Recap: The video of this GOTG 1-rounder between Nu Jerzey Twork and Zay Smoove seems to cut Smoove’s round short, but since it says ‘Full Battle’ in the title we’ll count it as a win for Twork who despite misleading heads on Cee-Lo changing his name to ‘Gnarls Barkley’ (that was really just the name of the band Cee-Lo joined), still delivered more than enough utter mayhem and stinging personals/name flips to beat back a pretty pedestrian turn by his opponent.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “You came to the Gates and left the Trap cold turkey, fuck I look like, Dre?, I ain’t showing you No Mercy!”
Recap: In this DMV vs. Baltimore 1-rounder from Pit Fights Battle League, an aggressive Drugz showed off his pen with a versatile and fiery turn of roundhouse heat, witty personals and fierce punchlines. But assisted by his opponent struggling a bit with his flow, yet also equipped with a gang of bruising set-ups, steely wordplay, soul-reaching gun bars and some spicy personals/name flips, it’s Murda who ends up earning the vic here.
Verdict: Murda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Murda – “I’m not playing, it’s way simple, put blood in they mouth, turn that glass jaw into a stain window!”
Recap: One-round Shotz Fired battle between Glueazy and relative newbie Stich Em Up is a close one thanks in part to a pretty nice punch and name flip game by Stich. However, aided by his usual surly aggression as well as a host of entertainment name flips, rugged gun bars and steely punchlines, with a couple of more haymakers than his opponent, Glueazy gets the edge here.
Verdict: Glueazy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Glueazy – “The plot thickens, I got Stich’s, I will pop Stich then pop stiches, stop bitching, have him fighting over these lines like Popeye’s chicken!”
Recap: Overwhelming his opponent with grandiose/visceral schemes, steely punchlines, stifling gun bars and mocking personals, in this 1-rounder from State 2 State Hip Hop, Swamp makes quick and easy work of a subpar J Skillz.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “The glock dumping, don’t fuck around and get shot from it, I’m still that same nigger that’ll fuck ya bitch raw then make her get checked to see if we got something!”
Recap: Long-awaited battle between Dot Mob honcho T-Rex and former Dot Mob member Tay Roc unfortunately, while having its moments here and there, doesn’t quite live up to the hype overall. First, it’s a 1-round battle, a big mistake for two guys with this amount of personal history and animosity towards each other. Then too, when it comes to bars Rex really should utilize his wit more in battles. As seen here Rex’s better moments occurred moreso when he displayed his humorous side as opposed to the rah-rah shit he’s long been known for, which in this case mostly proved pedestrian. Lastly, even with Roc not quite being on his A-game, he easily took this one what with a way more consistent effort that spouted plenty of spent gun shells, stifling personals/bully bars and a stack of gritty punchlines that while at times weren’t as intricate as you’d like, still came off hitting more then missing.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “I will fix your grill, knock out all your teeth, it will be hard to speak, you will have an awkward speech, to fix your broken jaws expensive they lied if they told you talk is cheap!”
Recap: Spitfire, electric, aggressive and highly competitive battle between Tsu Surf and Geechi Gotti not only lives up to the hype, but judging from Gotti’s head nod approvals throughout the battle, might be the realest he ever felt another battler got at him in the ring. But then, Surf kicking gritty, real-life narratives has never been in issue for the Jersey rapper. Instead, it’s always been his ability to stay consistent during an entire battle and not choke (as Gotti, eloquently pointed in the 3rd round: “You see it seem like he really wrote wit’ heart, he told y’all everythang…but he left out the chokin’ part!”). And thankfully, in a battle coupled with stoppages and repeats of lines where you might’ve thought Surf was about to choke, he doesn’t here. And maybe that’s because he knew what he up against what with the ever steady Gotti bringing his usual assortment of stifling (“Seen niggas get shot by a .40 then become an R.I.P. tat in Old English!”) punchlines, wicked personals, authentic gang-bang talk and bodacious gun bars. Yet, for all of Gotti’s slamming street narratives and shitload of haymakers dropped in each round, the Compton rapper was hurt a bit by some mediocre punches here and there, a few reaches and even rebuttals that didn’t quite hit. Add to that a consistently game for the street talk, rapidly punching and (“You ever been shot by a Crip?, I have, nigga too scary, they had me in that county eatin’ muffins, tryin’ to get that last Blue buried (blueberry’d)!”) hard-hitting, scheme/wordplay-heavier, effectively personal when addressing his own shit and his (“This this nigga first NOME ever, nobody fuckin’ care, how you do on UFF? Oh you wasn’t there, what about the BET Awards? Smack this isn’t fuckin’ fair, Gladiator School?,Snoop, nigga you was where?, when you was selling hair I was sellin’ here!”) opponent’s shit, more performance-heavy and gripping throughout Surf rarely dishing any filler and the edge here goes to Surf in both the 1st and 2nd round’s before a slightly (“This shit is sad, I’m talking death after death, we really live that shit, closed caskets, we don’t even know if he in that bitch!”) punch-heavier Gotti edged the 3rd despite a dope and complete turn by Surf.
Verdict: Tsu Surf (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tsu Surf – “Every time a nigga say a sad bar, don’t mean that’s a wow, my cuz had PS2, he still died, he only playin’ Dreamcast now!”
Recap: 1-round battle from GOTG sees Ace Amin dishing continuous mayhem all the while sparing no one, including the kids with sizzling gun bars, stinging schemes, plenty of raucous punchlines and even a frenzied cameo from up-n-comer Sheed Happens. All done to beat a solid at times, but oft-redundant and pedestrian turn from Yung Deezy.
Verdict: Ace Amin (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ace Amin – “If a nigger trip I’ll let it sing like ’99 beers on the wall’!”
Recap: Back in his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, Charron more than delivers for the fans with 3 elongated, but superb rounds of fiery punchlines, deep-rooted personals, gripping gun bars in the form of alter-ego Billy Pistols, witty barbs, fire rebuttals and some sizzling shots at his opponent Krome’s city of Montreal. And while Krome kept things competitive throughout the battle with his own darts of righteous personals and fierce/clever, aggressive punches, Charron’s more versatile and potent showing would give him the edge in all 3 rounds.
Verdict: Charron (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Charron – “Talking about the Tinder app, that’s pretty likely dude, this battle is like your Tinder profile…nothing’s going RIGHT for you!”
Recap: From the URL Update 2.0 card (an app only event), a more versatile than usual Rum Nitty adds a gang of witty personals and provocative zingers to his customary palette of spitfire punchlines and steadily ringing gun bars to edge a close round 1 over a dope, but a little filler prone turn from Th3 Saga. That’s before Rum would easily take the 2nd round with a more condensed and consistently punch-heavy go-around that beat back an opponent who while solid throughout, was hurt by one too many thematic name flips and some mediocre punchlines. In the 3rd round, an introspective and more intricate with the punches Saga gets past a still-scoring-with-the-heat Rum via more overall potency within his raps to avoid getting shutout.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “Heat shot, his legs kept moving tho…the nerve of ’em!”
Recap: A punch-heavy and witty battle at times, but also a little bent on filler, reaches and a recycled bar or two, after splitting the first couple of rounds, Ty Law versus Don Marino comes down to the unorthodox stylings and ‘over the head’ punchlines of Mr. Law edging what was an overall pretty solid, but a bit flow-challenged turn by Mr. Marino in the deciding 3rd round.
Verdict: Ty Law (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ty Law – “They deep in every city you live, Mexicans the reason Lowe’s and Home Depot be lit as it is!”
Recap: At least this was one (the 3rd in their controversial trilogy) was a lot closer, so much so that we could call it a draw in lieu of Real Deal stepping it up from his last bout against Chilla Jones by displaying much more versatility, consistency and potency with his bars. Loaded too with plenty of mentions regarding their last battle and a boatload of wit as well as breakdowns of each other’s style from each side, for its competitiveness alone, Jones vs. Deal 3 is easily the best match of the series. A slightly more punch-heavy Jones edges the first round before a (“So when I beat you, fans that loved us both turned on me too, cause you’re such a nice guy, you’re awesome dude, but every face needs a good heel that’s why I’m curb stompin’ you!”) personal-heavy Deal returns the favor in the 3rd. The deciding 3rd round, for all its fiery 4-bar set-ups, stinging personals and flashy schemes/punchlines, can go either way what with a condensed turn by Deal matching an elongated turn by Chilla when it comes to bar efficiency.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “Go ‘head, make mockeries of my passion and purpose, but I will leave you in grave [engrave] and I’m just scratching the surface, how ’bout a bullet in ya eye Deal [ideal], that would be perfect!”
Recap: Proving his resiliency even against the likes of an O Solo, Dre Dennis uses a fleet of stifling punchlines, rigid name flips and potent gun lines to make mince meat of the witty, unpredictable Jersey stalwart (who outside a pretty solid 2nd round, didn’t have much in the tank) in this 3-rounder from The Trap NY.
Verdict: Dre Dennis (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Dre Dennis – “Ain’t spraying the full clip when I snap at your set, long message from Android to iPhone, you’ll get half of the Tek [texts]!”
Recap:Ruin Your Day charity 3-rounder from URL sees a performance-heavy Big T spout a gang of sporty rhymes, mocking heaters, some blazing sound effects and thrifty (“I’m close to the .9 like Baccarat!”) punchlines that mostly scored, kept things competitive throughout and also allowed him to edge round 3 with a more condensed turn. However, the two previous rounds here were all Geechi Gotti, who was not only able to parlay his opponent’s rounds into some spicy rebuttals, but took each round with a flexing series of robust (“I’m about “5’8, every nigger that I ever had beef with was taller than me…they 6 feet!”) punches, fiery personals, real street talk and resounding schemes.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Your mama, your bitch, your kid, they all know you was coming to Cali to die, so seeing you go on that plane had to be a sad moment…but see funeral’s is like iPhone’s now, they a whole lot cheaper when your Family Plan on it!”
Recap: Steeped in hardbody punchline after punchline, fiery with the schemes/wordplay/name flips, witty and off-putting (esp. when getting some revenge for Phara Funeral, who Ms. Fit 3-0’d in her last battle) with the personals and loaded a gang of festive gun bars, O’fficial ruins Ms. Fit’s 1st appearance on the URL stage with two over-the-top and haymaker-drenched turns in the opening rounds before Fit–who was pretty solid throughout minus some pedestrian bars here and there–easily took the 3rd round with a steadier, flexing, punchline-crazy and witty turn of her own.
Verdict: O’fficial (W) 2-1
Favorite line: O’fficial – “Let me find out Brooklyn the new Harlem, let me find out this heffa snitching, I’ll teach her gram a [grammar] lesson, since they like to correct they mistakes for a better sentence!”
Recap: Chayna Ashley versus QB on the RBE stage is a goodie that pretty much gets decided by one too many indirect shots by QB–whether it was QOTR, ARP or other members of Dot Mob–as well as a slightly more consistently more hitting, gun bar-savvy and metaphor-lit Chayna. Though QB dropped her usual assortment of disrespectful darts and boastful spins on her opponent and made for a witty barb here and there, after the two split the first couple of rounds, a name-flip/wordplay rich, mayhem spent and punch/scheme-friendly Chayna would take the deciding 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Chayna Ashley (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chayna Ashley – “Power moves, understand I be ghosting bitches, Keisha getting with Tommie, no more choking bitches!”
Recap: Th3 Saga concludes his sterling 2019 with yet another dope performance, beating a pretty solid overall, but slightly inconsistent Reepah Rell with a boatload of potent death-themed rants, fire name flips, flexing religious-lit darts, fierce personals and plenty of jaunty punchlines to score a 30 in what was still a competitive 3-rounder from Kill Switch Battle League.
Recap: Worth noting here some of Ave’s reactions to Bill Collector while he raps, like he had no idea what to expect from B.C., who throughout this battle delivered soundly on the antics, witty (“Chill, Carl Winslow!”) barbs, performance-rich histrionics, lofty personals/name flips and for his core fans, a cameo appearance from his noted Super Dupa Scope. Still equipped with one of the fiercest pens in the game, even against the likes of a battle rapper more known for his jocular stylings than anything else, Ave still came with the heat. The Norfolk, VA spitter shining for 3 rounds with a boatload of piercing punchlines, robust gun bars, flexing wordplay/name flips and even some fiending personals to take each round and score the 30.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Like you already know what running gonna lead you, soon as the machine spit Bill back out…the money too wrinkled!”
Recap: Choking can happen to the best of ’em…just ask Loaded Lux. But choking and then running down on an audience member for having the audacity to be a P.O’d after they paid their hard-earned bands only to witness you on stage stumbling through your one round thanks to your lack of preparation? Not feeling that at all. Nu Jerzey Twork should know better and small league owners (esp.) should be careful booking him. Most importantly, regardless of Cal’s mostly mediocre bars here or what he does after this battle, he will forever be able to tell his grandkids that he beat a Top Tier battle rapper.
Verdict: Cal (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Cal – “I did think you wasn’t gonna prepare tho, but once I made you my prey, i put a little faith in Jerusalem bombing!”
Recap: After taking a shellacking to the aggressive, keenly pontificating, personal and punch-heavier stylings of MT$ in the first round, a well-dressed Jey The Nitewing gets back on his pulpit and reaches back to deliver a barrage of piercing punchlines, boastful shiners, intricate name flips and other grandiose bluster to come back and take the latter two rounds for the win.
Verdict: Jey The Nitewing (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jey The Nitewing – “You’ve been decent as of recent, like the trash bags with the Fabreeze scent!”
Recap: A bit reach-prone at times, but still a hella dope performance by a (“One leave ya cheek, this bum be deceased, no Amish tradition, but y’all see Rum spring a [Rumspringa] leak!”) punch-heavy King Jables gets beat a superior showing by Rum Nitty who along with dishing fluorescent gun bars, scores a gang of more intricate {“Stupid haircut that you got, gonna make me chase you out the spot, or gun butt you with the Glock, the rebuttal gonna make your bangs [Bangz] go off the top!”) punches, some fiery name flips and a ridiculous amount of visceral darts to earn the 30 in what was still a competitive 3-rounder from iBattle.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “I hit heads [Bwoh!], whoever told you I misled [missed lead] gave you the wrong idea!”
Recap: Despite Carter Deems eliciting plenty of hilarity with plenty of self-deprecating lines, nifty punchlines/jokes/name flips, freestyles and braggadocio bicycle talk, the comedic element’s of Carter’s rhymes not only fall flat to too many pedestrian bars during an elongated turn, but more importantly, a more condensed, grittier and consistently punch-lit B. Magic in this 1-rounder from No Coast Raps.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “This how I Space jam, this how we kick it, I’ll run you right [write] into a wall like Hieroglyphics!”
Recap: The poetic, but O.G.-type stylings of Houndawg Buck50 can come off a little preachy at times, but more often than not, they’re not only rich with stifling wisdom, but some nifty wordplay, sizzling personals and fierce punchlines–more than enough to beat back a solid at times, but stumble-prone Ace Amin in this 1-rounder from Gates of the Garden.
Verdict: Houndawg Buck50 (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Houndawg Buck50 – “You gonna compare your street life to mine?, well objects are closer than they appear so check your rear view, ‘cuz while you was in them streets, I was working at Walmart and guess what muthafucka they shooting over there too!”
Recap: Gonna take a wild guess and opine that it’s probably some behind-the-scene politics that’s kept NJ vet Spee Dolla off the URL stage, as the talent and immense amount of work he’s put in over the years certainly warrants him a shot. That said, while Spee’s boatload of flourescent gun bars, aggression and gritty punches makes this Kill Switch Battle League highly competitive, it’s a slightly more condensed, versatile and punch/name flip/personal and mayhem-lit Ryda who also scores a couple of more haymakers to edge the win here.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ryda – “You fucked today, I up and spray, as soon as he hit the ground [stomps foot] put my foot down on Dolla…this my lucky day!”
Recap: The prolific Danny Myers versus the seldom seen Hollow Da Don on a West-coast charity card goes down with neither battler, after a spitfire (Danny: “Listen Nigel, even your name got a soft ‘G’ in it!”; Hollow: “I’m like a nigger that’s like ‘I’m a pay you on Friday…I ain’t got it ALL!”) but even 1st round, quite able to bring their A-game. Danny with plenty of raucous punches, quality personals and righteous lyricism/mayhem throughout the battle, errs when he tries too hard to emulate his more unorthodox opponent, which partly costs him a close round 2 when put side-by-side with Hollow’s roasting session quips, on spot performance hijinks and dope wordplay/personals. But with never any give-up in him, Danny comes back with a pretty solid (and emotional) 3rd round, that’s not only drenched with feelgood punchlines, but also some pretty (“I was choking ‘cuz if I lose my kids to the system I’m a hang myself!”) emphatic struggle bars that hit–altogether enough to beat back a surprisingly up-n-down last round from da Don and make this one debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Hollow Da Don – “You coulda came here with Satan as your Plus-1…the hell with you!”
Recap: Taj Milli has a charismatic flow and in this GOTG 1-rounder versus Prez Mafia, he definitely spouted a few shiners here and there. But against a focused Prez who’s scoring left and right with eccentric punchlines, rugged name flips, witty old head jokes and plenty of stinging mayhem? Little to no chance.
Verdict: Prez Mafia (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Prez Mafia – “Nigga, ain’t you from White Plains?, that’s Bronx Jr., all souped for nuthin’, what this bitch nigga talking about?, we used to go to White Plains on Halloween for the good candy…and the rest of the year my crib was a haunted house!”
Recap: Pretty good effort here from Melato Black, who despite struggling with her flow at times, for the most part spit some ridiculous/flexing punchlines to make things competitive in this 3-rounder versus E. Hart. But after taking the 1st round and getting edged in the 2nd, Hart (who was surprisingly heavy with on the performance tip throughout the match) takes the deciding 3rd round with a roundhouse of grandiose name flips, stinging punchlines/gun bars and enough verbal dexterity that beats back another solid, but not as potent turn by her opponent.
Verdict: E. Hart (W) 2-1
Favorite line: E. Hart – “First it was Boom then it was Kannon, you starting to sound like that nigger, everybody in the game that she fucked…black mirrors!”
Recap: A battle that was a lot closer than the critics told you, thanks in part to a Ryda choke in the 1st round, Th3 Saga, with a gang of glistening punchlines, fierce name flips, frenzied schemes and religious barbs, still scores the 30. Ryda, who had a much more punch-worthy 1st round and would’ve taken the opening round if not for forgetting his bars at the end, still kept things close in the latter with some stellar punches, witty quotables, a dope church member impression in the 3rd and fiery gun bars/personals throughout. But in both the 2nd and 3rd rounds, a slightly more consistent Th3 Saga just happened to come one better to earn the shutout.
Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “I don’t need a vet, Jesus wept, I’m God tear [tier]!”
Recap: In the face of repeated mom disses, ringing mayhem and a gang of lyrically acute punches from Cortez throughout the battle, after a debatable 1st round, T-Top 1-ups his opponent in both the 2nd and 3rd rounds with a wide array of fiery personals/schemes, witty barbs, stinging punches/name flips and weighty trap talk to take this mostly competitive 3-rounder from the URL app.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “The reason nobody had ever bought your shit is ‘cuz we love the Big Apple, we just never wanted the core of it!”
Recap: It’s 2019 and rematches are slowly becoming a thing, so why not Chilla Jones versus DNA Part 2? The two vets, who first battled each other way back in 2013, return here on the GOTC TV stage and make it tight with a gun bar-heavy and performance nice DNA edging the 1st round before Jones returned the favor with a blistering, scheme and punch-lit 2nd round to edge what was a pretty dope turn by his robust opponent. But DNA, who was more consistently prepared throughout the match, turned it up in the deciding 3rd round what with a wordplay-heavy, personal-spazzing, rebuttal/tutorial fiery and punchline-drunk turn that easily beat a solid, but inconsistent and not as potent run by Chilla.
Verdict: DNA (W) 2-1
Favorite line: DNA – “I got better since NOME 3, I just got way too much respect for my fans, so the only way y’all will see the same DNA…Gemini Man!”
Recap: Yeah, he was cooking alright. In what, thus far, should go down as his most impressive performance over 3 rounds, Jerry Wess uses a flawless (and classic), half venting on URL business dealings/going ham with the punches on opponent Glueazy 1st round, a just as incredibly stirring and punch/wordplay/name flip/personal-heavy 2nd to go along with a performance-rich (esp with the sound effects), set-up-lit and versatile 3rd to beat the breaks off of one of the better mid-tiers (who btw turned in a pretty strong showing himself) in the game and establish himself as deserving of a bigger stage.
Verdict: Jerry Wess (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Jerry Wess – “White people making soul food…you about to get cooked bad!”
Recap: Punch-heavy, mayhem-drenched and gun bar-tooting battle between Jerry Wess and Swamptown’s DG Daparonta stays competitive throughout. But it’s Mr. Wess, showcasing more intricacy to his bars while also dropping more haymakers on the dime, who takes each round for a well-earned 30.
Verdict: Jerry Wess (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Jerry Wess -“All y’all nigga’s sound the same, who brought these lames in?, Undertaker and Kane, y’all nigga’s got the same pin [pen]!”
Recap: In what might best be presented as yet another clutch performance, Arsonal dials down the filler and the pedestrian bars for 3 rounds of aggressive heat, disrespectful/mocking personals, rigid vet talk, fierce name flips, some witty barbs and piercing wordplay to edge both of the opening rounds and win what was a fire and competitive battle here versus Chess. Indeed, da Rebel’s consistently and versatility with the bars really shined here and he’d need all of it to hold his own against an opponent who brought his own barrage of fiery punches, intricate darts, flexing gun bars, lyrical stunting and hitting name flips/street chatter to the mix and might’ve taken round 1 if not for a slightly elongated turn that couldn’t match Ars’ bar efficiency..
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “You live witcha mother and her mother, you never lived in no youth housing, Raekwon, you was born in 1998…I started fuckin’ in 2000!”
Recap: One-rounder from 1 Grind Battle League sees E-Hart turn around a gritty and solid, but elongated showing from Hoodie Cruger with a lucid display of grimy street darts, daunting punchlines, mocking personals and stifling name flips to give the Bronx bomber the win.
Verdict: E-Hart (W) 1-0
Favorite line: E-Hart – “What you spent to get me here?, major loss, you could call him Twerk apparel cuz Hoodie’s never taken off!”
Recap: Lost in what was a pretty intense battle here between T-Rex and Rosenberg Raw is Rex (who Rosenberg has already accused of talking throughout his rounds) cutting in on Raw halfway through his 1st round actually leading a pretty dope, mid-round freestyle by Rosenberg therein that would assist him winning the round and eventually the battle. As Rosenberg, spent on dishing hitting personals and stinging mayhem throughout the 2nd round would easily beat back Rex’s upbeat, but much less potent murals of mayhem. A bit surprisingly tho, Rex would save his best round for the 3rd, spitting a condensed but spitfire turn of braggadocios darts and struggle bars that for the most part hit to overcome a solid, but elongated turn by Raw and avoid getting 30’d.
Verdict: Rosenberg Raw (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rosenberg Raw – “He keep talking while I’m rapping and I’m sparking his pound and you gonna battle a fucking bullet…try to talk through that round!”
Recap: Mild upset here as a more versatile, bodacious, (“Word master, yeah you got booked but I turn chapters!”) punch-heavy and name flip happy So Severe does just enough to come back from a (“I grip something, Tek’s [texts] on the low like my bitch coming!”) gun-lit and trap talk spouting 1st round loss here to Franchise, before edging (with the help of fire rebuttal to start things) both the 2nd and 3rd rounds over a a pretty solid Franchise with one more haymaker while also spitting more condensed turns.
Verdict: So Severe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: So Severe – “Kill yourself, I’ll give him the ropes…I fucked up more nigger’s than Henny and Coke!”
Recap: Dishing raucous 4-bar bangers and fiery name flips with consistent abandon throughout the battle, while also taking advantage of a flow-challenged at times and gun-bar heavy, but overall not-quite-up-to-speed on quality Tay Roc, Shotgun Suge edges the latter two rounds for the win in this rematch from their 2010 bout.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Head shot, spill his beans, I don’t like who he becoming!”
Recap: Lots of lyrical swordsmanship, braggadocios darts and adept punchlines in this fiery and competitive P.G. battle between Viixen The Assasin and Taylor J. The veteran Viixen, sharp with the name flips, hardbody with the heat/mayhem and nice with the personals came with it for all 3 rounds. But Taylor J, a wordplay feen who also brought with her plenty of deft metaphors and witty barbs stayed in there with some fire punches throughout the battle. Thus 3 close rounds, but outside of a debatable 2nd, with one or two more haymakers in both the 1st and 3rd rounds, Viiven gets the edge here.
Verdict: Viixen The Assasin (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Viixen The Assasin – “I been bar heavy, I been controlling a room full of bitches…before R. Kelly!”
Recap: Gotta get past a 3-minute intro, but still a riveting 1-rounder from Ruin Your Day sees the brazen punches, sizzling wordplay and mocking/witty personals from Bigg K edge the raucous, but abstract lines and sly humor from Reverse Live.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bigg K – “You fucking junkie, y’all ain’t what you make it out to be, the coolest thing you ever did was hang out with me!”
Recap: Energy-wise, Brizz Rawsteen is almost impossible to keep up with, so leave it up to a wily vet like Yung Ill to attempt to beat him bar for bar. And for while the St. Louis puncher’s strategy works, as after getting bedazzled by his opponent’s boisterous (“Smack, who is this nigger when I got more battles then…who is this nigger?!”) anecdotes, potent name flips and performance-heavy heat in the first round, a more lyrically adept, cocnsistent and (“You look like a baby male ostrich!”) witty Ill edges the 2nd round to even things up going into the 3rd. Yet despite Brizz calming down a bit and failing to match the steady ferocity of his stellar 1st round, he was still able to deliver solid turns in both the 2nd and 3rd, using the latter round to spout rich, braggadocios lines, hitting personals as well as a gang pf flinging mayhem to beat back a lyrically-bent, but mostly pedestrian turn from Ill and take the round along with the win.
Verdict: Brizz Rawsteen (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Brizz Rawsteen – “You didn’t know you could die or maybe you wanna get euthanized, well cool it’s fine, I’ll take a blade two inches wide, split you in half…Holla and Verb choosing sides!”
Recap: Versus the utter blood, guts and mayhem served up by a gun-blazing Amillion Kash, True Indeed was able to hold his own with a spicy variety of steely punchlines, fiery name flips name flips and fortified street missives…that is, until a surprising last minute choke from True gave the battle to his opponent in this 1-rounder from Kill Switch Battle League.
Verdict: Amillion Kash (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Amillion Kash – “You and your man?, the shit a banana clip, that’s a banana split, for the ice and cream, I caught him at his car door, I left his cherry on top of the whip!”
Recap: Not just relying on that real life street shit he’s known for, but also coming correct here with a boatload of mocking name flips, righteous trap talk and a gang of stinging punchlines, Eazy the Block Captain not only flexes his versatility in this 3-round, URL battle against a pretty solid and gritty Swaggtanna, but manages to dish more than enough heat (esp. during a classic 1st) to score a 30 too.
Verdict: Eazy the Block Captain (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Eazy the Block Captain – “I’ll do anything to protect my Monopoly so don’t Chance it…’cuz I’ll do another bid, the only part that I hate is intake…with the cold sandwich!”
Recap: Even if (thanks to a consistently fiery, [“I wouldn’t fuck you by mistake, you not my Type O!”] punch/gun bar-heavy and personal/name-flip-spazzing Shooney Da Rapper dishing 3 dope rounds) it wasn’t walk in the park like his last intergender match was against Ms. Hustle, O-Red’s nifty (“.38 with the rubber grip, serial on the front of it, scratch it off before I go out, it’s on my bucket list!”) wordplay, intricate schemes, fire set-ups/name flips, righteous translations and most of all, killer personals (at his opponent and equally her husband Fettuccine20, esp. during a spitfire 3rd round) are enough to edge the 2nd, before easily taking the 3rd for a hard-earned win.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 2-1
Favorite line: O-Red – “We cool, you feel me?, but you the one I do target for shit that your boo talking, true marksman, I bust in your crib with a tool barking, Shoo [shoe] will be taken off at the door, I got new carpet!”
Recap: With a bout versus Hollow da Don on deck, this GOTC: Body Snatchaz matchup against battle vet Amzilla could have easily been a trap match for Danny Myers. And tho a vigorous, aggressive, performance-zinging and (“Silencer equipped, that’s for all the shooters, it be sliding on the pole like your daughter’s future!”) punch/mayhem-heavy Amzilla would give the BarGod all he could handle for 3 rounds, thanks in part to ‘Zilla’s elongated turns, along with Danny flexing with a strong metaphor and rebuttal game, more condensed rounds with an equal amount of (“I don’t give a fuck when I catch you, I caught wreck with a few cans, I’ll let it ring at 12am, I’m checking for food stamps!”) haymakers as his opponent and fiery gun bars/name flips/punchlines throughout the battle, after a debatable 1st round it’s the highly prolific, but still dangerous Danny who edges the latter two rounds for the win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “I’m at your trap, we gonna rush through it, don’t talk about how you gonna CHECK nigga’s…just do it!”
Recap: Along with using her star power without an ounce of humility, Ms. Hustle enlists a gang of braggadocios darts, some biting name flips, witty barbs and a bunch of bruising punchlines/personals to beat back a gritty and mostly solid, but a bit flow-challenged effort from Illa in this 1-rounder from Union Battle League.
Verdict: Ms. Hustle (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ms. Hustle – “Let me guess, you a thug and you gonna talk to ne like you G’d up, nigag please, you lite-skin, you text on your stomach with your feet up!”
Recap: Yet, another ‘almost’ vic versus a top tier for Craig Lamar as the mayhem-slinging and punch-heavy Florida spitter keeps his baritone flow intact enough to make things interesting and go 1-1 into the 3rd round versus a mostly potent with the bars, but too Friday-drenched with the name flips and a bit inconsistent Young Kannon. But a better prepared YK does a number on his opponent in the deciding 3rd, using fire set-ups, some intricate wordplay, witty personals and a steady stream of righteous punchlines/gun bars to beat a solid, but shortened turn from Lamar and take the win.
Verdict: Young Kannon (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Young Kannon – “I told these lame nigga;s stay the fuck from around me, I don’t rock with impostors, these battle rappers just fake beef like Impossible Whoppers!”
Recap: Both T Top and Rum Nitty have built up such stellar and consistent careers in battle rap that the two top tier vets finally meeting up could only be a goodie. And neither disappoints here, splitting the first two rounds (Top edging the 1st before Rum came back to take the 2nd round) rounds with blistering gun bars, a shitload of banging (T Top: “Nigga you punch, I vacuum seal, we rap [wrap] different, you throw up C’s, I put up G’s, we stack different, you wear brims, I know brims, the hat different, you owe Troy, I sold boy, we SMACK different!”) punchlines, finessed wordplay/name flips, spinning (Rum: “We cool, but I’ll split ya shit, serious YNW Melly…not the one to get too friendly with!”) metaphorical bangers and some mocking personals thrown in. And Rum, coming off a spitfire, haymaker-drenched middle round, had no reason to think that yet pretty solid, lyrically acute 3rd wouldn’t put him over for the win…that is until Top came through with one of the most innovative, hilarious and personal turns you’ll ever see in battle rap, building a superly-executed hybrid between his opponent’s alleged past employment at Walmart and today’s more notorious ‘Gun Line King’. And with a barrage of witty angles, stinging punches/personals, jaunty storytelling and a Walmart vest outfitted for good measure, an altogether potent, crowd-pleasing and classic turn by T Top in the deciding 3rd gets him the win.
Verdict: T Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T Top – “Say it wit’ me ‘Self check out!’, the cashier taking all day, ‘Self check out!’ like hotels after a long stay, ‘Self check out!’ like doctor visits on an off day, ‘Self check out!’ like Tech-9 before the court date!”
Recap: Upping the ante on an already nice punch game, but also flexing with some sublime name flips, a dope 2nd round rebuttal, witty barbs and a plethora of piercing gun bars, Nunn Nunn puts together 3 straight superb rounds of consistent heat to beat back a hitting at times, but mostly lackluster Skates in this Survivor Series 3-rounder from URL.
Verdict: Nunn Nunn (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nunn Nunn – “You ain’t really G, I can’t salute you, you the Duck Hunt dog, I’m mad I can’t shoot you!”
Recap: A battle that’s actually a lot closer then what the consensus said it was before the video dropped, Dre Dennis, after getting edged in the 1st round despite a punch-heavy and real-life stirring turn that was also a bit flow-challenged, comes back with a consistently spitfire, versatile and haymaker-drenched 2nd to even things against the always loud, aggressive, scheme-heavy and (“Pal stop, you cheaper than an Outback steak, check the tracklist, white boys always out rap Dre!”) punchlines/wordplay/personally lit stylings of Mike P. A competitive battle throughout with plenty of racial banter mixed in liven things up, the deciding 3rd round would tell a different story as a solid and punch-worthy, but much less potent turn by Mike would easily be overwhelmed by another startling, hard-hitting, gun-spazzing, witty (“Dump the heat, hard to control like that piss in the morning!”) at times and ultimately fierce turn by Dre.
Verdict: Dre Dennis (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Dre Dennis – “Got my man’s with me, drama rapidly, we both ’bout to snap ‘cuz we don’t know how to act…LaLa Anthony!”
Recap: Even his opponent had to acknowledge (several times) this impressive performance by Chris Dubbs in this 1-rounder from GOTG, Dubbs, ably mixing up his punches with plenty of confidence and vigor, does enough to edge a pretty solid, but a little less consistent turn by Drugz.
Verdict: Chris Dubbs (W) 1-0
shit Favorite line: Chris Dubbs – “Nigga, check my history, shit I woulda done more than snapped, seen a mag first, my past worse than 3rd-stirng quarterbacks!
Recap: Dope PG between Piranha and Stretch Millz features a boatload of fiery bluster, stinging name flips, a hefty amount of mayhem, deft 4-bar set-ups and some wicked punchlines from each battler. And steady aggression on both sides as well as an almost equal balance of haymakers made this bout extra competitive. However, after a debatable 1st round, the edge here goes to Piranha in the latter two rounds as the Detroit spitter’s ample supply of wit added some more points to an already gritty and slightly more consistent punch-game and with more versatility overall put him over the top.
Verdict: Piranha (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Piranha – “My brand is stamped, built for the main stage, all my battles classics and bags…like plain Lays!”
Recap: Young Kannon’s 1st appearance on the KOTD stage is a successful one as the Southside Chicago rapper unloads on a solid at times and capable punching Patron with a wide and aggressive mix of righteous heat, sterling name flips, boastful barbs and fiery punchlines for all 3 rounds to earn the 30.
Verdict: Young Kannon (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Young Kannon – “I told my nigger’s to bring guns…just in case he knew Wing Chun!”
Recap: In this hilarious, but still competitive 3-rounder from iBattle, Mike P’s unorthodox rhyme stylings and proverbial gun symmetrics take on Dunsh’s witty barbs/personals and self-deprecating humor. A crowd-pleaser throughout, it’s ‘Mainstream Mike’ who edges the 1st round with more well-rounded haymakers before Dunsh drops a slew of mocking lines at his opponent’s rap patterns as well as fire punches to edge the 2nd. The deciding 3rd round, however, is a no-brainer as Mike delivers a gang of fiery and versatile punches to easily beat back a shortened, flow-challenged and much less potent turn by Dunsh.
Verdict: Mike P (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Mike P – “You a lawyer, right Dunsh? [chuk chuk] [makes hand like gun] well, beat a shell case!”
Recap: A bit of a frustrating one, what with watching Jey The Nitewing come to this battle against Ace Amin with so much fire material, but getting in his own way with a trio of stoppage’s, one debatable choke and one surefire choke. Not that Ace needed much help, the performance/bump-heavy Gooonie squad member bringing his own gang of steely street missives, hardbody punches, stifling gun bars and gritty, real life struggle narratives that would’ve kept him in the battle even if his opponent wasn’t repeatedly tripping over himself. Altogether a bout that could’ve been dope, but give the guy who came more prepared, Ace Amin, rounds 2 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Ace Amin (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ace Amin – “I’m grabbing a thing, its sad what I seen, put the cannon in King…it’s a lunch special!”
Recap: The first battle between Tay Roc and K-Shine was close and as it should be, so is the rematch. Stellar efforts from both of these vets with a versatile, witty, (“Fuck the Cave, I got 200 in a milliliter like a half pint, strap jaw, I get my clap on [claps], that’s light!”) performance-stunting and punch-heavy Shine edging the 1st round over a ridiculously gun-heavy, but slightly less potent (and too DNA-centered) Roc. It was Roc’s turn to mix it up more in the 2nd round, a sublime and well-executed turn that saw the Cave Gang captain light up the stage with more armored mayhem, but also flex with a gang of spitfire wordplay, piercing name flips and astute punchlines to beat back a pretty solid, but not as haymaker-friendly round by Shine. And just in case you wondered what got Roc so tight when Shine accused him of once being a member of his “Zip ‘Em Up” clique (an allegation that would spark their infamous brawl during the 1st 2-on-2 between Shine and DNA vs. Roc and Tsu Surf), Tay would address the issue in the 3rd. The former Dot Mobb soldier delivering a plethora of scathing (“When I got wit’ the Dot’s you was wild hatin’, I took ya spot then put the Dots on my back…Dalmatian!”) personals to address past beefs to go along with some spicy name flips/punches that worked together to beat another aggressive, scheme-friendly and gritty, but at times redundant round from Shine and give Roc the win.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Who brave? You’ll get ya wig split like I do braids, I’ll dig you a new grave, he won’t know if me or Surf cooked him, ‘ause when he saw Tay [sauté)] he got souffléd!”
Recap: Even if the backdrop on this battle is Phara Funeral only getting a shot at Charlie Clips due to her popping name, the hype around these two going at it alone still makes for an entertaining battle. And that turns out to be the case as while at times struggling a bit with her flow, Phara’s overall pallette here of spiffy (“We pass words, you push my buttons, now ain’t nuthin’ safe!”) punchlines, sporty gun bars, lofty personals, witty barbs and even a nice rebuttal game prove to be competitive, appealing and a kind reminder that Ms. Funeral isn’t just eye candy. That said, this is still Charlie Clips we’re talking about and a Clips who takes a battle seriously is almost unbeatable. So yeah, thanks in part to a Hitman Holla tag-in as well as Phara’s comeuppance in the 2nd round that allowed her to edge that round, Clips being Clips what with well versed schemes, rich storytelling yarns that had (“Two dog hoes splitting Fettuccine like Lady and the Tramp!”) Phara’s bestie extra tight, fiery punchlines and a host of scintillating personals throughput his 1st and 3rdd rounds, gets Charlie the win.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “And your pussy is chemically unbalanced, there’s a funny smell every time Phara moan!”
Recap: Well…ummm….wow. Either Danny Myers was taking on too many battles or the parallel universe version of Danny showed up here against Stuey Newton and choked for 3 rounds. That’s the only way one can call it as Danny endures what had to be the worst showing of his battle rap career, stumbling, slipping up and eventually forgetting his bars in its entirety during each of his turns. A huge disappointment considering this was URL’s first show in Stuey’s home state of Washington and a big letdown that clearly bothered Newton as well as the crowd in attendance. Of course it should be said that with a sublime fleet of head-spinning gun bars, sturdy punchlines, braggadocios shiners and blood-dipped mayhem/schemes throughout his rounds, Stuey might’ve won this one anyway. But damn that he had to get the vic this way.
Verdict: Stuey Newton (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Stuey Newton – “I’ll do this pussy foul, like ho’s who gotta spray when they pee!”
Recap: Couple of near slip-ups here and there still doesn’t stop a gritty, punch/gun-heavy and shrewdly personal Tony Gwapo from beating back a solid and lit at times, but too shortened turn from Jakkboy Maine in this 1-rounder from Body Bag Battle League.
Verdict: Tony Gwapo (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tony Gwapo – “Fuck security, I’ll let the .80 show…Matlock!”
Recap: Proving himself able to handle the big stage, but not really really wilding out on the eccentric gun bars, punchlines and rebuttals like we’re used to seeing, a B+ overall Chef Trez still manages to out punch and edge a rambunctious throughout, but less potent for the first couple of rounds Shotgun Suge. And while the Jersey rapper, performance-heavy throughout with a nice dunk on the whole Cave Gang midway in the 2nd, was able to put forth enough consistent darts to make the 3rd round debatable, besides getting beat by his opponent’s more potent display of lyricism, Suge’s inability to take full advantage of his own angle’s and personals hurt him here as well.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “He think he could kill with the post moves?!, he’s wilding, pull a box out, I’m rebounding, machete, Hack a Shaq like I keep fouling!”
Recap: In this 3-rounder from Verbal War Zone, Coffee Brown rides each of the 3 beats with ease all the while repping her hood with a boatload of wicked punchlines/personals and well-heaved boasts. On the other hand, while getting her comeback on with a spitfire, rapidly punch-heavy 3rd and a competitive (but a little erratic) 2nd, it’s a 1st round choke that ends up dooming any chance of Bonnie Godiva taking a win.
Verdict: Coffee Brown (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Coffee Brown – “Them stingy ass weaves the only time she wigging, your laces fried well done, your beautician tripping!”
