No Bias. No Narratives.
Recap: Not sure what happened here as in this Quarantine battle from Body Bag Battles as we get two rounds from B Magic and only one from his opponent PG. Either way, PG’s consistently gritty and raucous punches easily beat a solid, but shortened Magic in ’round 1′. But since only Magic makes an appearance in ’round 2′, we’ll have to call this one a tie.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: PG – “This ratchet will let you down like she ain’t in the mood!”
Recap: 2 round Quarantine battle between T Top and Tay Roc certainly had its moments of witty/mesmerizing personals, flaming gun bars, battle team (“You single-handily gave Cave Gang a fall to the ground and we was gonna let Roc slide, but we seen it all coming down!”) stunting and boastful barbs. But after a more piercing with the punches Top takes the 1st round, a cleaner-flowing and slightly harder punching Roc edges round 2 for a tie.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Smack, he don’t want smoke, he the Bear…he scared of forest fires!”
Recap: Pretty easy to guess that battling in Australia motivated Dizaster to do a Steve Irwin impression for a battle. Aod for the most part, it works, to hilarious effect in this 2-round battle versus E. Farrell. After getting upended by Farrell’s more buoyant (“I’m like an ice cream sandwich paper…that’s a cold rapper!”) punchlines and set-ups/schemes in the 1st round, Diz, with beer in hand, a wig plus hat and a beginner’s Aussie accent to boot is able to use some fire punches, personals and comic relief to take the 2nd round for a draw.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Dizaster – “You look like Dennis the Menace grown up!”
Recap: Bit of controversy surrounded this 2-round battle between JC and Knalo G as the Pontiac, Michigan rapper would recycle a gang of bars used here in a later battle against Tay Roc. That said, up-n-comer Knalo G wasn’t bad here, the Minnesota rapper dishing enough sturdy punches and witty (“You 4-foot nuthin’, I would hate to play Hide-n-Seek with you!”) personals to edge round 1, before a more bar efficient and punch-heavier JC easily took the 2nd round over his flow-challenged and mostly subpar opponent to make this one a draw.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: JC – “These coke-sniffing battle rappers are clearly paying for the wrong lines, nigga!”
Recap: MC War 2-round battle over beats between Math Hoffa (“About to see I get Shine boxed like little Tommy in Goodfellas!”) and K-Shine is a goodie as both emcees go in, lacing a piercing beat with boastful barbs, spicy punchlines and rugged personals. Always intriguing to see a battle rapper rhyme over a beat, with an equal amount of consistency with the bars, cadence with the beat and rich content, we give both rounds a draw, making the battle itself a draw.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: K-Shine – “It’s like a nigga saying goodbye, when that Larkin clap, as soon as a nigga peace [piece] out, it go in Hoffa back!”
Recap: Really, it’s not that serious. Here we find what looked to be building up to a decent battle between T Top and R Streetz, get spoiled by heads in the crowd taking things a little too personally. Reminder: it’s a rap battle people and heads who can’t differentiate between entertainment and real life shit could do us all a favor by just staying home.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: T Top – “The armor clap will send this army brat back to Iraq”
Recap: First, gotta say that the reactions from the woman on the left of the screen with the big earrings, while these two spit their bars was priceless (I’m guessing this was her first time at a rap battle). Secondly, competitive, salacious and punch-heavy 2-rounder here between Nate The Great and Viixen The Assassin made this one a goodie. Lastly, ummm yeah, Viixen got sort of robbed by the judges here as her loud but versatile, (“He look like the little boy off Stuart Little…all grown up!”) personal-savvy, mayhem-rich and more haymaker-lit turn got her a clear win in round 1 before Nate upped his bar efficiency with some scathing raps of his own to come back and take round 2.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Nate The Great – “I’m a make this ho cry and her brain swell when I punch her in both eyes like how her name spelled!”
Recap: Spicy and witty 2-round freestyle battle between JC and Zell B ends up as a draw due to the bout apparently ending after JC spit his 2nd round without Zell being able to get his turn in.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: JC – “He came out here pitch black…nigga lighten up!”
Recap: Well, here’s a battle that SHOULD have went to OT as Charron’s stinging rebut’s and hitting personals easily got him round 1 of this KOTD freestyle battle, while Knamelis’ more consistent and punch-heavier 2nd got him that round. The ridiculous idea that Organik would ask both emcee’s if they want to do an OT promo AFTER the judge’s decision (which went to Knamelis) instead of making this a 3-rounder in the first place shouldn’t be lost on anyone.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Charron – “And after this I’m dropping insane, if you’re the Netherlands, call me Spain!”
Recap: Classic matchup between Aye Verb and Hollow da Don in St. Louis, sees a more direct Verb go at a somewhat coy and less versatile Hollow with aggressive punches and hardbody personals to take the 1st round, before Hollow returns the favor with a fire, condensed turn that featured a couple of nice rebuttals and (“You just about as real as them two glass rocks in your ear!”) freestyles along with adventurous set-ups and stinging punchlines that combined to beat back a less stirring turn by Verb. With only two rounds, call this one a tie.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Aye Verb – “You wouldn’t Murder Inc. Hollow, you couldn’t kill an instrumental!”
Recap: From the same Street Status card that featured Aye Verb vs. Hollow da Don for two rounds, a more gritty and mayhem/punch-lit (“Y’all got the best room at the Hilton going against a Motel 6?!”) Hitman Holla takes round 1, before a more nuanced and brazen Rich Dolarz took the 2nd to make this battle a draw.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Rich Dolarz – “St. Louis how could he win?, I mean Chingy hotter than him!”
Recap: Philly Swain versus K-Shine for two rounds up in Harlem on Loaded Lux’s Lions Den stage is a barnburner as Swain’s boisterous punches, witty wordplay and righteous (“Certified Wiseguy, I’m the Godfather!”) similes make work (esp. in round 1 which Philly edged), while Shine’s gritty darts, heated gun bars and braggadocio raps are enough to edge round 2 and make this one a tie.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: K-Shine – “All that tough talk, till I run up on nigga’s, with the .40 poking out the bag like Malt liquor!”
Recap: Dirtbag Dan and Passwurdz go at it for a couple of rounds, freestyling over beats and competitively dishing a bunch of spirited punches, sardonic personals, aggressive lyrical banter and in Dan’s case a spicy 2nd round rebuttal that helped him take that round after getting edged in the 1st.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Passwurdz – “Your beard looks like a fat woman’s vagina hair!”
