Recap: From Black Mafia Battle League, you can’t fumble the ball on your own battle league, can you? Well, apparently you can as after blitzing opponent Reed Dollaz with a variety of gritty raps in round 1, Calicoe self-destructs on a path of pedestrian bars, slip-ups and other challenges to his flow, leaving a righteous-talking, street bar-lit, personal-scoring and consistently spicy Dollaz with just enough room to edge both of the latter rounds for the win in this 3-rounder.
Verdict: Reed Dollaz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Reed Dollaz – “When these nigga’s gonna grow?, as I think to myself, see we can’t think outside the box ‘cuz we can’t think off the shelf!”
Recap: Saynt has no one to blame but himself for losing this one (and judging from his reaction after the 2nd round he knew it too). Indeed, after getting edged in round 1 by a Rum Nitty too consistent and overwhelming with his variety of sizzling (“Dope boys, who I was impressed with, nigga wanted to be Scarface, since a baby…like a cleft lip!”) haymakers, Saynt refused to back down. The young Inglewood, CA, battler going ham with a wide variety of delicious metaphorical name flips, gritty punchlines and hard-hitting/aggressive lyrical swordsmanship (esp. during a sublime round 3 which Saynt handily won) during both of the latter rounds that would have gotten him the win except for one too many slip-ups during a close 2nd, thus allowing Nitty to take this 3-rounder from West World Battle Rap.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Saynt LA – “It’s not a game, but shit even if it was you know that Saynt an issue, like a sibling with a unplugged controller, little bro ain’t playing with you!”
Recap: From Chrome23, at times to battle rap fans detriment, when he’s on the card so many times it’s about which Charlie Clips will show up. The jokester who doesn’t always take battles seriously or the Harlem icon who many have argued belongs on the culture’s Mount Rushmore. Well, after dropping a 30 on a super hot Eazy The Block Captain, you know which Clips showed here. As the Wild ‘n Out star kept his foot on his oppopent’s neck throughout this 3-rounder, showcasing versatility throughout with a bunch of fire schemes, righteous/witty personals, gritty punchlines, hitting storytelling, fierce wordplay and some dope off-the-dome darts that for Clips just comes naturally. And assisted by a mostly competitive, aggressive and gritty Block Captain who unfortunely also happened to go a little overboard with the personals, wasn’t always sizzling with usual trap talk and who, to much surprise, choked away his 2nd round, it’s a well-earned shutout for Clips.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “But honestly, I think you was fucking with her before Pap and pardon me if this sound silly tho, but I think this the nigga that was giving you head in the whip in the ‘Lean Back’ video!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Mic Masters Alliance, both Fendi and 40 B.A.R.R.S. bring the braggadocious gut checks, gritty name flips and exquisite wordplay/punches one would expect from the longtime vets. But proving once again that there’s levels to this shit, a little more than halfway through what was a pretty strong and competitive round up to that point, it’s Fendi who surprisingly collapses. The She Go Hard alum losing her train of thought for a minute before getting it back and then proceeding to commit another unforced error later on and finally deciding to cut her round short, thus helping the more flow efficient 40 get the win.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 1-0
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “You make it seem like you holier than thou, right?, like everything you do is good, but Jesus Christ Fendi come down off the cross, we need the wood!”
Recap: From Bullpen Battle League, Christian rapper Loso clashes with the seasoned vet Tay Roc (who amongst some-to-retire-talk has been on a prolific and impressive run of late) and with both battlers spouting an all out effort, the bout stayed pretty competitive. However, despite a pretty solid, pronounced and often personal effort from Loso, both of his opening rounds would contain onetoo many questionable darts and pedestrian lines. One the other hand Roc would dominate rounds 1 and 2 with a gang of wicked punchlines, deft wordplay, graphic mayhem, potent name flips, witty bars and a rare (but fly) rebuttal to start round 2, decisively taking the first two rounds for the win. However, proving that he’s no pushover (esp. in light of Roc already scheduled to batle his Four Horseman brethren A. Ward next) Loso would mount a strong comeback in the third round, delivering an angle-lit turn with a plethora of fire punchlines and exquisite personals. And helped in part by a shocking stumble by Roc (who afterwards would deliver a dope, AMG-dripped turn) towards the begining of his 3rd, Loso would edge the final round to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Who said this Jerk special?, hit his face, burst metal, now the mortivians gonna have a cremation on they work schedule, I’m a grab ya urn, break it, I’m a take it to the worse level, I’m a vacuum a Christian ashes up…in a Dirt Devil!”
Recap: Fire battle from URL’s N.O.M.E. 14 card with both Kyd (“Who want war with me?, get clapped in a venue for all to see, and have your whole team behind you screaming while I shoot…shit look like a corner 3!”) Slade and Saflare Sole delivering the goods on gritty punchlines, fire trap talk, rigid set-ups, solid name flips, righteous darts, explosive gun bars and boastful barbs. And while a way more potent and haymaker-lit Saflare clearly took round 2, the other two rounds remained tight and competitive with the slightly more condensed and efficient Slade edging round 1, before an equally spicy and action-filled 3rd calls for this ending up as a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Saflare Sole – “The problem is these nigga’s think they larger than life, but life is cheap when desperation meets the bargaining price!”
Recap: A matchup between two vets, O’fficial and Viixen The Assassin, that’s been in the talks for years finally gets a stage on URL’s Nome 14. Hard-hitting, gun bar-centric and a bit elongated on both sides throughout the bout with some extra style points what with Viixen and O’fficial showing off an ability to switch up flows and cadences. Despite a sublime, personal-lit 3rd round from O’fficial to earn the edge there, it’s a slightly more versatile, haymaker-lit, wordplay nasty and punch efficient Viixen who edges both of the earlier rounds for the win.
Verdict: Viixen The Assassin (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Viixen The Assassin – “One word to describe O’fficial is ordinary, ‘cuz she lack some, one word to describe me? is ovation, ‘cuz I’ll clap somethin’!”
Recap: From The Campout in Cleveland, against a Charlie Clips relying on solid freestyles, jokey jokes and the type of blithe rancor that’s especially built for just collecting a paycheck, Fonz utilizes a bunch of bullish boasts, stinging personals, a couple of crazy freestyles of his own and a gang of potent punchlines to handily get the win in this 1-rounder.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “Move back, I’ll hae them Harlem nigger’s walking around hurt, soon as I let a round burst, I’m talking about a 2k release, the whole city gonna be wearing brown shirts!”
Recap: From Chrome 23, after an equally efficient and sublime-on-both-sides round 1 that saw Ave and Rosenberg Raw on their A-game. The Norfolk, VA vet takes it to another level and gets versatie with it. Using not only a gang of piercing punchlines, but a plethora of righeous personals that more than not stung, a bunch of hard-hitting name flips and other mayhem-lit darts/gun bars that made there mark. And while the bullish barbs and fiery punchlines from Raw kept him in the race to start things out. After getting outscored on haymakers in a dope middle round, a surprising choke by Rosenberg in the 3rd helped Ave get the win.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “See I know this bum demeanor, he the one that want us all believing that he some sick animal ‘cuz your Daddy had jungle fever?!”
Recap: From The CampOut, Tennessee battler Dice spouts a gritty and pretty effort in this 1-rounder versus T-Top. But not to be undone, much less have an up-n-comer pull off an upset on his birthday, The Bear’s rugged combo of stinging set-up/punchlines, piercing name flips, hitting street rhymes, wicked gun bars and spicy off-the-dome heat gets the North Carolina vet the win.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 1-0
Favorite line: T-Top – “If we warring, I’m popping up to every damn hood, to make an opp a vegetable, you se every can good!”
Recap: Versus current Dot Mobb member The God Yogi, former Dott Mobb member Tay Roc survives a pretty solid, wordplay-lit effort with a boatload of hitting name flips, gritty punchlines, mayhem-centered darts and wily personals to edge this 1-rounder from Takeova Battle League.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “AMG mode, this ain’t a fair race, I’ll jet through like air space, on an airbase, clap on ya, tap water, give you a lead taste, with no mask, I’m a show Yogi the Bear face!”
Recap: From Takeova Battle League, Ant Keef and Chilla Jones for one round and while it’s a competitive turn with battlers delivering on a boatload of gritty punchlines, it’s the more haymaker-lit, wordplay-hitting and versatile Jones who earns the win.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “This can’t be right, y’all done put Ant vs. a jackhammer, I done headlined everywhere, Australia to Atlanta, so saying he was gonna win this battle?, bad answer, but it’ll be ‘Ant’ in the ER for that banter!”
Recap: Abundantly scoring with a bunch of righteous and highly personal darts, piercing name flips, fly wordplay, boastful barbs and hard-hitting set-up/punchlines, Charron takes both of the opening rounds of this 3-rounder from The Riot for win here versus Emerson Kennedy. The Utah battler, who kept it close in round 1 before getting handily out-punched in round 2, did manage to get some comeback in the 3rd close, landing efficiently enough with plenty of righteous heat and stinging punches of his own to make for a debatable there.
Verdict: Charron (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charron – “Hell raiser, you can’t face the pen, if we battled on the roof you’d see Em jump…it’s just the way I am!”
Recap: From The Smoke Room Battle League, a gritty (esp. when he was talking that hard street/gang shit), competitive and pretty solid effort from King Krash gets beat back by an ‘elite’ version of Chess. The Bronx, NY, battler using a consistent barrage of spirited gun bars, sizzling name flips, piercing set-up/punchlines, wily personals and some intricate wordplay in a haymaker-drenched turn that with no unforced errors gets him the win in this dope 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “This fella weak, I don’t respect this geek, I wrote this knowing I was gonna win like an acceptance speech!”
Recap: From Mic Masters Alliance, punching at a slightly higher premium in rounds 1 and 3, thematic and witty with his personals and also scoring with some boastful barbs and soldi wordplay throughout the bout, it’s Marv Won who edges both of the aforementioned rounds for the win in this 3-rounder against an Ave, who while going ballistic with his punch game in handily taking round 2, couldn’t keep up with the same efficiency in the other rounds.
Verdict: Marv Won (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Marv Won – “You a big bitch, that’s why your wig stay lifting!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from One Shot Battle League, Ave’s sizzling punch game is on display, but so is a gang of fiery gun bars, fire name flips and stinging personals that all combined are more than enough to score more haymakers and beat back a gun bar-centric and pretty solid effort from J2.
Verdict: Ave (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ave – “I don’t give a damn about the block that he claiming, or the fact that his community running with him like when Rocky was training!”
Recap: From URL’s Nome 14 card, utilizing a gang of gritty trap bars, a 2nd round angle so rich in grimy aesthetics that it certainly had this writer believing that Danny Myers and E-Hart were smashing and other solid personals and set-up/punchlines, T-Top drops a fairly easy 30 on a Bar God who while expansive with the lyricism throughout, couldn’t keep up with his opponent when it came substantive punches and pointed darts (esp. when Myers spent a quarter of his 3rd round going off on Loaded Lux).
Verdict: T-Top (W) 3-0
Favorite line: T-Top – “Knife to his chest, I bet the blood will scare Myers, doctors gotta pull it out from the front like a air fryer!”
Recap: Even after slowing down and withering a little bit in both of the latter rounds, after a sublime punchfest in round 1 that he took with relative ease, Geechi Gotti scores with just enough gritty punchlines, mocking personals and hard-hitting street barbs to edge rounds 2 and 3 for the 30 over an earnest, lyrical and competitive at times, but too often mediocre Joey Linwood in this 3-rounder from Black Mafia Battle League.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Fuck Joey, the only thing I’ll Linwood [lend wood] to is your momma nigga!”
Recap: It’s no secret: an on-point and focused Nu Jerzey Twork is an unbeatable foe. Take for example here in this 1-rounder from Manslaughter Battle League against a pretty solid and violence-themed effort by Sasse. Nu Jerooz still doesn’t break a sweat. The former Goonie using a variety of righteous darts, mocking personals, stifling gun bars, sporty schemes and gritty punches to score haymaker after haymaker and handily gain the win.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “This shit all a fraud, I’m trying to teach you about the pros and cons like the longest yard!”
Recap: From Chrome 23, hard-hitting and determined from jump with a versatile barrage of verbal grit that was laced with Southern-style linguistics, stinging personals, righteous darts, fire trap talk, gritty punchlines and boastful barbs, Swamp spouts his top tier mettle and scores a 30 on Aye Verb. The St. Louis battle vet, who while hitting at times with some solid wordplay here and there and deserving of much praise for heavily promoting this bout on his Twitter Spaces beforehand, overall just couldn’t match his opponent’s bar efficiency or prowess when it came to punches and similes.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “Why the fuck you wear all these dad hats and the only thing you been locked up for is child support!?
Recap: From Mic Masters Alliance, that “condundrum” bar in round 3 by Quest Mcody was fire, but an elongated 3rd plus way too many reaches and subpar punches by the Detroit battler throughout this 3-rounder to go along with a Rum Nitty hitting on all cylinders when it came to exquisite 4-bar set-up/punchlines, fiery gun bars, hitting name flips and gritty wordplay gives the EFB vet the 30.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “You gonna die quick, they already told him, you just ain’t getting the picture like a side bitch!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Gates of the Garden, Saflare Sole uses a consistent barrage of fire punchlines, hitting Christain-themed darts, glistening gun bars, fly anme flips and piercing wordplay to score more than haymakers and beat back a solid, but too often pedestrian effort from Th3 Saga.
Verdict: Saflare Sole (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Saflare Sole – “Nigga, you got the actual nerve, you an actual nerd, karate flick, your actions not matching your words!”
Recap: “So he a pimp.” LOL! Gotta love the battle crowd sometimes. Anyway, in this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code, B. Magic’s consistent punching prowess in a way more condensed round proves to be enough to beat back a gritty, street-laced and mostly solid (he did succumb to a lot of that lyrical schmiral stuff in the latter half of his round), but elongated Kapo Bravado.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Ya bitch turned from a real murder, she gave B the buns, I took that bitch to Trill burger!”
Recap: In this 3-rounder from iBattle, it’s the more haymaker-lit and efficient JC who wins outright. The EFB vet using a more efficient plethora of spicy gun bars, ghastly punchlines and piercing wordplay to beat back an earnest and hitting at times, but elongated and mostly pedestrian Jay-R.
Verdict: JC (W) 3-0
Favorite line: JC – “This shit get very depressing, none of us is promised tomorrow, but it is way scarier living secodn to second!”
Recap: A pretty solid and competitive 3-rounder here from Mic Masters Alliance sees B. Magic and opponent The Saurus spit a gang of piercing punchlines to go along with plenty of spicy of name flips and boastful barbs. However, after a cleaner-punching and just as efficient The Saurus edges round 1, a sublime and haymaker-drenched turn by Magic in round 2 ties things up before another solid punchfest by Magic in the deciding 3rd, against a shortened and mostly pedestrian turn by The Saurus, gets the EFB battler a comeback win.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Magic – “I heard you like to gamble, well I’ll use street tactics, I caught him leaving the casino and he ran into some street Magic!”
Recap: From Manslaughter Battle League, Arsonal and Minnesota battler (“This a homicide, I’ll come off the belt like Pootie Tang, wadata!”) Infrared Tha General go at it for one round and it’s a goodie. Both competitors serving up crowd-pleasing rhymes with no regard for tier status. And with the two battlers spitting their share of boastful barbs, gritty punchlines, witty darts and hard-hitting street rhymes with equal efficiency, this one makes for a tie.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Arsonal – “See I just retired from banging on nigga’s, I think I’m Blake Griffin!”
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: Does a two-minute or 2:30 time limit per round even benefit Calicoe? A battler known for storytelling bars, righteous darts and expansive build-ups/breakdowns. That’s what I couldn’t help but think as the Detroit spitter continuusly complained about opponent John John Da Don allegedly going over the time limit during this 3-rounder from Bullpen Battle League. Either way, Cal wasn’t beating John John on this day. The Yonkers, NY to ATL vet matching his determination with a consistent display of fire punchlines, some gritty wordplay, rugged name flips, hitting personals and solid schemes to handily get the 30 over a way less efficient and spotty 3 rounds from Cal.
Verdict: John John Da Don (W) 3-0
Favorite line: John John Da Don – “You only at the table ‘cuz this the one you dying in, you ain’t really living this life you rapping, they only believe it’s real raps ‘cuz you lie with passion!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from The Battle Academy that might as well have beem a 2-on-1 handicap match what with all the shots Prep threw at Tay Roc’s gf Lady Caution for some reason, Roc’s tenacious use of gritty punchlines, stifling name flips, boastful darts and wicked gun bars are more than enough to beat back an elongated and tedious (esp. in the latter half of his round) turn by Prep.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “.9 with extensions, knocking him senseless, he in a casket dressed like the old Prep…bowtie and suspenders!”
Recap: From The Riot, longtime battle rap vet Ill Mac doesn’t come outside as often as he used to, but when he does touch down, one thing is certain: You’re guaranteed to get a goodie. And here in this 3-rounder against Geechi Gotti, it’s a competitive and an impressive showing on both sides. Gotti, with a gang of bullish darts, fiery gun bars, some solid off-the-dome heat, witty personals and wily street tales stayed on point. While Mac’s righteous raps, spiffy wordplay/freestyles/rebuttals, piercing set-up/punclines and braggadocious zingers rarely allowed for any rust. A hard-hitting, but congenial bout between a couple of West-coast elites that also featured a few cameo’s from Geechi’s ‘G.O.A.T.’ cap, with round 1 being debatable, it’s the more punch-heavy Gotti who takes round 2 and edges round 3 for the win.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “This a gangsta vs. a skater, I’m not a hater, but the grind different, you gonna thank me later!”
Recap: From Membarz Only Battle Rap League, less than a day after battling Chef Trez in the States, T-Top ventures over to the UK to take on Gemin1 in a 3-rounder. Indeed, a pretty impressive choice by Top that’s made even more challenging by a pretty solid effort from his boastful, versatile and often punch-lit opponent. But with Bizzy showing off (again) a nice rebuttal and freestyle game to go along with a bunch of gritty trap talk, rugged set-up/punchlines and flexing name name flips & gun bars, after the two split the first coupel of rounds, it’s a condensed and slighlty more efficient T-Top who edges the 3rd round for the win.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “Bitch, you practice Islam?, cool you gonna die and lose Ak, I’ll pull up, catch him making Salat with two glocks!”
Recap: From iBattleTV, although he had enough punching ower in both the 1st and 3rd rounds to keep it close, some subpar punches and angles by Bigg K through this 3-rounder combined with an opponent in Oppa who outside of being a little elongated (which helped get him edged in round 1), frequently hit up the scoreboard (esp. during a sublime round 2) with a wide variety of gritty wordplay, clever punches, hitting personals and witty barbs/storytelling to take the 2nd and 3rd rounds for the upset win.
Verdict: Oppa (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Oppa – “If you thinking about any Opp besides me, you shouldn’t have caught this fade, if you thinking about rapping with Roc, yu shouldn’t have Walked This Way!”
Recap: Impressive comeback here by Geecho Gotti. Who after getting totally out-punched by a gritty, punch-lit, struggle bar-bent and aggressive Loso in round 1 of this 3-round The Riot battle, proceeds to surprisingly get on his rebuttal game and with a combination of dope off-the-dome theatrics, a plethora of haymakers, a little politicking and a gang of rugged street bar parlance, survives his still strong opponent in both of the latter rounds to earn the win.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “I know nigga’s who get loaded, kill shit and they go to jail and nobody miss em, it’s a trap, but how y’all keep getting nigga’s to play that game?, they design the system!”
Recap: Not sure why a battle of this magnitude, between two top tier femcees, didn’t receive the proper promo it should’ve received. But nonetheless, Coffee Brown versus E-Hart for 3 rounds gets platformed on Black Ice Cartel and while Coffee seemed on a hundred throughout when it came to a will to win…E-Hart? Not so much. The veteran Bronx, NY emcee getting by on sheer talent moreso than moxie as her gritty punchlines, gun bars, wordplay and name flips edges her round 1, before the more aggressive and bombastic Coffee’s graphic punches, wicked set-ups, witty (“Standing there, looking like everything they put our people through”) personals and other mayhem-lit darts helped her edge round 2 to tie things up. However, Coffee’s mid-round slip-up in the third round, despite her excellent start, ultimately cost her. This allowed E-Hart, who delivered a strong but beatable “AMG mode” performance, to even the score, resulting in a tie.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: E-Hart – “Get back-slapped for the cap and I stay with it tucked, I got one arm and I’m right here saying ‘What’s up!'”
Recap: A 1-rounder from Major League Battles, content with mixing in some excellent wordplay with his usual m.o. of hardbody punches, gritty storytelling and caustic, violence-prone raps, Danny Myers doesn’t break a sweat in handily beating back an aggressive and mayhem-lit, but overall pedestrian Jeuvry.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “A nigga said come see me with hands, I was on the way to unleash the can, till the plug called and said I got a new low, put the drake down and come meet the grams!”
Recap: T-Top and Chef Trez both give the Bullpen Battle League crowd their money’s worth in this fiery, competitive 3-rounder that stayed close throughout. And while the battle featured what you’d expect when it comes to Trez’s off-the-dome theatrics and Top’s greasy angles, it’s the Bear’s slightly more efficient use of crispy punchlines, boastful barbs and ridiculous name flips that edged him the victory. The more versatile Top taking the first round with a boatload of well-structured set-up/punchlines to set a strong tone early on. However, Trez would fight back hard in the second, showcasing his freestyle prowess and earning the round (over a solid, scheme-heavy turn by Top) with a bunch of impressive street darts and witty personals. Going into the 3rd round tied, T-Top would seal the win with a powerful closer, blending fire schemes, gritty trap talk and crowd control to tip the scales in his favor while also being assisted by a suprisingly righteous (tho Trez did turn it up and score more frequently in the latter half of his round) turn from his opponent.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “You my brother chef, so I don’t wanna let the beef continue, but you been asking for it like a secret menu!”
Recap: From The Battle Academy, scoring left and right with a bunch of hitting name flips, wily/animated punches, stinging personals, righteous heat and witty puns, but also helped by am unforced error-prone Chess (after getting edged in round 1) cutting both his 2nd and 3rd rounds short, a consistently flow ready and spicy Bill Collector earns the 30 in this mostly one-sided 3-rounder.
Verdict: Bill Colletor (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “Don’t nobody ever try to play me nigga, like Nick Cannon songs!”
Recap: Clearly choosing violence from jump, in this 3-rounder from Black Ice Cartel, Tay Roc keeps it aggressive and stays on opponent Bankhead’s neck with a shitload of graphic/mayhem-lit punchlines, gritty gun bars, fire name flips and flagrant boasts to handily take all three rounds for the win over an electric and earnest, but much less haymaker-lit effort from the Milwaukee battler.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “I don’t care, I’m a bang lead till he brain dead, chop his ponytails off and sell bundles of Bank head!”
Recap: In this much anticipated three-round battle from The Riot, Mr “Anti-URL” A. Ward gets his dream battle against Tay Roc and results are about what you’d expect. The more haymaker-lit and pocket-switching Tay Roc taking the first two rounds (which included a classic sublime/classic 1st) via some superb wordplay, clever name flips, witty bars, adept use of religious themes, piercing gun bars and a gang of gritty punchlines. And while Ward kept it competitive with a bunch of impressive freestyles/rebuttals and pretty solid punchlines throughout, the Christian battle rapper’s watered-down personals and lack of efficiency towards the end of both his opening rounds would contribute to him falling short. Despite that, with a will to win proving equally intense and proficient on both sides, the final round ended in a tie. Thus, allowing Ward to avoid the 30.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “I’ll pull up with a K for you, spark that iron, you pull up on nigga’s and pray for ’em, you call that slidin’?!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from The Stage in ATL, Chef Trez uses a handful of spicy rebuttals, a gang of piercing gun bars, cutthroat mayhem, stinging race angles and witty/mocking personals to handily beat back a round rife with personals and some hitting punches, but mostly pedestrian effort from Dylan.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I enter his ttown on a Sunday with a pistol clutched, walk in his church and hit Dylan [points hands like gun at opoonent’s head] roof, I’m trying to do to him what he did to us!”
Recap: Must have been something really important going on for that dude in red to keep his back turned the entire battle. Either way, in this 1-rounder from GOTG, while a gritty Ms. Ill puts on a solid show, her opponent First Lady Flamez simply dominates. Richmond, VA’s finest using an exemplary barrage of fine-tuned gun bars, hard-hitting punchlines, slick wordplay and piercing similes/personals to score enough haymakers and earn the win.
Verdict: First Lady Flamez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “It’s sickening when you weird shaped bitches disrespect me, ‘cuz I’d rather be slim forever tham thinking [thick and] correctly!”
Recap: A 1-rounder from OSBL, flexing throughout his round with a boatload of gritty wordplay, while unabashed with the graphic mayhem, searing name flips and fiery punchlines, a more consistently hitting O-Red also manages to score enough haymakers to beat back a fierce and pretty solid effort from West Virginia battler SBE Smoke.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “You should know B, why you gas him, have you forgot what I did to ya last friend?, now you throwing SBE in the middle liek I’m sort of hasbeen!”
Recap: From Bullpen Battle League, a lot of bark from Loso and Danny Myers in this 3-rounder. But not as much bite from either battled in a bout that was littered with a lot of reaches and subpar punches and personals. Still, with Danny getting by on his usual m.o. of fantastical street tales, mayhem-lit darts, bullish bars and a solid rebuttal game to go along with plenty of Christian-laced disses, it’s the more efficiently spicy Bar God who takes both rounds 1 and 2 for the win before a debatable 3rd.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “He said, he ain’t one of those don’t do nuthin’ if you touch me Christians, bitch you was bluffing, ‘cuz if I beat your ass and you call the police me, that’s doing something!”
Recap: From BMBL, Tay Roc and Bill Collector meet up for 3 rounds in Detroit and while competitive and crowd-pleasing throughout, the verdict here was an easy one. Bill, wily as ever with a plethora of spririted punchlines, witty barbs and solid personals, gets credit for an earnest performance. While Roc, continuing an electric run this year that’s seen him battle more often than ever before, ran through a gamut of graphic/mayhem-lit darts, hard-hitting g un bars, well-tailored name flips and piercing 4-bar set-up/punches that more often than not made their mark. However, helped by an opponent who ran out of gas punch-efficient wise in round 1, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit Roc who takes round 1 before the Cave Man capo handily takes round 2 as well with an even more punch-drunk and sublime turn for the win. A pretty solid, but not as nearly turned up run by Roc in round 3 gets overrun by Bill’s more workmanship and personal-lit showing to avoid the 30.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “You call yourself the G code, what’s strange about it, what the fuck is a G code to a nigga who beat the game without it?!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from The Stage, up-n-coming battler Wave Phenom makes some noise and keeps it competitive via a shitload of brash punches, some solid name flips and aggressive street raps. However, equipped with a gang of boastful barbs, mayhem-lit punchlines, fiery schemes/personals, gripping name flips of his own and some lethal wordplay, it’s the vet Chilla Jones who scores more than enough haymakers for the win.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “Punch, slumped in your hands, a gun in my hand, it’s Ocean Spray, I’m putting Wave in front of a can!”
Recap: From Landslide TV, putting aside battle host Calicoe’s attempt to combine the ethos of the sripper club with battle rap, Asi Amora versus Yoshi G for 3 rounds turns out to not only be a pretty solid battle, but also comes with a mind-twisting ending. Yoshi, for the most part dumping her signature salacious ‘thot bars’ for satisfactory punchlines, braggadocious darts and fancy wordplay here, came to compete. While the up-n-comer Asi, flexed throughout the bout with a versatile mix of hard-hitting street raps, wily/witty personals, piercing hometown lines and righteous punches that scored aplenty. After the slightly more bar-effcient Yoshi edged round 1 and the more haymaker-lit Asi took round 2 to tie things up, round 3 is when things got weird. As the ever eccentric Yoshi, surprisingly bothered by her opponent’s attempt to get extra personal and literally ‘talk to her pussy’, called time on Asi to cut her round a bit short (after both battlers had clearly rapped past 2 minutes in each of their earlier rounds) while claiming later that the two battlers had agreed to 2-minute rounds (something Calicoe would later deny). And what with the slightly more punch-heavy Asi Amora already ahead by the time Yoshi pulled her latest stunt, it’s the Chi-town rapper who takes the 3rd and gets the win here.
Verdict: Asi Amora (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Asi Amora – “I ain’t goota show ass and brag about my sex skills, or tell the whole world that my head vicious, it’s like I’m autistic, ‘cuz I don’t talk a lot, nigga’s just know my brain different!”
Recap: 3 rounds from URL’s ‘Civil War 5’ card sees Klutz’s clever punches, rich metaphors and exquisite wordplay take on Jakkboy Maine’s wicked darts and performance-heavy ‘Jakanese’-speak. And it’s a goodie. The two battlers displaying plenty of moxie and crowd-plessing bars while sticking with their game plans to split (got Jakk edging round 1, before Klutz retunred the favor in round 2) the opening rounds before a slightly more efficient and punch-heavy Klutz took the deciding 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Klutz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Klutz – “Nigga’s talk shit like me working at a dealership was funny, but when I hit ya block in a new Charger, watch how fast it go from zero to a hundred!”
Recap: From Gates of the Garden, credit to Wise for making the Chef work hard for this one. Trez using a barrage of fierce gun bars, slick rebuttals, fire name flips and hard-hitting schemes/punchlnes to edge rounds 1 and 2 in this 3-rounder for the win before Wise, who was competitive, gritty and punch & scheme-lit throughout the battle, handily took the 3rd.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “His grave like the vein of a heroin user, the boy in it!”
Recap: Let’s call a spade a spade: if Shooney Da Rapper didn’t get in her own way so much, what with all the stunbles and chokes over the years, she’d easily be in the Top 10 on the female battler’s side. But it is what it is. Yet, this Houston Bar Code 1-rounder against Lady J comes off as another reimnder of how nice Shooney is with the pen. And in addition to no unforced errors, Shooney would need all of it. As her Houston, Texas opponent, relying mostly on a gang of spicy name flips, would come through with a pretty solid and competitive effort. However, via a consistent variety of gritty gun bars, fiery personals, some crafty wordplay and a boatload of hard-hitting and aggressive punches, at the end of the day it’s Shooney who gets hands raised in the air.
Verdict: Shooney Da Rapper (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shooney Da Rapper – “But she don’t rap like that, all this bitch talk about is pussy and straps, well I [hold hands up towards Lady J like a gun] got a big dick and it’ll bust in ya face, silencer on, I ain’t got nuthin’ to say!”
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 Bar You To Death Battle League, a 1-rounder between Chess and Luck Dollaz and simply put it’s hard to give the Yung Gawd the benefit of the doubt for choking here. After all, while he kept it professional showing up on the same day his baby was born, with Chess’ recent history of constsnatly slipping up and choking during battles, does he deserve a mulligan for that bar Luck’s spit? We’ll leave that to the comment section. Nonetheless, with Chess’ (tho he did have a handful of spitfire lines) failings here, it’s an easy vic for the mostly gun bar toting and consistently gritty Dollaz.
Verdict: Luck Dollaz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Luck Dollaz – “Save all that stupid shit you thought about doing for the next bro, I bought a new gun, I’ve been waiting to fucking let go, extendo, the clip curl like the end of the bread loaf!”
Recap: From QOTR, unless said white rapper has actually shown signs of racism in the past, black battle rappers have really gotta stop using lazy race angles against them. That choice by Bonnie Godiva here versus A. Ward in the 3rd round being even more suspect when you consider it’s a Christian battle rapper you’re going up against, who you also happen to be in the same battle group (YTG) with. But then along with her opponenet, Bonnie never seemed to be on her A-game either. Yet, professional battle vets that they both are, the two still competed hard while offering up a variety of punches throughout. But after splitting (had Bonnie edging round 1 before Ward came back and returned the favor in round 2) the opening rounds, a pretty mid 3rd on both sides gets edged by the slightly more efficient Ward, who’s win heer is even more impressive when you consider how often he’s been battling of late .
Verdict: A. Ward (W) 2-1
Favorite line: A. Ward – “For a nice gun bar I’m always down like the Mcflurry machine!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code, Swav delivers one of his best performances, uplifting an already gritty street game with better efficiency to his punches, braggadocios raps, lofty personals and oft-potent trap/gang talk. Unfortunately for the Texan battler, his opponent Nu Jerzey Twork would do him one better. The former Goonie waiting out an elongated turn from his opp and getting right at it with a gang of fire set-up/punchlines, piercing similes, graphic mayhem, stinging gun bars, rich storytelling and boastful drug chatter that all combined ellicited enough hayakers for the win.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “They gonna hit me with a whole hundred years, extra life, left the rock, no release date…Jeffrey Dahmer!”
Recap: Two things real quick about Arsonal: having heard that he’s considering giving up on it, because he’s one of the best at it, da Rebel needs to stick to the disrespectful shit (it also fits his brand and flow as well). Secondly, Ars has been in the game way too damn long to be slipping up as much as he has of late, much less choking as he does here against Coffee Brown. And in a battle that was otherwise pretty competitive, what with both emcees delivering the goods on cue via a gang of potent gun bars (esp. Coffee), gritty punches and wicked personals (esp. Ars) in an equally efficient rounds 1 and 3, it’s Arsonal’s struggles with recalling his lines and eventually giving the 2nd round up that helps Coffee get the win in this 3-rounder from URL.
Verdict: Coffee Brown (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Coffee Brown – “I don’t like you nigga’s, no it ain’t love, they call me Coffee ‘cuz their ain’t a nigga I can’t mug!”
Recap: Fire battle from URL’s Civil War 5 card between Awthentic and Danny Myers with the former’s amiable flow adding plenty of flair to his consisent barrage of stinging wordplay, mayhem-lit darts, oft-seismic punches and braggadocius bars. On the other Danny, even in the face of his opponent’s steady heat, Danny never wilt. The Bar God getting busy with a solid rebuttal game to go along with his usual m.o. of thought-provoking urban street tales, gritty punches, steely gun bars and lofty name flips that would were especially absolute during a sublime 2nd round (i.e. classic) that allowed Danny to split things going into round 3. But while the EFB vet gave a valiant effort in the 3rd (tho he was partly hurt one too many name flips again in the finale), ultimately it was Awthentic’s ability to stay on Danny’s neck with yet another firestorm of dizzying haymakers that would the We Go Hard alum the win.
Verdict: Awthentic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Awthentic – “I’ll be the only face you see when you die ‘cuz you see I only need God as my witness!”
Recap: Nothing to do with him being a Christian battle rapper. But it’s a little weird seeing Loso get lackadaisical with the pen and rely on so many toxic personals here in this UDubb 3-rounder against O’fficial. And ironically, that strategy would contribute to his loss. As after a lyrically-acute and punch-heavy round 1 edged Loso the opener, struggles with his flow as well as a gang of subpar personal disses and the Bardashian turning it up when it came flexing gun lines, gritty punches/personals and fierce hometown bars, allows O’fficial to come back and take both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: O’fficial (W) 2-1
Favorite line: O’fficial – “You a man of God, so I don’t believe you blam toast, Alicia Keys at the Super Bowl, bitch you starting off on a bad note!”
Recap: Against the solid, but none-too-spectaculat street raps of Joey Linwood, after a bit of a slow start B. Magic gets back in his bag of tricks and with a slew of gritty wordplay, witty darts and fiery punches, handily scores enough haymakers to take this 1-rounder from Next Level Battle League.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “I ran into a couple of opps and made them run the other way, I told them stop now and you’ll live to run another day!”
Recap: It came down to way too many jabs from the Chef. In this 3-rounder from the New Udubb, as extremely hard-hitting, aggressive and street-themed as Monsta could be, too many dry spots from the Southern battler and a Chef Trez consistently hitting on all cylinders when it came to potent gun lines, spicy rebuttals/freestyles, greasy name flips and wicked punches gives the ATL vet a sturdy 30.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Potato in front of this shrimp, he in hot water, we making gumbo!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from The New UDubb, T Top’s return to Arsonal’s league turns out to be one he’d like to forget. As in a surpising turn, The Bear simply couldn’t get out of his own way, stumbling and forgetting his bars several times before eventually choking here against Yung Deezy. A Gates of the Garden alum who in fairness, came to compete what with consistently gritty punchlines and other mayhem-lit darts that might have had him pull off the upset regardless of his more well-known opponent’s subpar performance.
Verdict: Yung Deezy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Yung Deezy – “So chill, you bet’sta be calm, ‘cuz to e real you got a fat girl image, that’s why I put a little extra on the arm!”
