Recap: In a gritty 3-rounder brought to you by The Battle Academy and littered with plenty of flashy gun bars, braggadocious darts, witty barbs/personals and mayhem-lit punches by both battlers, with the addition of some gritty trap talk and solid name flips, a more efficient overall and less filler-prone Shotgun Suge manages to edge all 3 rounds and get the win over Shankk Prezzy.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I do real estate deals in Philly, I’ll turn ya mama’s crib into a trap house!”
Recap: From WeGoHard, consistently lighting up the scoreboard in this 1-rounder with a gang of hardbody punches, fiendish name flips/gun bars, boastful barbs and piercing street darts, even while rapping a couple of minutes or so longer than his opponent, Bedaffi Green scores more than enough quantitative haymakers to get the jump on a gritty and solid, but less consistent and edgy Shotgun Suge.
Verdict: Bedaffi Green (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bedaffi Green – “The only thing better than a new gun is a used one, I don’t tell my story, I sit back and watch my story on News One!”
Recap: From Our Society Battle League, even while battling for only 3 minutes (while his aggressive and gun bar-lit opponent Funeral F.A.M.E. battled for like 8) with less quantitative filler and a boatload of explosive punches/name flips, Shotgun Suge does enough to edge this gritty 1-rounder.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You too small to pocket check, that make it wack, I’ll take the money out your pocket, put it in your big homey pocket and take it back!”
Recap: Yeah, Kapo Bravado was helped in the deciding 3rd (after the two split the first two rounds) a bit by opponent Shotgun Suge struggling with his flow and pretty much choking away his turn. But that doesn’t dismiss the fact that after a loud and gritty, but very unsubstantive opening round, Kapo would totally flipped the script and put forth a couple of dope turns in the 2nd and 3rd. The New Orleans, LA, battler upping his punch game and using a bunch of sizzling street darts, flexing punchlines/schemes and solid personals to edge each of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: Kapo Bravado (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Kapo Bravado – “They only got room for one man and that’s me, I was presented Shotgun and a nigga my size ain’t taking the back seat!”
Recap: From Houston Bar Code, against the often (that is, until the latter half of his round which was pretty mid) hard-hitting punches and captivating street tales of Swav, a much more condensed and efficient Shotgun Suge uses a consistent barrage of seismic punchlines, boastful barbs, solid wordplay and other mayhem-lit darts to get the win in this gritty 1-rounder.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You only got 10 bands to ya name, you can’t even afford to die!”
Recap: From The Battle Academy, in yet another case of quality over quantity, despite his opponent TopFloor Lut rapping twice as long as him in all 3 rounds, Shotgun Suge’s rapid, way more efficient and fiery 2-step punches, boastful barns and piercing name flips get the Jersey vet a smooth 30 over a Philly battler who while hitting at times with his boatload of intense street talk and grimy trap semantics, unleashed way too many pedestrian bars to stand a chance here.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I keep somethin’ in arms reach, I’m the type to beat up nigga’s on the wrong street!”
Recap: From WarTown Battles, an early slip-up would cost him in a tight round 1, but afterwards Shotgun Suge make up for the unforced error with two rounds of condensed heat, that were littered with a gritty array of sizzling name flips, hard-hitting trap talk, fiery punches and boastful barbs. And while the hard street dalliances and hardbody punchlines of Clone worked their magic in the opening round, a little too much filler during a couple of elongated turns by the Georgia vet would help Suge edge both the 2d and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Clone, he a stuntman, code word choppers and caskets, that’s a broom and a dustpan!”
Recap: Despite battling some early slip-ups in round 1, Shotgun Suge still manages to get busier with the punches in round 1 of this 3-round, ‘The Rebirth’ bout from UDubb vs. a pedestrian B. Magic to edge things there. However, a combination of a still pretty solid Suge relying a little too much on well-oiled personals concerning his opp along with Magic stepping it up with both the punchlines and the wordplay (esp. when it came to use of hometown [“I could’ve been a Birdman with all the Fiend’s that I found!”]references in round 3) in the latter two rounds allows for an equally efficient 2nd, before Magic came back to take the final round to earn a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I only play the trap for half a summer, these nigga’s lack in hunger, I hit the block and turn 20 into 50, we doing Magic numbers!”
Recap: Irony noted. That is Ace Amin challenging a vet like Shotgun Suge on his rapping ability when the former continues to utilize a tough guy act (bumping Suge like 3 times and even going at it with a fan in the crowd) more suited for the UFC than a battle rap stage. Nonetheless, overall Ace was still pretty solid (esp. during round 1, his best) here in this URL ‘Homecoming 2′ matchup’, keeping it competitive throughout with a speedy barrage of street-themed lyrical swordmanship, gritty punchlines and some hard-hitting personals. But this one was Suge. The more efficient NJ to Atlanta spitter taking advantage of his opponent using way too many lackluster Suge-isms to go with some reaches and righteous banter that went nowhere, but also scoring left and right (esp. during a spitfire round 1) with a shitload of fire name flips, mocking/witty personals, some dope wordplay, sublime trap talk/gun bars and searing punches of his own to earn the 30.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “We got a full house, he came here to out-tough me?, Ace high he trying to bluff me!”
Recap: From URL’s Traffic 6 card, yet another lesson in time efficiency as Shotgun Suge shows relative newcomer Hansel (who outside of having too much filler, was confident, gritty and had his moments throughout this battle, esp. in round 2) it’s not how long you rap, but how often you hit while you rap. The veteran Jersey battler sticking to his 2-minute time limit and after splitting the earlier two rounds with his opp, taking the deciding 3rd with a more steady and personal/punch-heavy turn to earn the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’m quite evil, Hansel tried to find his way home and ran into something lethal, I had bread crumbs over the Mac like white people!”
Recap: From OSBL, in a 3-round battle littered with plenty of gritty trap talk, gully street bars and fiery punchlines fro both sides, Shotgun Suge survives a late round choke in round 2 with a couple of glistening rounds of rambunctious haymakers and steady heat to beat back a flow-challenged, but pretty solid effort from Hoodlife Vito.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotun Suge – “You ain’t never seen no coke locked up, nigga keep fishing, boy my traphouse came with one bedroom and 3 kitchen’s!”
Recap: Like a couple of big linebackers going at it on the football field, Shotgun Suge and Fonz bring the fight to URL’s Summer Madness 13 and it’s a goodie with both of the big guys bringing the competitive heat, vociferous punches, fiery gun bars, loud metaphorical name flips, fly hometown refernces and of course, a couple of aggressive bumps/pocket taps by each battler to show everyone that they meant business. However, in the end it’s Fonz who prevails. The Cleveland, OH, battler edging round 1 (before the just as lit, but more efficient Suge edged round 2) with more haymakers while dominating the deciding 3rd round with a barrage of powerful punches, lyrical finesse and steady crowd-shaking darts to gain the win over a so-so Suge.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Fonz – “They brought the landlord to evict a nigga…now [bumps Suge] bitch move!”
Recap: With his sturdy flow, flagrant set-up/punches and gritty rhymes Sheed Happens does his thing in this 3-round URL ‘Outside’ matchup. But a couple of slow starts by the DMV rapper combined with a more condensed/efficient Shotgun Suge who stayed on point throughout the bout with a bunch of bullish/braggart barbs, some stinging wordplay and flippant punchlines/gun bars, gets the NJ vet rounds 2 and 3 for the win after a debatable 1st.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You know you talking to a nigga who live the online mode in GTA!”
Recap: That ‘Ike Turner’ line by Shotgun Suge in round 2 here was so fire. And so were a lot of other punches by the NJ battle vet. But with a steady-flowing, aggressive and versatile performance that might arguably stand out as her best 3 rounds ever, this URL ‘Kings vs. Queens 4’ matchup was all Shooney Da Rapper. The NY femcee using a blistering barrage of sturdy name flips, witty/hard-hitting personals, gritty punchlines and heated gun bars to take all 3 rounds and get a surprising 30 on an opponent who for the past year and change has been on the best run of his career.
Verdict: Shooney Da Rapper (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shooney Da Rapper – “They say Shotgun is the baby Loc, well this shotgun is the baby sitter!”
Recap: After that epic Tay Roc battle, there was much intrigue surrounding who, where and when Kyd Slade would be battling next. Coupled with that too was just how believable Slade’s notorious ‘plug talk’ would come off on a URL stage that’s well known for being on ‘real nigga time’. Well, after witnessing 3 rounds here from this ‘Redemption 2’ card matchup vs. Shotgun Suge, the results were for the most part to be expected. The Connecticut battler addressing the ‘snitch’ allegations head-on in round 1 while thanking the fans that have stuck by him throughout this drama, throwing a few shots at Roc as well as a bowlful of gritty trap talk and sick street rhymes that often lit up the scoreboard. And that combo might have been enough to beat the off-again/on-again Suge from a few years back, but not the slender Jersey bruiser that’s up there today. Shotgun getting busy throughout this battle with a gang of flexing punchlines while doubling down on the ‘rat’ accusations with some killer punches, spicy real like talk and his own plate of hard street lines and bullish bars which with the help of Slade speaking a bit too much the statement stuff in both the 1st and 2nd rounds, led to Suge taking both of the opening rounds for the win before a debatable 3rd.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You play with 12, leading in all-time assists like John Stickton!”
Recap: A 1-rounder from URL’s ‘Outside’ card sees Shotgun Suge use a scintillating and steady barrage of fiery name flips, gritty set-up/punchlines and hard-hitting personals to handily beat back a punch-heavy at times, but mostly pedestrian Danja Zone.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgub Suge – “I look danger [Danja] in the face I see a desert eagle with 30 friends!”
Recap: A workmanlike performance here from Shotgun Suge who gets straight to it with a steady stream of braggadocious darts, mean set-up/punchlines, graphic violence and gritty storytelling to beat back a hitting at times, but too often pedestrian Quest Mcody in this 1-round BANNED battle from URL.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’m pissed off, I’ll let a clip off, my plug put it on a plane the whip soft, I out more powder in the air than Lebron before a tip off!”
Recap: A fiery 1-rounder from Showtime Battle Arena sees Hank Biggs get off with a gang of bullish (that ‘phone charger’ line was fire) bars and fierce punches that more than held their own. But after an elongated turn from Biggs, a way more condensed and efficient Shotgun Suge uses a bunch of steely punchlines, some nifty wordplay, mocking personals and brash ‘What His Life Like’ darts to earn the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You’ze a chump nigga and I ain’t off it, I’ll put Hank in a coffin with a box of chocolates!”
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: Fire and competitive 3-rounder between Shotgun Suge and Stumbles from URL’s Down to the Wire card delivers on the fiery punchlines (both both battlers), slick street talk (esp. from Stumbles), grandular trap talk (esp. from Suge), descriptive mayhem and greasy personals. Close and aggressive throughout with a bunch of brash name flips, steely gun bars and flippant wordplay mixed in to spice up the haymakers, thanks in part to one many indirect bars (esp. when it came to a certain ‘wave’ from New Jersey) and a couple of dry spots, but mostly due to a slighltly more intricate (esp. when it came to his stinging usage of Stumbles’ slogan) Suge delivering a two rounds of seismic lines in rounds 1 (which he barely edged in lieu of a dope by his opponent) and 2, it’s Shotgun who gets the win before a more steady and haymaker-lit Stumbles took the 3rd to avoid the 30.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “What my life like?, I couldn’t wait to gun you, your life not mine’s? till I take it from you!”
Recap: When you’re a straight gunner like Shotgun Suge, even against Drugz you ain’t staying away from the name flips. And in what was an altogether superb performance, a more consistently spicy Suge gets busy with a gang of potent ‘drug’-associated flips/storytelling bars/trap talk, punchlines and personals to handily get the 30 over an overall solid/aggressive with the punches/gun bars and witty at times, but less steady and too often indirect Gun Show in this 3-rounder from URL’s Battle in the Bayou card.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “He ain’t ever use a tuna top for a razor!”
Recap: From URL’s Ultimate Madness 5 tournament, despite Swamp’s slower Southern drawl serving as a bit of a hindrance in a battle with time limits, in a fiery, close and competitive bout against a pretty solid, bullish and name flip-lit Shotgun Suge, after getting edged in round 1, the South Carolina battler’s raucous punches, boastful barbs and hitting street lingistics are enough to take rounds 2 and 3 from a slightly less potent Suge and earn the win.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Swamp – “It’s a difference when you look in the mirror and know you the GOAT, the stick got a switch and a button on the side like a Roku remote!”
Recap: A boatload of gritty trap talk, piercing name flips and bullish/stinging punchlines gets Shotgun Sude the win over a solid/gun bar-lit and gritty, but overextended via the subpar punches Lord Nen in this 1-rounder from Hoc Rap Battle League.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Drake on a hit, what’s gonna happen next only Lord knows!”
Recap: From The Battle Academy, a competitive 1-rounder between Prep and Shotgun Suge ends up with the more condensed, quicker-to-his-punches, just as gritty, personal-lit and brazen Suge edging it out on the end.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Gun jam and then we improvise, man I’ll steall all your silver with this nickle .9!”
Recap: From URL’s Kings vs. Queens 3 card, Shotgun Suge uses a fiery and aggressive barrage of stifling name flips, dizzying trap talk, rude personals, understated wordplay and bruising bully bars to take the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win over an just-as-aggressive, mostly punch/personal-heavy (esp. in round 2 which earned her a debatable) and overall pretty solid, but not as consistently spicy Ms. Miami (who really needs to learn how to handle the crowd when they’re showing her love).
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “My first bank account was under my mattress!”
Recap: In this one round Banned battle from URL, while the performance-heavy material was there for Shotgun Suge, the preparation just wasn’t as a handful of slip-ups from Suge along with a gritty, versatile, punch-heavy and clean-flowing Ryda gives the latter the win.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ryda – “The only time I care about what your life like is in an obituary!”
Recap: A bit quicker to the punches, fly with the name flips, consistently bullish with the mayhem, some fire storytelling and able to work in some elite gun bars, gang talk and witty barbs throughout his 3 rounds, in this bout from URL’s/Smack Volume 8 card, Shotgun Suge, after getting edged in round 1, comes back to take both of the latter rounds against an overall pretty solid and mostly punch/wordplay/gun line heavy (but a bit filler-prone) Real Name Brandon for the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’m outside with my new .40, I’m Pete Davidson!”
Recap: Seems like we haven’t seen Shotgun Suge on a battle rap stage in quite a minute, so it’s only right that his return takes place at his home league, Block City. And in this competitive 1-rounder against a turned up, pretty solid and gritty throughout, but elongated (as in rapping twice as longer as his opponent) Jus Cuz (who also had a handful of run-it-back’s while struggling a bit with his flow), Suge wastes no time, getting busy with a gang of flippant personals, solid name flips, stinging punchlines and piercing bully/trap talk to earn the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You’ze a nobody, you shouldn’t see me once, what your back end is, you can’t buy me lunch!”
Recap: Dre Dennis vs. Shotgun Suge for 1-round on GOTG ends up being a goodie rife with plenty of piercing punchlines and relentless mayhem. However, while he was able to hit with a variety of hardbody and even witty lines, an elongated turn, some pedestrian bars and a couple of reaches here and there by Dre allows the more condensed and slightly more steadily hitting Suge to edge it in the end.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You say shit but never hit like a friend zone!”
Recap: After getting edged by a bullish, personally disrespectful and slightly punch-heavier turn by Shotgun Suge in the opening round, despite being a little elongated with his raps, A. Ward uses a gang of witty personals, hard-hitting set-ups/schemes, righteous bangers and scintillating punchlines/Godspeak to edge the 2nd round before handily taking the deciding 3rd in this 3-rounder from The Battle Academy, thanks mostly to a bunch of piercing punches/personals, but also assisted by a Suge choke.
Verdict: A. Ward (W) 2-1
Favorite line: A. Ward – “This is unfortunate for you, for the first time ever you done bit off more than you can chew!”
Recap: Already having a crazy 2021 that has him in the Champion of the Year contention, Danny Myers continues with his onslaught of intense, sublime rounds versus a Shotgun Suge the Bar God has held a grudge against, going back to Suge’s battle vs, Rum Nitty where an onlooking Danny got famously dunked on by the Jersey spitter. And while Suge, for the most part kept his flow together and showed up with 3 versatile, personal-lit and raucous/punch-heavy (esp. in his 3rd which he edged) turns to keep things competitive, a spitfire round 1 rebuttal to go along with a steady stream of bruising punchlines, some stifling wordplay and head-ringing personals/verbal warfare in both of the opening rounds gives Danny yet another win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “You lost all that weight riding bikes and you still can’t handle bars!”
Recap: B. Dot’s good, really good. And pretty smart. But if there’s any notion with Dot that the rapper with the best pen automatically wins battles, then he’s sadly mistaken. And flat-out wrong. Case in point here against Shotgun Suge, who while not noted for having one of the best pen’s, wouldn’t still be in the game after a decade if he wasn’t one of battle rap’s best performers or one of its most wittiest or when on point, one of the most aggressive, grittiest and punch-heavy spitter’s around (and that’s without mentioning the crowd-pleasing ‘Random’ and ‘What His Life Like?’ screeds). So while Dot spent a lot of time (with plenty of mediocre punches mixed in) delivering a talking too to his opponent in round 1, a more condensed, personal/punch-heavy and versatile Suge would edge the opener. Afterwards however, Dot would step it up consistently and get more flexing with the bars, whether it was knocking down Suge’s street cred, deftly spouting more righteous punchlines/schemes, supplying a gang of hitting consciously wrapped haymakers, getting spicier with his set-ups and unleashing more fire wordplay. All this while Suge would come through with a pair (moreso his 3rd) of pretty solid/brazen/personal-stunting turns that while keeping things competitive in a match some thought beforehand wouldn’t be, as it turned out both rounds weren’t enough to beat the more steady landing Dot.
Verdict: B. Dot (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Dot – “How a nigga claim a hood he gotta visit?, just ‘cuz a nigga can’t walk to his set don’t mean he on some Crip shit!”
Recap: They’re one round for a reason and a vet like Shotgun Suge shouldn’t be struggling to remember bars when all he has to do is spit for 3 to 5 minutes. And while a punch-heavier Suge can get away with a slip-up or two and still win a 1-rounder against the gritty, but mostly pedestrian raps of a Black Aladdin. If I’m a hardcore Suge fan, not receiving some noted ‘What His Life Like?’ bars much less a ‘Random’ shout out or two would leave me a little disappointed.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Dome shot, the shit I’m squeezing here, I’m just trying to pop Black head!”
Recap: A way more condensed, name flip-lit, fiery punching and mayhem-friendly Shotgun Suge does enough to beat back a witty at times and gritty with the punches, but filler-prone K. Walker in this competitive 1-rounder from The Battle Academy.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’ll let the heat press on Walker like Madam C.J.!”
Recap: Helped a bit by Brooklyn Hanz struggling with his flow in the latter rounds (despite a couple of still strong turns), Shotgun Suge survives a mayhem-dishing, slick-talking, punch-heavy turn by Hanz in round 1, returning the heat with some piercing personals, raucous bangers and scintillating name flips/4-bar setups to edge rounds 2 and 3 for the win in this competitive Born Legacy X battle from URL.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “The only thing Hanz [hands] shoot is rock, paper, scissors!”
Recap: Granted, his 3rd round rebuttal was fire and a shitload of fiery punchlines and personals kept Nunn Nunn in the bout. But a couple of questionable tactical decisions by the North Carolina rapper: two elongated rounds (esp. in the 3rd, where after a blazing start, Nunn was clearly losing steam towards the end) and filler bars spent complaining about getting the likes of Shotgun Suge for your next battle after a tournament in which you did well, but didn’t win (or even make it to the final round) would hurt Nunn in the end, while giving a way more condensed Suge–dope (esp. in round 1) and witty throughout with the ‘white boy/junkie’ themes and also scoring with a gang of spirited name flips and piercing gun bars/punches–a close win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “God asked me to have a heart…nah, I got one [Nunn] for you!”
Recap: Shotgun Suge uses a series of performance-rich gun bars and some stifling bully semantics to take the deciding 3rd round of this URL 3-rounder versus a Young Kannon who took the 2nd round with a plethora of gritty punches and kept it close throughout, but relied too much on outdated personals against Suge in the final round, which ended up assisting in his loss.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’m the type to do a drive-by going the opposite on a one way…and that’s on a Sunday!”
Recap: Rookies vs. Vets battle between Jey The Nitewing and Shotgun Suge might’ve had a different outcome if Shotgun Suge didn’t struggle with his flow and shorten his latter two rounds as Suge was coming pretty nice throughout with the name flips and punches. Then too, faced against a night-quite-on-his-A-game Jey The Nitewing who took on a more straightforward, witty and highly personal approach throughout the battle (which for the most part worked) then the more intricate punches we’re used to seeing, even with Jey taking the latter two rounds for the win, Shotgun would have every right to point the finger at himself for losing this battle.
Verdict: Jey The Nitewing (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jey The Nitewing – “I seen that little bike trail you be going, yeah that shit ends at a Wendy’s!
Recap: A pair of raucous turns by Shotgun Suge and Reed Dollaz in this 1-round URL/Quarantined battle gets edged by the slightly more versatile and consistently lit Suge for the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’ll clip ya family Dollaz, ya mommy, your auntie, even your pop, that’s Dollaz’s [Dollar] General!”
Recap: Flashy gun bars are usually nice, but when Cortez can equally address the mayhem, precision and scenery that come with the heat while mixing in some spicy punchlines/personals…well, that’s a whole different story as seen here in this 1-round Quarantine battle that Cortez handily wins over a gritty, but topsy-turvy Shotgun Suge.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Cortez – “And I don’t care what his life like, this .45 will make his life flash before his eyes and now you finally get to see what your life’s like…before you die!”
Recap: From URL, against a Shotgun Suge who for the most part kept it pretty condensed and ordinary for all three rounds, Jerry Wess uses a barrage of performance-stunting mayhem, fiery punchlines/wordplay and heated gun lines to easily take rounds 1 and 3 (call the 2nd debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Jerry Wess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jerry Wess – “Yeah, go ahead and tap my pockets, you ain’t getting shit without the pin number!”
Recap: In this hard-hitting 3-rounder from Smack, doing his research pays off big for Shotgun Suge, who with a boatload of stinging personals and fierce punchlines during the first couple of rounds hit to the duplicity of his opponent Franchise’s love for gun bars and other notorious street semantics. Indeed, Suge’s consistently flagrant and versatile execution of his bars would astutely work to overcome the Canadian rapper’s systematic mayhem that while mostly potent here, seemed prototypical at times and at times also lacked his more multifaceted opponent’s flair for gritty urban narratives and flexing punches. Franchise would however deliver enough consistent heat, performance-ready punches and stifling struggle bars to edge the 3rd.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Hey Smack, I still let the nina clap, you got me battling a soccer player?, I need a fee for that!”
Recap: Take away the dude with no shirt on in Shotgun Suge’s entourage and you have a spitfire, near classic battle here between Suge and Pat Stay. Kidding aside, it’s been quite an impression that the battle vet Pat Stay has been making since he recently entered the URL and in squaring off here against a Shotgun Suge that stayed on point throughout the battle with his aggression, grittiness and a fire (“I’ll let the Wave hit you, he a castaway, to beat me, you’ll need the luck of the Irish, and this ain’t (Saint) Patrick’s Day!”) punch game, the white guy dressed in the flower jacket would need to pull out all his tricks to win. And that he did, edging the highly potent Suge in both the 1st and 2nd rounds for the win with a consistent mix of flexing personals/narratives, banging (“I don’t care if you 6’9” [6ix9ine], I’ll do Shotti dirty!”) punchlines, stinging name flips, witty banter/impressions, a couple of fiery rebuttals, a rich performance game and an epic Shaq dunk for those who still think white boys can’t. A more condensed and still punch-heavy Suge would take the 3rd round over an opponent, who while still funny and fierce with his bars, came with a little too much filler.
Verdict: Pat Stay (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Pay Stay – “I’m up here fuckin’ flexin’, I’m gettin’ drunk in Texas [drunken texts] like messages from my ex’s!”
Recap: Surprisingly, plenty of wit displayed during this battle between the normally gritty, gun-a-blazing and rambunctious Snake Eyez and Shotgun Suge. A stretch in versatility aside tho, also unexpected was a usually steady his bars Snake Eyez struggling with his flow, especially during an erratic 1st round that the Dot Mobb member would later apologize for. Still, with Shotgun Suge spouting an almost unbeatable and consistently spitfire with the punches 1st round and continuing his amped up flair for stifling personals/name flips, rich metaphors, jaunty bully bars and brazen punchlines in the 2nd round to beat back a pretty solid, but less condensed and not as potent turn by Snake, this battle was over before a 3rd round that while dope lyrically on both sides, still gets edged to Suge thanks to one more haymaker as well as Snake’s choppy flow.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You know why you don’t get booked?, because it’s an automatic loss when you roll the dice on Snake!”
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: 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: Buttah From Da Block does these Verbal War Zone battles all the time, so he certainly came into this battle versus Shotgun Suge with a bit of an advantage. But in this case Suge, who’s been known to display a lack effort from to time, pretty much hands his opponent this one with a bunch of raucous, but standard lines in the 1st and 2nd rounds, before completely giving up and cutting his 3rd round short. In the meantime, Buttah’s gritty raps, versatile cadence and piercing punchlines showed once again that he has his VWZ credentials on lock.
Verdict: Buttah From Da Block (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Buttah From Da Block – “I’m from the era of broke dreams and dope fiends, with no means, so when they get it, they OD!”
Recap: Part of JC’s greatness is the fact that he always shows up, something that shouldn’t be taken for granted in a battle world littered with choke artists. Add that factor to having one of the best pen’s in the game, when one talks about a ‘beatable JC’, surely they’re going no lower than ‘B’-level on the game mode. And that what’s a little disappointing here: witnessing a Shotgun Suge getting off to such a raucous, heavy-hitting, mayhem-dishing and gun’s-a-blazing start in round 1 and letting the attentive Philly crowd down with a mostly pedestrian 2nd round (which he could’ve beat considering what was for JC, just a solid turn) and then Suge cutting short his 3rd round (in the face of fans who had to be anticipating some electric ‘What His Life Like?’ bars) after apparently forgetting his lines. And while it should be said that JC’s 1st and 3rd rounds were both sublime, gun-bar lit, punchline/metaphor crazy and witty with the personals, Suge delivering a stronger 2nd round definitely could’ve made a difference here.
Verdict: JC (W) 2-1
Favorite line: JC – “I’m not the one to get gruesome with, double-jointed, put a big body in a small box…see if he really been thru some shit!”
Recap: That’s the problem with one dude liking to take his short off during a battle, the other guy might get motivated to do the same thing too…and well. Moving on, the gritty unorthodox/sound effect stylings of Jakkboy Maine meeting up with the sheer raucous, but at times witty and punch-lit modus operandi of Shotgun Suge in this Banned Legacy 3 battle on URL (after the two split the first couple of rounds) ends up with the more spicy and name flip/wordplay/personal-lit Jakk taking the 3rd round for the win.
Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “Nigga, fuck the Jonas Brothers, Frank Sinatra and since the — didn’t, I’m a buy a rocket launcher and finish the job on Jersey that Chief Keef didn’t!”
Recap: Take out Shotgun Suge struggling a bit with his flow at times and a 3rd round that didn’t quite meet the mighty high standards set by the previous rounds and you have a spitfire, dunkfest of a battle between Suge and Rum Nitty. 1st round was crazy and performance-heavy on both sides with Suge in his bag kicking hard bars mixed with super grit, (“I’ll kill your whole family, you already know, one word and I’ll drop your niece off at a R. Kelly show!”) wit and surly aggression. On the other hand, Nitty came just as nice with a plethora of rigid (“So let’s get one thing straight…your vital signs!”) punchlines, potent gun lines and some fire wordplay/name flips. However, for being slightly more condensed, the edge in the 1st goes to Suge. Round two was an imitation of the 1st with both battlers staying on their A-game via the aforementioned bellicosity as well as visceral schemes and more fiery punches with Run edging the round with an equal amount of haymakers in addition to a couple of nice rebuttals. The deciding 3rd round was still solid, but a little flat for both battlers however, but with Suge having to cut his round short due to a memory gaffe, a more flow crispy and punch-centric Rum takes the round and the battle.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “Just got a little mo’ Hawks [mohawks] in, Indian in the cupboard, don’t even start him, Nina sparker [BAOW!], get a giant bald head…Tiki Barber!”
Recap: Slightly more condensed with less filler, Shotgun Suge’s raucous punchlines, fiery name flips and righteous mayhem are enough to beat back a solid, but hit-n-miss turn by D Flamez in thsi 1-rounder from Bullpen Battle League.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “So let’s settle it, he irrelevant, you only tough behond your lines…Zeke Elliott!”
Recap: Admittedly, when faced against a notorious gangbanger the likes of Geechi Gotti, one couldn’t help but think that a vet like Shotgun Suge would transition a bit away from the movie reference lines and queries on what his opponent’s ‘life’s like’ that he’s known for, instead for more witty barbs (something’s Suge is more than capable of) and personals that reflected his own street aptitude. And while Suge did manage to bring a versatile dish of gun-laced darts, raucous bully bars, performance-heavy (including a noted pocket tap) shiners and gritty punchlines/name flips, against what was a Gotti that overall was on his B+ game (mostly due to long-winded rounds), Suge who’s often noted for being condensed, might’ve had a win here if he’d changed his strategy a bit. Instead, including a rebuttal game that included a rousing chest tap in round 2, fierce punchlines, fiery comeback’s for Suge’s slogans, steely gang speak, potent gun bars and notable yarns on real-life street drama, helped in part by Suge struggling with his flow a bit throughout the battle while cutting both his 2nd and 3rd rounds short, it’s Gotti for the 30.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “I’m a street nigga, you can’t tell me that the block ain’t mine, ‘cuz you nigga’s like to argue over time limits, my nigga’s doing bids, really wishing somebody stop they time!”
Recap: With his at times witty and braggadocio barbs, credit Vodka for keeping the hometown Philly crowd entertained. But poetical stylings (and Tech-9isms) aside, with enough bullish raps, steely gun bars and stinging name flips/punches, Shotgun Suge does enough in this 1-rounder to make up for struggling with his flow towards the end of his turn and get the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’ll stretch him proper, you testing a monster, give him shots from a .50, effin’ Vodka!”
Recap: Well, that was short. And judging from Chris Petty’s mostly so-so bars, he may want to double down on his Anglo-Saxon ‘privileged’ lifestyle and stick to the stock notes and portfolios. In other words, all Shotgun Suge here, who with his newfound gift for dunking and aggressive gun/bully bars to go hand-in-hand with one of the best vocal projections in battle rap, made this an easy and quick vic.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “The arm is deadly, kidnap his bitch…she got a better chance surviving R. Kelly!”
Recap: Another dope BANNED battle sees a focused Shotgun Suge steady dismantle a hotter-as-the-battle-progressed X-Factor with a series of aggressive punchlines, some fire wordplay/gun bars and a boatload of fierce name flips/personals. X-Factor, who literally gave away the first round with a sermonizing half that went nowhere, went on to stand his ground and make things competitive with some set-ups/punchlines of his own. But with too many hit-n-miss stylings in round 2, the battle was already lost for the veteran Detroit rapper before a sterling, real talk friendly 3rd round allowed a non-Priorities spitting X to take the 3rd round and avoid getting 30’d.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “If I lap Miles I’ll put X on his back like off white!”
Recap: Battle of New Jersey’s elite big men, Shotgun and Nu Jerzey Twork, is as expected raucous, gun-lit, personal-bent and with plenty of touching and banging around, enough to make you think these two were going at it in the paint on a basketball court instead of a battle stage. All that aside, a slightly more condensed, pocket-tapping, hometown-bar leaning and more consistent with the punches Suge takes the first, a round that was also decided by a turned-up Twork losing a bit of steam and eventually cutting his round short. Second round had the two battlers dishing nothing but heat with flexing braggadocio lines, vicious gun bars and visceral (Twork: “A pistol whip that’ll make a mood change, Nina, give you the butt, well, show ‘em how to do it now: Shake your groove thang!”) heaters, however with Twork also mixing in some fire personals (that included a ‘random’ shot at Tsu Surf), the more versatile Goonie who edges the round to even things up going into the 3rd. With bragging rights on the line in the deciding last round, Suge goes vet mode, (“Point is, how you King of Jersey, call yourself a soldier?, you ain’t never in the battlefield and had to look over your soldier!”) pontificating on his era of battle rap versus his opponent’s, while also going in on Twork hood credentials and fledgling battle rap career with his notorious ‘What His Life Like?’ bars of grit. However, a solid and fiery turn by Suge gets beat by yet another more potent run by Twork who with continuously rigid wordplay, piercing (“I take a Uzi, and get to clapping on you guys! I’m headed to Hillside, masked in a disguise, what his life like? [*chk-chk*], he can tell you when it flash before his eyes!”) punchlines and nifty, but stinging personals, consistently did enough to take the round and the win.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’ll have your babymama head missing for the goofy shit or shoot her dead in the pussy, I’m making tuna fish!”
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: Before we get the recap out the way, let’s admit that the ‘dunk’ on Shotgun Suge in round 3 by Glueazy was pretty epic–a high vertical leap with some nice velocity to it–that’s the way to get it done. And who said white men can’t jump? That said, despite the theatrics and some superb (“Don’t try saving him, the .357 is titanium, crack his chest open, I’m looking for vibranium!”) wordplay/punchlines by Glu throughout the battle, it’s a more consistently spitfire Suge who edges every round here. The veteran Suge showing that aggressive moxie plus sizzling bars can beat almost anybody, especially when he displays unfailing focus to go along with some stellar personals, witty heaters, hometown crowd-pleasing lines, fierce performance bars and potent (“Two 30s pop, son ain’t seen a shooter in North Carolina since Dell Curry!”) gun/bully bars. Indeed, a pretty solid, but at times pedestrian showing by Glueazy gets beat by a Shotgun Suge who reminded everyone why experience matters.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “If you do anything to that black boy they gonna have to nurse you, and I better not hear you making him do H&M commercials!”
Recap: Bringing back classic scenes from Do The Right Thing! Shotgun Suge’s love for movies doesn’t get appreciated enough. And neither does his lyrical acumen, as Suge mightily proves when he’s on his A-game, including here against a pretty solid overall, set-up nice, thought-proving, aggressive and wordplay-heavy Mike P. A competitive battle throughout, for the first two rounds it’s Suge who manages to beat back a couple of hefty turns from his opponent, using a bastion of rapidly stinging punchlines/name flips, fierce gun bars/personals and fervent movie references for the win before a compelling, real life spectacle from Mike coupled with another bodacious turn from Suge makes for a tie in the 3rd.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Offset and Cardi, he get the heavy ring, I let it sing, you know you can’t eat with this Ginny, he put Parmesan cheese on everything!”
