No Bias. No Narratives.
Mister Greco Recap: In this 1-rounder from the Smoke Room Battle League Fonz overcomes a bit of a slow start and some minor hiccups with his flow to deliver enough hardbody punchlines, piercing wordplay and boastful barbs to beat back a gritty, but less consistent and mostly pedestrian effort from opponent MegaDaSavage.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “Boy, this shit will get real ugly, I’m talking Poetic Justic, beat the shit out of a Chicago nigga, like Tupac, consider yourself Lucky!”
Recap: Facing off against an opponent in their hometown of San Bernardino, CA, Charlie Clips shows no signs of wear. The Harlem vet using a gang of flashy gun bars, witty personals, stinging punchlines/schemes and some dope off-the-dome lines to beat back Chico, who after a slow and very pedestrian start kept it gritty and came back to make it competitive in the latter half of this 1-rounder from Ward on the Street.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “Hey Chico, hey Chico, yeah they put you against the G-code, head shot you get a peep hole, inside it look like Peek-o, Digayo, why bro on Cinco de Mayo, I let the heat blow, nurse don’t know Spanish, ‘How he looking Doc?‘, Un piquito!”
Recap: From URL’s “Nexus” card, in a pretty competitive and all-around dope 3-round battle between Jakkboy Maine and Arsonal, the former Goonie gets busy with a gang of wild, sonic-indused punches, spicy/nimble wordplay and boastful barbs. While da Rebel kept it gully with a boatload of witty/mocking personals, fiery anecdotes, piercing street darts and fiendish braggadocio lines. Close all the way through, it’s the slightly more haymaker-rich and condensed Arsonal who takes rounds 1 and 2 for the win before Jakkboy returned the favor in the 3rd to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “You are literally the illest nigga in the room and it’s all in your body language!”
Recap: From WeGoHard, consistently lighting up the scoreboard in this 1-rounder with a gang of hardbody punches, fiendish name flips/gun bars, boastful barbs and piercing street darts, even while rapping a couple of minutes or so longer than his opponent, Bedaffi Green scores more than enough quantitative haymakers to get the jump on a gritty and solid, but less consistent and edgy Shotgun Suge.
Verdict: Bedaffi Green (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bedaffi Green – “The only thing better than a new gun is a used one, I don’t tell my story, I sit back and watch my story on News One!”
Recap: In a battle that was apparently supposed to happen earlier this year, Fonz and Bad Newz were still able to put on a dope and competitive contest for 3 rounds on Bullpen Battle League. Indeed, what with plenty of aggressive darts on both sides, the energy in the room was matched with a plethora of hard-hitting punchlines, rich metaphors, gritty street lines, boastful barbs and wily personals from two battlers who both came to win. However, Newz’s constant stumbling block of overwriting, present in all 3 rounds and fixated on repeated themes, combined with a more condensed Fonz also adding some witty personals, steely wordplay and pretty solid storytelling to mix, allows The Landlord to edge rounds 1 and 2 for the win before a debatable 3rd.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Fonz – “You fought a nigga with one eye, you a true bitch, I bet if that nigga had two eyes you wouldn’t do shit!”
Recap: Nu Jerzey Twork makes his debut on KOTD and it’s an impressive one. The former Goonie using a gang of spitfire similes, witty storytelling, boastful barbs, flexing punches and mocking personals to score a 30 on Pass., who while apparently replacing original opponent Thesaurus delivered a solid performance when it came to piercing punches and spicy name flips, overall couldn’t withstand NJT”s more haymaker-rich landscape.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “If you asked me about one Pass [past] battle I wouldn’t know the answer to it!”
Recap: From KOTD, it’s funny sometimes reading battle rap commenters spout their ignorance with comments like “T-Rex is too direct, that’s why he lost”…right, ok . Either way in this style clash between Rex and Chilla Jones, the Dot Mobb leader’s penchant for hard-hitting trap talk, righteous darts, gritty/braggadocio street bars and crafty (tho he did have a few reaches here and there) wordplay are just enough to edge rounds 1 and 3 for the win. The more ‘intricate’ and personal/scheme-rich Jones, while pretty solid throughout, too often (esp. in the decidin round 3) suffering from pedestrian bars and elongated rounds to beat back his opponent.
Verdict: T-Rex (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Rex – “When you spitting your raps, just don’t spit when you rap, any disrespect I can’t make these nigga’s relax, they gonna end up getting you clapped, now you out here trending, not on Twitter but on Citizen’s app!”
Recap: From Chrome 23, funny how the majority of a Philly crowd hellbent for hard street bars and gritty punches didn’t seem to have a clue about some of the clever shit Hollow Da Don was kicking throughout battle. Now if only da Don had remembered to bring his A-game. As in a battle (outside of a dope Round 1) vs. Ave that was littered on both sides with way too many streams of lyrical schmrical lines and plenty of heard-it-all-before personals/themes, a bit suprisingly it’s Hollow wh came off more pedestrian. And after the two split (had the more haymaker-lit Ave edging round 1 before thanks in part to a couple of pretty soldi rebuttals, a close round 2 was edged by Hollow) it’s a slightly more consistently hard-hitting and punch-lit Ave who takes round 3 for the win.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “Listen clear, playing games you’ll find out what it is like a gender reveal!”
Recap: From RBE, Ill Will and Emerson Kennedy put on a dope one for 3 rounds. Each battler with plenty of gritty punchlines, righteous darts, witty/mocking personals and other whathaveyou to keep things close. However, a solid rebuttal/freestyle game employed by Will to go along with his wit, some nice angles and more condensed turns in each rounds as well as a spitfire 2nd by the Yaktown native, allows him to edge the middle round for the win in light of a debatable 1st and 3rd round.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ill WIll – “You the only nigga that’s Black that wish he was Black!”
Recap: From GOTG, like Drugz back in the day, when you use a one-syllable moniker for your battle rap name that’s popular in the hood, you gotta know that come every battle you’re most likely going to get name flipped to death. That said, making excellent use of a gang of flexible name flips, but also scoring with some wicked set-up/punchlines, head-ringing gun bars, boastful zingers and mocking personals, Chess manages to score enough haymakers during a slightly less time-consuming turn to beat back a pretty solid effort from Dice. Who while delivering a plethora of hard-hitting punches/personals and blistering street darts and Chess-isms to make it close, suffered a bit from one too many pedestrian bars to get the win in this fiery 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Nigga Chess Godly, where you from you get respect hardly, a nigga did somethin’ to you and he slept calmly, a nigga even dream about doing somethin’ to me and he woke up and said sorry!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from the Hunger Gamez, Boze and Danny Myers both bring plenty of mayhem-lit darts, solid personals and piercing gun bars to keep things interesting. But with an added mix of pedestrian bars from both battlers, despite Boze scoring more haymakers during a longer round time-wise, Danny’s soldi punch game, an incredible amount of (“Nigga, I provide war, this the type of shit I slide for, nigga we going through the side gate, i don’t give a fuck about your garage door!”) spicy rebuttals (there was 5 or 6 of ’em) and a witty freestyle directed at his opponent’s GF in the crowd, allows for a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Boze – “You’ve been prepping, chasing Lux for 10 years, Smack keep telling its levels in this place, typical Myers, keep taking a stab at it…but you’ll never see the face!”
Recap: Serius Jones versus John John Da Don, a matchup between two battle rap vets that one would’ve thought had taken place already awhile ago considering the longtime allegations of bar thievery (i.e. the notorious ‘All of the Above’ scheme frequented by both), finally takes place for 3 rounds on Chrome 23 thanks to Aye Verb who backed out of battling Serius at the last minute. And let’s just say, what with 3 days prep, JJDD showed levels here. The Bullpen Battle League head honcho delivering a stellar (classic) 1st round that superbly encapsulated rhyme structure as well as variety with its fire personals, potent set-up/punchlines, wit, braggadocio darts and flexing name flips. In round two JJDD would go on another dope run with a gang of fiery schemes, more nasty personals and piercing wordplay. And while Jones kept it competitive in the early rounds with a bunch of hard-hitting punches and less filler than usual, the former Fight Klub champ was still mired in elongated rounds when he wasn’t rapping one too many pedestrian schemes, personals and bars. Round 3 with a bit of a consistent comeuppance by Jones punch-wise and a bit a still pretty solid, but shortened turn by JJDD, ends up as a debatable.
Verdict: John John Da Don (W) 2-1
Favorite line: John John Da Don – “We all had our battle rap beef, it’s not embarrassing, but this is Philly where A.I. crosssed-over, it’s how you carry it!”
Recap: The long-awaited clash between Bigg K and Tay Roc finally went down on KOTD, a neutral battleground of sorts what with K repping RBE and Roc of course coming through for URL. If you saw the face-off between these two the day before, you already knew that the tension was going to be through the roof once they battled. And for the most part it was with plenty of name-calling and in-your-face theatrics from both sides. However, after K’s momentous taking off of his cap in round 2 as well as turning the lights blue in the room (in tribute to RBE’s Blue Room) near the beginning of round 3, the tension died down and the two managed to keep it professional, even hugging it out at the end.
As for the battle itself, it’s Roc who pulls off a Gentleman’s 30, edging all three rounds by staying consistent, showing more variety as well as originality and landing more haymakers in an efficinet manner than his opponent. Nonetheless, this bout was competitive and action-packed throughout. But Roc’s consistent firepower, combining a gang of crazy metaphors, some fly wordplay, graphic mayhem, wicked race angles, stinging personals and brutal gun bars, proved why he has to be favorite to win COTY this year. And while K’s rounds were tight and punch-wise often showed the heart of a true COTY when it came to witty punchlines, hard-hitting street darts, and mocking personals, overall the Dawg leaned a little too heavily on personal themes that have long been used against Roc. That slight overuse cost K some juice (even if it was funny at times). Then too was the irony of Ruc flipping K’s biggest moment–finally letting us see what was under the cap–to his advantage with a couple of fire rebuttals to start off his 2nd round, which coupled with the aforementioned roomshakers, the Gun Title co-prez ended up edging as well.
A strong 3rd by Bigg K with plenty of wicked punches, storied but still spicy personals, braggadocio lines and witty zingers only suffered a bit from some elongated set-ups. Nonetheless, Roc wasn’t having any of it. The Maryland vet venturing into ‘AMG mode’ with a plethora of speedy punches that more than delivered when it came to fire name flips, consistently hitting punchlines, potent wrestling bars and stinging gun bars to earn the shutout.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Everybody with me will flip, I am the URL chaperone on this King of the Dot field trip!”
Recap: Not really on his A-game throughout, but still maintaining enough firepower in his punches, personals and name flips to make a statement, Bigg K is also helped by an aggressive, but mostly pedestrian Coach Corleone on his way to a 30 in this 3-rounder from RBE.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bigg K – “I wasn’t handed opportunities, i earned every one, you getting the biggest shot of your life like you turned 21!”
Recap: Pretty solid effort from a mayhem-lit and at times punch-spiyc Fat Sayso. But a couple of slow starts and too many pedestrian bars by the Michigan battler in rounds 1 and 2 coupled with B. Magic’s steady-hitting and condensed stream of fire punchlines and stifling name flips gives the St. Louis vet the win before a more punch-lit Sayso salvaged the 3rd to avoid the shutout in this 3-rounder from OSBL.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Magic – “The Ripper and the Reaper, the Cripper and the Creeper, dope dealer, turn you into a Twitcher and a tweaker!”
Recap: This 1-rounder from OSBL sees The Bear get off to a bit of a slow start. But once he got heated up a steadier stream witty/mocking personals, gritty street/trap talk and piercing punchlines would coalesce to build a formidable turn with enough heat fr T-Top to beat back a street-themed and righteous at times, but mostly pedestrian round from Hoodlife Vito.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 1-0
Favorite line: T-Top – “I’m from the Park, before I slide or swing I use a ladder!”
Recap: From Our Society Battle League, even while battling for only 3 minutes (while his aggressive and gun bar-lit opponent Funeral F.A.M.E. battled for like 8) with less quantitative filler and a boatload of explosive punches/name flips, Shotgun Suge does enough to edge this gritty 1-rounder.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You too small to pocket check, that make it wack, I’ll take the money out your pocket, put it in your big homey pocket and take it back!”
Recap: From T.O.S Battle League, in a 3-round bout littered with plenty of aggression. solid personals/schemes and braggadocio punches, but also a boatload of cookie-cutter raps and pedestrian bars on both sides. After the two split the first couple of rounds, a more versatile, gritty and slightly more steady hitting Bill Collector manages to hang on and edge the 3rd round for the win over Coach Corleone.
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “You got RBE boasting you, weird ass Wing coaching you, all these semi-beneficial opportunities appraching you, but you ready to crash out ‘cuz a blogger roasting you?!, take that sweaty-ass hat off and be more sociable!”
Recap: In this 3-rounder from Anybody Can Die Battle League, outside of a couple of stumbles that helped him get edged in round 3, Swamp has an easy time of it. The Swamptown vet using a bunch of cutthroat punchlines, bullish darts, hometown bars and solid name flips to handilt take rounds 1 and 2 for the win over a street rap-lit, but mostly pedestrian Project Prime outta Michigan.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Swamp – “Fuck a gun, I don’t think you could withstand a hook or a jab, I think you a bitch, I don’t think you even been in no type of wreck…like Jag!”
Recap: From Anybody Can Die Battle League, put aside that overanimated, annoying white dude standing behind 40 B.A.R.R.S. and First Lady Flamez (who’s normally pretty stoic while her opponent raps) reacting way too much to some of 40’s bars, it’s a close and competitive 3-rounder between two of the women’s top tier battlers. However, outside of a debatable (where 40, who was highly pedestrian throughout this batle, used some spitfire personals to make it a tie) 2nd round, Flamez’ flexing wordplay and overall intricacy, sizzling gun bars and more consistently hitting punches edges her the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: First Lady Flamez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “Clap this bitch then dip, bring a new meaning to leaving 40 on a dresser!”
Verdict: Ryda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ryda – ‘Nigga’s say it’s bro’s over hoes, but the hoes is the main thing they catching fades about!”
Recap: From T.O.S. Battle League, not sure about that choice to speed rap some bars near the end of his 3rd round (a round he was edging beforehand, but with that extra middling turn, made for a debatable), but Tru Foe’s steady barrage of gritty street raps, sturdy name flips/gun bars and wily personals/metaphors gets him rounds 1 and 2 for the win in this 3-rounder versus a gutsy performing, but also unforced error-prone when it came flow Reed Dollaz.
Verdict: Tru Foe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tru Foe – “Robbed the plug for some punds, exclusive smoke, that was the first time I seen an Eagle in a super bowl!”
Recap: From Hunger Gamez, that “my walkdown crazy, I’m a staircase” line by Cino Savvy was fire. But even with some hot lines every now and again, the Roxboro, NC battler’s lack of steady firepower to his punches coupled with B. Magic’s consistent artistry to his punchlines, wordplay, cadence and schemes gives the St. Louis vet the win in this 1-rounder.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Who the cleanest?, I told your bitch pursue the penis, she said Magic that Sho’nuff you the meanest!”
Recap: From URL, consistently scoring with a bunch of blistering/witty personals, mean set-ups, sizzling gun bars and stinging punchlines, a slightly more condensed and haymaker-lit Swervoo manages to edge round 1 and 2 of this 3-rounder for the win over O-Red. The Jersey vet, who while pretty solid throughout, especially with the wordplay. mayhem-drenched darts and gritty punchlines, also suffered from elongated rounds and a surprising slip-up in round 3.
Verdict: Swervoo (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Swervoo – “A face shot, morticians gonna have to bring back the nigga, you look cool in a box but can’t move, you an action figure!”
Recap: From RBE, succinct and to the point, there’s nothing that pleases a recapper more than 3-round battles with 2-minute per round time limits. Appreciate it! That said, with plenty of gritty, braggadocious bars to go around on both sides, Rosenberg Raw and Arsonal make for a competitive bout. But despite a more animated and lyrically stunting Ars handily taking round 2, it’s the ever bullish, at times wordplay-crazy, often punch-lit and more consistently hitting Raw who edges rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Rosenberg Raw (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rosenberg Raw – “I’ll jump in the crowd and punch on fans like I’m Stephen Jackson, you got a problem?, Froze got the Answer, I don’t need no practice!’
Recap: His floetic stylings measured adequately with punch-lit calibrations, while also taking on a gritty, rigid storytelling, performance-heavy at times and versatile synergy that proved consistent and successful in the end, Sheed Happens also takes advantage of a competitive, but less steady punching Swamp to edge this 1-rounder from OSBL.
Verdict: Sheed Happens (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Sheed Happens – “If nobody wants to found victim, think Down Syndrome, everybody face the same way!”
Recap: From URL, oh how these yung’uns think they know everything. A dope 3-rounder between JC and Yunus gets undermined by the DMV up-n-comer standing firm on the idea that his opponent would mention his much-talked-about nonexistant sex life. But wouldn’t be the case here as instead JC relied on his usual m.o. of somber gun bars, meaty set-up/punchlines, rich similes, fire grim reaper bars, festive mayhem and bardbody braggadocio lines in a much more condensed and hitting fashion to earn a Gentleman’s 30. As despite Yunus’ elongated rounds and occasional filler that hurt him in the end, the talented DMV stalwart still garned a ton of respect by making each round close what with his electric cadence, stirring schemes, witty personals and systematic wordplay.
Verdict: JC (W) 3-0
Favorite line: JC – “They just wanna to see somebody they feel promising against the top tier guys, way to go, and he just wanted his name in stone…so ‘Here Lies’!”
Recap From Gates of the Garden, a stickler for consistently graphic mayhem, salacious punchlines, sturdy wordplay and even a fake choke that lit up the crowd, O-Red scores a boatload of haymakers on his way to dominating this 1-rounder versus a slow-starting, but hitting at times and overall solid Chuck Book.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “This arm strong and got more reach than E. Honda, I’ll break a Loud down with a spin, it’s a weed grinder!”
Recap: From Only The Real Battle League, a gritty 1-rounder filled with plenty of hardbody punches, aggression and rugged street raps from both sides, sees Swamp get more versatile with it what with a bunch of fiercely righteous/braggadocious raps, ill name flips and some witty personals in a more consistent and condensed effort that gets him the win over Jersey battler BAL.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “Nigga, you shoulda took a whole ‘nother approach when you was tring to save face, nigga I brought a whole lotta toys…like a play date!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Hunger Gamez another solid run by Nunn Nunn, with a gang of righteous darts and piercing personals gets blown away a steely, punchline-lit, consistently caustic and haymaker-drenched performance from J Morr. The latter showing levels that make you wonder once again why he isn’t battling on URL.
Verdict: J Morr (W) 1-0
Favorite line: J Morr – “Nigga, I’m selling weed fast, so quick, 12 gave me a jail free pass!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Kreo Battle League Danny Myers’ commitment to violence-prone bars, rugged storytelling and flippant name flips scores enough haymakers to edge out opponent Monsta, who after a bit of a slow start came back with enough grit and lyrical heat to make this one close.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “A rifle shot through his wisdom, I’ll make his muthafuckin’ jaw whirl, he’ll be the only nigga to end up in the backwoods for making a wrong turn!”
Recap: From Gates of the Garden, against the gritty, anecdotal and name flip-bent stylings of 4th Fokus, Chess uses a consistent barrage of hardbody punchlines, versatile name flips, flippant braggadocius darts and piercing gun bars to earn the win in what was a competitive 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Lift this on you, head shot, now it’s focus on yaself king like ya bitch disloyal!”
Recap: In front of a tough Manslaughter Battle League crowd, O-Red throws up enough rich similes, fiery punchlines and sporty/potent wordplay to edge a gritty, graphic and violence-prone, but up-n-down Wilson Fisk in a 1-rounder that was seemingly cut short by hecklers in the audience.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “I’ll do ya dirty scrap, I’m talking blacker than Bernie Mac, I’ll let 30 clap, long range in Minnesota like Wally Szczerbiak!”
Recap: From DaFlytingIrish in the UK, from witty roasting sessions on British food to mocking personals on his opponent’s vernacular to a boatload of braggadocious darts that scored at will, outside of a debatable round 2, Bigg K handily takes rounds 1 and 3 for the win in this 3-rounder vs. a personal-lit, but otherwise just solid Dialect.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bigg K – “Your guy’s ass, he the next the die, never seen weapons fly, he gonna testify, hit ya streets with a chop, bleed a section dry, thought it was beef but it’s not…Shepherd’s pie!”
Recap: From Bullpen Battle League, mixing in some witty personals to his usual m.o. of vengeance-filled morbid raps, sturdy name flips, fiery wordplay and big-ass gun lines, a more condensed, haymaker-lit and efficient JC earns a 30 over a gritty and competitive throughout, but elongated and not as consistently-hitting Bad Newz.
Verdict: JC (W) 3-0
Favorite line: JC – “And they be glad to strike, I’m ambidextrous, he only get left for bragging rights!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from the Hunger Gamez, despite a pretty solid, competitive and gritty performance by North Carolina battler XO, a slightly more consistently hitting showing from Ill Will, featuring a sturdy mix of daunting gun bars, witty/flexing personals and hardbody punches, gets the Pontiac, MI vet the win.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “You not in the mix, I love this street shit, toolie gripping, no mivie scripting, but I play Ray, going in blind taking a risk [closes eyes and points fingers down like a gun] but I looked at the beauty in it!”
Recap: From Last Second Sea, utilizing a thrifty bag of fire punchlines and a sturdy plate of well-themed personals that broke down his opponent’s battle rap career path, a consistently scoring Emerson Kennedy earns a 30 over a Jae Millz who while struggling with his flow early on, came back to offer griity and competitive turns in the latter rounds, but still keep couldn’t keep up with EK’s steadier shine.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “My money under the table Jae, it probably survive an earthquake, yout got that in ya verse Jae?, or is New York just too major?…oh yeah, you don’t know nuthin’ about earthquakes!”
Recap: A couple of minor stumbles midway, but in this 1-rounder from One Shot Battle League 40 B.A.R.R.S.’s steady use of fire punchlines, witty personals, stifling wordplay and sturdy name flips combine to overcome any miscues and earn the win over a pretty solid, but way too fanned out KD.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 1-0
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “I’m not saying a bitch playing you is a reason to be giving jokes, but when you was in recovery trying to sit calm [sitcom] she was getting different strokes [ Diff’rent Strokes]!”
Recap: Yeah, Kapo Bravado was helped in the deciding 3rd (after the two split the first two rounds) a bit by opponent Shotgun Suge struggling with his flow and pretty much choking away his turn. But that doesn’t dismiss the fact that after a loud and gritty, but very unsubstantive opening round, Kapo would totally flipped the script and put forth a couple of dope turns in the 2nd and 3rd. The New Orleans, LA, battler upping his punch game and using a bunch of sizzling street darts, flexing punchlines/schemes and solid personals to edge each of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: Kapo Bravado (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Kapo Bravado – “They only got room for one man and that’s me, I was presented Shotgun and a nigga my size ain’t taking the back seat!”
Recap: From Bullpen Battle League, even with a well-earned reputation for no-shows, chokes and bullish behavior outside the ring, never let it be said that Nu Jerzey Twork can’t still deliver a standout performance in the ring when he wants to. Nu Jerooz dialing it up with the bars and outside of a bit of fumblitis with his flow early on, going ham on opponent Clone with a fiery barrage of fire similes, graphic/mayhem-lit darts, gully punchlines, potent gun bars, witty personals (that featured a pretty solid imitation of his opp) and flexing gang talk to earn a 30 on the veteran Georgia rapper, who while competitive, versatile, gritty and aggressive throughout, couldn’t keep up with Twork’s hailstorm of haymakers.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “Interrogation room?, I don’t know nothing but ‘My lawyer!’ and ‘I didn’t do it!’, I was swinging from building to building like Spider-Man…but tht’s my story and I’m sticking to it!”
Recap: From the Smoke Room Battle League, as expected Ill Will versus Heavy Half for one round turns out to be a verbal slugfest as the two battlers fester in all sorts of mayhem-lit darts, bullish roundhouses, daunting street bars and gritty punchlines. And while Heavy Half also displayed some stirring gang talk and solid lyricism, one too many pedestrian bars from the Chicago spitter in addition to Will’s potent wit, fiery gun bars and plethora of haymakers gives the Yaktown native the win.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “But I don’t take shit, Heavy I’ll make your funeral music my playlist!”
Recap: From One Shot Battle League, Chef Trez and Coach Corleone go at it for 3 rounds and it’s pretty much a one-sided affair. As despite an aggessive, gritty and overall solid effort from the Coach, one too many pedestrian bars from the Chicago battler and a Chef Trez delivering a consistent barrage of sturdy gun bars, fly name flips/metaphors, hitting personals and potent punchlines earns the latter the 30.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Those punches good now, but it’s nothing we quote later, you never gonna be a star, the best coaches was just role players!”
Recap: From Chrome23, the gang of hitting name flisp were to be expected. But the consistent ability to also score with a boatload of righteous darts, some fire wordplay, witty personals and gritty punchlines (as a pretty solid throughout, aggressive and often pumh-lit, but a bit pedestrian and flow-challenged at times ShooneyDa Rapper finds out here) is not only what separates E-Hart from the rest, but earns her a gentle lady’s 30 here.
Verdict: E-Hart (W) 3-0
Favorite line: E-Hart – “Y’all were best friend goals, all ya pics I was hitting ‘likes’, thinking to myself me and my honies gotta get it right!”
Recap: From KOTD, close for both of the opening rounds, it’s still the more intricate punching, wordplay fly, personal-lit and slightly more (tho it did look for a few seconds there in round 2 that he was about to choke) condensed/efficient Chilla Jones who edges rounds 1 and 2 for the win. That’s before another gritty punchfest in the 3rd by Chilla got him the shutout over an opponent in Peppe, who while solid, flexing with some off-the-dome heat and competitve throughout, was a bit elongated and couldn’t keep up with Jones when it came to variety or personals.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “You all bark, but that’s Cool Joe [Cujo] but I’m the big dog here!”
Recap: Versus a hard-hitting (mostly in round 1) at times, but a bit half-hearted in the latter rounds and also flow challenged throughout Don Marino, Ave dominates. The EFB rep using a sizzling barrage of fiery punchlines, witty/dope personals, mayhem-lit darts and fly Spanish/Mexican references to handily get the 30 in this 3-rounder from The Riot.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Fuck with me, that’s just gonna lead to you in the viewing, or a fresh [swpies air like a blade] Buck 50…G-Unit reunion!”
Recap: From Ruin The Day, perhaps it was the cold Alaskan weather as it’s hard to recall Marv Won ever being as bad as this. The Detroit vet (after a way too long intro from the host) repeatedly succumbing to a bunch of slip-ups and other miscues over the course of 3 rounds on his way to being shutout by the wide variety of witty personals, funny storytelling and hitting punchlines from Bigg K.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bigg K – “You ain’t got shit to say, potato chips is big and you still losing battles to M&M’s [Eminem] today!”
Recap: Maybe it’s just me, but it really seems like Coffee Brown got in her feelings after listening to that blistering 2nd round here from Jaz The Rapper. Yeah, she was tight. Still, after a debatable round 1 of this URL/NOME 14 matchup, in the latter rounds what this battle essentially came down to was Jaz leaving earth while Coffee pretty much stayed put. The Brooklyn, NY to Cali vet upping her punch game (after a solid, but like her opponent none-too-spectucalur round 1) with a boatload of hard-hitting personals, fiery ‘AMG-mode’ raps, gritty punches/similes, fly storytelling, dope cadence-switching and stinging name flips to handily take rounds 2 and 3 for the win. This against a Ms. Brown, who while consistently aggressive and hitting at times with a bunch of fierce gun bars, piercing punchlines and jaunty personals of her own, got too lost in repetitive mayhem, while also serving up some subpar storytelling and one too many pedestrian bars to keep up with what was some stellar work from Jaz.
Verdict: Jaz The Rapper (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jaz The Rapper – “You told T-Top you’ll put bugga, sugar in his son diaper then put him through TSA, you a crazy genius, but I’m fake a demon, bitch I’ll stuff that sugar in ya newborn then send her to God…Sweet Baby Jesus!”
Recap: From Chrome 23, in a competitive and aggressive battle loaded with bullish darts, gritty punchlines, sturdy name flips, solid personals and other mayhem-lit linguistics from both sides, it’s a more haymaker-lit and efficiently spicy Coffee Brown who takes rounds 1 and 2 for the win, before the slightly more hitting and consistent Jade avoided the shutout by edging the 3rd.
Verdict: Coffee Brown (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Coffee Brown – “I’ll make the worst happen, big bitch, walk with a switch, I’m thirst trapping!”
Recap: From URL’s NOME 14 card, against a surprisingly light on performance, less witty than usual and up until round 3 only so-so (esp. when it came to rehashing personal themes concerning his opponent) with the punches Jerry Wess, Tay Roc couples a rarely utilized rebuttal game in round 2 with a gang of flexing punchlines, rich gun bars, potent name flips, solid personals and other mayhem-lit darts in both of the opening rounds to score more than enough haymakers to handily take rounds 1 and 2 for the win before a more steadily-hitting and gritty comeuppance by Wess in round 3 allows for a debatable there.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Y’all gave Jerry Wess the logo, y’all gonna find his body outlined!”
Recap: In this 3-rounder from URL’s N.O.M.E. 14, after a less efficient and elongated round 1 which cost him the opener to a choppy at times, but aggressive, street-hip and gritty punching as well as personal-lit Geechi Gotti. Fonz ups the ante in round 2 with a sublime turn that better utilized his bullish punch game to even things up over a pretty solid, but not as haymaker-friendly Geechi. Tied going into the 3rd, while it’s another competitive round, it’s also the more consistently hitting and less flow-challenged Fonz who takes the tiebreaker for the win.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Fonz – “It ain’t hard, Gotti got me laoding this AR, 5 5 6’s, I’m feeling up the arm for Bae like Ray Charles!”
Recap: From The Smoke Room Battle League, culminating with a personal-lit, righteous and hard-hitting 3rd, Ave also combines a sturdy punch game, festive wordplay, a bunch of bombastic boasts and a boatload of mayhem-certified darts to take both of the earlier rounds and handily get the 30 here on Big T, The Chicago vet, who while still able to score at times with his abundance of metaphorical linguistics, storytelling and daunting name flips, overall just seemingly is too lost in his own bubble to bring back the more consistent Big T of old.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “The crew that you rep can get smoked dummy, you know what else will be quiet money?, your GoFundMe!”
Recap: From Black Mafia Battle League, you can’t fumble the ball on your own battle league, can you? Well, apparently you can as after blitzing opponent Reed Dollaz with a variety of gritty raps in round 1, Calicoe self-destructs on a path of pedestrian bars, slip-ups and other challenges to his flow, leaving a righteous-talking, street bar-lit, personal-scoring and consistently spicy Dollaz with just enough room to edge both of the latter rounds for the win in this 3-rounder.
Verdict: Reed Dollaz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Reed Dollaz – “When these nigga’s gonna grow?, as I think to myself, see we can’t think outside the box ‘cuz we can’t think off the shelf!”
Recap: Saynt has no one to blame but himself for losing this one (and judging from his reaction after the 2nd round he knew it too). Indeed, after getting edged in round 1 by a Rum Nitty too consistent and overwhelming with his variety of sizzling (“Dope boys, who I was impressed with, nigga wanted to be Scarface, since a baby…like a cleft lip!”) haymakers, Saynt refused to back down. The young Inglewood, CA, battler going ham with a wide variety of delicious metaphorical name flips, gritty punchlines and hard-hitting/aggressive lyrical swordsmanship (esp. during a sublime round 3 which Saynt handily won) during both of the latter rounds that would have gotten him the win except for one too many slip-ups during a close 2nd, thus allowing Nitty to take this 3-rounder from West World Battle Rap.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Saynt LA – “It’s not a game, but shit even if it was you know that Saynt an issue, like a sibling with a unplugged controller, little bro ain’t playing with you!”
Recap: From Chrome23, at times to battle rap fans detriment, when he’s on the card so many times it’s about which Charlie Clips will show up. The jokester who doesn’t always take battles seriously or the Harlem icon who many have argued belongs on the culture’s Mount Rushmore. Well, after dropping a 30 on a super hot Eazy The Block Captain, you know which Clips showed here. As the Wild ‘n Out star kept his foot on his oppopent’s neck throughout this 3-rounder, showcasing versatility throughout with a bunch of fire schemes, righteous/witty personals, gritty punchlines, hitting storytelling, fierce wordplay and some dope off-the-dome darts that for Clips just comes naturally. And assisted by a mostly competitive, aggressive and gritty Block Captain who unfortunely also happened to go a little overboard with the personals, wasn’t always sizzling with usual trap talk and who, to much surprise, choked away his 2nd round, it’s a well-earned shutout for Clips.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “But honestly, I think you was fucking with her before Pap and pardon me if this sound silly tho, but I think this the nigga that was giving you head in the whip in the ‘Lean Back’ video!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Mic Masters Alliance, both Fendi and 40 B.A.R.R.S. bring the braggadocious gut checks, gritty name flips and exquisite wordplay/punches one would expect from the longtime vets. But proving once again that there’s levels to this shit, a little more than halfway through what was a pretty strong and competitive round up to that point, it’s Fendi who surprisingly collapses. The She Go Hard alum losing her train of thought for a minute before getting it back and then proceeding to commit another unforced error later on and finally deciding to cut her round short, thus helping the more flow efficient 40 get the win.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 1-0
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “You make it seem like you holier than thou, right?, like everything you do is good, but Jesus Christ Fendi come down off the cross, we need the wood!”
Recap: From Bullpen Battle League, Christian rapper Loso clashes with the seasoned vet Tay Roc (who amongst some-to-retire-talk has been on a prolific and impressive run of late) and with both battlers spouting an all out effort, the bout stayed pretty competitive. However, despite a pretty solid, pronounced and often personal effort from Loso, both of his opening rounds would contain onetoo many questionable darts and pedestrian lines. One the other hand Roc would dominate rounds 1 and 2 with a gang of wicked punchlines, deft wordplay, graphic mayhem, potent name flips, witty bars and a rare (but fly) rebuttal to start round 2, decisively taking the first two rounds for the win. However, proving that he’s no pushover (esp. in light of Roc already scheduled to batle his Four Horseman brethren A. Ward next) Loso would mount a strong comeback in the third round, delivering an angle-lit turn with a plethora of fire punchlines and exquisite personals. And helped in part by a shocking stumble by Roc (who afterwards would deliver a dope, AMG-dripped turn) towards the begining of his 3rd, Loso would edge the final round to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Who said this Jerk special?, hit his face, burst metal, now the mortivians gonna have a cremation on they work schedule, I’m a grab ya urn, break it, I’m a take it to the worse level, I’m a vacuum a Christian ashes up…in a Dirt Devil!”
Recap: Fire battle from URL’s N.O.M.E. 14 card with both Kyd (“Who want war with me?, get clapped in a venue for all to see, and have your whole team behind you screaming while I shoot…shit look like a corner 3!”) Slade and Saflare Sole delivering the goods on gritty punchlines, fire trap talk, rigid set-ups, solid name flips, righteous darts, explosive gun bars and boastful barbs. And while a way more potent and haymaker-lit Saflare clearly took round 2, the other two rounds remained tight and competitive with the slightly more condensed and efficient Slade edging round 1, before an equally spicy and action-filled 3rd calls for this ending up as a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Saflare Sole – “The problem is these nigga’s think they larger than life, but life is cheap when desperation meets the bargaining price!”
Recap: A matchup between two vets, O’fficial and Viixen The Assassin, that’s been in the talks for years finally gets a stage on URL’s Nome 14. Hard-hitting, gun bar-centric and a bit elongated on both sides throughout the bout with some extra style points what with Viixen and O’fficial showing off an ability to switch up flows and cadences. Despite a sublime, personal-lit 3rd round from O’fficial to earn the edge there, it’s a slightly more versatile, haymaker-lit, wordplay nasty and punch efficient Viixen who edges both of the earlier rounds for the win.
Verdict: Viixen The Assassin (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Viixen The Assassin – “One word to describe O’fficial is ordinary, ‘cuz she lack some, one word to describe me? is ovation, ‘cuz I’ll clap somethin’!”
Recap: From The Campout in Cleveland, against a Charlie Clips relying on solid freestyles, jokey jokes and the type of blithe rancor that’s especially built for just collecting a paycheck, Fonz utilizes a bunch of bullish boasts, stinging personals, a couple of crazy freestyles of his own and a gang of potent punchlines to handily get the win in this 1-rounder.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “Move back, I’ll hae them Harlem nigger’s walking around hurt, soon as I let a round burst, I’m talking about a 2k release, the whole city gonna be wearing brown shirts!”
