Recap: Not sure why anyone would state that Twitter Spaces ‘killed battle rap’ when so many epic arguments between battlers (which literally led to battles), spicy moments and expose’s came out of them. Hell, even the short-term, but classic Midnight Madness league wouldn’t have happened without Twitter Spaces, an audio chat room that would also spark this battle as who can’t remember First Lady Flamez screaming tirade on MyVerse’s rapping ability on TS last year? And for 3 rounds, Flamez more than backed up her rant. The Richmond, Virginia spitter never taking her foot off the gas while utilizing a steady stream of hard-hitting punches/similes, fire name flips, fiending gun bars, dapper street shit and rigid wordplay to score a 30 over an opponent who surprisingly enough put more points on the board with her witty personals (esp. in round 2 which was Verse’s best by far) and a couple of fly schemes than her punches which too often then not were pretty pedestrian and elongated especially when it came to the set-up.
Verdict: First Ladt Flamez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “I’ll knock the soul out this bitch and let it talk to y’all, then at her funeral MyVerse will be a monologue!”
Gwitty defeats Cortez
Recap: From Kill Switch Battle League, a lot of nasty work with the 4-bar punches and a fleet of spicy gun bars makes this 1-rounder between Cortez and Gwitty both entertaining and competitive. However, even with a couple of dry spots here and there, it’s the more performance-lit and slightly more haymaker-friendly Gwitty (while also taking advantage of a more flow-challenged Cortez) who ends up getting the win.
Verdict: Gwitty (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Gwitty – “I shot a Spanish at a wedding all you saw was rice and beans!”
Dre Dennis defeats O-Red
Recap: Efficient enough with the gory punches, borrowed tropes and sizzling gun bars that he probably had this 1-round GOTG matchup vs. O-Red in the bag around the 10 or 11 minute mark, an elongated (he did rap twice as long as his opponent) Dre Dennis, with the help of some spicy name flips and hitting personals, keeps it steady enough throughout to gain the win over an O-Red who while gruff and sometimes blazing with the wordplay and punchlines, just ended up getting beat by a fellow Jerseyian who wanted it a little more than he did.
Verdict: Dre Dennis (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Dre Dennis – “You gonna die laying, in a hospital, ya mom praying, when thay say the nigga in the ER, it sound racist!”
Saflare Sole defeats Footz
Recap: From URL’, against a consistently gritty/graphic, aggressive and mostly gun bar-toting Footz, after getting edged in round 1, thanks in part to a slip-up mid-round, a more versatile and haymaker-crazy Saflare Sole gets in his bag of spicy name flips, hard-hitting personals, fire set-ups, stealth punchlines and potent street darts to take rounds 2 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Saflaer Sole (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Saflare Sole – “Big ass machete, I want him dead, the docs stitched him, then told him quit while he still ahead!”
Chef Trez defeats Ghost
Recap: From Major League Battles, a gritty, condensed and punch-heavy round 1 by Philly-to-Florida battler Ghost is efficient enough to make for a tie with a just as potent Chef Trez. But afterwards it’s all Trez as the ATL vet uses a steady barrage of lofty gun bars, fiending name flips, steely punchlines and well-versed freestyles/rebuttals to handily take both of the latter rounds over a solid, but not as formidable effort from his opponent and gain the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Don’t start bor, ‘cuz once the Tek pop, we disrespect blocks, i just can’t stop sliding y’all…I’m in fresh socks!”
T-Top defeats Holmzie Da God
Recap: From URL’s Lite Work, a shortened 3rd round from the Bear still doesn’t stop T-Top from utilizing a gang of fire name flips, sterling rapidfire punches/gun bars and some wily personals/trap talk to handily take rounds 1 and 2 and get the win over a mostly subpar and set-up lengthy Holmzie Da God.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “The chrome firing or I got a bomb that I could detonate, they gotta make a GoFundMe for God, that’s a collection plate!”
Nu Jerzey Twork defeats O-Red
Recap: From URL’s Lite Work series, after fumbling his bars a bit and getting out-punched by a more potent O-Red in round 1, Nu Jerzey Twork steps it up and gets busier with a barrage of righteous mayhem, stinging name flips, spiteful punches/wordplay and with the help of an opponent who choked away his 2nd round and was prone to a few miscues in the deciding 3rd, earns the win.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “You fire, just no electricty…Amish place!”
O-Red defeats Aktive
Recap: Refuse to believe that ARP had no idea what Aktive was getting riled about after he finished his opening round. Either way, outside of a debatable round 2 (that saw a mostly bar-heavy, bullish and gritty Aktive spout a condensed/punch-lit turn that was efficient enough to tie his opponent, even in light of a dope rebuttal there by Red) in this sometimes tense matchup from RBE, it’s O-Red for the vic. The Jersey vet using some killer word association imprints, head-ringing mayhem, fly sports bars, a gang of hitting personals and stinging punchlines/name flips to take rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 2-1
Favorite line: O-Red – “For the record I said Flex, I drop a bomb in here, it’ll be projects everywhere, shit look like a science fair!”
Chilla Jones defeats Xcel
Recap: From TBL Shark Tank. In one of those competitive and scintillating barfests you don’t often get to see, a slightly more versatile, personal-spazzing and scheme/punch-lit Chilla Jones takes the 1st round and (after a debatable 2nd) and edges the 3rd to gain the win a pretty dope Xcel in a battle that when it comes to sizzling wordplay/metaphors, fierce name flips/anecdotes, seismic similes, high battle IQ, boastful barbs and piercing set-ups/punchlines offers up a tremendous start to 2023.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “You trying to buy music from ‘Cel?, back in the day I ain’t even buy ring tones!”
Ill Will defeats 40 B.A.R.R.S.
Recap: Add this RBE matchup for Battle of the Year consideration. Because that’s how fire it was. 40 B.A.R.R.S. with one of her most scintillating performances ever, dishing 3 fire rounds of exquisite wordplay, jaunty well-crafted punchlines, brash darts, strong sexual innuendos and dope name flips without missing a beat. While on the other hand an always confident Ill Will came through with a shitload of crazy set-ups, witty barbs, cold performance bars, gritty/aggressive punchlines, righteous pontifications, multifaceted name flips, fire gun bars and spitfire personals with steady abandon. A close, line for line potent and hotly contested battle for all three rounds, we got a slightly more versatile and haymaker-lit Will taking rounds 1 and 2 for the win before 40 returned the favor by taking the 3rd.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ill Will – “I mean you came from my rib, that’s making holy moves, you don’t even apples like that, you just wanted to do what you wasn’t supposed to do!”
Fonz defeats 40 B.A.R.R.S.
Recap: As talented as she is (esp. against dudes) regardless of 40 B.A.R.R.S.’ miscues with her flow in this Queen of the Ring 1-rounder, there’s almost no way she was beating this Fonz. The Landlord delivering a loud, aggressive and sublime round (i.e. classic) that pulled no punches while scoring mightily with a gang of versatile name flips, a couple of fire freestyles, hard-hitting punches, dope schemes, stinging personals and witty barbs to handily get the win over a much less bar potent and inconsistent run by 40.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “That’s what wrong with you bitches, these hoes don’t know they position, gilr you got milk and eggs in you, you belong in the kitchen!”
Shotgun Suge defeats Hank Biggs
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!”
DNA defeats Cortez
Recap: Gotta admit with the two of them being close friends for so long, I never thought that Cortez and DNA battling each other one-on-one would ever see the light of day. Well guess that I was wrong as here they are on URL’s 90-seconds-per-round, ‘Life Work’ platform going at it for 3 fiery rounds (with no lame rehearsal taking place before the battle either). And bar-for-bar it’s a treat with DNA and Cor dishing a bunch of gritty street raps. flagrant punches, piercing name flips, blazing heat and mocking personals to make it competitive. Nary a slip-up on either side until Cortez stumbled a bit in round 3, outside of a debatable 2nd round, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit DNA who takes the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: DNA (W) 2-1
Favorite line: DNA – “It’s always a fight when cash is involved, Joe Frazier and this cat is always lying on the bread, that’s why they call him Bodega!”
Bill Collector and Rosenberg Raw [DEBATABLE]
Recap: The longest grudge match in battle rap finally takes place and it has audio issues?!? Not a good look for The Battle Academy. Nonetheless and as expected, Rosenberg Raw versus Bill Collector (“Even URL tried to offer you a deal, and you was about to risk it all for the worst plate, perfect Gentlemen, this nigga was reaching for Bill on the first date!”) was still a goodie as the two ‘frenemies’ each got their shit off via a boatload of battle rap associated/who-did-more-for-who career allegations, gritty punchlines, hard-hitting personals and other drama surrounding crews, near fights, battle rap leagues and even family. An aggressive and haymaker-lit battle with both battlers having to get a lot off their chest due to their longstanding grudge, with each round being equally efficient and serving up zero miscues, we’re going to call this one a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Rosenberg Raw – “You a freak show and everything he ever did was out of bounds, how the fuck you put a black eye on the city and you from out of town?!”
Kausion defeats Bonnie Godiva (Rematch)
Recap: From Chrome 23’s $25K tournament, Bonnie Godiva and Kausion meet up again for what probably was the ‘fastest rematch’ in battle rap history and for the most part this semi-final matchup is a goodie as both ladies brought a shitload of aggressive punches, fierce schemes, hard-hitting/ witty personals and flagrant gun bars to the bout. However with Kausion slightly out-punching and edging round 1 and a personal-lit Bonnie taking round 3, it comes down to the 2nd round which via a mid-round slip-up by Ms. Godiva coupled with a handful of griity haymakers by Kausion gave the latter the win.
Verdict: Kausion (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Kausion – “I’ll pistol-whip you till you see a bump, now you got a baby in ya face!”
Eazy The Block Captain defeats Big T
Recap: How Ethan Hawke said it when they asked him about his part in Training Day?: ‘I’m just here so Denzel can get his Oscar’. Really now. That’s how I felt watching this Big T versus Eazy The Block Captain battle on Philadelphia’s Battle Academy League stage. Consider that Eazy during the battle admitted to wanting a YouTube drop in lieu of being signed to a URL contract and thus having all his battles drop on the app. And with Big T shall we say not performing well of late, can you blame URL for letting the Block Captain take a break from his contract obligations to show off on his home league against an opponent who hasn’t been competitive at all lately? Not really. As for the battle itself? Pretty one-sided and an easy 30 for Eazy as the Gutta City capo dished 3 rounds of pure heat, staying on T’s neck with a boatload of gritty street raps, boastful hometown barbs, sizzling trap talk, fire personals and hard-hitting punchlines. As for T, not that it provides much comfort but at least he didn’t get bodied. The Chi-town vet, despite a gang of dry spots, using his slick punches/wordplay and witty humor to hang in there in front of an away crowd that was clearly there to root for their hometown hero. That being said, with yet another ‘L’ in the books, I’m thinking going forward that Big T might want to stick to small room battles and lower tier opps until he gets his groove back.
Verdict: Eazy The Block Captain (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Eazy The Block Captain – “See for me, this is nothing, this a resurrection of your career if you clip me, and it’s a favor I’m the Captain, I’m used to nigga’s saying pick me!”
Nu Jerzey Twork defeats Real Sikh
Recap: Does it get any more exciting on a battle stage than a focused and prepared Nu Jerzey Twork? Probably not. Back on URL for the first time in quite awhile, a rambunctious and consistently lit Twork uses a barrage of fiery wordplay, hazardous set-ups/name flips, hard-hitting performance bars, mocking personals, stinging gun bars, plenty of mayhem and gritty/head-ringing punchlines to score more haymakers and hand out a Gentleman’s 30 and beat back a mostly solid, rebuttal spicy, witty at times, aggressive and gritty with the punches Real Sikh. For Twork (who also took some fierce shots at Smack in round 3) to remind everyone of what he brings to the table when he’s on his A-game on this ‘Civil War 3’ card, could make for a scary 2023.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “Merciless, it’s petty killers that I’m working with, I charge 60, I give them 50, take my little paper off the top, it’s a Hershey Kiss!”
Tay Roc defeats Kyd Slade
Recap: Funny watching emotionally biased bloggers recap this battle and steer their conclusions to their liking regardless of who really out-rapped who. Because isn’t that recaps are supposed to be about? That said, we Tay Roc with a clear win. The Gun Bar King superbly (i.e. classic) using a snitch angle (that literally dropped in his lap before the battle) on opponent Kyd Slade in round 1 via a gang of well-crafted smiles (everything from the dizzying ‘witness protection’ bar to the killer ‘Ah Di Boom/Bigg K’ line at the end), dope storytelling bars and potent personals/wordplay to take an opening round that was as aggressive and heated as we’ve seen on a URL stage without the battle having to be stopped. And while a trap-talking, street rap-lit Slade had a solid 1st as well, Roc’s stellar turn and a couple of slip-ups by Kyd would cost him. The 2nd round was simply a matter of Roc out-punching his opp. This time with a plethora of steely set-up/4-bar punchlines, well-finessed wordplay, residual mayhem, potent drug talk and fiery gun bars that with a slightly more condensed turn equated to a more haymaker-rich and versatile middle round for Roc to earn him the win over another punch-heavy and personal-bent at times, but not nearly as consistent run by Slade. The 3rd round would see Roc go into ‘AMG’ mode and offer up a fire run of speed rap with jaunty punch symmetry. However, it’s a multifaceted Slade, steadily aggressive and head strong with a boatload of piercing punches and hard-hitting personals, who would edge the final round and avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “You talk too much, we can’t be friends…Deborah Cox!”
40 B.A.R.R.S. defeats Cheyraq
Recap: Outside of Cheyraq struggling with her flow and cutting her 2nd round short, this 3-rounder from Takeova Battle League versus 40 B.A.R.R.S was a dope one. As the Massachusettes up-n-comer made 40 sweat with a boatload of delicious metaphors, fly similes and gritty aggressive punchlines. But after getting edged to her slightly more haymaker-lit opponent in the opening round 40 would never waver. The Boston vet spouting two rounds of consistent heat via a bunch of hard-hitting personals, well-finessed wordplay/schemes, piercing punchlines/name flips and boastful darts to take round 2 and edge the deciding 3rd for the win.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 2-1
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “Picture me worried about this pussy spraying in my face when she don’t know that I squirt too!”
O’fficial defeats Jade
Recap: Adding some witty personals to her usual arsenal of hard-hitting punches, graphic violence and fiery gun bars, O’fficial does enough to beat a gritty punching and whimisal Jade who while able to keep it competitive with a gang of haymakers, mistepped here and there when it came to her flow in this 1-rounder from Showtime Battle Arena.
Verdict: O’fficial (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O’fficial – “She gonna need the Father and the preacher to save her…she ain’t Diggy!”
Rum Nitty defeats Fonz
Recap: Not much for ‘Battle of the Year’ conversations, but for 2022 Rum Nitty versus Fonz has gotta be mentioned. A blazing back-n-forth between two of the best punchers in the game, this URL Civil War matchup, which also featured a bunch of crazy name flips and fiery schemes, was punch-drunk from the jump. Fonz, ever aggressive and bullish throughout, earned his paycheck with a gang of fire ‘Rum/4th quarter’ flips, steely 4-bar set-ups/punchlines and flippant personals/gun bars that were only negated by a few reaches here and there as well two elongated rounds (the 2nd & 3rd). On the other hand Nitty, outside of a few dry spots, came correct with a rich palette of animated/sublime punches, fly similes, potent set-ups as well, flagrant gun lines and a shitload of gritty/electic darts that kept your head nodding. Close all the way through, the deciding factor here was basically who was more efficient with their haymakers, thus we got Fonz edging round 1 before the more condensed Nitty edged both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “I’m ’bout to send a nigga to hell with this lead, close range, shell to the leg, shell to the head, when the spirit leave the body it’s like T.I., you can tell when he dead!”
Danny Myers and Quban [DEBATABLE]
Recap: Quban and Danny Myers do the fair one for 1 round at the Battle Academy and it’s a goodie as a versatile Bar God scores with a gang of fiery, aggressive punches, while a gritty and set-up lit Quban raps his ass off to the tune of some delicious (“I know he think he too cold, but do that make you heat resistant!”) haymakers and righteous darts/schemes. And while Quban had a stronger ending to his round, an elongated run combined with one too many dry spots by the former Goonie coupled with Danny suffering from some subpar bars here and there makes this bout debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “My nigga Jonny Ice exposed Surf was fucking your baby mama, I ain’t even have to ask if it’s true, my nigga told me she gave him head, butt…like Jaz special move!”
Chef Trez defeats Shi Dog
Recap: A fire 3-rounder (with Billy Boondocks literally switching sides and providing extra entertainment throughout the battle in case the fierce back-n-forth betwen the rappers wasn’t enough for ya) from CRS Battle League between Chef Trez and longtime vet/underrated punchsmith Shi Dog goes the distance with Trez impressing throughout with a boatload of gritty gun bars, dope rebuttals (including ‘4 of them things’ in round 1, which he egded), massive name flips and some hitting personals/punchlines. While the unorthodox wordplay, galiant schemes, rigid streams and flexing set-ups/punches/rebuts/name flips of Shi Dog stood tall as well. A close bout throughout with the two battlers splitting the first couple of rounds, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit and versatile Trez who ends up taking the 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “You named yourself Shi Dog, that explains right out the gate why you never had barf!”
Chef Trez defeats Nunn Nunn
Recap: The final score doesn’t dictate it, but for the most part a strong showing here from Nunn Nunn in this URL ‘Civil War 3’ match against Chef Trez. The North Carolina vet using slick humor, a gang of gritty punchlines, some solid rebuttals and some hitting personals to stay competitive. But as it turns out Trez was just too much here. The Chef cooking up a hot plate of fire gun bar, stinging freestyles/rebuttals (including 3 of them things in round 1 to edge the opener), crazy set-up/punchlines, brash storytelling, piercing ‘Nunn Nunn/Hunger Games’ name flips and robust wordplay/similes to score a Gentleman’s 30.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I even got young’un’s to shoot for me so it’d be sort of cool, cuz the little nigga’s under Chef carry more than Jordan Poole!”
Jaz The Rapper defeats Shiest Raw
Recap: From The Battle Academy’s ‘Frenemies’ card. In what’s easily been her most prolific year on the battle rap stage, Jaz the Rapper visits Philly to give up-n-comer Shiest Raw a shot and let’s just say you might as well just give ‘Big Bag’ the WOTY crown now after this thoro demolishing. The Brooklyn vet using an aggressive gang of sizzling name flips, profound schemes, hard-hitting set-ups/punchlines and a couple of stellar freestyles in round 3 to handily get the 30 against an opponent who bar-wise was clearly overmatched. And while Jaz went home with an easy vic, some credit should go to Raw for not giving up and finishing her rounds (really wack move by Anwar, throwing in the towel like that during Sheist’s final round) despite experiencing what looked to be some severe leg cramps during the battle.
Verdict: Jaz The Rapper (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Jaz The Rapper – “Y’all think I won’t take her serious?, well I don’t care what y’all saying, James Harden…I came from Brooklyn to Philly and I’m not playing!”
Chef Trez defeats Afro Kenobi
Recap: Never seen the Chef get violent before. But in this last-minute (both of their original opponents no-showed) 1-rounder from DHBL, outside of a couple of unsportsmanlike penalties, a pretty hyped Trez gathers himself enough to spout a slew of hard-hitting personals, some sick rebuttals, stinging punchlines and a gang of potent freestyles to beat back the aggressive and sometimes hitting stylings of an Afro Kenobi who clearly lacked the off-the-dome ability of Trez and basically used the same rhymes he had for his original opp.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Who you teaching?, you dress like a substitute!”
Chess defeats Theory Truth
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!”
Ms. Hustle defeats JC
Recap: From URL’s Lite Work battles, using a steady combo of hard-hitting personals, mean set-ups and aggressive/gritty punchlines while also taking advantage of a pretty solid overall, but flow-erratic JC, Ms. Hustle scores more than enough haymakers in each round to earn the 30.
Verdict: Ms. Hustle (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ms. Hustle – “They know I’m Ape, but like a Fedora I’m around the brims!”
Chef Trez defeats Megladon
Recap: In this 1-rounder from DHBL, Chef Trez uses a consistent diet of fiery gun bars, lethal 4-bar set-ups and gritty punchlines/wordplay to handily beat back an earnest and hitting at times, but most;y subpar with the punches Megladon.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I’m not with the extra’s, keep the bullshit, I’m wilding on him, Calvin Johnson, I’ll squeeze and pull it and make Megladon Megatron ‘cuz he gonna receive a bullet!”
Rum Nitty defeats Bill Collector
Recap: Having just signed a 2-year contract with URL, the feeling here is that Bill Collector’s success on Smack will largely depend on his ability to display the same kind of consistency and mettle that we saw during the recent Season 1 KOTD tournament that he won. Easier said than done of course, but it really comes down to how bad Bill wants it. As besides showing more consistency, for Bill it also means more performance-lit bars, clever wit, hard-hitting personals, no more recycling bars and a strong freestyle game. Lanes of which Bill showed pockets of (esp. to start his 3rd round) here in this 3-round Traffic 5 battle vs. Rum Nitty, but once again exhibited an air of apathy (in this case too many weak name flips, subpar punches and reaches) that often times plagues his pen, thus leaving him with very little chance of beating the likes of Nitty. The Gun Line King using a plethora of sizzling metaphors, rich similes, sterling set-ups/gun bars, piercing wordplay, fiery personals, hitting punches and stellar name flips throughout to earn the 30.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “Scope on him, got me squinting through the lens…it’s an eye exam!”
Chess defeats Saynt LA
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]!”
Bonnie Godiva defeats C. Bri
Recap: While credit goes to C. Bri, who in spite of stumbling a bit throughout this Chrome 23 tournament battle, was still able to unleash some grimy haymakers and solid chain punches to make things competitive. That said, Bri didn’t stand a chance in this one. Because that’s how in her bag Bonnie Godiva was. The Yonkers, NY vet delivering a trio of superb, well-crafted rounds that showcased an exquisite pen what with its aggressive mix of fly rebuttals, fiery lyrical heat, gritty wordplay, hard punchlines and fire/witty personals to handily get the 30 and move on to the next round.
Verdict: Bonnie Godiva (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bonnie Godiva – “You from Flint right? well as soon as you drive off I’m putting lead in the glass…you homesick?!”
Rum Nitty defeats Emerson Kennedy
Recap: From WestWorld, a dope back and forth for 3 rounds between Rum Nitty and Emerson Kennedy sees the two stay competitive with a gang of clever punchlines, spicy similes, meandering mayhem and stinging wordplay. A bout between two of the West-coast’s finest that surprisingly took this long to happen, after a 1st round debatable, it’s a slightly more rim-rocking Nitty who egdes both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “I Answer with the fade like Georgetown Iverson!”
Nu Jerzey Twork defeats Lu Castro (Rematch)
Recap: The battle rap stage hasn’t seen much of Nu Jerzey Twork in 2022. But anyone who witnesses this 3-round rematch against Lu Castro (on both battler’s home league: Showtime Battle Arena) will know right away that Twork still has what it takes to remain a top dog in the game. In this case Nu Jerooz using a steady stream of mocking personals, aggressive gun bars, fiery performance-lit darts and stifling punchlines over the course of 3 rounds to handily get the 30 on an opponent who while still able to light up the ring with rambunctious burners, continues to hurt himself when it comes to lack of preparation and chokes.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “Ain’t no tussling with me G, I’m a up this little piece, he wild strong, head shot…nigga better have muscle memory!”
Young X defeats Swamp
Recap: Despite often time struggles with his flow and/or one too many slip-ups, with just enough haymakers we’ve seen Swamp survive some of these 1-rounders on smaller leagues with either close win’s or debatables time and time again. But not this time. As while the Swamptown capo delivered a round loaded with a bunch of hardbody punches and raucous darts that often scored, a minute long mid-round collapse that saw an almost handful amount of unforced errors before he got it back together allows an elongated, but forever gritty, witty when necessary, steady with the flow and gun bar savvy Young X to squeeze out this Winter Soldier Event battle from Da Rabbithole Podcast.
Verdict: Young X (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Young X – “The Glock will spark and I keep shooting till the metal lock up like I p ushed the grocery cart!”
B. Magic defeats F.A.T.E.
Recap: From West World Battle Rap, a couple of hiccups in round 2 and some strong punches from F.A.T.E. made for a debatable. But making good use of a bunch of sizzling rapid-fire, 4-bar set-up/punchlines, stirring name flips and nasty similes/wordplay in both the 1st and 3rd rounds, it’s a consistently nicer B. Magic who ends up handily getting the win.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Magic – “You could find me in a park by myself like a ’21 Prius!”
Bonnie Godiva defeats K. Prophet
Recap: From Chrome 23, a pretty competitive 3-rounder finds K. Prophet spouting a boatload of gritty punchlines and well-finessed wordplay to stay close. But with a more consistently spicy Bonnie Godiva spitting a wide array of fiery name flips, stinging performance (the ‘apple’ ‘pair’ shit was a killer) lines, fierce punches/gun bars of her own, witty personals and some solid freestyles/rebuttals to bat, this one was Bonnie’s all day.
Verdict: Bonnie Godiva (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bonnie Godiva – “Another dyke bitch I gotta beat on end, looking like somebody uncle friend!”
Danny Myers defeats XO
Recap: A 1-rounder from the Winter Soldier Event, Danny Myers uses a steady barrage of boastful barbs, slamming punchlines/name flips, random mayhem and hard-hitting amenable darts to beat back a hitting and wordplay-lit at times, but hiccup-prone and mostly basic XO.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorile line: Danny Myers – “Bar God, I stab his abdomen and test the annihilation, took me a minuet to bring it up…10-second violation!”
Chef Trez defeats Presidential Dubz
Recap: Against a performance-stunting but less consistently bar-heavy Presidential Dubz, a more steady with the handle Chef Trez uses a plethora of fiery gun bars, sick wordplay, gritty 4-bar set-ups and piercing punchlines to get the win in this 1-rounder from the Fight Back Arena.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Is this bitch sleep?, let this bum play, I’ll let a gun spray, I’m quick to run down stair and grab the meal [mil]…I woke up late!”
E-Hart defeats Chetta
Recap: Rarely do I go there, but despite a pretty solid effort overall from Chetta, E-Hart clearly got robbed by the judges in this Chrome 23 tourney battle. And that’s even while giving Chetta the edge in round 2. But while the battlers were pretty equal on the name flips during the 3 rounds, Hart’s more intricate punches, clever wordplay, a spicy freestyle to open her final turn and heavy-handed personals/boasts/gun bars definitively added up to more haymakers in the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: E-Hart (W) 2-1
Favorite line: E-Hart – “Move quick [bobs and weaves] or crack her [cracker] in the mouth, it’s communion!”
C3 defeats 40 B.A.R.R.S.
Recap: Battling against a 40 B.A.R.R.S. who while hitting at times, consistently struggled with her flow throughout the 3 rounds, C3 decimates her opponent with a flexing bag of stifling punchlines, witty personals, stinging name flips and potent wordplay to score a 30 and advance to the next round of this Chrome 23 $25K tournament.
Verdict: C3 (W) 3-0
Favorite line: C3 – “I don’t know if y’all heard but last night Fonz was whipping on this damn broad, I was watching like goddam it my friend gonna end up back in the shelter the way she struggling with the Landlord!”
T-Top and Leeno Brown [DEBATABLE]
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Showtime Battle Arena, the hard street rhymes/trap talk, blunt storytelling and gritty punches from Leeno Brown combined with a guttural cadence make for an impressive performance. However, thanks in part to his opponent rhyming twice as long as he did as well as a sublime rebuttal to start off his round that settled into a rich combo of charismatic personals,, rich name flips and hardbody (“I don’t give a fuck who in Sam’s club, I woulda pulled his card at the door!”) punchlines, T-Top does just enough to make this a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Leeno Brown – “I come from the belly of the beast and selling crack was helping me feed it!”
QB (Black Diamond) and Chayna Ashley [DEBATABLE]
Recap: From Chrome 23’s $25K tournament, in a rematch from their RBE matchup back in 2019 Chayna Ashley with her bullish punches, fierce wordplay and boastful darts/wordplay and QB with a versatile showing of spicy bars, solid freestyles and fiery (“So Chayna, gimem about a few feet, or it’s gonna remind you of when you bathing suit shopping, I know you scared of the two-piece!”) personals proved that she’s more than just the most disrespectful female battler in the game, put on a competitive and aggressive showing that was close throughout. A cutthroat battle fitting for a tourney setting with a lot of money on the line, after a debatable round 1, QB edging the 2nd and Chayna edging the 3rd, it’s only makes sense that this one ends up a draw.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Chayna Ashley – “And I’m a chanel my anger straight to the source, before Roe vs. Wade I told these bitches abort!”
Chess defeats Saflare Sole
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!”
Hansel defeats Steams
Recap: From URL’s ‘Final Exams’ card, against a Steams who at times was punch/name flip-heavy and pretty gritty throughout, but had way too many unforced errors (including choking away his 3rd) to keep count, Hansel has an easy time to it. The EFB spitter utilizing a plethora of spicy gun bars, righteous storytelling, boastful barbs, hard street rhymes and a bunch of piercing personals/punchlines to handily score a 30 in this mostly one-sided 3-rounder.
Verdict: Hansel (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Hansel – “Entry wound, size of a shot glass, exit wound look like I shot glass!”
Chef Trez defeats C Dot
Recap: One-rounder from Body Bag Battle League sees South Carolina emcee C Dot pull up with a strong showing that was littered with a bunch of fierce 4-bar set-up/punchlines, spicy personals and gritty name flips. However, coming off the long overdue announcement that he’s finally returning to URL, Chef Trez puts the celebration aside and with a gang of filthy gun bars, a fistful of off-the-dome bangers, potent name flips of his own and a slightly more steady fleet of mayhem-rich punches, it’s the more haymaker-lit Trez for the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Aim then squeeze next, it’s on-sight and me putting Dot on the gun is just a reflex!”
Chef Trez defeats Awthentic
Recap: From URL’s Final Exams card, Chef Trez makes yet another return to Smack and it’s a dope one as opponent Awthentic gives the ATL vet all he can handle. The Connecticut spitter scoring left and right with a buttery, floetic cadence that produced a nice mix of greasy name flips, spirited 4-bar set-up/punchlines and gritty gun bars/personals. And while Awthentic did have some near reaches here and there and almost caught a slip-up in round 2 (which he had enough haymakers/rebuttals to edge), all in all the former Crucible battler certainly kept it competitive throughout, thus making the Chef work for this one. Which he did, displaying a workmanlike performance via a versatile game plan that featured a plethora of piercing heat, fiery punchlines/name flips, hitting personals of his own, nimble at times but effective wordplay, gritty similes, aggressive boasts and of course, steely off-the-dome polemics for all the Trez fans out there expecting such, all the while edging rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Get a clip, steady aiming set to kill so when the toolie clap, but you can’t guess the gun, dog it’s a mystery machine…they brought Scooby back!”
Cortez defeats Black Aladdin
Recap: From GOTG, a couple of gritty, boastful and versatile performances from Cortez and Black Aladdin in this 1-rounder makes things competitive. But with a nastier diet of stifling wordplay, fiery street darts, crazy 4-bar set-ups/punchlines and rambunctious haymakers, it’s the veteran Cortez who earns the win.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Cortez – “It’s Brooklyn, so who you gonna kill?, with twin nina’s, my gun connect had a two-for-one deal!”
Charron defeats Bankhead
Recap: From The Rap Committee comes one of those outta-nowhere battles as Canada’s Charron crosses the border to face off with Milwaukee, WI’s Bankhead. A pretty competitive 1-rounder thanks in part to Bankhead’s gritty punches and underappreciated humor, with an elongated, but versatile turn that featured a gang of nifty freestyles, flexing name flips, sporty set-up/punchlines and witty personals, it’s the more steadily potent and haymaker-rich Charron who comes out on top.
Verdict: Charron (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Charron – “Jeremy Reed, Geechi’s favorite battler because he wears a weave!”
Jaz The Rapper defeats Viixen The Assassin
Recap: At this point bar-wise is there anything Jaz the Rapper can’t do? With an extremely high battle IQ that’s more along the likes of Hollow in his hey day and a versatile bar game that’s top-notch regardless of gender, seeing Jaz elevate the game while coming outside more in 2022 should be one of the top stories in battle rap this year. Viixen the Assassin can attest to it. The Milwaukee, WI, emcee fighting through what was pretty much a home game for her opponent, in front of a cheering and locked-in Irving Plaza, NY crowd what with continuously loud aggression and raucous punches/gun bars/personals for 3 rounds. Yet, despite a pretty solid effort that was atypical Viixen, nothing the Assassin did would be near enough as Jaz just displayed throughout that there’s another level to this. The Brooklyn battler stunting on her opp with a punch-drunk, 4-bar setup rich and haymaker-drenched round 1 that also flexed her lyrical acumen. Before taking it even higher with a flawless and sublime (i.e. classic) 2nd that reminded you of just how well-rounded Jaz is, going after Viixen with a gang of killer name flips, hard-hitting punchlines, self-deprecating humor, witty barbs, piercing breakdowns and mocking/stinging personals that clearly hit their mark. Already up 2-0 (clearly) in this URL Homecoming match, Jaz would then use her 3rd round to get nostalgic and boast on her standing in the game before getting back to another barrage of fiery personals, hard boasts and fierce punches that solidified a well-earned 30.
Verdict: Jaz The Rapper (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Jaz The Rapper – “You got 3 kids and 3 baby daddies, you just one dick suck away from being Yoshi!”
Ish Mula defeats First Lady Flamez
Recap: First Lady Flamez has been taking a lot of battles lately and it may be catching up to her. For example, in this 1-rounder from HitList Battle League versus an always dangerous Ish Mula, where Flamez’ penchant for hardbody punches/wordplay came through a handful of times, but her preparation game (apparently both Flamez and her opponent battled the previous day) wasn’t quite there as she had to stop and recall her bars a couple of times during her round. Thus leaving a more versatile, name flip savvy, gritty punching, 4-bar set-up-lit, personal stunting and bullish Mula with an easy vic.
Verdict: Ish Mula (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ish Mula – “What’s poppin’ blood?, I give a symbol they gonna find her never, one word will mean everything like Chinese letters!”
O-Red defeats Kapo Bravado
Recap: No translation bars and he had to survive a gritty, punch-heavy and overall pretty solid effort from Kapo Bravado. But in this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code, a versatile, name flip-lit, gun bar heavy and wordplay/punchline spicy O-Red lights up the scoreboard with just enough haymakers to earn the win.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “I got the whole stage looking Macho, look at all of that Bravado, the facial features went from a Di Vinci to a Picasso!”
Zay defeats Swave Sevah
Recap: Highly consistent for 3 rounds with an aggressive, gritty/gun bar slinging, punch/wordplay-heavy at times and protean when it came to subject matter, after the two split the first couple of rounds while also being helped out by a personal and witty at times, but lazy 3rd from opponent Swave Sevah, Jersey up-n-comer Zay edges the finale of this RBE matchup for the win.
Verdict: Zay (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Zay – “I seen God on a block lit up in a Jesus candle and I came to shoot sever[ed] like Emmanuel Hansel!”
Clone defeats Danny Myers
Recap: In this 3-rounder from WarTown Battles Clone delivers one of his best performances, 30ing a topsy-turvy Danny Myers with a boatload of hardbody punches, stinging similes, gritty street talk and piercing personals with nothing but sheer consistency to earn an impressive shutout.
Verdict: Clone (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Clone – “I’m not even flexing, you could see a grave right now, we not in Atlanta, don’t be cappin’ like you Brave right now!”
Fonz defeats Filthy
Recap: In this 1-rounder from No Chill Battle League, Filthy’s round of mostly subpar bars end up not only getting him offtrack to the point of repeatedly stopping his turn, but a fed-up crowd as well. The former gaslighting himself into thinking he wasn’t the problem while the latter’s continuously loud chatter and commotion while Filthy tried to rap proved otherwise. For some added irony there’s the fact that this was a beatable Fonz what with the Landlord (while still unleashing a solid punch game overall to get the win) getting off to a bit of slow start and struggling with his flow towards the end.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “I’ll bang a ratchet, run down with something stainless clapping, the first hit make a Yung Berg nigga come off his jewelry…it’s a chain reaction!”
Murda Mook defeats Geechi Gotti
Recap: The way Murda Mook kept reppin’ for NY throughout this battle, you just knew some of this showing was about getting revenge for Loaded Lux’s shellacking at the hands of Geechi Gotti last year in Cali. Well, that’s my guess (hell, Mook did bring Lux out on stage in round 3) anyway. That said, this URL Homecoming bout with the current ‘Face of URL’ going up against the ‘Face of the Smack DVD era’ was a close and exciting one, a definitive crowd-pleaser that was worth the price of admission. Geechi, with his aggressive combo of hardbody street rhymes, gritty punches, brash personals and solid freestyles (which helped him edge round 2) rarely let a turned-up Irving Plaza crowd rattle him. While a versatile and angle-rich Mook, when he wasn’t spouting a gang of fiery NYism’s with his raps to keep the listeners in tune, continuously scored with a bunch of straighforward but potent punchlines, witty personals, steely pontifications and boastful barbs. Surprisingly, what ended up deciding this battle was an elongated Gotti too often leaning on the same gun-centric themes we’ve long heard him spout as well as Geechi letting the raucous away crowd unnerve a little bit which at times effected his flow. And with Mook (outside of the constant crowd interruptions and some indirect shots at notables like NuNu Nells), coming off more condensed and slightly more haymaker-lit in both the 1st and 3rd rounds, it’s the Harlem great who ends up pulling out the win.
Verdict: Murda Mook (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Murda Mook – “Your fight with death, I bet that gonna be your last tussle, Funeral that always wins, you better ask Hustle!”
Swamp defeats Arsonal
Recap: Gotta admit, really expected Arsonal to be more disrespectful during this URL Homecoming battle, especially with so much to work with considering all the South Carolina ‘raccoon’ shit that’s been in the air of late after Swamp battled Tay Roc just a couple of months back. But perhaps da Rebel saw that battle and decided not to rehash things as instead he seemed more content with flipping it on vet mode and delivering a talking too to Swamp, while also sporting a bunch of witty lines, boastful barbs (the shot at Murda Mook in round 3 was pretty epic, but also fluky when you consier that his opponent dissed him earlier for still not getting a battle Ars has long clamored for) and hard aggressive raps that were mostly hit-n-miss. And for a Swamp who was pretty solid throughout, but not quite on his A-game, Arsonal’s chosen game plan would ironically work to his opp’s advantage. The newly self-proclaimed ‘King of the South’ mixing it up with a bag of highly disrespectful personals of his own, while adding a gang of gritty punches, mocking personals, steely pontifications and brash haymakers sauteed with a slice of Southern pride that got him rounds 1 and 3 (call the 2nd round a debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Swamp – “I got nigga’s in red, white and blue like a Patriot, if I pull up it’s with a ratchet, baretta blazing shit, he gonna see the light then fade to black like an atheist!”
B. Magic defeats Fonz
Recap: Fonz vs. B. Magic, elite puncher vs. elite puncher for a 1-rounder on URL’s Banned card, turns out to be a goodie with each battler spouting a plethora of head-turning bars to make you feen for more. Competitive with a near equal amount of haymakers on each side, it’s the more condensed and slightly more steadily hitting Magic who edges it here.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Street nigga, I was straight thugging and you really can’t relate like a play cousin!”
Ave defeats Murda
Recap: From 7 Cities Sharks/Nuthouse Battle League, in the face of the loud, rambunctious gun bars and aggressive punchlines from Murda, Ave uses a more subtle mix of fiery punches, piercing name flips, rampant boasts and lofty similes to take first couple of rounds for the win, before a more potent and haymaker-lit turn from Murda in the 3rd allows him to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “See, this don’t do nuthin’ at all for my stock, they ain’t even gonna put Murda [murder] on my record like the charges been dropped!”
