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Recap: One of those one’s where you just know that every bar will count. E-Hart versus First Lady Flamez, on QOTR, had all the makings of being a surefire hit and it certainly met all the expectations as the tow battlers put on a gritty, lyrical slugfest that was permeated by sizzling gun bars, dope wordplay and some hard-hitting personals.

One of the few songs in hip-hop’s storied lexicon where it seems like everyone, young and old, knows every word. In reality, it’s just Milk D spitting over a fobbled “Impeach The President” drum loop handled by Stetsasonic’s Daddy-O. But even lyrics from ’87- “I get money, money I got”- hold sway today. It was a true sign of things to come. A hustler’s anthem.

Recap: From TrapHouse NY, aggressive and gritty punch-fest between J Murda and True Maserati comes with an at times heated barrage of sizzling street missives, righteous showmanship, fierce name flips and hard-hitting personals (esp. in round 3). A fealty too for witty bars on each other’s crew and Spanish hijinks, after the two split the opening rounds, it’s only right that a blistering 3rd by both battlers makes this one a draw.

Verdict: Deabtable

Favorite line: True Maserati

Recap: Extra gritty PG here between Ace Amin and Burke Bucs stayed super competitive, spicy and intense all the way through what with the performance-lit Ace spouting a gang of fiery multi’s, sizzling name flips, righteous street shit and during round 2 a couple of dope mid-round freestyles/rebuttals. But the underrated Bucs also came through with plenty of verbal warfare, delivering a boatload of raucous punchlines, bruising gun bars, some witty barbs and a gang of flippant personals/mayhem. An almost hour-long battle that also featured a bit of tension between the respective rappers battle rap camps (Cave vs. Goonie), the slightly more haymaker-rich Ace Amin edges round 1 before a more condensed Bucs too the 2nd. 3rd round was yet another close one and a goodie, but once again it’s a slightly more consistently hitting and punch-heavy Ace who edges the final round for the win.

Verdict: Ace Amin (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ace Amin –

Recap: Sublime battle here between JC and First Lady Flamez who gives the Pontiac, MI, vet all he can handle with a gang of wicked punchlines, real street talk, some wily personals and stinging wordplay that stood out even more when you consider that Flamez stayed on her game and rarely, if ever, went for the sort of name flips and religious angles so many battlers often try to use against JC. Still, while Flamez was her usual brazen and gangsta self, an ever boastful JC sizzled throughout the but with a wide array of blistering personals, mayhem-rich punchlines, stifling gun bars and hitting name flips.

Recap: Clearly bent on going vet mode and delivering a talking too to his less experienced, but quickly ascended opponent, after a sublime 1st round that he’d still only edge, Aye Verb is mostly helped by a Geechi Gotti who while crazy with the punches and street shit at times, just relied too much on redundant themes and personals towards Aye Verb that we’ve long heard before

Recap: Philly versus Coney Island matchup sees both Brooklyn Hanz and Big Hann bring out the bravado and heavy artillery throughout this Ultimate Madness 3-rounder from Smack. Indeed, a wide array of steely boasts, performance-heavy gun bars and daunting punchlines are the feature here, which kept the match competitive and gritty. That said, the battle would come down to the 2nd round what with a punch-heavier Hanz taking the 1st round and the more direct Hann taking the 3rd. The middle round was merely decent on both ends what with Hann while displaying plenty of aggression, too often succumbing to outdated/pedestrian bars. On the other hand, while Hanz dished some solid punches here and there in the 2nd, too often his lack for better bar intricacy would show itself. Thus, with the aforementioned semantics as well as an equal amount of dry spots and filler in the round, we can call this one a draw.

Verdict:

Recap: Highlighted by a steely, mid-round freestyle directed at a rude crowd member, Lu Castro’s palette of gritty name flips and rambunctious punchlines serve up enough heat to take out a solid and dogmatic, but much less potent showing from Vito Cognac in this 1-rounder from Bring Ya Barz Battle League.

Verdict: Lu Castro (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Lu Castro – “Boy I’m dangerous, you better beware, you will drop…you know I fuck with Cognac, shit I’m a Henny man and this the kill shot!”

Recap: Killer 1st round from a mayhem-lit LL Coogi (with plenty of fierce gun bars and stinging punches to follow in the later rounds), still isn’t enough to beat back a more condensed, scheme-heavy, wordplay-savvy, personal-scoring and braggadocios/punchline-spicy Xcel in rounds 2 and 3, giving the Team Homi vet a close, but impressive win in this dope 3-rounder from Spit Dat Heat.

Verdict: Xcel (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Xcel – “This match just proves that we both in the game, but not by the same rules, see I paid dues, you pay dudes, it ain’t the same move!”

Recap: J. Murda may be falling victim to taking on too many battles as when you’ve proven that you can beat the likes of JC, you shouldn’t be losing to a relative unknown like Tapedeck. But that’s the case here as even a stellar round 2 can’t save Murda from a slip-up prone first and a short, subpar 3rd. For Tapedeck, outside of some average bars that were clearly gassed, his overall more consistent flow and performance were pretty good, Add to that some nice punchlines throughout and he manages to pull off a mild upset over an opponent he really had no business beating.

Verdict: Tapedeck (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Tapedeck –

Bars and Schemes

Synopsis: Maybe Tsu Surf hasn’t ever bodied anybody, but one thing’s for sure when you see him battle in person you know you’re gonna get your money’s worth from Surf….and his opponent. That said, this battle was entertaining from beginning to end with the first two rounds I had split: Surf getting the first (that “Midwest movement” scheme was dope) while X-Factor edged the 2nd with slightly better bars, performance and jokes. Round 3 however, while X continued to put on good show in front of a away crowd, Surf upped it up an ante with some nice storytelling bars (with stellar performance and aggression to match) to take the win.

Verdict: Tsu Surf (W) 2-1

Best line: Tsu Surf – “And if we looking for the first nigga to hit the door when those slugs fly, the X it”

Round 2
Round 3

Synopsis: Great first round by Calicoe, too bad he clearly didn’t prepare for the rest of the match, using written bars in round 2 and practically giving up in the 3rd. Meanwhile, Rich was Rich, consistent aggressive (and grimey) bars, a few jokes here and there and enough shots at the Midwest movement to catch up and pull out the win.

Verdict: Rich Dolarz (W) 2-1

Best line: Calicoe – “We only watch Richie’s battles to hear him say ‘Chill!!!'”