable round 1 that deftly set the tone for what’s to come, it’s the slightly more consistently-lit and versatile to go along with righteous-bent Gotti (who also added a dope freestyle in the top of the 3rd) who edges both the 2nd and 3rd rounds for the win.

Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Geecho Gotti – “Listen, I don’t give a fuck if you the best puncher in the world, that aint something I wanna hear, nigga your job’s at Walmart made that very fuckling clear!”

Saynt defeats Dizaster

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Recap: Dizaster’s controversial run in this KOTD Grand Prix tournament finally meets its end as the consistently bubbling punchlines, spicy personals and head-ringing wordplay from Saynt in both of the opening rounds are enough to take each of them for the win over an opponent who struggled with his flow in round 1 and came better with the personals than the punches throughout the match (tho he had a dope 3rd, which he edged).

Verdict: Saynt (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Saynt – “The 90 got him thinking why would he try me, he ain’t know I could draw down, like I’m writing in Chinese!”

Eazy the Block Captain defeats T-Rex

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Recap: From URL’s N.O.M.E. 11 card, after watching this performance, is it safe to say that a battle rapper who can combine brazen trap talk with banging street missives/punchlines like Eazy the Block Captain does, can guarantee us this version of T-Rex? Yunno, the boastful, uber-gritty, cap-dropping, back-to-back punching and gun-slinging Rex that we’ve all come to know and love? With 3 seemingly original rounds to boot? If so, I’m all for it, even if it’s only once a year (hell, Rex’s legacy would probably appreciate it too). Still, credit to Eazy for calling Rex out in the first place. They’re styles match up, Eazy has a great promo game, a win over Rex on anyone’s resume is a good look and me things Eazy knew he could bring the best out of the Harlem legend. That said, even with Rex adding some wit and spicy personals on Eazy’s gf to the mix to make it a competitive battle, Da Block Captain was just too much here, unloading on his opponent with that righteous slick talk, mocking/heavy-handed personals, fiery haymakers, graphic street narratives and steely punches/wordplay that consistently hit to take all 3 rounds (including a classic round 2) for the win.

Verdict: Eazy the Block Captain (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Eazy the Block Captain – “What’s the protocol when you got bad work?, nigga, I been through all that, bag it up the same, don’t say nothin’ ’til they complain or call back, I done took losses: bought a 7, whipped it and only bought a ball back, finger-tipped the shake in the bag ’til I got all that, I done bagged up sheetrock, I got holes where my wall at!”

DNA defeats B. Dot

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Recap: After getting edged in round 1 due to gang of sizzling personal breakdowns and rigid heat from his ever conscious opponent, DNA uses a plethora of righteous haymakers, aggressive wordplay, fire set-ups, pointed personals and brazen punchlines/name flips/schemes that with a bit of help from a still pretty solid, but not as consistently spicy B. Dot (who was hurt by a round 2 slip-up and one too many Charlie Clips bars) edged the NWX capo the last two rounds for the win in this URL/NOME XI matchup.

Verdict: DNA (W) 2-1

Favorite line: B. Dot – “I seen you link with shorty on Queens vs Kings 2, nigga I peeped the flip, but you trying to battle a woman who promotes thot bars, I couldn’t believe the shit, but then I said of course we’ll see Dot egging on Yoshi…it’s an easy lik!”

Marv Won defeats Times

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Recap: In this semi-final, KOTD Grand Prix tourney matchup, yet another strong, mayhem-lit and versatile (esp. with the personals) performance by Times gets beat back by his fellow Detroit homie Marvwon, who outside of a flow-challenged round 2, made his mark with a gang of consistently fierce punchlines, strident vet talk and boastful barbs in rounds 1 and 3 to earn the win.

Verdict: Marvwon (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Marvwon – “I’m up here playing games with Times like The Legend of Zelda!”

Qleen Paper defeats Reed Dollaz

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Recap: Reed Dollaz may be wary of all the name flips his opponents throw at him, but I can’t think that he gets any worse than say Drugz (who hears his moniker flipped even more considering he battles way more than Reed does). Either way, in this gritty Orgamyzed Cryme Battle League 1-rounder vs. Qleen Paper, while Reed’s hardbody punches would make their mark here and there, a more consistently cooking Kitchen Qleen equipped with more than just resounding name flips, but also scoring with fierce set-ups, witty barbs, fiery street missives and flippant boasts, would get the win.

Verdict: Qleen Paper (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Qleen Paper – “See, nigga’s be talking that big hustler shit and they really be clowns, window drapes, up all Summer, but in the Winter he down!”

Tink Da Demon defeats Big Kannon

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Recap: Bars littered with plenty of graphic mayhem everywhere you look, but also throwing off the competition with some hard-hitting personals and flexing punchlines, Tink Da Demon takes a solid at times, but overall inconsistent Big Kannon to task with a bunch of hardbody rhythms to take rounds 1 and 3 of this Close Quarters/URL matchup for the win.

Verdict: Tink Da Demon (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Tink Da Demon – “Fuck Jesus and a pendant, you gonna need him in attendance, shotty spitting, the ghost up but the body didn’t meet him at the entrance!”

Emerson Kennedy defeats MT$

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Recap: Spouting a fire freestyle game to go along with a gang of consistently spicy punchlines and hard-hitting personals, before getting handily beat by a righteous and effervescent turn from the normally loud and raucous MT$ in round 3, Emerson Kennedy takes both of the opening rounds of this 3-round Skytier Northwest battle for the win.

Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “You put more dollar signs in ya name than you put in your history!”

Times defeats J. Murda

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Recap: If you thought J. Murda was in trouble when he pulled the phone at the start of his round 3, you called it right as after Murda and Times split the first couple of rounds of this aggressive, gun bar heavy, name flip crazy and mayhem-drenched KOTD tourney battle, a still on a killing spree, but cleaner flowing Times takes the deciding 3rd over his slip-up prone opponent to earn the win and move on to the next round.

Verdict: Times (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Times – “They said Times vs. Murda gonna be Geechi, now he getting clowned on stage like Jezzy!”

Marv Won defeats Xcel

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Recap: A couple of slip-ups cost him round 1, but here against a gritty, versatile and pretty solid effort from Xcel, the rest of the battle is all Marvwon as the Detroit vet’s consistent barrage of righteous zingers/gun bars, stinging name flips, piercing punchlines and hard-hitting personals gets him rounds 2 and 3 for the win in the 3rd round of this KOTD GP2020 tournament.

Verdict: Marvwon (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Marvwon – “I say dig, I’m a great shooter, I’m always [raises arm’s like holding a rifle] lifted [Lyft-ed]…I hate Uber!”

Don Marino defeats Your Honor

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Recap: Granted, a few slip-ups, coming off less witty than usual and a couple of oft-tilt themes by Your Honor certainly didn’t help his chances. But altogether, a focused Don Marino, spouting a series of rich name flips, captivating struggle bars, piercing personals and fiery punchlines/gun bars/self-deprecating lines, while a bit on overkill at times, still manages to put forth enough steady heat to earn the 30.

Verdict: Don Marino (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Don Marino –  “They gave the Honor to a Mexican like Cinco De Mayo!”

Family Man Hays defeats Dizaster

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Recap: In another tourney battle from KOTD, Family Man Hays (fka Syahboy) uses a flexing array of spicy punchlines and piercing personals in the deciding 3rd round (had Dizaster edging round 1 and FMH edging round 2) to gain the win and beat back a pretty solid overall, but slightly redundant and not as consistently hitting turn from Dizaster.

Verdict: Family Man Hays (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Family Man Hays – “They gave you six battles in California?!, this shit easy as shit, they even bringing you grapes, nigga LeBron ain’t got treatment like this!”

Danny Myers defeats HNH Zeek

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Recap: From GOTG, frequent bouts of glistening mayhem, some sizzling wordplay, witty personals and steady stream of raucous punches gives Danny Myers the win in this 1-rounder over a gritty, punch-heavy at times and versatile, but not as consistently spicy effort from HNH Zeek.

Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Danny Myers – “They said H is the new wave, that got me more calm, the last nigga that tried to 80 off a peel is a oxymoron!”

Pristavia defeats Lady Caution

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Recap: Getting busy with a gang of spicy punchlines, thematic bars on Christian rappers with gun bars, brazen personals and slices of lyrical warfare just in case you don’t appreciate her pen, Pristavia beats back the hard street rhymes and festering mayhem from Lady Caution to take rounds 1 and 3 for the win in this 3-rounder from Gates of the Garden.

Verdict: Pristavia (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Pristavia – “Caution tape the scene, I outline ’em like a syllabus!”

Bigg K defeats Clone

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Recap: From RBE, while he definitely served up some mediocre raps, 3 rounds with zero stumbles to go along with some gritty/dope punches/name flips here and there (esp. in round 2), all the while performing on one week’s prep: I’d say that as a last-minute replacement for Serius Jones, Clone did pretty well. Yet, for a Bigg K who’s almost never impressed by anyone or anything besides himself, backed here by a gang of flagrant personals, dismissive/bruising punchlines, a plethora of stinging wordplay and even a rarely seen rebuttal in the 2nd round, while The Dawg wasn’t quite on his A-game either (surely, Jones backing out like he did was going to effect both battlers) what with some low-grade punches of his own, overall he still manages to edge each round and make it a 30 nonetheless.

Verdict: Bigg K (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Bigg K – “You less than poppin’, second option, I ain’t ask for you homes, my other opp can’t travel, he ain’t ask to be home, he gotta see 3 PO’s [C3PO], now it’s the attack of the Clones.” !”

Marv Won defeats Charron

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Recap: Agree with the decision here as a slightly more consistently hitting, witty/righteous when need be and personal-lit Marvwon takes both of the opening rounds for the win in this KOTD tourney battle over a flow-savvy and punch heavy at times, but not as steadily-biting till the 3rd Charron.

Verdict: Marvwon (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Marvwon – “You’ll never be the champ ‘cuz real goons take chains off’a nerds!”

Zay Smoove defeats Cali Smoov

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Recap: All the battle rappers with ‘Smoov’ in their names will have to run into each other eventually. But in the meantime credit to Dre Dennis, Zay Smoove and Cali Smoov coming together in ATL and doing it first here in this 1-rounder from GOTG that the gun bar/mayhem-lit and more consistently hard-hitting Zay wins over an opponent who was much nicer with the personals than the righteous talk.

Verdict: Zay Smoov (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Zay Smoov – “I blast the tools right with a 3:15 on the dot…like after school fights!”

Nunn Nunn defeats Quest McOdy

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Recap: While a spitfire 2nd round from both battlers highlights this URL barfest between Nunn Nunn and Quest Mcody, the more versatile (tho he was a little elongated with his rounds) Nunn’s ability to score with the boasts, wit, fiery personals, wordplay, set-ups and punchlines at a steadier level and even go off-the-dome when need be, allows him to take both the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.

Verdict: Nunn Nunn (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Nunn Nunn – “I wanted Marvwon [one] and they gave me Marv 2!”

Ryda defeats Alex Diamond

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Recap: Never seen Alex Diamond before, but he’s definitely got a collection of gritty bars that combined with consistent aggression could make him a problem in future battles…if he can work on his sportsmanship what with all the touching and talking through his opponent’s rounds as we saw here during this Capitol Battlegrounds 1-rounder vs. Ryda. But battle vet that he’s become, despite the disrespect, The Silk Shirt kept his cool and with a gang of stifling name flips, rich storytelling bars, righteous darts and fierce punchlines/gun bars, It’s Ryda who handily took the win.

Verdict: Ryda (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Ryda – “You only get one life, you won’t live again, they gonna find Diamond with the fishes, it’s all about the Benjamins!’

Xcel defeats Head I.C.E.

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Recap: After surviving a gritty patchwork of rudimentary rhymes by Head I.C.E. in round 1, a boastful Xcel gets in his bag of wicked 4-bar set-ups, fiery wordplay, rigid name flips and hard-hitting personals/punches to take both (with a little help from I.C.E. slipping up a couple of times in round 3) of the latter rounds, win the battle and move on to the next round of this KOTD GP2020 tourney.

Verdict: Xcel (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Xcel – “I’m Heisenberg, I’ll show y’all the method for cooking Ice!”

J. Murda defeats Showoff

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Recap: 2nd round KOTD Grand Prix tourney between two battlers, Showoff and J. Murda, who happen to close friends outside the sport, doesn’t quite live up to the hype (the personal’s weren’t as detailed as one might’ve liked), but does stay competitive with Show’s aggression and rigid wordplay (esp. in round 2) matching the heat from Murda’s gritty name flips and hardbody punches enough for the two to split things going into the 3rd. And while the final round was a bit underwhelming as well, it’s the rebuttal-tossing, ever-wily and more punch-heavy Murda who handily takes it in the end.

Verdict: J. Murda (W) 2-1

Favorite line: J. Murda – “You said I was the devil on ya shoulders Show, and that’s why you fuck with me, then turned around and told nigga’s flight your demons, so they threw you in front of me!”

Danny Myers defeats Shotgun Suge

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Recap: Already having a crazy 2021 that has him in the Champion of the Year contention, Danny Myers continues with his onslaught of intense, sublime rounds versus a Shotgun Suge the Bar God has held a grudge against, going back to Suge’s battle vs, Rum Nitty where an onlooking Danny got famously dunked on by the Jersey spitter. And while Suge, for the most part kept his flow together and showed up with 3 versatile, personal-lit and raucous/punch-heavy (esp. in his 3rd which he edged) turns to keep things competitive, a spitfire round 1 rebuttal to go along with a steady stream of bruising punchlines, some stifling wordplay and head-ringing personals/verbal warfare in both of the opening rounds gives Danny yet another win.

Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Danny Myers – “You lost all that weight riding bikes and you still can’t handle bars!”

Drugz defeats Prep

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Recap: Considering them both repping the DMV as well as the brouhaha they had some years back when Prep battled Spanish Harlem, one would’ve thought that Prep and Drugz would’ve met up on a battle stage awhile ago. That said, the wait was worth it. An aggressive bout lit with a plethora of hard-hitting personals, for 3 rounds each battler would rain down haymaker after haymaker to compete for battle of the night. And while Prep lit up the scorecard throughout the match with a variety of revealing idiosyncrasies on his opponent to go along with mocking jokes and a gang of NJ Twork comparisons, outside of a minor round 2 slip-up, the more consistently hitting, angle-savvy, name flip-rich, original and witty Drugz edges the 1st (a superlative turn for sure) and 3rd rounds for the win.

Verdict: Drugz (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Drugz –  “And I don’t give a fuck if you in your feelings because salt is how you kill a leech!”

Dizaster defeats The Saurus (Rematch)

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Recap: A rematch that we had to wait 12 years for gets its grand comeuppance with $50K on the line in this KOTD Grand Prix tournament. Close, competitive and filled to the brim with hard-hitting (and sometimes witty) personals on both ends, a surprising 3rd and deciding round choke by The Saurus edges the win for Dizaster.

Verdict: Dizaster (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Dizaster – “Couldn’t keep up with the Jones’ so nowadays he’s more like a contact tracer ‘cuz all he does is watch his neighbors!”

Couture defeats Vic Wallace

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Recap: After keeping her cool in lieu of a brazen, personally hard-hitting and mayhem-lit showing from Vic Wallace, in this dope 1-rounder from Rhode Island’s TakeOva Battle League, Couture lights up her opponent and her home crowd with a fire combo of slick wordplay, stinging punchlines, rigid schemes, boastful barbs and hardbody personals to earn the win.

Verdict: Couture (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Couture – “See, y’all think Bob the Builder, but I’m the landlord!”

Street Hymns defeats Automatic Ray

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Recap: In this 1-rounder from GOTG, Street Hymns lets us in what’s in the backpack and besides some nifty, but hard-hitting personals, piercing Scripture-laced punches and rigid wordplay, it’s the shoes that catapults him to a win versus a solid at times, but mostly mediocre Automatic Ray.

Verdict: Street Hymns (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Street Hymns – “Y’all notice whenever we pay for big names we always gotta put em on the levels, but Ray’s fire, left hand of God, I put that on the devil!”

Geechi Gotti defeats Casey Jay

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Recap: No voodoo hex to cause her opponent to choke this time around, but with her fiery gun bars and at times hard-hitting personals/punchlines, Casey Jay certainly made things closer in this URL UM3 3rd round battle then the consensus critic gave her credit for. Still, with a versatile and withering attack from Geechi Gotti that took on everything from Casey’s Bardashian clique to allegations on ghostwriting to certain personal priorities that along with some flexing name flips and boastful barbs amounted to plenty of points being put on the scoreboard, gave Gotti the 30.

Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “I don’t give a fuck about them pretty blue eyes, I’m really Crippin’, the only eye I’m worrying ’bout tonight is the witness!”

Times defeats Real Deal

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Recap: From the 1st round of the KOTD #GP2020 tournament, Times pulls off an upset, using a gang of raucous punchlines, some righteous personals and head-ringing street missives to edge the 1st and 3rd rounds and get the win over a pretty solid punching, but over time, not as consistently hitting Real Deal. 

Verdict: Times (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Times – “Get your ass beat for speaking the wrong Verb, oh it’s ShowTime!”

O-Red defeats Jag

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Recap: Long bouts of lethargic screeds aside (esp. with Jag, who needs to learn how to connect his bars and condense his rounds better), O-Red vs. Jag on RBE is a bout that while solid overall, certainly didn’t live up to the hype (which was pretty considerate). Jag, way nicer when he utilizes his humor and gets spicy with the personals, had some dope bars here and there, but for the most part was pretty mediocre with his punches. Then too the West-coast battler went overkill when it came to not only his use of name flips, but when talking that real talk shit too. On the other hand, after a fire, punch-heavy and gritty round 1 that easily got him the opener,  a completely different, pedestrian and long-winded at times O-Red shows up to round 2 and loses what was a beatable turn by his opponent. No doubt feeling some momentum after edging the previous round, Jag gets a bit spicier with his punches/personals and combined with some hard-hitting street missives, unleashes a round 3 that if not for one too many redundant themes on who’s realer, might’ve won him a round that Red, after starting a bit slowly, gets the edge what with a gang of gritty wordplay and a more consistent punch game.

Verdict: O-Red (W) 2-1

Favorite line: O-Red – “Yeah bitch, this that old-school Jersey…Mitchell and Ness”!

Chef Trez defeats Wrist God

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Recap: Not as nice with the metaphors, but with a rapid flow and cadence that reminds you of M. Ciddy, a straight punching Wrist God puts up a solid showing in this MLB 1-rounder. That said, when you’re an up-n-comer and the replacement for your opponent’s last-minute no-show is Chef Trez…well, it’s just not fair as the Chef Life boss uses a barrage of stifling name flips, stealth gun bars and piercing punchlines to handily gain the win.

Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Arm’s squeeze, I could beat you the fuck up or have the mag airing, but I don’t shoot I’ll grab Wrist and drag him like a mad parent!”

Young Kannon defeats X.O.

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Recap: In this one-rounder from Hunger Gamez, some nifty punches/wordplay from X.O. are able to land. But a steadier and overall more potent showing from Young Kannon, littered with fiery street missives/trap talk, gritty punchlines/personals and some stellar name flips, gets YK the win.

Verdict: Young Kannon (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Young Kannon – “A bullet hit X.O. in the heart…that’s hugs and kisses!”

Marv Won defeats Gauge

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Recap: After getting edged by the slick-talking Gauge in round 1 of this KOTD, GP2020 tourney opener, Marvwon builds a comeback via an earnest barrage of bruising punchlines, some stifling heat and boastful barbs to take both of the latter rounds for the win over an opponent who didn’t help himself when he cut his final round short.

Verdict: Marvwon (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Marvwon – “You rappers screaming ‘$50k can change my life!’ [makes hands like gun and points at Gauge] I’m telling you 1K can change it too!”

Charron defeats Shotti P

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Recap: After getting edged by a more condensed and slightly punch-heavier Shotti P in round 1, Charron goes into beast mode, speeds up his flow and just starts spazzing with piercing punchline after punchline that led to him handily taking round 2 and 3…until what looked to be a spirited and fiery comeback by Shotti in the deciding 3rd would get upheld by Shotti again struggling with his flow before he called it quits, thus handing Charron the round and the win.

Verdict: Charron (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Charron – “Your crew’s called Zoo Faculty?, but you still ain’t got [taps himself on the chest] the G.O.A.T. locked down!”

Ace Amin defeats Jimz

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Recap: In what was altogether a pretty competitive 3-rounder from URL, a confident and angle-lit Ace Amin puts away the shoulder bumps and instead gets busy with a boatload of spicy name flips/gun bars, slick-talking darts, some solid wordplay and a bunch of boastful/piercing street missives to beat back a witty at times, righteous (esp. during a dope, tho often indirect 3rd round) and personal-lit, but also not as consistent and a bit prone to unforced errors Jimz.

Verdict: Ace Amin (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Ace Amin – “You gotta work out and keep a gun ‘cuz ain’t no protein shake good enough for a mill replacement!”

Hollaluyah Jones defeats True Indeed

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Recap: Entertaining and at times highly personal 1-rounder from We Go Hard sees True Indeed get busy with some spicy angles that when intertwined with a bunch of hard-hitting personals directed at opponent Hollaluyah Jones and rapper Staccs (looking on in the crowd), made for a pretty solid effort. But the ever zealous and performance-lit Jones, helped by a couple of fire rebuttals but also scoring with a gang of rambunctious punchlines/4-bar set-ups, some solid name flips, witty storytelling, fiery personals of his own and scrumptious wordplay, earns the win here.

Verdict: Hollaluyah Jones (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Hollaluyah Jones – “I’ll kill you Indeed, where’s the work?, I promise nigga, gun to ya face, not Truthfully speaking he an honest nigga!”

Ciddy defeats Joey Gambello

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Recap: Still, a little dated with his punches but nonetheless intense, hard-hitting, consistent and ringing with the wordplay, before a 3rd-round debatable, a punch-savvy Ciddy takes both of the opening rounds to get the win in this KOTD 3-rounder over a solid with the mayhem/punches, but oft-lethargic with the schemes Joey Gambello.

Verdict: Ciddy (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ciddy – “Gully said you only got a week, you agree or not?, for the star bucks, I’m about to have Joe steaming hot!”

Rum Nitty defeats Cortez (Rematch)

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Recap: No disrespect to Cortez who came through with a solid, if not gritty effort, but even without the slip-ups, he wasn’t beating Rum Nitty here in this 3rd round UM3 tourney rematch. And that’s just a testament to the level of verbal acumen Nitty was on here, the Phoenix, AZ, battler going ham with spicy after spicy name flip, sizzling gun bars, spitfire punchlines and incredibly rigid wordplay that coupled with some hitting personals all combined to handily move Rum to the finals.

Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “This shit is over, I’ma lift it on him, no mask, show up bare [bear] faced on Cort’ (court) like the Grizzly’s logo!”

Head I.C.E. defeats Ty Law

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Recap: Street-tinged yet patchy with the bars, boastful and aggressive, name flip solid and bullish/witty when need be, a consistent and hardbody flowing Head I.C.E. lets off enough grimy hood dialect to take the 1st and 3rd rounds of this KOTD Grand Prix tournament bout to beat back a personal-lit, but topsy-turvy with the punches Ty Law.

Verdict: Head I.C.E. (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Head I.C.E. – “I’m 50% of half the battle rappers that keep it a 100!”

J. Murda defeats Rich Dolarz

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Recap: No Yankee fitted, but it’s still nice to see Rich Dolarz back in the ring again after a long time away. And here in this opening round KOTD Grand Prix tournament versus J. Murda (tho overall he did better with the personals, hence taking round 2) Rich showed that his aggressive bangers can still compete with the newer guys. But the ever gritty Murda, while often prone to one too many antics and pedestrian punches here and there, emotionally stays pretty straight-laced here (of course, having $50K on the line will do that to you) and after taking round 1 with a punch-heavier turn, uses the latter half of his 3rd to do a nice Daylyt impression with the ski mask and proceed to get extra busy with episodes of graphic mayhem, performance lit heat and fiery gun bars to take the win.

Verdict: J. Murda (W) 2-1

Favorite line: J. Murda – “We got two minutes to shoot it out, I light it up, over his eyes, it’s a unibrow!”

Showoff defeats Bonnie Godiva

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Recap: Close KOTD Grand Prix tourney battle here with Bonnie Godiva flexing throughout via stinging personals, rigid name flips and some piercing punchlines, while opponent Showoff stayed lit with the gritty wordplay, boastful barbs and caustic themes/personals. A battle with an air of congeniality seeing as the two seem to be friends outside the ring, after a punch-heavier and more consistently hitting Bonnie took the 1st round, a less convoluted Showoff would step it up with the well-aimed personal and knee-deep verbal hijinks to edge both of the latter rounds for the win.

Verdict: Showoff (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Showoff – “I be in knots when you talk about toolie gripping, but all jokes aside, yo Bon, you do be wigging!”

Th3 Saga defeats LL Coogi

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Recap: Gun bar enthusiast LL Coogi always gives a gritty, concerted effort and he certainly provided one here in this GOTG 1-rounder, to go along with a gang of alleged URL drama that’s been talked about on the battle blogs increasingly of late. Still, coupled with an electrifying wrestling bar that capped off a steady stream of consistently bruising punchlines, crazy set-ups, hard-hitting personals and boastful barbs, it’s Th3 Saga who handily gets the win here.

Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “You could try to ignore the minister, but it’s Forrest Whitaker, when I [eye] drop there’s a level in views!”

Ooops defeats Holmzie Da God

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Recap: With the heartfelt past struggles he’s long shared from his personal life, a well-noted service to social activism and a plethora of righteous punchlines over the years, the idea that Ooops, win or lose, couldn’t make a bigger name for himself on URL was always nonsensical. And as Holmzie Da God (after out-punching a flow-challenged Ooops in round 1) finds out in this 3-rounder, the St. Louis Superman’s vivid storytelling, fierce wordplay and ability to parlay hard-hitting personals and scintillating schemes into a win, by edging rounds 2 and 3 here, shouldn’t be underestimated either.

Verdict: Ooops (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ooops – “Depression, suicide, anxiety, bipolar, that’s what they expected us to talk about, I hate that this had to be you, ‘cuz we one and the same, I fought through Ultimate Madness too!”

Geechi Gotti defeats Wise

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Recap: After just completing a battle the previous day, Geechi Gotti makes his first appearance on the Gates of the Garden stage and despite an aggressive, gritty and pretty solid from his opponent Wise, it’s a variety of sizzling name flips and piercing punchlines/personals that gets Gotti the win in this 1-rounder.

Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Hey, do you got kids, do they watch your battles?, nigga that’s beautiful, that’ll make it easier for them to deliver Wise words at a funeral!”

Xcel defeats Eddy I.

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Recap: From KOTD’s Grand Prix tournament, plenty of good shit from Eddy I., who with a boatload of fierce gun bars and versatile punchlines, gave himself a nice shot at winning. One wrinkle tho: his opponent happened to be Xcel. And with the Team Homi mercenary getting extra spicy with the wordplay/name flips, spouting some off-the-dome shiners and flexing with a studious and rim-rocking punch game, it’s Jason who moves on to the next round with a well-earned 30.

Verdict: Xcel (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Xcel – “You is a young goat, it’s just not your time, you Lebron with the headband!”

Ooops defeats Quban

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Recap: Just because you know what’s coming doesn’t mean that you can always prepare yourself for it. As Quban finds out here, what with the DMV battler (who altogether gave a dope effort with some sizzling name flips, rigid wordplay and gritty punches/personals throughout) sighing out load upon hearing the first few words from opponent Ooops in round 3, knowing damn well what was coming and still, after the two split the first couple of rounds, falling victim to another gripping, poignant and socially-conscious final round from an activist/battle rapper who’s made his 3rd’s a must listen.

Verdict: Ooops (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ooops –  “I get it, you did what you had to do and shit happens, Uncle Sam pointed and said he wanted you, but we know that was big cappin'”!

Family Man Hays defeats Brixx

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Recap: A couple of Grind Time vets, Family Man Hays (fka Syah Boy) and Brixx, deliver a fire and competitive punchfest for the 1st round of this KOTD #GP2020 tournament. A bout that was also noted for its solid name flips, stinging wordplay and piercing personals, fter the two split the first two, a righteous at times 3rd by Brizz gets beat by the steadier hitting and more haymaker-lit Hays for the win.

Verdict: Family Man Hays (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Family Man Hays – “I got two .50’s like I just joined a Forex group!”

Chef Trez defeats Lotta Zay

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Recap: Two vets in the game, Lotta Zay and Chef Trez, battle like you’re supposed to when there’s $50K on the line: sheer, aggressive intensity to go along with a gang of blistering punchlines. And while a boatload of spirited name flips, boastful barbs, steely wordplay and righteous heat also played a huge part in this KOTD Grand Prix tourney 1st round matchup, after the two split the first two rounds, it’s a slightly more haymaker-lit Trez who takes the deciding 3rd for the win.

Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I get the mill and clean house like a single parent!”

Emerson Kennedy defeats Chuck Book

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Recap: Whether he was challenging his opponent’s heritage, mocking his battle rap career or taking on the usual personal directives we see towards Emerson Kennedy, newest Loud member Chuck Book certainly had his moments during this 1-rounder from GOTG. But it’s a way more condensed, name flip-lit, 4-bar set-up crazy and and wordplay spicy EK who gets the win here.

Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “I’m from the West so I already know that the Chuck’s run big!”

Arsonal Da Rebel and A. Ward [DEBATABLE]

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Recap: A gang of steely wordplay to go along with some disrespectful/righteous name flips/punchlines by Arsonal combined with a more versatile flexing with heavy schemes, ill set-ups/punchlines, NJ battle rapper darts and witty/’disrespectful’ (“I will convert all your music to cassette tapes and only put the songs on side B!”) barbs equates to a debatable in this dope 1-rounder from The Rap Committee.

Verdict: Debatable

Favorite line: Arsonal – “You Kansas City crackers, I don’t get tho, your whole congregation anti gang bang, but all invested in some Crypto [Crip tho]!”

Xcel defeats A .Ward

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Recap: Opportunities are opportunities, but I’m taking on a couple of dope pen’s like Ill Will and Xcel within a week’s time, might just be asking for too much. Not that A. Ward, with his ability to spout witty barbs, rigid punchlines and wily off-the-dome heat didn’t keep things competitive. But in this 3-rounder from IBattleTV, Xcel’s piercing wordplay, fierce set-ups, boastful punches, bruising personals and witty/righteous heaters wins him all 3 rounds here.

Verdict: Xcel (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Xcel – “Now answer me quickly so the subject can change, I won’t speak ill on your God because we one and the same!”

Jerry Wess defeats Brooklyn Carter

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Recap: Hard fought 3-rounder from We Go Hard stands out with it’s variety of gritty punchlines, but also due to the underlying theme of two WGH vets who’ve reached very different levels of success when it comes to their battle rap career. And while the at times righteous-spitting Carter served up yet another splendid outing here, once again warranting bigger plates, it’s the slightly punch-heavier, rugged Brooklyn touring, metaphor/performance/scheme-stunting and personal-lit Wess who takes both of the latter rounds for the win after a first round debatable.

Verdict: Jerry Wess (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Jerry Wess – “I get a nigger in Red Hook, stab him with something sharp bro, big knife, cut out a nice part in Brooklyn…Park Slope!”

Yung Griz defeats Sozee

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Recap: Dressing like Yung Griz doesn’t equate to out-punching Yung Griz as Sozee learns in this VLMG & Tha Kulture 1-rounder with Griz utilizing a bunch of boastful barbs, mocking personals, some dope wordplay and a boatload of stinging punchlines to beat back a hard-hitting at times, but mostly subpar punching opponent.

Verdict: Yung Griz (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Yung Griz – “I’ll send ya soul, when I hit the scene, split him in half, big blade, look like a guillotine, now he So-so, that was average…still was mean!”

Frak defeats Dizaster

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Recap: For all the controversy this Frak vs. Dizaster battle from KOTD’s Grand Prix tournament created in the battle community, overall it really that good. The ever-loud and aggressive Diz coming off as lame with his constant disrespectful, touching, tough-guy act while the more carefree Frak’s attempts at humor and politically-righteous darts not only falling short half the time, but often coming off as obnoxious. That said, Frak playing Diz with the 2nd graph was dope and as far as the outcome goes it should’ve still had Frak winning as the Bay area emcee edged the 1st before getting the favor returned in the 2nd. Afterwards, a clearly punch-heavier Frak would take the deciding 3rd for the win.

Verdict: Frak (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Frak – “Bro, you know what rhymes with Dizaster vs. Soul Khan? [yawns], that shit was so long!”

Mackk Myron defeats Casey Jay

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Recap: Casey Jay’s glistening gun bars and piercing personals make for a solid effort, but in this 1-rounder from Bloody Scene, one too many mediocre punches from Casey combined with a Mackk Myron hellbent while delivering a wicked combo of scathing personals, salacious/bruising punchlines, potent wordplay and righteous 4-bar set-ups, just proves to be too much in the end.

Verdict: Mackk Myron (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Mackk Myron – “You little, pretty-eyed big head bitch, I kinda dig it, she swing, I gotta right [write] for this bitch…I’m Quantum Physics!’

Th3 Saga defeats G Lowe

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Recap: From IBattleTV, G Lowe and Th3 Saga put on a slugfest for 3 rounds, one littered with a gang of gritty punchlines, rigid Christian-themes darts, some piercing personals, rich storytelling bars and hardbody heaters. After the two split the first two rounds, another close and exciting round, the 3rd, gets edged by a more consistently potent and slightly more haymaker-lit Saga (who also had a boatload of dope name flips throughout this battle) for the win.

Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “You’ll always be below 3 of them things and I follow under the Trinity!”

Swamp defeats Goddie Lumenati

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Recap: Gritty and a little unorthodox with the ability to kick a lot of wily street missives, Goddie Lumenati can be problematic for almost anyone, especially if you’ve been battling so much as Swamp has of late. But helped in this Takeoff Battle League 1-rounder by Goddie’s frequent slip-ups towards the end of his turn, a pretty flagrant with the personals and slightly punch-heavier Swamp gets the win.

Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Swamp – “Facebook gangster, you better go to any nigga page but Shaun Paige!”

Ill Will defeats A. Ward

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Recap: Competitively speaking, Ill Will and A. Ward bring the heat to this 3-round RBE battle that was highlighted by a handful of spicy freestyle’s/rebuttals on both sides. Yet, for all the racial shenanigans, personal shots at Loso, Christian-laced darts and righteous punches by Will to go along with the mocking imitations, hitting personals, fierce schemes and solid name flips/punchlines by Ward, with a surprising load of mediocre lines, a few reaches here and there and quite a few dry spots from both battlers, although this bout was both entertaining and close throughout, I wouldn’t say that either Will or Ward brought their A-game (which in Ward’s case could be due to him battling so much of late). That said, after A. Ward edged round 1 and Will returned the favor in the 2nd, a still spotty at times but also condensed and more consistently hitting Ill Will edges the final round for the win.

Verdict: Ill Will (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ill Will – “These white boy’s get in the game and think they us, that’s what changed duke, why the fuck would I give a fuck about Regulators when we still seeing Strange Fruit?!”

C Double defeats Chef Trez

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Recap: Gotta come clean on these Verbal War Battles and despite having some harder bars overall, Chef Trez’s inability to ride the beats better than his gritty, name flip/mayhem-rich and uber-confident opponent C Double costs him the win in the latter two rounds after a debatable 1st.

Verdict: C Double (W) 2-1

Favorite line: C Double – “Look at the Chef, mill got him frightened, make the wrong move I’ll air him firing!”

Swamp defeats G-Queen

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Recap: Courtesy of Pyrexx Battle League, nice effort by G-Queen in this 1-rounder, the femcee using a boatload of gritty bangers along with some personally uplifting gems to make quite a statement. For Swamp tho, apparently a week away from his Geechi Gotti battle, an angle-lit and storytelling/witty combo of salacious personals, boastful barbs and home state stunting would earn the South Carolina battler a close win.

Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Swamp – “If I kick in your fucking door, the kids? I’m leaving them, I believe in them!”