No Bias. No Narratives.
Recap: Colorful and graphic with the mayhem, crazy with the name flips, rambunctious with the gun bars and spazzing with a gang of spicy set-ups/punchlines, despite a mostly solid and punch-lit effort from opponent Born, a more consistently stifling and flow steady Mackk Myron does enough to take all three rounds for the win in this KOTD S1 playoffs round 1 matchup.
Verdict: Mackk Myron (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Mackk Myron – “The strap black, ugly as ever…One More Chance!”
Recap: Seen better overall bouts from both battlers, but this rematch between Born and Xcel at KOTD’s Season 1 tourney is still a goodie with plenty of spicy lyrical burners, standout personals, stunted wordplay/braggadocios lines and fiery 4-bar punches reigning galore. But after losing round 1 while struggling a bit with his flow, Xcel gets it together in the latter two rounds with more consistently hitting darts to gain the win.
Verdict: Xcel (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Xcel – “Talking about you airing a Ruger, this nigga wouldn’t draw if he was Aaron McGruder!”
Recap: Even when he’s punching at his best, Born can often be his own worst enemy. Indeed, as seen here in this URL/Banned Legacy battle vs. Joe, the Bronx vet displayed why when he’s on he can be one of the best punchlines feens in the game. But then, for every highlight there’s immediate reminders of why Born’s battle rap career has been so topsy-turvy. And no, in this case he didn’t choke, Instead, there’s questionable wordplay like comparing himself to a ‘rapist’ to deliver a punch in round 2 or spitfire stretches of haymaker after haymakers followed by bouts with pedestrian bars and reaches or racial angles towards Joe that he had to know have been used before (tho the 2nd round scheme comparing Joe’s looks to ‘every Offensive line football coach, etc.’ was pretty funny and entertaining). Of course, none of Born’s shortcomings would matter to Joe, who outside of one too many Mike P references as well as one too many ‘Born’ flips was able to deliver 3 dope rounds of scathing personals, steely gun bars, ridiculous set-ups, fiery schemes and piercing punchlines to edge rounds 1 and 2, before only losing the 3rd round thanks to a near flawless, punch-crazy turn by Born.
Verdict: Joe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Joe – “If I see your bitch, I might spark it, or a gun butt [smacks hands together], cracker [crack her] with a mean handle…White Chocolate!”
Recap: Sticking it to his punchline-bent opponent, Born, with earnest derision throughout the battle, Chilla Jones also flexes his versatile pen with a host of admirable name flips, pointed personals (that even included using a chart to highlight Born’s up-n-down battle career), ill braggadocios (“OK, let me stop there, this was suicide, he can’t hang unless I show him the ropes!”) darts and fiery schemes/punches to take the first two rounds for the win. Born, who was for the most part pretty (“I put in work to get to Chill…paid vacation!”) solid, but still struggled a bit with his flow in the earlier rounds, did manage to put his punch-heavy, verbal/wordplay semantics altogether in a fire 3rd round that saved him from getting 3-0’d.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “He get to work around 5, then I’m showing up at 4:30, so if he show up prematurely, then I’m getting Born…early!”
Recap: Go-Rilla Warfare battle between Born and King Krash sees the latter stay steady with enough fire name flips, stifling gun bars and some solid punchlines to pull off a mild upset in beating a flow-challenged and inconsistent Born.
Verdict: King Krash (W) 2-1
Favorite line: King Krash – “So please, miss with me with all this mess about how you burst the Tek, the only time I was seeing Born with an extra arm is on a birth defect!”
Recap: A more condensed and punchline-savvy B Magic might’ve edged the round anyway. But Born pulling out his phone to seemingly recall his lines is a costly blunder to start what was ultimately the deciding 2nd round, after Magic dropped steady weight in round 1 to take that on while Born salvaged the 3rd with more fiery punches.
Verdict: B Magic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B Magic – “If you plan to survive you gonna need the Lord, I ain’t the ONE to fuck with like Yuigi board!”
Recap: Sporting a plethora of fire punchlines from each battler throughout, Born and Nunn Nunn go tit-for-tat on the KOTD stage. That’s a harbinger for a close and competitive battle, that with some ample accessories (i.e. Nunn Nunn kicking a couple of dope rebuttals to edge the 2nd round after a solid freestyle garners a debatable first) and Born’s ability to still dispense a barrage of spitfire (“I was sleeping, but still coming [cumming] for a bitch like a wet dream!”) punchlines in the final 3rd round to beat back Nunn Nunn’s more pedestrian turn, makes for a draw at the end.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Nunn Nunn – “If I’m a white bitch, then Nuborn [new born] I’m Casey Anthony!”
Recap: After Born edges a rather pedestrian 1st round with a slightly more consistent and condensed turn than his opponent, both he and (“But if you spot this all-black eagle on me, it’s not for play, so move out the way when I’m aiming this, basically, the point of everything I was syaing is, if you see a dark wing duck, let’s get dangerous!”) Eaze turn it up in a pretty even and exciting 2nd that contained some dope wordplay, potent set-ups and fiery bars on both sides. However, still ahead going into the 3rd, after a nice round from Eaze, Born’s punchline-themed round and chance at winning is blown by an ill-timed slip-up towards the end, thus giving the round to his opponent and making this one a draw at the end.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Born – “What you thought?, that you would be buzzing off a nigga?, the ratchet caught his face in a shot, like when ya side bitch got your ass ducking out the picture!”
Recap: Both Born and Craig Lamar drop deliciously hot bars throughout this one-rounder from Enter the Dungeon Battle Rap League. Born’s use of exquisite (“Bullets embark on temples like a pilgrimage!”; “I could see the ‘lil bitch in nigga’s genes [jeans]..Dej Loaf!”) punchlines, rich set-ups/wordplay and fiery name flips stayed consistently nice, while Lamar’s penchant for hard (“I’ll set these banger’s up in ya crib, you’ll get the surround sound by me, if you’re around town try me, I’mma set up at the back of ya whip, so when I get them pound rounds flying…bullets will do a number, on ya bumper, like ‘how’s my driving?!'”) schemes and stupendous (“You the colonel of ya crew?, well nigga I will pop corn b— you, and even when you die, I’ll still be waving at the ground…let’s make snow angels!”) anecdotes kept the match competitive. However, it’s Born who takes it in the end with a more consistent flow, more haymakers and less filler.
Verdict: Born (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Born – “I’m squeezing, leave him where I seen him at, Chinese food, you thought it was beef until it gave you a seasoned cat!”
Recap: JC said it best, proving to be way ‘too much’ for Born, who for some reason decided in the early rounds, to at times abandon his noted (“Get crucified, I bet an arm will get in [Armageddon], then I’m stretching something, if I miss the first then JC the second coming!”) punchline game, for personals and name flips that didn’t always land and lines that were peppered with reaches. Nonetheless, this version of JC would’ve been nearly impossible to beat anyway. Seemingly motivated by Born’s long (“This all started with me not accepting this…and you not accepting it”) desire for this matchup, JC stayed ahead with repeated (“You want my advice? stop shooting, I’m nukin’, try stock and bonds, the ratchet ate Born like Octomom!”) haymakers, sizzling (“But just to hear me, they willing you give you a feature for the show, see this Victor…Sweet, even got you eating off the floor!”) wordplay and jaunty (“I’m that boy, in front of his house, with a lot of Mac clips, but a cocktail would be like inducing labor…be gonna force Bon outta that bitch!”) punchlines that literally had the crowd buzzing. And while JC stayed afloat enough with sharp (“I paint pictures, on the polls, niggas get boxed with a head shot and I’m Wanted for that”; “Born, every nigga I know armed with k’s, and down to shoot like it’s laundry day!”) bars to almost pull out the latter round, Born’s bright decision to revert back to punchline-heavy (‘Gut punch, leave you lying where you stand like perjury!”; “I was baptized to be born again, word to me, now I’m covered in the blood of JC, with a box of ties offering, I gotta pay his churches fees!”) bars along with a stronger performance, was just enough to edge him the 3rd round and avoid an embarrassing 3-0.
Verdict: JC (W) 2-1
Favorite line: JC – “It can get messy here, like jet repair, we air Tek’s [techs], the shots Blue [blew] Blood like it didn’t hit air yet!”
Recap: Versatility is the name of the game here as Born’s variety of winning personals, soaring (“Dumping off 9’s for practice out the van like soccer mom’s!”) punchlines, feelgood snaps and wicked wordplay overcomes Gjonaj’s aggressive (“I’ll snap his neck and have him looking over his shoulder like it ain’t happened yet”) dalliances and heated performance bars in both rounds 1 and 2 to take the win.
Verdict: Born (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Born – “The real Dizaster is him not using his own style!”
Recap: Kaboom says he took this QuietRoom Battle on 3 days notice and it shows what with too many repetitive bars/themes, something even a lackadaisical, but punch-drenched Born can take advantage of in a one-rounder that shouldn’t have been as close.
Verdict: Born (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Born – “Raise the gauge like being raised by gay’s, you’ll get a couple pop’s!”
Recap: The hurting Born’s been consistently putting on dudes for the past couple of years just begs for a return to the URL stage. Indeed, it’s another strong showing here against a (You’ll get cut out the picture by the cream of the crop”) game, but overmatched Xcel. Delivering exquisite (“Run up on him like ‘give it up’. but he broke as hell, nuthin’ on him but Android, I guess we all can’t be perfect Cel [cell]”) punchline after (“Try me, get a single hit like Def Loaf”) punchline with steady ease in addition to a flurry of rich name flips. Born’s consistent verbal hijinks prove to be too much for Xcel, whose shortened rounds and elongated set-ups, didn’t help matters either.
Verdict: Born (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Born – “I said what up nigga, I know you hype to me, but the only way I’ll lose my footing? diabetes”
Recap: Funny how dudes still got Born stuck in that “choke artist” era, esp. considering all you have to do is pick any battle of his within the last year or two to see how much his flow and bargame has greatly improved. Indeed, the name change isn’t the only evidence of Born’s progression and yes there was a time where you wouldn’t be hard-pressed to guess this matchup would be a layup for a vet like Brixx Belvedere. But unfortunately for Brixx the 2014 version of Born is officially a problem and despite a really good showing (the name flips: “Have Nuborn [newborn] in a suit, that’s The Carter 3” were at times lethal and bars like “It’s like texting and driving, cuz’ nigga we dying to get a half a message” were straight fire, but there was too much filler at times esp. in round 1) from the S.O.N.S. troupe here, Born’s versatility, crazy (“I battled Con before, now I gotta battle Con heir too [two] sounds more like a shitty sequel”) wordplay, rebut game, (“I’ll leave this loser hurting, the .40 scope a young nigga out like a cougar lurking”) punchlines, hard-hitting (“Head shot, leave a numb skull like a stupid person”) bars and personals were just too much to overcome here. Give Born rounds 1 and 3 here (tho that ill ‘Daisy’ rebuttal in round 2 was almost enough to make this a 3-0) easy and let’s officially put future Nuborn opponents on notice if they continue to underestimate him.
Verdict: Nuborn (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Brixx Belvedere – “Ain’t no vouchers for Nuborn? Well then get WIC nigga!”
Recap: Born has been on enough of a winning run that the major leagues need to let go of his old rep and give him another opportunity to shine. As seen here, even in a close battle against an able (“If y’all ain’t know, he spell ‘new’ ‘Nu’ cuz’ he ain’t got any W’s”) up-n-comer in Philly’s Madface, Born’s consistent knack for crafting intelligent schemes, potent wordplay and heavy, hard-hitting (“He step in the spot like ‘what up?’, reaching over to dap me slow, I’ll knock his hand and play The Aviator like Leonardo DiCaprio”) bars now makes him good comp for just about anybody, people just need to pay attention.
Verdict: Born (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Born – “I said ok, I said no Mardi Gras when I’m flashing these, I’m that official, so sheis mid-battle I get to shittin’, I don’t know what being classy means”
Recap: Very close battle between Born and Cityy Towers, but Born edges it with more equipped angles: jokes (the “I can finally make short jokes” lines worked), slightly better punchlines, wordplay, grittier bars, name flips and schemes.
Verdict: Born (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Born – “I pop the ratchet like Billie Ray Cyrus”
Recap: Not a battle that’s easy on the ears due to the sound quality, but one thing’s for sure: Lotta Zay wasn’t lying about Nuborn once upon a time hosting this mess. Moving on, despite a hot 3rd from Zay, Born’s first two rounds, a deluge of personals, crisp punchlines and hard-hitting bars, was just too much to overcome.
Verdict: Born (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Born – “…I know it might shock ya, the head quite proper, she like Don King she be ripping off these nice boxers”
Recap: This was on its way to being a pretty dope battle until both Supastar Sal and Nuborn choked and slipped up in the 3rd round. Before that Sal was putting on a decent show, esp. scoring in the 2nd round with quips like “This is Brady verse McNabb, Mayweather verse whoever you can grab” and gutta lines like “Fuck Nuborn, I’m avoiding??? him, I’ll buck him and keep on trucking like Oregon”. Still, Nuborn rode into VA with some out of town heat, packing personals (“You know what your broad do? she be playing with my nuts ‘cuz I’m packing downstairs like my basement full of junk”), wordplay and punchlines (“He’ll put his lips on a mail, that’s a love letter”) with wanton regularity. Too bad for Sal, after splitting the first couple of rounds, an early choke would do him in and make it a layup for Nuborn to grab the win.
Verdict: Nuborn (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Nuborn – “He’ll get salty when I go ham, it’ll raise his blood pressure”
Recap: Two-round promo battle between Danja Zone and Nuborn sees them both represent and put forth their A-games, which usually makes for a dope battle. However, it’s Danja Zone who stands out just a little bit more in each round with nicer schemes (esp. the “Machine Gun Kelly….Mac Miller” line) and more hard bars to get the win.
Verdict: Danja Zone (W) 2-0
Favorite line: Nuborn – “Line for line you can’t spar with me, soon as I start cooking I be getting niggas mad…Paula Deen”
Recap: Even a dope introduction by Nuff Said doesn’t stand a chance against Nuborn at his best, delivering rapid (“Every bar I drop is official, this guy’s a disgrace, it’s ironic you still fat when your career is jogging in place” ) and hard-hitting punchlines/personals with nary a sweat and getting another win on the road.
Verdict: Nuborn (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nuborn – “Sawed-off shotty on waist, stock on the face, I’ll rob him then pop around him like a father’s embrace”
Synopsis: Mike Tyson once said that “I just have this thing inside me that wants to eat and conquer”. Well let it be said that Sco came here to eat and conquer Nuborn and left without crumb on his plate. Consider too that Nuborn’s been on a pretty decent run of late, but despite some dope bars he just got straight bodied here as Sco just spazzed throughout….back to the drawing board.
Verdict: Sco (W) 3-0
Best line: Nuborn – “I laugh when I saw dog fighting, that’s Calicoe, get decked out in front of your crib, that’s patio’s, I spark rounds, lay a markdown, that’s tacky clothes, either bounce or I’ll get your face on a bullet, that’s Mario, so you better book and take cover, that’s Fabio, I aim at bitch square foreheads, that”s Jacki-O, you moving packs and O’s well shit I’m back on the grind, that’s a guaranteed brick, dog, Shaq on the line…”
Synopsis: Very good battle with plenty of dope wordplay and punchlines on both sides. Nuborn was probably on his way to a win till he slipped-up bad near the end of Round 3. Still, since Super Writer (“You washed up like baptisms when we see Born again”) also had a slip-up in his last round, the edge here stays with Nuborn based off that ill “numbers” scheme, which was the best anyone had to offer in their final rounds.
Verdict: Nuborn (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Nuborn – “So I’m supposed to believe you run around and squeeze clips?, nigga when’s the last time you let your 4 point? Oh [4.0], it was the Dean’s List”
Recap: Too much extra shit in the room somewhat spoils a good matchup between Hazey and Nuborn. Both rappers connect with nice punchlines, schemes and fleeting personals throughout, but Nuborn spazzed a little harder and used more angles. And despite negatively adding to his reputation by slipping-up (and bizarrely complaining about his opponent’s time limit) again, you can partly blame all the distractions and interruptions for this one.
Verdict: Nuborn (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Nuborn – “Nigga you so fat you look like you snore when you wide awake”
Recap: Early one-round Proving Grounds matchup finds Nuborn delivering most of his better lines towards…rappers (Hitman Holla, Big T) that aren’t his opponent, allowing to Young Kannon to get a relatively easy win with a barrage of heated punchlines, funny jokes and stirring wordplay.
Verdict: Young Kannon (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Young Kannon – “I’ll whip this faggot’s flow, fast or slow, your rap’s a joke, that’s why this new born only grew up to be an average Joe!”
Synopsis: Cocky must’ve realized right away that his easy, laidback style and reserved wordplay wouldn’t work in front of a New York crowd that prefers aggressive bars and loud gun talk, because I don’t think he’s been back on URL since this appearance. Still, a win nonetheless for the Fresh coast as Nuburn’s bars couldn’t keep up with the Food Chain (RIP Tall T) leader’s rapid punchlines.
Verdict: Cocky (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Cocky – “I’ll put 2 in this man, and make RIP shirts for all 2 of his fans”
Recap: As brazen, slick, off-the-dome and punch-heavy as Calicoe was here in this URL 3-rounder vs. Nuborn, what really stood out was just effortless he made it seem. The Detroit rapper incorporating a variety of clever wordplay, fiery personals and dope anecdotes in his raps, when he wasn’t impressively almost free-styling an entire 3rd round. And while Nuborn, one of the nicest punchers in the game around this time, tried to keep things competitive (esp. during a sublime round 3), way too many pedestrian bars from the BX spitter throughout the battle along with Cal’s well-executed 3 rounds of heat, was enough to give the latter a shutout.
Verdict: Calicoe (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Calicoe – “I did an ultrasound on this newborn [Nuborn], I knew he was a bitch before he got here!”
Recap: Good one here between Nuborn and Complex. And after two debatable rounds, the feeling here was that a punch-heavier Nuborn easily took the deciding 3rd, which in part was also helped by Complex losing some steam. But this being Grind Time, of course we had to see an O.T. and while both battlers dished some clean solid rounds, Nuborn’s fire rebuttal definitely gave him the edge there.
Verdict: Nuborn (W) 2-1 + O.T.
Favorite line: Nuborn – “See?, I’m getting that work in, when them trigger’s is bursting, it’ll have you, Biggie and Pun fighting over Twinkies in person!”
Recap: Two rounds and only 30 seconds to rap in each aren’t for everyone as Nuborn clearly shows here, almost choking away his first before dishing pretty standard bars in the second and still complaining about not having time to rap. Loaded Lux, on the other hand, in what would be his final BET Freestyle Friday match, came equipped with his usual flair of braggadocio punchlines and fiery personals. Altogether, not Lux’s A-game, but more than enough heat to beat a way-less-prepared opponent.
Verdict: Loaded Lux (W) 2-0
Favorite line: Loaded Lux – “Right now you couldn’t fight yourself out of a wet paper bag with a razor!”
