Recap: From Bar4Bar Battle League, first off credit to Chess for keeping his poise while so many in the crowd were talking while he rapped (then too, the host should get some points for at least trying to kill the noise). That being said, a pretty close, gritty and dope 1-rounder between the Young God and Casino gets edged by the latter as opposed to Chess’ hardbody round of sizzling (tho some were predictable) name flips and piercing punches, his opponent’s more versatile punch game, which included a boatload of sturdy street talk, righteous darts, mocking personals, hard storytelling bars, solid name flips and fiery punchlines would score him enough haymakers to earn the win.
Verdict: Casino (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Casino – “I don’t spar on the phone because it sound like transactions!”
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: 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: From The Smoke Room Battle League, a gritty (esp. when he was talking that hard street/gang shit), competitive and pretty solid effort from King Krash gets beat back by an ‘elite’ version of Chess. The Bronx, NY, battler using a consistent barrage of spirited gun bars, sizzling name flips, piercing set-up/punchlines, wily personals and some intricate wordplay in a haymaker-drenched turn that with no unforced errors gets him the win in this dope 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “This fella weak, I don’t respect this geek, I wrote this knowing I was gonna win like an acceptance speech!”
Recap: From The Battle Academy, scoring left and right with a bunch of hitting name flips, wily/animated punches, stinging personals, righteous heat and witty puns, but also helped by am unforced error-prone Chess (after getting edged in round 1) cutting both his 2nd and 3rd rounds short, a consistently flow ready and spicy Bill Collector earns the 30 in this mostly one-sided 3-rounder.
Verdict: Bill Colletor (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “Don’t nobody ever try to play me nigga, like Nick Cannon songs!”
Recap: From Bar You To Death Battle League, a 1-rounder between Chess and Luck Dollaz and simply put it’s hard to give the Yung Gawd the benefit of the doubt for choking here. After all, while he kept it professional showing up on the same day his baby was born, with Chess’ recent history of constsnatly slipping up and choking during battles, does he deserve a mulligan for that bar Luck’s spit? We’ll leave that to the comment section. Nonetheless, with Chess’ (tho he did have a handful of spitfire lines) failings here, it’s an easy vic for the mostly gun bar toting and consistently gritty Dollaz.
Verdict: Luck Dollaz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Luck Dollaz – “Save all that stupid shit you thought about doing for the next bro, I bought a new gun, I’ve been waiting to fucking let go, extendo, the clip curl like the end of the bread loaf!”
Recap: From URL’s Smack Vol. 11 card, continuing a long streak that’s made her one of the most dangerous opponent’s in the game, Ms. Hustle unleashes a world of havoc on Chess and never lets up. The EFB vixen absolutely stunting through 3 rounds with a variety of sublime gun bars, hard-hitting punchlines, salacious personals, boastful barbs, fiery name flips, spicy Chess slogan flips and righteous darts on Chess’ latest unforced errors that frankly speaking he probably needed to hear. As the Young Gawd, while able to display streams of gritty punches and personals (he even spouted a fly rebuttal in round 3) that kept him competitive, just couldn’t get out of his own way when it came to slip-ups throughout the battle.
Verdict: Ms. Hustle (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ms. Hustle – “I only roll with shooters, that’s in the door kicking, more clicking, you won’t it past this 4-5…dwarfism!”
Recap: From URL, Chess and T-Rex stage a 1-off to make up for that little kerfuffle they had recently at Irving Plaza and it’s a doozy. Rex with a shitload of gritty punchlines/name flips, aggressive street anthems, storied trap talk, righteous heaters and a few witty personals without a hint of any mixtape bars, definitely came to win. While Chess’ in-ya-face boasts, piercing punches/metaphors/name flips, flexing lyricism, crazy set-ups and flashy gun bars served as yet another example of the Young Gawd’s standard of excellence when he isn’t dealing with unforced errors. Competitive throughout, after the two split (had the slightly more haymaker-lit Chess taking round 1, before Rex returned the favor in round 2) the opening rounds, it’s the more punch-efficient (and effective) Chess who takes the deciding 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “I’m just here to ruffle feathers with this, if you feeling disrespectful with it, you could really get at me, Diddy and Cassie, we gonna settle this quick!”
Recap: Rapping way longer than the ‘two minutes’ he promised early on, Chess would need every bit if it. As after a pretty solid and versatile showing from an often punch-heavy Kang, the Young Gawd’s gritty combo of piercing anime bars/schemes, witty/mocking personals, some fire wordplay and hitting punchlines would prove to be just efficient enough to edge this 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Big dagger, it’s kind of brolic, where to cut?, I got a lot of options, turn Kang into a kangaroo, the way it did his stomach would be out of pocket!”
Recap: A 1-rounder from Get Money Drink Water’s Halloween Havoc card with wrestling bars as the theme, sees Chess handily get the win. The Bronx, NY vet (aka Tribal Chess) going berzerk with a barrage of killer 4-bar set-ups/punches that featured everything from grapple events, noted wrestlers, in-ring moves, referees and well-known groups when he wasn’t also offering up some other residue mayhem, leaving opponent (in what was a rematch from their previous URL battle some years back) Danny Myers with typical rage and rancor, but nothing nearly as consistently substantive on the thematic side.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Raising hell with the thing, it came with shells and a beam, start bucking in ya hood…JBL limousine!”
Recap: From URL’s ‘Civil War 4’ card, it’s definitely a close one through and through. Chess with a gang of fire name flips, righteous bars/personals, some witty darts, slick set-up/punchlines and some shots at Aye Verb (with whom he’s been engaging in an ongoing feud) certainly made his presence felt. While the relative newcomer Swervoo continued to show that he’s here to stay with a plethora of gritty punches, clever wordplay, gutsy street rhymes and mocking personals that even had his opponent impressed. Clean flow-wise with no unforced errors or rebuttals from both sides, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit Chess who edges rounds 1 and 3 (got a sublime Swervoo edging round 2) for the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Fucking with the kid done got you in trouble…Kels is pissed!”
Recap: From Gates of the Garden, Chess uses a spirited barrage of mean/witty personals, stinging name flips, lofty schemes and hard-hitting punchlines to handily beat back a gritty and pretty solid, but not as consistently steady effort from St. Louis battler LT in what was still a competitive 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “He thought the gun was fake, till he seen the shells, and got his ass shot…this ain’t a BBL!”
Recap: A 1-rounder between Tubbs and Chess from Houston Bar Code’s ‘None 5′ card ends up kind of close as Tubbs’ pertinent punches and gritty personals work to score some major haymakers until he flattened out a bit during the final third of his round. But perhaps motivated a bit at T-Rex pulling out of their rumored Summer Madness battle last minute, the ever nearly combustible Chess holds it together here and with a plethora of nasty name flips, fiery wordplay and stinging gun lines/boastful barbs delivers a much more steady performance to earn the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “For my next assault, your bro can get thrown in the water like Epson salt…and so can Tubbs!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from URL, both Chess and Mackk Myron go through small bouts of fumblitis when it came to their flows. However, the two battlers would still recover and make this battle competitive via a gang of gritty punchliness, artful boasts and piercing gun bars. But with an addition of witty punches/personals in hs arsenal as well as an ability to put up a handful of more haymakers, it’s the steadier scoring Mackk for the win.
Verdict: Mackk Myron (W) 1-0
Favorite line: M ackk Myron – “I’m a killer who popped out, you can’t beat me nigga, that mean my heart half-cold this a TV dinner!”
Recap: A mayhem-lit 3-rounder from URL’s ‘Banned’ series, Chess uses a gang of potent rank-n-file name flips, consistently raucous punches, a few solid personals, hitting wordplay and a boatload of gritty gun bars to take the first couple of rounds for the win. Before Tink Da Demon, earnest throughout with the caustic bars and name flips, but much less substantive overall with the punchlines, came back with gripping and steadily hitting 3rd to avoid the 30.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “He walked in thinking he the shit, then realized he’s number two and that’s where he gets deterred!”
Recap: From the Gates, both Chess and Wise put on dope showings during a 1-rounder that featured more than enough sizzling street bars, fiery boasts and hardbody punchlines to keep things competitive. But via a more timely efficient and versatile turn when it came to haymakers, righteous bangers and a gang of stinging wordplay, it’s the Young Gawd who takes this one in the end.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Acting like you smart, but out here doing stupid shit, like calling yourself ‘Wise’, thinking you knew some shit, I mean you could know it all, but it ain’t effective if you don’t use the shit, ‘cuz knowledge is what you know and wisdom is what you do with it!”
Recap: From No Games Battle League, a 1-rounder with some apparent We Go Hard history to it, sees Chess use a bunch of sizzling name flips, dope wordplay, pent-up mayhem and bodacious punches/personals to beat back a gritty and solid, but not nearly as steady effort from Theory Truth.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Get hospitalized, his food?, he gonna have to eat without it cooked, if I put you in a coma it’s gonna be hard for Truth to come out like when you beat around the bush!”
Recap: Chess versus rising West-coast up-n-comer Saynt had been talked about for a minute now. It was just a matter of getting the former KOTD star on URL. But I’d be lying if I didn’t think that once he finally got here, Smack would give Saynt a tune-up or two before the yung’un got to see the likes of Chess. Guess I was wrong as here they are with Saynt’s URL debut on a Traffic 5 card and for the most part it’s a goodie. Saynt, displayimng confidence throughout the battle, came through with a pretty solid effort (esp. in round 3, his best in the bout), especially scoring with fire personals, gutsy 4-bar setups and rich name flips and all-in-all made things competitive when he wasn’t stumbling a bit with his flow, slipping-up or over-extending himself with elongated turns that were often mired in subpar bars. Still, looking to finish his 2022 with a banger, Chess didn’t come to play. The Young Gawd dialing up a steady and righteous mix of heavy-handed name flips, clever wordplay, sturdy wrestling bars, fiery punchlines and hitting struggle bars/storytelling to pull out both the 1st and 2nd rounds for the win before getting edged to a more haymaker-lit Saynt in the 3rd.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “See, he really up here trying to rap with me, and that to me is like Cactus Jack on a shirt…Travis tee [travesty]!”
Recap: The look on Smack’s face when Chass was schooling opponent Saflare Soel on what it takes to be a top tier URL battler was priceless. That said, while the Maryland up-n-comer impressed and showed a lot of moxie throughout this 3-round Final Exam batlle with a boatload of stifling punchlines/name flips, gritty street shit and witty/mocking personals, the Young Gawd’s persistent variant of fly name flips, steely punches/personals, insidious narratives, self-deprecating humor and mayhem-lit wordplay allows him to take rounds 1 and 2 for the win before a slightly more potent and haymaker-rich Sole took the 3rd.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Keep the plastic in the couch, that myth about grandma soul for real!”
Recap: Where to start with this one? Well, that’s actually pretty easy. I’m in agreement with Bones Brigante and Jimz. If he hasn’t already Chess needs to make a doctor’s appointment and try to figure out WTF is going on–whether it’s acid reflex or anxiety or whatever–that’s causing him to freak out and throw up on stage. Forget that the fact that’s hindering his battles (to be fair, it’s only happened about 3 times that I can recollect), it’s Chess’ overall health that should be his number one priority. Moving on, a rematch from their competitive EBC battle back in 2018, this one was all Shotgun Suge. The Jersey-to-ATL vet taking advantage of a trio of unforced errors (i.e. breaks in play due to the aforementioned performance issues) by Chess (who did kick some spitfire bars during the opener) in round 1 as well as the frazzled Gun Titles member surprisingly stopping both his 2nd and 3rd rounds short with a steady barrage of stifling name flips, some fire wordplay, rambunctious punchlines, hard-hitting personals, witty barbs and hardbody gun lines/boasts to get a well-earned 30.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “What his life like?, I don’t understand who hyped dude, how you like dude, muthafucka we been following you since you was 15 and we never seen you graduate high school!”
Recap: Competitive, fierce and aggressive 1-rounder from The Fight-Back Arena between the always entertaining Benji Lolo and Chess goes (despite an often witty, punch-lit at times and performance-spicy effort from Benji) to the latter as the Young Gawd’s more intricate name flips/wordplay, fiery gun lines, rare rebuttals, fire set-ups and vigorous punchlines combine to outscore his opponent and earn the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Semi on my waist, I ain’t a Twitter nigga, I don’t like too many in my space!”
Recap: An aside, the way Calicoe does running commentary during an opponent’s round is just hilarious to watch. What a showman that guy is. The irony here tho (and what would contribute to Cal’s win) is just how much work Chess would give Cal to play with, especially, as we’ve seen from him plenty of times in the past, what dope freestyle game as the Detroit vet has. After all, do Cal’s ill personals (some off-the-dome, some wriiten) on Chess throwing up during battles hit as much if the Young Gawd didn’t literally throw up again here (and yes, the first round was an automatic L for Chess, because regardless if it was due to too much excitement, nerves or issues with acid reflex, severe issues with your vocals that causes you to leave a battle mid-round and take a handful of minutes to deal with them can only be chalked up to a lack of preparation). Then too, even if Chess didn’t have to leave the stage, as gritty and punch-heavy as he was during the opening round, a few subpar lines/name flips here and there by the Cake Lyfe capo combined with a slightly more condensed, storytelling-lit and scheme/punch/wordplay-spicy Cal would’ve edged the round anyway. Moving on, round 2 would be a clear win for Chess, what with a gang of piercing personals, hitting struggle bars and lucid punches that handily beat a solid, but less haymaker-lit turn from Cal. The deciding 3rd was a close one, but with Chess (who overall was pretty solid here) contributing a slip-up during the round as well as one too many punches that lacked moxie, an ever-confident Cal would use some more off-the dome theatrics and a rich combo of metaphorical bangers, hitting personals, scoring wit and straightforward, but steely vet talk to take the round for the vic.
Verdict: Calicoe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Calicoe – “He tried check me [Checkmate!], you a hundred pounds with no goons, what you got speed Chess? you getting clocked right after your move!”
Recap: Now arguably one of the top 5 performers in the game, Jakkboy Maine’s oft-electrifying execution of his bars plugged in with a vocal sound system that’d make Sgt. Larvell Jones proud has definitely helped raise his stock in battle rap. However, here in this one round Banned against Chess, while Jakk served up plenty of surreal moments (including an elastic Bronx dance move that even had his opponent showing love), an elongated turn with a little too much filler plus a more versatile, witty at times, personal/punch-heavier and wordplay/name flip spicy Chess would give the latter the win in what overall was one of the better battles from this last-minute card.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “All these made up words and never slang shit in your life?!”
Recap: Handpicked battle from actors Idris Elba and Jonathan Majors on URL, between Chess and Charlie Clips, gets its own special location at Chris Brown’s crib and as to be expected turns out to be a goodie. Clips, with a bunch of fiery schemes, witty personals/punches, piercing 4-bar setups, standout name flips and offhand jokes mostly at NuNu Nells expense, did what he does while keeping the crowd (and his opponent) entertained. On the other hand Chess, taking a minor break from going after all the ‘New Era’ battlers, does his thing with a gang of street-laced lyrical shiners, streams of intricate wordplay, brazen punchlines, hard-hitting personals and stinging schemes/mayhem. Competitive throughout, after getting slightly out-punched by Clips in round 1, the more direct and comsistently-lit Chess takes the latter two rounds for the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “You stand too close, I’m a separate ya bean like ordering a lucnch special from Spanish folk!”
Recap: Proof that we can’t just be going around calling anything a ‘classic’, spitfire all the way through, Chess versus Eazy the Block Captain on the URL Summer Madness 11 stage IS A CLASSIC. Indeed, a battle drenched in haymakers with both battlers on their A-game, I dare you to find a dry spot here, much less a single bar that even bordered on being pedestrian. That’s how crazy and competitive this battle was. Chess, aggressive, versatile, steeped in some killer wordplay, rich metaphors and sublime punchlines when he wasn’t scoring with fire name flips, elite gun bars and steady heat (esp. during a classic round 1) throughout the battle, stayed on his opponent’s neck. While Eazy, speaking greasy with that grimy Philly flow and using it to spout a gang of fiery/righteous personals, captivating (“Every time I came home it was drugs on the table, had a decision, should I cross the line?, White girl in a scary movie, I fell for it every time!”) trap/prison talk, witty barbs, head-ringing struggle bars and gritty street rhymes that was at its best during a classic round 2, showed that the hard work he put into getting on that SM stage was well worth it. Nearly equal in time during each round with no slip-ups from either side, a slightly more haymaker-lit Chess takes round 1 before Eazy returned the favor in the second round. The deciding 3rd round was appropriately even money as quantitatively both battlers brought nothing but roundhouse punches in a battle that is arguably the best we’ve seen in 2021.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Chess – “They couldn’t lock this in ’til they had my doe complete, the talk is different, you spoke to P, I spoke to Beasley!”
Recap: His 2nd round ‘dangerous ocean’ bar receiving a mulligan here, a more nuanced, consistent and condensed Chess uses a gang of stifling name flips, steely gun bars, crazy set-ups, stellar wordplay and bruising punchlines to take both of the opening rounds and beat back a dope effort from an energetic Kid Chaos, who with a boatload of adept, lyrical dexterity, fierce performance bars, lofty name flips, witty anecdotes and well-themed personals (esp. in the 3rd round, which he edged) gave his opponent all he could handle. Indeed, this URL/Super Fight 4 battle, competitive and close throughout, would live up to the hype after the two battlers had a very memorable and captivating Faceoff.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Your name Kid Chaos…I was the kid causing it!”
Recap: Expanding the vocabulary and the metaphors, while delivering a righteous round of flexing punchlines, ill set-ups, some spicy name flips and rigid wordplay/personals/gun bars, Chess does more than enough to take ouyt a gritty, but mostly mediocre punching Spaz Mayweather in this 1-rounder from Organyzed Cryme Battle League.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Extendo’s…I put that on every toy like ‘Made In China’!”
Recap: Dope URL App exclusive battle here between Chess and Loso features a gang of blistering name flips from both battlers to go along with some righteous personals, wily angles, unfettered Christian-themed darts and piercing punchlines that altogether kept the battle ultra-close for 3 rounds. Each battler extolling on Chess’ memorable win over Loso’s 4 Horseman bro Th3 Saga some years back added some extra spice to the battle. And Loso’s passionate bars on his family’s struggles with certain vices and how they helped shape him as a man, were also gripping. That said, while Loso being a ‘fake Christian’ (as Chess alleged during one of his rounds) is hard to fathom, assisted a bit by Loso attempting to get virtuous with his opponent in an indignant manner that K-Shine pulled off better during his battle with Chess, the CakeLyfe capo’s ability to get extra busy with some sublime wordplay throughout the bout much less present a more cohesive package with his bars allows Chess to edge an exquisite and punch-heavy round 1, before a more set-up rich, spirited and supremely well-arched 2nd by the 22yo allows him to edge that round too for the win. A pontificating, but more consistently hitting Loso would edge the final 3rd round to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Ya man talkin’? I’ma hook his jaw, then I’m checking Lo’s [Lowes] like Home Depot ain’t have what I was lookin’ for!”
Recap: A battle years in the making (and closer than a lot of people have given it credit for), a righteous talking to from K-Shine in round 2 gives the NWX capo the win in this spirited bout versus Chess. The two battlers, who have been forever linked due to them both battle rapping from a very young age, a similarity in styles and course, the near fisticuffs that was produced between the two at Summer Madness, definitely brought their A-games to the battle with Chess getting busy throughout via gritty punchlines, some exquisite wordplay and lucid gun bars/name flips and a performance-heavy Shine doing his thing with more direct personals, fiery schemes, boastful barbs and piercing punches/name flips/gun bars. That said, it’s a more condensed, versatile and gripping Shine who takes both of the opening rounds for the win before a more haymaker-lit Chess snatches up the 3rd to avoid the 30.
Verdict: K-Shine (W) 2-1
Favorite line: K-Shine – “You’d rather place the blame ’cause you got a lane that you ain’t pursuin’, it’s URL, Shine – even yesterday, JayBlac, the stre…everybody but Chess!, nigga, you ain’t influenced, quit playin’ stupid, stop pointin’ your finger and put that boom box on your shoulder, you gotta face the music!”
Recap: With battlers choking and slipping-up left and right, lack of preparation has been a common narrative in 2020 battle rap. Well, now feel free to add Chess versus B. Magic to the mix. Granted, no actual chokes appeared here, but in a battle that saw Chess deliver some spitfire name flips/punches during a stellar 1st round (undoubtedly Magic, steady, punch/wordplay-heavy and solid throughout, had a dope 1st too, yet not as potent), but then struggle with his flow, slip-up here and there and end up having to shorten both his round 2 and 3, thus losing this match to a beatable opponent, is it safe to say that this one will also make the WTF?!? rants from both bloggers and fans alike?
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Talking bad to O’fficial nigga’s, the Tek be out, this bitch fat, you get the picture…Chess [chest] be out!”
Recap: One of the best anglers in the game and the 1st battle rapper to call out (even tho he’d do it himself later) dudes who use ‘chest’ instead of ‘Chess’ when using name flips against his opponent, a super confident John John Da Don does his research and uses a superbly-executed mix of gripping/witty personals, fiery set-ups/schemes, nifty wordplay and righteous punchlines for 3 rounds to beat back a solid and gun-lit throughout, but sometimes flow-challenged, pedestrian and seemingly even overwhelmed at times Chess in this Genesis battle from URL.
Verdict: John John Da Don (W) 3-0
Favorite line: John John Da Don – “Be honest fam, Steams or Tay Roc, who’s your true leader?, look at him, having flashbacks, forced to make a bold decision because he couldn’t eat without those 2 liters [leaders]!”
Recap: Fire battle on URL between a couple of lyrical swordsman, Chess and O-Red, goes down to the wire as a draw even tho it included a perfectly-executed, name flip expansive and punch-heavy 2nd-round by Chess as throughout the bout the slightly more consistently spicy, wordplay-bent and slick-punching O-Red refused to give an inch. Indeed, if not for the usually gritty, gun bar-heavy and intuitive Chess showing off a side of himself, we don’t often get to see in battles, his wit, versus a steadily cooking and haymaker-dropping Red in round 1, the opener would not have been a debatable. And with Red dropping more of the same consistent heat in the middle round, an aforementioned classic turn by Chess is the only reason he was able to edge round 2. Finally, in round 3, with Red dropping even more (“Think vending machines when the .38 pop, I load a few rounds, push my buttons, I’ll let it spin till a Cake drop!”) gems back-to-back, while getting even more deft with the vocabulary, boasts and personals, Chess, while still delivering a pretty solid and raucous turn, just couldn’t keep up with the efficiency coming from his opponent’s pen, thus giving O the round and making this one a debatable.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Chess – “The clip funny, it got a mind of its own, it’s schizo, like elephants, the long nose cling out the trunk, but the wide nose coming out the hip, O [hippo]!”
Recap: With Tori Doe it’s never really been a question about ability. As Doe’s highlight reel would surely attest to, when the Harlem emcee is on top of her game, she can spit hot punchlines and stinging wordplay with the best of them and that’s probably what earned her this battle with Chess. But what also almost always comes into play with a Tori Doe battle is effort or lack thereof and once again her lack of preparation continues to be her kryptonite as after a flexing, (“Guess I am a dirty little bitch, ‘cuz I’ll [points arm out like gun] get a nigga hit before I let a nigga hit!”) spitfire turn in the 1st round (that only got edged by a more heavy-handed on the punches and condensed turn by her opponent), in what might have been her biggest battle yet, Doe proceeds to let the fans down with a solid, but shortened 2nd round before literally giving up her 3rd round midway in lieu of a minor slip-up. And while Doe disappointed again, a confident, at times belittling (“My gun, just like Tori, mad pretty, but got a nasty bang! to go with it!”), raucous, name flip spazzing, scheme-heavy and flexing with the punchlines throughout Chess just stayed consistently nice with his, scoring a 3-0 in his first intergender match and coming out with nary a scar.
Verdict: Chess (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chess – “I ain’t gonna talk about you aborting your child ‘cuz maybe you just wasn’t ready, but don’t talk like you could son me when you couldn’t even do that for the one in your belly!”
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: Gee whiz, the way Chess kept reacting angrily (nevermind the fact that he was all up in Danny’s grill and touching him while he rapped multiple times throughout the battle) to Danny Myers’ aggression early on in this crazy dope URL Born Legacy 8 battle, you’d think the yung’n had never seen a ‘Bar God’ battle and thus wasn’t familiar with Danny’s energy and exuberance on stage. Nonetheless, besides the near scuffle in round 2, a couple of minor slip-ups by Danny in the 3rd round and Chess with elongated turns in both of the opening rounds would be the only hiccups in this bout. Indeed, besides his battles versus O-Red and Rum Nitty, can’t recall Danny punching with better consistency then he does here with plenty of versatility (not including one too many shots at Tay Roc and Cave Gang) to match, not to mention a bunch of banging name flips, some nice rebuttals and the usual assortment of rigid mayhem, parallel universe screeds and fiery gun bars with a flexing performance to up the ante. Still, Chess was just too much here. The CakeLyfe capo never missing a beat along the way with stinging personals on Myers’ well-noted family drama, a spitfire rebuttal in round 2, a sublime twist to his opponent’s parallel universe in round 3, dope punchlines/schemes and steely wordplay/gun bars to edge rounds 2 and 3 after a more condensed and nearly flawless Myers edged the opener.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “He gon’ talk like he this wild vet ‘cause he was battlin’ on street corners and in lunchrooms, nigga, how you think they found Chess?!, somewhere in the fuckin’ slums, catchin’ wild wreck!, performin’ before there was even a crowd yet…like sound check!”
Recap: Take out a clear round 1 win for a more intricate and condensed Chess and you’re left with a spitfire and highly competitive battle here against Bad Newz. Not that Newz had a bad opening round, but by upping the ante and matching his standard aggression with just-as-loaded bar efficiency via a shitload of piercing/boastful punches, rigid gun bars, head-ringing (“I’ll have my little nigga’s distract ya and while they confuse ya, I’ll squeeze on Chess [chest] from the back like the Heimlich maneuver!”) mayhem and gritty personals, the newest member of Tay Roc’s Cave Gang squad was able to validate making the cut. Still, for all of Bad Newz’ determination and grit, Chess was still Chess–the young Bronx spitter brimming with confident throughout his rounds while remaining resolute when it came to dishing more intricate punchlines, fiery name flips, rich anecdotes, stifling wordplay and steely (“I am not here to battle you, I’m just to make sure you get talked right, “I’m just giving Bad game like an off night!”) darts without missing a beat. That said, despite a highly potent turn by Newz in the 2nd, a near perfect, haymaker-drenched round by Chess edges him the round before an emotionally fire, but also hardbody round by Newz earns him in a draw in the 3rd against a still consistently prodigious Chess.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “You like pushing on nigga’s in battles?, that’s cool, you facing Chess like my first time playing Chess…don’t be surprised if I make Bad move!”
Recap: An astute ability to dish a wide load of fire 4-bar set-ups/punchlines, ringing gun bars and sizzling name flips has always kept the performance-heavy Jerry Wess in every battle he’s been in so far, thus making him a proven commodity for bigger stages on talent alone. That said, Wess doesn’t lose this dope and competitive matchup against Chess as much as his opponent’s ability to showcase a more versatile display of hitting punchlines, flexing schemes, visceral mayhem/boasts, dicey personals, lofty heat and more intricate wordplay allowed the newest Cave Gang member to stay in the bout, even when out-punched and force a debatable 2nd and 3rd rounds after taking the 1st with more potency to his raps as well as some filler bars from Wess. And for Chess, after recent bouts with his flow that caused him to look very minuscule in a couple of battles, managing to get back on his grind with nary a slip-up here, much less any room for error against an opponent on his A-game, is something he should be very grateful for.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “I’m just here, giving the fade…ambre!, drag this nigga, bounce his head…Stronjay!”
Recap: Superb efforts by both Chess and Geechi Gotti in this URL Born Legacy 6 battle makes this one a must-see as well as one of the top battles to take place in 2019. Chess, back on his grind with nary a slip-up, gets back to his old self with a gritty fleet of fiery schemes (esp. during a standout round 2 which earned him a debatable there), flashy gun bars, plenty of boastful darts, steely mayhem and fierce punchlines. On the other hand, an ever-confident Gotti delivered a slew of witty and mocking personals on his opponent’s recent struggles with choking when he wasn’t dishing righteous sermons on street drama that could only come from an O.G., scintillating verbal heat, rich storytelling and pointed punches. Add some in-ya-face aggression, sizzling wordplay and a fired-up crowd that was into every bar and you’re left with a highly competitive battle that had a slightly more versatile and more haymaker-lit Gotti taking the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: Geechi Gottu (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Now listen, at 15 you was on SMACK doin’ big things, at 15 I was just tryin’ to make it to 16!”
Recap: Can it get any worse for Chess? Stumbling left and right and choking all three rounds during this Verbal War Zone battle over beats against Fire Da Misfit, who amazingly enough anticipated, over and over again, that his opponent would in fact choke. Still, for all of Chess’ miscues, FDM can still take pride in the fact that his dope cadence, fiery bully bars, stifling performance and rapid punchline pedigree were all so nice that no one could certainly blame him for ‘ruining’ any footage. But damn if Chess’ skill set hasn’t fallen so much that you start to wonder if he’ll ever get it back.
Verdict: Fire Da Misfit (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Fire Da Misfit – “That’s cool, let me show you how my hood do, the .50 give you the ‘L’ like Roman numerals!”
Recap: Ever gritty, aggressive and nice with the 4-bar set-ups, Ish Mulah’s penchant for redundant themes and filler always seem to get in the way when it comes to his win/loss column. But here, in what had to be a pretty motivating battle versus Chess, we see Mulah for the most part dump the pedestrian kill shots, get more consistent with the pen, up his bar efficiency and deliver a superb, punch-lit, gritty and gun-spazzing/name-flip unloading 1st round, before with the help of a slip-up from his opponent, also taking the deciding 3rd round with another raucous turn that was also more expansive when it came to haymakers. Chess, who was never quite on his A-game throughout this battle, still managed to dish 3 pretty solid, condensed, more personal-heavy, throughout and intricate turns to keep things competitive and almost get the win.
Verdict: Ish Mulah (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ish Mulah – “He Crip-affiliated?, I’ll get him milked for nuthin’…WIC checks!”
Recap: Apparently back on his grind after recent bouts with choking, an almost flawless-with-the-flow Chess does his part, in this electric Banned battle versus Nu Jerzey Twork, to deliver a punch-heavy, (“Basically, I’m comin’ at (@) him, he strapped in!?, I’ll SMASH in…both his hands wit’ a hammer!, how he gon’ use his strap, then!?”) wordplay-spazzing and mayhem-dishing (esp, during a rousing and almost flawless 2nd round) performance that the College of Kicking Doors Down can only appreciate. Too bad for Chess, except for a shortened 2nd round that helped his opponent tie things up after he took the first, NJT was on his A-game too, the big man rocking the crowd in the 1st and 3rd rounds with a steady stream of steely punchlines, fierce name flips, raucous (“Your life’s ending, pipe lifting, eyes squinting, light-skinneded [Bang!] till there’s no more left then the right kickin’n [Bang!], now there’s one more left for the nice Smith n’, Shine on Chess [chest], ice pendant [Bang!] steel [still] get off…white privilege!”) gun bars and fiending anecdotes that were all backed by a spitfire performance to earn the win.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “I’m at ya crib…if he in there sleepin’ peaceful, then he in for a rude awakenin’!, big shit!, I’m sittin’ by the bed while he snoozin’, waitin’, sniper rifle: bird eyes on Chess [chest] like a Hooters waitress!”
Recap: A gritty and witty Shotgun Suge versus a lyrically bent and punch-heavy Chess on an EBC 2 card that while featuring none of the bells and whistles that comes with a Smack stage, still was a dope and competitive match. A fiery, more condensed, personal-savvy and consistently (“Like you palming the ratchet?, I don’t buy that shit like pork grinds!”) potent Suge edged round 1, before a debatable 2nd saw Chess get more versatile with the punches/set-ups and performance-heavy with his–enough to match a hard and comical turn by Suge in which the Jersey rapper continued to make light of Chess’ penchant for so-called ‘struggle bars’. With Suge still up a round going into the 3rd, Chess stayed on kill mode, dishing heat with steady real-life experiences in his lines, some fire wordplay and other worthy darts to edge what was another solid and condensed, but not quite-as-nice turn from Suge.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Chess – “I’m Tom Shepard in a shootout, they gonna be mad when I put on…Jersey!”
Recap: The irony of Chess still being so young, but having such long-standing employment in the game that he can give up-n-comers a shot isn’t lost here as he faces off with relative newbie Zay Smoove in this 1-rounder from Gates of the Garden. And while going overboard on the mayhem and rapping almost twice as long as his opponent, Smoove makes the most of his shot with a handful of ringing haymakers and hitting personals that will probably get him some views from the higher-ups in battle rap. Still, once again proving that his long battle with choking is complete, during his turn Chess offers up a clean and turn of fiery name flips, stunted wordplay and jaunty punchlines that with more than enough haymakers mixed in, easily beats back Zay Smoove’s aggressive, but oft-porous heat.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “I did premeditate stabbing this nigga…let’s just say I STUCK to the plan!”
Recap: Sticking to a gameplan of staying condensed with his bars as well as displaying fiery (“This shit trips me out, how can you hate on a fellow black man!”) wit throughout the battle, Glueazy survives Chess’ more potent (“He gonna talk about me choking nigga…till [puts hands up like a choke] I’m choking nigga’s!”) heat in the 1st, before edging round two with a more undiluted turn that featured a load of wicked (“Bitch, my heat will spark, I egt to dumping with the Smif’n, and make the Cakes fall like I’m jumping in the kitchen!”) punches and taking the deciding 3rd thanks in part to too many slip-ups from his otherwise pretty (“The plan was to duck-tape Glu [glue] and I’m a stick to it!”) solid opponent.
Verdict: Glueazy (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Glueazy – “Danny told y’all I had a black son, well won’t be the first time I raised something that wasn’t mine!”
Recap: Mexican bars are something you gotta deal with. And if you’re vet like Chess, while you probably wasn’t expecting much from a relative newbie, for a versatile Don Marino, hitting on all cylinders, from righteous (“We used to fuck with you ‘cuz we heard the struggle in your bars, now we don’t fuck with you ‘cuz we hear you struggle with your bars!”) personals to potent punches, it’s a worthy chance to prove yourself against a stalwart opponent. Which he certainly did throughout his one round to pull off the upset. On the other hand, for Chess, even with the loss, coming off a long bout with Earl, a solid (“Who gonna play the field for you when I pick up 9’s and bag your bitch like pick-up lines!”) showing with no unforced errors here, lets us know that he’s not done just yet.
Verdict: Don Marino (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Don Marino – “Let me guess, you used to ride around with something illegal, I ride around with someone illegal!”
Recap: You’d think that most objective battle rap fans would put Chess in their Top 10 for best lyricists, as even while struggling so much with his flow here, his overall palette was impeccable. Still, this battle rap and stumbles, slip-ups, chokes…well, they all matter. As they should. And lately, it’s becoming too much of a problem for Chess. And while, some could say that with Chef Trez spazzing, clearly on his A-game while spouting a potent [“…9, .44…Tyrese nigger, what more do you want from me!”) ‘3 of dem things’ in a ridiculous 2nd, I’d say that if not for Chess struggling with his flow at times in the first, he would’ve at least been able to edge the 1st round despite Trez’s opening round (“…he struggling to breathe? [hiccups] sound like I’m in his rounds when he fucking up!”) comeuppance and we would’ve had a tie going into the 3rd as overall, Chess spat slightly better (“30 shooting at homes like Steph playing in the Oracle…I like Trez tho, I know he pussy, but his aura cool [oracle]!”; “Step back or get a wet back [wetback]…immigration!”) bars and showed a little more versatility than his opponent did. Of course, there’s no excuse for Chess choking in the 3rd, a round he probably would’ve lost anyway what with his slow start and yet another (“You speak brave, you from the PJs, you got a lot of lip!”) spitfire turn from Trez. But moving forward I’d still recommend Chess work on shortening his rounds to avoid the slip-ups and let’s definitely not give K-Shine’s constant interruptions a front row seat.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Gun butt him, leave a kid with the shitface…he the seed of Chucky!”
Recap: Tough one-rounder between Chess and (“You let a breakdancer off you dog, it’s bad when a breaker break a nigger, it ain’t a walkie-talkie call!”) Ty Law sees both battlers come heavy with the punches throughout their rounds. Yet, despite a near choke towards the end of his turn, (“If I catch him in his whip, the weapon will clap 8, leave Law smoking in that van like the detectives in Half Baked!”) Chess survives with a more condensed and consistently nice turn that just edges his opponent’s less potent artillery.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “I don’t look like the blade type?, Y’all think I won’t cut a person?, until I grab the gem and I [Gemini] become a whole ‘nother person!”
Recap: Confidently smashing his way to a total dismantling, for 3 rounds JC flexes on a seriously flow-challenged, but otherwise solid Chess with a righteous palette of stifling (“Jump stupid [raises arm like a shotgun], get violent, the pump gonna sit him down in the air like you zip-lining!”) gun bars, fierce braggadocio (“Shit, these ain’t words, I know nigga’s that can make it happen now, have you act it out, [but] he survived, but now he got real struggle shit to rap about!”) lines, searing wordplay and wicked personals. For the battle-tested JC, it’s a rich combo that may finally warrant that long wanton match against Loaded Lux. For Chess, embarrassingly choking away his 3rd round after a slip-up prone 2nd, even with a highly (“To beat Chess, you gonna have to take me out of the game, Glock .40, if I take it out he gonna get flamed, I’ll have a ratchet beating on him like ‘Baby, I can explain!'”) competitive 1st, overall it’s such a bad look that it could be time to consider removing him from the starting lineup.
Verdict: JC (W) 3-0
Favorite line: JC – “I got the shovel at the plot for you and I’m digging up dirt like I’m prosecuting, get them all in tact, ain’t no calling back, the only thing you will ever get from my history are body’s…and those are the facts [artifacts]!”
Recap: Old school and the new generation intertwine for a fire battle between Chess and Tay Roc on the URL/Smack stage. And here we see the two battlers give the fan’s their money’s worth starting with an aggressive Chess spitting a lyrically mammoth 1st round (i.e. classic) that shined throughout with its consistent bent for over-the-top punch (“This nigga’s pussy and he’s a frail ho, talking like he’s gonna creep up with his heater, hell no, we ain’t seen Roc put an arm on Chess [chest] since the People’s Elbow!”) acumen, grittiness and stinging wordplay, before Roc (who himself had a pretty solid 1st round) would come right back, after losing the opening round, with a sometimes witty, but brazen with the personals, (“You can’t handle that old Roc that was a teenager, I’ll put ya face in front of a MAC, that’s a screensaver!”) punchline-savvy and gun bar heavy 2nd round to beat a solid but not as potent turn by Chess and make it a draw going into the 3rd. The last round would feature yet another hard-bodied, mayhem-drenched, street endorsed, sometimes personal, braggadocios and rigid turn by both battlers. But with an equal amount of haymakers on both sides along with Roc dishing a more condensed turn with less dry spots, the edge here goes to the B-more vet.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “My block? you would never dare pass, .38 and it hold dum dums, this a special ed class, aye they ain’t tell you my style type gutter?, give you a buck 50, now you and Steams can smile like brothers!”
Recap:NOME 6 matchup between Chess and Ave contains almost all the formalities needed for a standout battle: 3 close, competing rounds, a classic 1st round from Ave, relentless punchlines after punchlines, well-loaded gun bars, fiery name flips, aggressive performances and stinging personals that weren’t just limited to each other, but other battler’s as well. Chess, confident and gritty from jump with not only the aforementioned palette mixed in his raps, but also a wide load of young nigga strife and well-versed struggle bars, would make Ave work for his throughout this battle. The young God coming through with a spitfire and (“He gave Mike P the butt of the .50, so he could see how Vivica feel, well this 50 got a Best Friend, he’s singin’ with Olivia still!”) seismic 2nd round after a pretty solid effort in the 1st, that just didn’t have near enough consistency and potency to beat back a haymaker-drenched turn by his opponent. Tied going into the 3rd round, both battlers would turn up the heat, punching with dizzying efficiency, boastful barbs and spicy personals that kept the bout suspenseful. But a surprisingly more condensed Ave would prove to be better in the end, taking the round with a just-as-versatile and steadier turn that was also more lit on (“That gun play ain’t just chatter, I will clap that fucker, come out the Cave wit’ the trey [tray], I feel like Batman butler!”) haymakers.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “How he gon’ beat me?, ‘cuz if he disrespecting space in-between us, he gon’ see more than my punches on these stages, the meanest, I’m finna show this, if I hit him in his face they ain’t swingers, niggas soft behind the counter, he like Ace at the cleaners!”
Recap: Chess versus Th3 Saga is like an hour long, but worth about every minute, especially if you appreciate not only a dope, competitive rap battle, but in this case the underlying themes of young, intellectual, urban street ethos vs. spiritual-laden Hip-Hop (sorta) elder statesman with a loaded dose of introspection to the bars. Then too, this battle stands out for presenting a rare case of having not just one, but two classic rounds in it. First, there’s Saga’s mega-lit 1st, an explosive turn that was littered with spicy faith-based punches and a load of head-ringing (“Steams, just make sure your man is good, boy my etiquette’s nice!”; “Pound Chess and throw him the deuce…Sammy Sosa!”) haymakers, making it not only a memorable turn, but unfortunately for Saga, a round so spitfire that he would have a hard time repeating as the battle proceeded.
And while, the ever-lyrical Chess came through with an opening round that contained enough (“A clip from these ratchets dumping will fuck you for life, like two girls with one cup!”) heaters to beat most opponent rounds, in this case there was just no way he’d have enough to overtake Saga’s unbridled heat. Round two saw Saga continue to bring it, tossing out real-life (“Talking about I don’t know the struggle when I was raised from it!”) shiners and fire schemes with focused abandon, but also an elongated turn that had a little more filler than his 1st. However, this wouldn’t matter in the long run as Chess would offer his own version of a classic round, actually getting better as the proceeded as proven here via a barrage of wicked (“Get dog-tagged, we’ll see who’s on top of the food chain when this man is neck-less [necklace]!”) wordplay, in-ya-face smack talk, witty barbs, steely (“Saga, why we gotta die to see heaven?”) rebuttals to his opponent’s spiritual-leaning adages and percipient dalliances on the (“Cutting squares out of the towel just to make extra washcloth’s!”) struggles within AnyHood, USA.
A highly competitive and spitfire battle going into the 3rd, while Saga again proved formidable in the final and deciding round with a solid showing of fiery (“Act up, and I’ll black and drag dog in a round like he stole from Martin!”) punchlines and potent darts, the Christian battle rapper would hurt himself a bit when he became too redundant with his themes ane too flagrant with his non sequitur’s (like comparing Chess’ rap style to Steams). On the other hand, Chess consistently stayed on point in round 3, mixing in some fire wit and personals themed around how much he didn’t want this battle, but more importantly, scoring endlessly with potent gun bars, gritty (“Fucking jerk-off, you really feeling yourself too much, you really willing to die for nothing!?!”) set-ups and more of that dope (“Nigga’s always swear they talk to me, but nobody see’s me, I’m an imaginary friend!”) wordplay to earn the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Get all 3 of y’all, bury DNA then replace T with K, that’s what I do to a bird, man [Birdman] respek [respect] it!”
Recap: Exuding the confidence, swag and filthy bars for which the league is known, Chess and Jay Balla give you yet another dope battle from We Go Hard. Jay is solid throughout his one round, dishing fierce (“I’ll put this pound on Chess [chest] like I’m finished peacing my niggas!”) performance bars, lucid name flips, an on-point Chess impression and delicious (“You ain’t got no guns, this shit is about to get drastic, it’s bad here, your hat off is Summer Madness!”; “But I seen you on Facebook, Cuf daddy!…you be fighting for your bitch, huh? Lil’ Scrappy!”) personals/jokes that landed with heat. If Jay may’ve faltered any, it was only due to a little filler here and there and too many bars not directed at his opponent. On the other hand Chess was well…Chess, delivering a sweeping panoramic palette of searing (“Who you got after Jay?, Reed [J. Reid] I hope he ain’t no cop!”) wordplay, quixotic (“And this blast’s for him, 59/50 I’m the New Era, so it’s nothing for me to tag a brim!”) punchlines and gripping (“Hey, I’m here to crush every dream this fucking fella got, you wanna bet your gwap?, I’ll hurl a blade and open Jay like na uncontested shot!”) haymakers that literally had the crowd jumping. These bars from Chess? An inferno.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “It’s a massacre, have your family looking at you in a casket bra, they lined over your box like previous days in a calendar!”
Recap: After a subpar performance during his first battle on URL against John John da Don, Reed Dollaz returns to the scene with a much better showing here against Chess. Still, while Reed uses a gang of potent bars, braggadocio personals and some lucid (“Knock the gigs out’cha brain, leave the streets full of data!”; “Bullets hitting brick walls, trust me, it’ll go through, you don’t know the shooters, but nigga the shooters know you!”) gun lines to get his rep back and make this battle close (I got him edging round one thanks in part to Chess twice as long as him, thus a better bar quotient), too many outdated bars, a pedestrian 3rd round and the choice to lamely go into professional rapper mode midway in the 2nd, ends up hurting the Philly legend and thus overall, handing this battle to Chess. The latter who it should be stated once again, too often hurts himself with elongated rounds. Still, the understated wit, fierce (“Spend dollars on dollars, I’ll put a Check Up on him like a worried friend!”) wordplay, flippant (“Ghetto nigga side shot, look like I’m having trouble opening the car door!”) punches, an ill personals/performance, etc., altogether with his opponent’s shortcomings, gives the yung’un yet another pass.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “The old slammie, just like Reed, it got a rusty pen!”
Recap: Despite struggling at times with his flow, a sleepy-eyed Dutch Montega still managed to kick some formidable rhymes before running out of gas and finally choking in the 3rd. Of course, Chess being Chess, here dispensing standout set-ups/metaphors with filthy punches throughout his 3 rounds, all with relative ease, even if Dutch had brought his A-game, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
Verdict: Chess (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Keep blasting, jamming his can like jail music!”
Recap: A couple of We Go Hard’s brightest stars, Chess and Dougy, leave it all on the floor and put forth an epic show, both battlers using fiery (Chess: “Head tap, get one shot like you can’t do it over!”) gun lines, boastful (Dougy: “Cross both arms and box Chess, that’s a casket!”) punches, aggressive performance bars, sturdy name flips, gritty (Dougy: “You from the Bronx, right?, well if my hand cock the jawn, I’m a flatline Chess right next to the X with my signature arm, grab on him, it’s a grip in my palm, then dab on him, he get hit with the arm!”) street darts, potent (Chess: “I can lightly black on bodies, I’m two-toned!”) wordplay and even some spicy personals to make for a close and competitive showing during all 3 rounds. Still, for all the surplus in bar efficiency, mutual respect for each other’s pen and Gwitty and Steams in the crowd competing with each other for best reaction’s, it’s really not too hard to call a winner as for all of Chess’ grit and charming parlance, a confident and less flow-challenged Dougy just landed more haymakers in the 1st and 2nd rounds to seal the win, before Chess salvaged the 3rd with a much stronger turn there.
Verdict: Dougy (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Dougy – “Two different demeanor’s, you thinking about homework, I’m thinking about some new work…A Boogie daydreaming in the cleaners!”
Recap: Chess pulls off an impressive road win, squaring up on this West-coast URL Traffic card against a very solid and punch-centric Rum Nitty, with an aggressive and noteworthy performance that was littered with clandestine wordplay (‘think about it’), potent punchlines, righteous (“That trey-fine, in L.A., like I’m holding Blake Griffin!”) gun bars and ferocious set-ups. It’s enough to take rounds 1 and 3, the yung’un only getting edged in the 2nd round (despite a handful of haymakers) due to a slow start and a more consistent and fiery (“I look at you and still see food…Jameis Winston!”) Rum.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “The head shot was unreal like a fake I.D.!”
Recap: Bar snobs will delight in this one as Chess and Brooklyn Carter go toe-to-toe for 3 rounds with a wide load of gripping punchlines, rich wordplay and steady performance bars. Both brought plenty of heat with Chess winning the crowd over and over with fiery lines like “Split this guy in parts, use body parts for souvenirs” and “You hype now?, Mario game, pipe down!” Still, the always animated Carter held his own, relishing in urban (“I do bids, think grandma going to bed, how I remove wig”) theatrics while making his comeuppance (“What you know about your moms asking what you want to eat nigga…and never coming back from the store!?’) readily known throughout the battle. Close and competitive battle throughout with little personals, the difference came down to Chess being more condensed and consistent with his bars while Carter took too long with some of his set-ups/angles, especially in rounds 1 and 2.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Silly rabbit, I go stupid hare [here]’
Recap: First, no slip-ups on Chess during his round one considering the kid only stopped because he was sick and all. Secondly, dope battle. Chess did his thing on the big stage, landing plenty of wicked jabs, punchlines and rich (“Put the guns up. I got several, I palm metal, the .9 get you, let two bust [bus] in the same spot, that’s MTA behind schedule”) bars on DNA the PG Killer with utter confidence throughout. Still, for all of Chess’ comeuppance, during the first couple of rounds DNA did him one better, edging both rounds with dope performance (“I’mma use the right hand on Chess, that’s the pledge of allegiance”) bars, witty (“You couldn’t beat Top rhyming, so why y’all souping him up?!”) personals, strong (“I’ll knock a ‘G’ down for acting G’d up, I love Gucci!”) wordplay and a couple of slick (“My gun got a mind of its own, it be letting off 8 rounds, some retarded shit, I’m calling it A-Town!”) haymakers. And thank goodness too because Chess’ 3rd round was a straight-up classic, (“Double barrel to his face, look like he was using binoculars!”) haymaker after (“You from the school of hard knocks?, I’m from the college of kicking doors down!”) haymaker combined with a superb performance/delivery and exquisite wordplay that served as yet another reminder of just how talented this kid is. Nice tutorial session from DNA in the 3rd (with a cameo appearance from the infamous Professor Shine), but after taking it on the chin during Chess’ 3rd, DNA should be glad he outscored his opponent often enough in the early rounds and was able to get outta there with a win–respect the youth indeed.
Verdict: DNA (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Open-mic, poets night, I like to snap, keep the ratchet under the bed like wifey back!’
Recap: In what one could guess is one of the lamest angles ever attempted in battle rap history, Billy Bars decided that it would be ‘bright’ to build his round around Chess’ moniker with literal (“…and we’re running late to the next class”) schoolyard rhymes that were elementary at best, that he somehow thought were hype and had to leave your head shaking on how he got this battle in the first place. And yeah, he used ‘Leave it to Beaver’ in a bar…ummm yeah, this was just bad. Or better yet, only watch it for Chess’ steely (“My machete turns 6-feet nigga’s to 4’4″!”) urban dynamics–thank goodness he went first.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “I’m a send your silly ass down Gwitty path…Paper trail!”
