Recap: A gritty, graphic/versatile-punching and pretty solid effort from Danny Myers, in this 1-rounder from iBattleTV, gets blown to bits by the richer combo of righteous similes, salacious gun bars, slick wordplay and searing punches delivered by Los Premee, giving the up-n-coming Brooklyn emcee a noteworthy win for his resume.
Verdict: Los Premee (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Los Premee – “Nah, you think you gonna put me in a plot, that’s a grave mistake, another opp getting tagged, colostomy bag I’m laying waste!”
Recap: From Family Battle League, against the bullish/street-themed overtones of a solid, but mostly pedestrian Jayrone, via a nice healthy mix of gritty gun bars, wicked name flips/personals, stinging punchlines and of course, some off-the-dome heat to plant his mark, Chef Trez gets another handy win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Nigga’s trying, but I don’t be around haters, and I don’t owe this nigga 3 of dem things, it’s Family Battle League, we don’t count favors!”
Recap: In this ‘1-off’ 3-rounder from URL, Ave uses a piercing and electric punch game, fire wordplay throughout and some witty/mocking personals to handily get the 30 over a gritty and aggressive as usual, but not nearly as steadily hitting Snake Eyez.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Fuck is y’all saying?, y’all let him keep playing like he that guy, that’s like homeless nigga’s bragging about ‘I be outside!'”
Recap: In this gritty 1-rounder from Capitol Battle Grounds, despite a couple of minor stumbles with his flow, a punch-heavier, name flip-lit, personal-hitting and braggadocios Swamp manages to score more than enough haymakers for the win over a street-themed and solid overall, but less consistent Reed Dollaz.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “This battle rap shit is a outlet, no fun, I was always taught stay ten toes down and don’t run, if it’s 4th down? you don’t punt, home runs, don’t bunt, this morning my bitch sent me 5 attachments…to 4 guns!”
Recap: Outside of slow starts by both battlers in a variety of rounds, Coffee Brown versus 40 B.A.R.R.S. turns out to be a fire battle or better yet, what you’d expect from two top tiers. And it was really, really close too. Coffee, making use of a witty ‘granny’ angle when it came to personals throughout the match, also supplied her usual m.o. of aggressive punches, flippant name flips and bombastic/street-themed darts that made you feel the pain. While 40’s laidback, but slick and effective flow wrecked havoc when it came to dishing out a gang of boastful barbs, fire punchlines, storied wordplay, scandalous personals and gritty name flips. A crazy back-n-forth that was certainly worth the price of admission for all 3 rounds, after a debatable round 1, it’s the slightly more steady hitting and efficiently spicy 40 who edges both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 2-1
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “I’m just saying, if a pic could get a nigga’s dick soft, I’m telling you this bitch shit will, I mean her man is the only nigga that looked at ‘Net flicks [Netflix] and chilled!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Major League Battles, the “FanDuel” bar was fire and opponent LA G definitely picked it up with a bunch of grittier punches in the latter half of her round vs. a pretty mundane opening half. But still, against a persistent 40 B.A.R.R.S. fully equipped with a gang of casual/banging heaters, scintillating wordplay and flexing pumches/personals, it’s just another day at the office and a win for Team 40.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 1-0
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “Give her the big stick like a mandingo, she don’t understand the lingo, I find her crib I’ll put a mark on ‘G’ spot…bingo!”
Recap: In the midst of another holiday season and clearly in the spirit of giving, Tay Roc lets rising iBattle battler Febou have a crack at it and the up-n-comer doesn’t waste his opportunity. The spirited Massachusetts spitter giving it his all and staying competitiive during this 1-rounder with a gang of witty bars, spicy storytelling and wily personals/punchlines. But never one to underestimate any opponent, via a plethora of mayhem-lit compounds, syrupy name flips, some killer wordplay, rapid ‘AMG mode’ darts, raucous gun lines and mocking personals, it’s the more expansive, battle-tested and haymaker-lit Roc who gets the win.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Rifle, this bow action, the swat gonna come like I told Jakk, you try to sneak by bro you’re done, is my bro dumb thinking he could stunt my whole run?, I’m too giant for Fe-fi-fo-fum!”
Recap: From Chrome 23, a highly anticipated matchup with plenty of back-n-forth between the battlers beforehand, with 3 action-packed, brazenly personal and punchline-lit rounds, Eazy The Block Captain versus John John da Don lived up to the hype. Eazy (aka ‘The Trap Bar King’) consistently brought the heat throughout the bout, not only with a plethora of gritty trap talk, but also with a gang of hard-hitting/mocking personals, boastful barbs, some gutsy wordplay and stinging punchlines. While JJDD kept it competitive with a fierce pallette of dope schemes, fiery name flips, solid punches and a boatload of piercing personals. However, one too many pedestrian bars from JJDD combined with a roundhouse, haymaker-lit round 1 by Eazy would handily give the Block Captain the opener, before a more personal/righteous, but still sublime turn by Eazy in round 2 would also hand him round 2 for the win. Round 3, despite another crazy turn by Eazy, would go JJDD’s way as the Bullpen Battle League capo turned it up on the personal front in what altogether was a fire battle.
Verdict: Eazy The Block Captain (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Eazy The Block Captain – “Nigga you tricked me, keep it a bean you ain’t do shit to get me, you were the B-side, I picked you, if you was the A-side you could’ve skipped me!”
Recap: From KOTD, battling more regurlarly these days after a long hiatus away from the ring, Canadian battle rapper Loe Pesci uses a bunch of mocking personals and witty barbs to keep it competitive for 3 rounds with JC. But displaying better efficiency overall than his opponent via a morbidly poetic touch that featured death-themed metaphors, razor-sharp wit (esp. when it came to revisiting Pesci’s infamous battle with Daylyt awhile back), righteous boasts and sophisticated flair when it came punches/wordplay, it’s The Kid JC who takes the 1st and 3rd rounds (call the 2nd debatable) for the win.
Verdict: JC (W) 2-1
Favorite line: JC – “You tried to let these lights and cameras make you forget where you better sitting at, even Organik said Pasci could’ve stayed Home Alone ‘cuz he know the Goodfella stepping in a trap!”
Recap: Can’t recall a year where so many top tier battle rappers entered the ring so often. The easiest answer being that with so many of them having already battled each other, they’ve run out of big name opponent’s to face, hence giving up-n-comers a shot. Well, if the latter is the case with Rum Nitty (“I just put in an order for some new guns, I wrote down a list, the connect from India, I got Real Sikh’s [six] plug…like a power strip!”) taking on CJA for 3 rounds here on iBattle, good for Nitty and great for CJA, who clearly took advantage of his opportunity. The Rochester, NY, battler using a bunch of rambunctious punches and boastful darts to score a debatable (got Nitty taking round 1 and CJA the 2nd, before a debatable 3rd) over a Nitty, who after a blazing opening round, couldn’t quite get back on his A-game in the following rounds despite a solid enough effort that kept him from receiving an upset.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: CJA – “Why would I waste bullets on this prick?, you are 5-foot-6, I won’t need it, RBE security, I got this big-ass gun for no reason!”
Recap: From URL, Chess and T-Rex stage a 1-off to make up for that little kerfuffle they had recently at Irving Plaza and it’s a doozy. Rex with a shitload of gritty punchlines/name flips, aggressive street anthems, storied trap talk, righteous heaters and a few witty personals without a hint of any mixtape bars, definitely came to win. While Chess’ in-ya-face boasts, piercing punches/metaphors/name flips, flexing lyricism, crazy set-ups and flashy gun bars served as yet another example of the Young Gawd’s standard of excellence when he isn’t dealing with unforced errors. Competitive throughout, after the two split (had the slightly more haymaker-lit Chess taking round 1, before Rex returned the favor in round 2) the opening rounds, it’s the more punch-efficient (and effective) Chess who takes the deciding 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “I’m just here to ruffle feathers with this, if you feeling disrespectful with it, you could really get at me, Diddy and Cassie, we gonna settle this quick!”
Recap: Making his debut on Verbal War Zone over a trio of spicy beats against a clearly faded Fire da Misfit (hence all that overt aggression throughout the battle), when he wasn’t disrespecting his opponent’s birthday, Ill Will stays in tune with just enough gritty punchlines/jokes as well as a helping hand from FDM cutting both of his opening rounds short to get the win before FDM handily took the 3rd over an expeditious Will who by then almost certainly just wanted to get the battle over with.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ill Will – “Doper than that shit that ignited wars in Nicaragua, man I ain’t trying to fuck your bitch, I wanna meet your mama!”
Recap: From RBE, against a mostly pedestrian Aye Verb, who outside of some unflattering shots at URL, seemed like he’d much rather be back at home on Twitter Spaces doing his usual raving and ranting at anyone willing to listen, Mickey Factz uses a steady stream of solid punchlines, hard-hitting personals and feelgood boasts/wordplay over the course of 3 rounds to earn a shutout.
Verdict: Mickey Factz (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Mickey Factz – “You retire every year from battle rap, you can’t even successfully quit!”
Recap: From RBE, in a 3-rounder that featured a lot of gritty punchlines, steely gun bars, hard street rhymes and formidabke name flips from both sides, despite cutting short his 3rd round, Ill Will supplies more than enough heat to outdo an earnest effort from P.A.Y.N.E. and get the win.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ill Will – “You got rhyme and flow, I mean but is it timeless tho?, these people know where my mind can go, you from the state that make marbles…boy I lost mines a long time ago!”
Recap: A dope 3-rounder between Emerson Kennedy and Nu Jerzey Twork from the former’s Last Second Sea Battle League, sees Twork (who’s had an excellent 2023 that isn’t being talked about as much as it should be by the usual battle rap pundits) bring the heat with a boatload of mocking/witty/mean personals, raucous street lines, gritty punches and holier-than-thou gun bars. While EK kept things competitive with a fresh plate of rigid punchlines, some solid personals of his own, a fly round 3 rebuttal and some sneaky but captivating wordplay. But despite a valiant effort from EK, it’s the more haymaker-lit and efficient Jersey juggernaut who takes both of the opening rounds for the win before EK came back to take the 3rd and avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “Your mother taught you about the birds and the bees, you know all the words to N’Sync!”
Recap: From Anybody Can Die Battle League, a fierce one-round bout between JC and LL Coogi sees the EFB vet emerge victorious via a relentless onslaught of sharp set-ups, gritty punchlines and mayhem-lit bars. Indeed, JC’s seamless delivery and stirring wordplay would overshadow an opponent who while intense throughout, got off to slow start when it came to the potency of his lines. And while LL would redeem himself with a flurry of hitting punchlines in the latter half of his round, by the end it’d be too late.
Verdict: JC (W) 1-0
Favorite line: JC – “You are not raw, I sell services so efficient, I drop more bodies than I drop calls!”
Recap: Credit to Ms. Hustle for pulling that vet move and essentially not allowing Arsonal much of a chance to remember his bars in round 1, after he surprisingly stopped short near the end of his turn. Because up to that point da Rebel was really cooking and that pretty much turned out to be the difference here. A URL ‘Homecoming 2’ battle that was loud, aggressive, punch-lit, disrespectful (esp. from Hustle’s side) and certainly entertaining on both sides (even when Ars was ‘going at it’ with his doppleganger in round 3) will also be remembered for a sublime 2nd round from Ars, a crowd that was lit from jump and Hustle (even tho some of her personals were pretty dated, something which ironically Arsonal would later address) flexing her versatility throughout the match. Nonetheless, it’s the more steady flowing and haymaker-crazy Hustle who would take the opener, before Arsonal came back with a killer 2nd to split things up. Round 3, which was easily the least explosive round, would get edged by the more direct and punch-lit Hustle for the win.
Verdict: Ms. Hustle (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ms. Hustle – “Stop telling nigga’s you could fuck me, ‘cuz it ain’t true, truth is he sent me a dick pic…and I sent it to J2!”
Recap: Rapping way longer than the ‘two minutes’ he promised early on, Chess would need every bit if it. As after a pretty solid and versatile showing from an often punch-heavy Kang, the Young Gawd’s gritty combo of piercing anime bars/schemes, witty/mocking personals, some fire wordplay and hitting punchlines would prove to be just efficient enough to edge this 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Big dagger, it’s kind of brolic, where to cut?, I got a lot of options, turn Kang into a kangaroo, the way it did his stomach would be out of pocket!”
Recap: I’m sorry, but I’ve witnessed Aye Verb battle in front of too many hostile NY crowds, and never let that effect his performance, to feel bad for Serius Jones going through the same thing here. Then too with a litany of dated bars/schemes (esp. that Wu-Tang shit), subpar name flips/punches and elongated rounds, one can’t help but wonder (even tho he did have a solid round 1) if Jones will ever be able to change up his style to get with the new era of battle rap. But whatever Sharif. As outside of that, in this 3-rounder from URL’s Homecoming 2 card, it was all Geechi Gotti here. The EFB capo scoring some big payback from Jones after the NJ vet was going ham on stage cheering Murda Mook on during their battle last year. And no, it wasn’t just the blistering Math Hoffa (who just happened to be there on stage looking on and even flipped the coin beforehand) personals that did Serius in. But also a plethora of blazing freestyle/rebuttals, gritty street/trap talk, witty darts, hard-hitting punchlines and crafty name flips that handily got Geechi the 30.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “My 9’s popping, bitch I’ll have your at the hospital telling your family they can’t do nothing more, bitch, I’ll have your vital signs looking like a underscore!”
Recap: From URL’s Homecoming 2 card, nonwithstanding surprisingly bringing out Brizz Rawsteen midway during his 3rd round in an ill-advised (considering the enigmatic Brizz hasn’t battle at all since we seen him and T-Top vs. Calicoe and Mook like 4 years ago) move that clearly had no effect on his opponent, Nu Jerzey Twork ends his 2023 with an impressive win against Murda Mook. The Jersey star using a versatile plate of crazy set-up/punchlines, some cold wordplay, ill street-themed raps, mocking personals, braggadocious darts and raucous gun bars/name flips to take both the 1st (that sublime ‘Young Dolph’ line was a nice precursor to what was coming) and 2nd rounds for the vic, before Mook (who was competitive and pretty solid throughout with a boatload of witty barbs, righteous punches, spicy schemes and piercing heat) came back with his best round of the match to salvage the 3rd and final round.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “They cut me from wide receiver, I just couldn’t get away from the corner!”
Recap: Irony noted. That is Ace Amin challenging a vet like Shotgun Suge on his rapping ability when the former continues to utilize a tough guy act (bumping Suge like 3 times and even going at it with a fan in the crowd) more suited for the UFC than a battle rap stage. Nonetheless, overall Ace was still pretty solid (esp. during round 1, his best) here in this URL ‘Homecoming 2′ matchup’, keeping it competitive throughout with a speedy barrage of street-themed lyrical swordmanship, gritty punchlines and some hard-hitting personals. But this one was Suge. The more efficient NJ to Atlanta spitter taking advantage of his opponent using way too many lackluster Suge-isms to go with some reaches and righteous banter that went nowhere, but also scoring left and right (esp. during a spitfire round 1) with a shitload of fire name flips, mocking/witty personals, some dope wordplay, sublime trap talk/gun bars and searing punches of his own to earn the 30.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “We got a full house, he came here to out-tough me?, Ace high he trying to bluff me!”
Recap: From URL’s ‘Homecoming 2’ card, scoring more points with a better overall punch game while also supplying better efficiency lyrically (thanks in part to opponent Lu Castro’s elongated 1st and 2nd rounds that were capped by way too many mundane bars), a consistently gritty, aggressive, performance-spazzing, punch-crazy at times and personal-lit Swamp handily takes rounds 1 and 3 (call the 2nd round debatable due to Swamp’s struggles with his flow) for an earnest win over an opponent who while bringing the goods when it came to performance and wit, just couldn’t compete when it came to punchlines.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Swamp – “I was riding around New York with my shit on my lap, first I was home alone, had to turn my crib into a trap!”
Recap: Steady scoring with a variety of hardbody name flips, rambunctious boasts, fiery gun bars and gritty punchlines, in this 1-rounder from The Smoke Room Battle League, Fonz gets an easy win over an aggressive and earnest, but mostly subpar punching Heavy Half.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “They say all I do is punch and they gave me a Heavy bag, C3 no matter how much they try to cover it up…Heavy ass!
Recap: Rapping over beats in the Verbal War Zone, after getting out-punched by a gritty and haymaker-lit Nadiali in round 1, 40 B.A.R.R.S. gets back in her lyrical bag of tricks with a more hitting dose of rigid punches, flexing gun bars and pointed boasts/personals to edge both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 2-1
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “If I choose, then it’s go time, ass out, I’m a show mine, tre hanging, it’s like a game changer, no gangbanger but I’m a throw 5!”
Recap: From The Riot, deftly promoting her OnlyFans account while delivering a pretty solld and versatile effort throughout, Viixen The Assassin kept it close and competitive in this 3-rounder against Chilla Jones. But outside of a 3rd round that saw him get clearly out-punched, a more condensed Mr. Jones’ steadier mix of hitting personals, clever wordplay and gritty punchlines proved to be just enough to edge both the 1st and 2nd rounds for the win.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “We all can hear that you sound like Twork, you can admit that star is your idol, you got so much of blood in ya pad, we all thought you started your cycle!”
Recap: From KOTD, taking a page from opponent Arsonal’s book of disrespect, Franchise utilizes a bunch of bad-mannered personals while also mixing in some sturdy gun bars, lofty trap talk and gritty punchlines that with a steadier effort flow-wise and a Rebel who while hitting at times, could never seem to approach his A-game when it came to punches, gave the Canadian battler the 30.
Verdict: Franchise (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Franchise – “We ain’t pussy at all hey, we had jux in the hallway, bitch, I seen a cross-eye nigga get shot because he kept looking the wrong way!”
Recap: In this Verbal War Zone 3-rounder, over three scorching beats, the blazing speed of O’fficial and Ms. Ill’s flows and the precision of their cadence compensate for a barrage of mostly pedestrian punchlines. But while lyrical finesse may have taken a back seat to a clash that seemed more suited the studio booth rather than the battle stage, O’fficial’s slightly more efficient darts allow the New Orleans’ Bardashian to claim the first and third rounds for a well-deserved win.
Verdict: O’fficial (W) 2-1
Favorite line: O’fficial – “Everybody killing everybody but Zimmerman!”
Recap: No ‘Thot Bars’ or an endgame kiss on the cheek, but Yoshi G versus Viixen The Assassin for 3 rounds on Bullpen Battle League is still a salacious one. Yoshi going after her opponent with a bunch of juicy personals, some solid wordplay and a wide variety of hitting/righteous punchlines, made a show of it. While Viixen, outside of struggling with her flow a bit in round 1, kept it competitive with piercing (“Baby, when we tell you to suck it up, we don’t mean literally!”) darts aimed at Yoshi’s mental health as well as a gang of aggressive punchlines/personals and daunting gun lines. Close throughout, it’s the equally efficient but cleaner-flowing Yohsi who edges round 1, before a way more haymaker-lit Viixen took round 2 to tie things up. Helped by some dope off-the-dome heat to start her 3rd, Yoshi does just enough make the final round debatable in light of a pretty solid turn by Viixen.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Yoshi G – “You fat booty bitch, I just know your toilet seats be hella loose!”
Recap: From OSBL, some hard street rhymes and rapid punches from Wordplay The Menace makes for a solid effort. But nothing of sorts from WTM is able to overcome a steady stream of fiery off-the-dome heat, sturdy gun bars and gritty punchlines from Chef Trez in this mostly one-sided 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “All these shots I gave, I’m not the one to call if you seeking sobriety!”
Recap: From London UK’s Membarz Only league, T-Top’s trip overseas is a worthwhile one as The Bear utilizes a gang of sublime name flips, daunting trap talk, gritty gun bars/punchlines and a 2nd round roasting session (and scheme) mocking his opponent Whispers’ teeth to get a 30 over a European rapper that was solid and gritty overall, but didn’t have near enough steady heat to take on the likes of Top.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 3-0
Favorite line: T-Top – “The pound spit and y’all call him the ‘Knife Bar’ king, y’all got him super gassed, ‘cuz as soon as he pull out that knife, bitch I’m a shoot his ass!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from iBattleTV, Chilla Jones unleashes a torrent of lyrical finesse, using a consistent barrage of slick name flips when it came to his opponent’s nickname (i.e. ‘The Face’), consistently gritty punchlines and a well-knit weaving of wit and wordplay that sealed the victory over home team upstart Febou, who started off well and kept it competitive with a bunch of solid punches during the first half of his round before slowing own and faltering in the latter half thanks to a boatload of pedestrian bars.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “I had a date with your slut, we watched an iBattle stream, we was faded and stuck, she tried to blush to conceal her shame, but I’m a mac I ain’t making this up, while you was rapping one round verse Geechi, nigga she too was facing a nut!”
Recap: From KOTD, against a fierce and aggressive, but mostly subpar-punching Hollohan, in both of the opening rounds Geechi Gotti goes ballistic. The Compton, CA, battler using a steady stream of gritty street rhymes, flexing gun bars, daunting boasts and stinging punchlines to handily take rounds 1 and 2 for the win before dedicating his entire 3rd round to the passing of Canadian battle legend Pat Stay (RIP). And since Pat’s close friend Hollohan also did the same using his final round as a tribute to the Sucka Free Boss, we’ll just call the 3rd debatable.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Don’t make me upset, or blame the thuggin’, wet dreams, I literally came from nuthin’!”
Recap: Well, if you’re going to freestyle a whole round, Geechi Gotti can show you how to do it. After splitting the first two rounds with the righteous punching, angle-lit (esp. during a dope 2nd round centered around Geechi’s hair extension business that he edged) and activist-bent Jey The Nitewing, an openly peeved Gotti surprisingly takes the risk of going off the dome (no pulling out the phone during your round here) for his entire 3rd and it works. The gritty, gang shit/street rhyme-laced rapper putting aside the usual smoke for a fierce roasting session/scolding of his opponent that with a bunch of witty personals and too-real disses on his battle career that with a couple of spicy rebuttals, helped Gotti edge the final round (after out-punching Jey in the 1st) and take the 3rd round of this entertaining and competitive Traffic 6 matchup brought to you by URL.
Verdict: Geecho Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Swing on me, you’ll get shot, I bet you’ll make the floor quicker than you ever did!”
Recap: From RBE, of course what ends up being the irony here is that this version of QB (90% bars, 10% disrespect) was actually beatable. But leave it to Charlie Clips to revert back to days of old, lackadaisically freestyle an entire battle and then make it worse by pulling out his phone to read a silly ‘dyke poem’. Talk about going out of your way to sully your legendary status in the game (but as long as those ‘Wild ‘n Out’ keep getting cashed, what does he care?). Either way, after a debatable round 1, QB with a bunch of solid schemes, gun bars, classic Charlie-isms and punchlines, handily takes both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: QB (Black Diamond) (W) 2-1
Favorite line: QB (Black Diamond) – “I ain’t gotta guess which room he in, nigga the living room is where the arm bang and leave DNA on Charlie couch, I got him feeling like the good ole days!”
Recap: No Mexican bars from Don Marino in a 1-round, GMDW battle where the theme was wrestling. Nonetheless, still a solid effort filled with a gang of filthy punches from the Florida hombre. Then it was Jerry Wess’ turn and that was pretty much it. The EFB squad member using his turn to get busy with a bunch of sterling build-ups, sturdy punchlines and a kaleidoscope of sublime, wrestling-themed punchlines to score more than enough haymakers for the win.
Verdict: Jerry Wess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Jerry Wess – “We are not in the same tax bracket, I will finish this dude, scam your bank statements for Photoshop….make ya signature move!”
Recap: From Mic Masters Alliance, serving up a spicy of plate of rich metaphors, aggressive boasts and peircing punchlines to go along with some crafty rebuttals, after losing out to the graphic mayhem and hardbody punches/personals from Danny Myers (who was also a bit prone reaching), Marv Won is able to comeback and take both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: Marv One (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Marv One – “Nigga, watch how you speak to me, flower-child I keep the piece [peace] wth me!”
Recap: From URL’s Traffic 6 card, a goodie between Danny Myers and Sheed Happens features the latter’s effervescent, performance-lit shakedowns and righteous personals versus the former’s fiery name flips coupled with a gang of mayhem-lit punches/gun bars and storied narratives. Close throughout in front of a Phoenix, AZ, crowd in tune with every bar, with the help of some fly rebuttals, outside of a debatable round 2, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit Myers who edges rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “When you combine Bill Collector and Daylyt…THIS Happens!”
Recap: From URL’s Traffic 6 card, extra amped getting to battle in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, Rum Nitty unleashes a trio of fire rounds that bar-wise ran the gamut from stinging punchlines to fiery gun bars to witty personals/roasting sessions to a gritty mix of dope name flip innuendo’s versus a pretty solid punching overall, but too often pedestrian Kyd Slade. The unanimous 3-0 decision in favor of the more haymaker-lit Rum Nitty here allowing “The Alien” to not only put on an exquisite show in front of fans upclose, but get off a shot at Smack for that controversial Footz battle.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “You not exempt, they ain’t want me to take this at all fam, Nitty don’t lose to a snitch, it ain’t a smart plan, he a marked man, the last nigga’s couldn’t make a comeback after getting drugged, what makes you think a narc can?!”
Recap: From We Go Hard, after getting Chef Trez recently, WGH’s Gunpowder Patt gets an even bigger dawg in Tay Roc for 3 rounds in Brooklyn. And frankly speaking, this battle was a little underwhelming as no disrespect to GP, but considering Roc’s long-held top tier status in battle rap, you’d be more inclined to see his WGH debut against the likes of an always competitive Ish Mula or fellow gun bar enthusiast Dougy. Then too is the fact that while GP is well-known for his eager aggression and street wit during battles, all them bumps and touches he was giving Roc in the opening rounds were really being extra and seemingly making it more about showmanship than trying to actually win the battle (until round 3 anyway, when Patt put it together performance and bar-wise to force a debatable there). That said Roc, even while not quite on his A-game throughout, still scored with more than enough rich gun lines, gritty punchlines and solid name flips to take rounds 1 and 2 for the win.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Incredible, you ain’t on my pedestal, unacceptable, his battle is proof that I be making myself too accessible, but I’ll put you on a shirt than buy one if they sell a few, then save it like the one’s like yours, I got collectibles!”
Recap: A 1-rounder from Get Money Drink Water’s Halloween Havoc card with wrestling bars as the theme, sees Chess handily get the win. The Bronx, NY vet (aka Tribal Chess) going berzerk with a barrage of killer 4-bar set-ups/punches that featured everything from grapple events, noted wrestlers, in-ring moves, referees and well-known groups when he wasn’t also offering up some other residue mayhem, leaving opponent (in what was a rematch from their previous URL battle some years back) Danny Myers with typical rage and rancor, but nothing nearly as consistently substantive on the thematic side.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Raising hell with the thing, it came with shells and a beam, start bucking in ya hood…JBL limousine!”
Recap: Well, the rooftop scenery was really nice. Other than that nothing much to see here as in an RBE battle that apparently was supposed to happen awhile ago, Jag and Arsonal spout a lot of gang talk, aggressive braggadocious lines, uncomplicated gun bars and frankly speaking subpar punchlines that altogether makes this battle hard to watch more than once. However, add some solid personals by Ars to the mix during a couple of respectable turns in the 2nd and 3rd rounds that made up for a poor showing in the opener, and it’s Da Rebel who ends up taking this one over a very substandard opponent, who for some reason thought it’d be a good idea to try and go the ‘disrespectful’ route against a guy who’s mastered it.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “We just found out he ain’t even real Blood, just food coloring!”
Recap: From Chrome 23, recent league tourney champ C3 has been on a nice run lately, but here against 1st Lady Flamez, the Queens, NY vet is reminded that there’s levels to this shit. Flamez taking advantage of an overall solid (esp. when she used her wit and personals), but shaky at times with the flow, slow set-up/punching and imperceptive opponent with a steady barrage sublime punchlines/metaphors, wicked gun bars. fiery name flips and potent wordplay/similes to handily take all three rounds for the 30.
Verdict: 1st Lady Flamez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: 1st Lady Flamez – “I’m from the Rich, so when shit get lit even the yung’uns squeeze, kiddy table at the cookout, everybody got a drum apiece!”
Recap: From HowYouGonAct Network, against the oft-witty, drawn-out, unorthodox stylings of O Solo, Danny Myers uses a boatload of graphic gun bars, some dope wordplay, mayhem-lit punchlines and wily personals/name flips to earn the 30 over an opponent who kept it competitive, but struggled too often with his flow and overall punch game.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “My pistol ain’t got nowhere to live and I STAY with it!”
Recap: From URL’s Traffic 6 card, yet another lesson in time efficiency as Shotgun Suge shows relative newcomer Hansel (who outside of having too much filler, was confident, gritty and had his moments throughout this battle, esp. in round 2) it’s not how long you rap, but how often you hit while you rap. The veteran Jersey battler sticking to his 2-minute time limit and after splitting the earlier two rounds with his opp, taking the deciding 3rd with a more steady and personal/punch-heavy turn to earn the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I’m quite evil, Hansel tried to find his way home and ran into something lethal, I had bread crumbs over the Mac like white people!”
Recap: From Black Ice Cartel, a fiery 3-rounder between Arsonal and Killa B that featured a bunch of gritty punchlines, brash personals, fierce gun bars, hard street shit, ill trap talk and a lesson for all those battlers who still wanna go at Arsonal (all these years later) for getting pressed by Trick Trick during his battle vs. Calicoe in Detroit: try to be more creative about it than Killa B does here. That said, despite a gang of subpar punching from both battlers at times, a competitive bout that saw them split (Ars edging round 1 before Killa B returned the favor in the 2nd) the opening rounds, sees the more haymaker-lit and efficient Rebel taking the deciding 3rd round for the win.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “Remy Ma is why you never hold a bitch down through a whole bid!”
Recap: From Mic Masters Alliance, after yet another long Lush One intro and getting edged in round 1 to the effervescent and hitting 4-bar set-up/punchlines from Emerson Kennedy, while taking advantage of his less direct opponent, B. Magic ups his rapid/searing punch game to edge both of the latter rounds for the win in this competitive 3-rounder.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Magic – “If I’m going against Kennedy, I guess I’m Nixon, how I put these heaters on both eyes, ‘cuz he stood in front of a chopper and that shit left peace’s [pieces] on both sides!”
Recap: From URL’s Traffic 6 card, the battle vet JC and up-n-comer Awthentic put on a dope show for the Arizona crowd in a 3-round battle that was as competitive and close as close could be. Awthentic, ganging up on his opponent with a boatload of gritty punchlines, some solid wordplay/name flips and feelgood gun bars never lacked for confidence. While JC kept it cool, but bombastic with a shitload of eerie boasts, poisonous (“You only got one form, but you don’t gotta conform to fit in this casket!”) darts, festering gun bars and bold name flips. Steady on both sides with the heat with little on the personals, a debatable round 1 is followed by the slightly more efficient JC edging round 2, before a punch-crazy Awthentic came back to land more haymakers (including the line of the battle, see below) in round 3 to make this one a debatable overall.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Awthentic – “my time has been birthed, and I’m defined by the turf, how JC walk on water but died trying to Surf!’
Recap: Ummm, not exactly sure what happened at the end there, but all in all Tay Roc vs. Jakkboy Maine on URL’s ends up being a fire battle. Roc, almost exclusively in kill mode while changing cadences with the punches, delivered 3 rounds of straight heat with a shitload of graphic, mayhem-laced darts, gritty name flips, and flippant personals/gun bars. While Jakkboy met the top tier challenge with a fire wordplay throughout, some scintillating personals and fiery set-up/punchlines that with its accompanied soundscape oftentimes wrecked the room. A close bout throughout, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit Roc who takes rounds 1 and 2 for the win before what looked to be clear vic for Maine in round 3 was spolied by a couple of last-minute slip-ups, making the final round a debateable.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Buck-50, cut the brim, I’m talking grab a razor and Flip…Above the Rim!”
Recap: From Last Second Sea, using a gang of stifling gun bars, salacious personals, rambunctious punchlines, rich storytelling and syrupy name flips, after getting out-punched by the more cerebral and mayhem-lit Jaz The Rapper in round 1, a slightly more condensed, original and steadier scoring Nu Jerzey Twork takes the 2nd and deciding 3rd round for the win in this combative/competitive battle.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 2-1
Favorite line: N Jerzey Twork – “Jaz The Rapper [spits], it’s a fucking scandal, punch the demon, knuckle sandwich, trying to get the rapper beat out of Jaz [Jazz] and that’s just a sample!”
Recap: From URL’s ‘Civil War 4’ card, it’s definitely a close one through and through. Chess with a gang of fire name flips, righteous bars/personals, some witty darts, slick set-up/punchlines and some shots at Aye Verb (with whom he’s been engaging in an ongoing feud) certainly made his presence felt. While the relative newcomer Swervoo continued to show that he’s here to stay with a plethora of gritty punches, clever wordplay, gutsy street rhymes and mocking personals that even had his opponent impressed. Clean flow-wise with no unforced errors or rebuttals from both sides, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit Chess who edges rounds 1 and 3 (got a sublime Swervoo edging round 2) for the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chess – “Fucking with the kid done got you in trouble…Kels is pissed!”
Recap: A couple of past URL mainstays, Don Marino and Mike P, meet up for a 3-rounder on Bear Armz and it’s about what you’d expect. An aggressive Mike P with the explosive punches, performance-lit bars and solid name flips/personals, while Don Marino’s expansive ‘Mexican bar’ tutelage’s, rugged struggle bars and piercing punch/personal game continues to make him a worthwhile opponent. Pretty solid throughout (outside of Mike P clearly not putting too much into his 3rd round), it’s the more haymaker-lit and consistent Mr. Marino who takes the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: Don Marino (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Don Marino – “I don’t even know what part of New York you from, I don’t even try to beef, hand me my beer, this Long Island weak!”
Recap: From Gates of the Garden, funny how Reed Dollaz predicted Dre Dennis would rap for like 10 minutes (actually, it was more 8 but who’s counting?) in this 1-rounder. That said, it’s all Dre here as after the ever-gritty and condensed Reed got off to a hot start, but slowed down considerably with a couple of slip-ups and subpar bars, Dre’s spitfire barrage of gutsy name flips, animated gun bars and flexing punchlines would be more than enough to gain the win.
Verdict: Dre Dennis (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Dre Dennis – “You was popping way before, thought you was sick all them years like Magic Johnson, now we can’t even tell if you got it anymore!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Black Elite Battle League, a gritty and solid effort from Chadoe Cerious gets overmatched by way more haymaker-lit Chef Trez, who used a fiery barrage of graphic mayhem, steely gun bars, sturdy name flips, fire wordplay and sublime set-up/punchlines on his way to an easy win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I’m talking deuce-deuce for this OG, he Bobby Johnson, you think I’m just a yung’un, y’ll better tell this cat stop, I’m raising everything, it’s a caps lock!”
Recap: From Chrone 23, Mr. Anti-URL, A. Ward, gets a 3-round rematch with Charlie Clips and in a clear display of battling way too often of late, spends an inordinate amount of time on dated (i.e. ‘syke I lied’, pops a snitch, fat jokes, ya pops a snitch) Clips’ themes that brought very little creative spirit, when he wasn’t kicking a gang of subpar punchlines throughout the battle. Nonetheless, after a sublime opening round that he easily took what with a plethora of hard-hitting set-up/punchlines, witty bars, fire wordplay and fiery boastful darts, midway through his 2nd round Clips unsurprisingly resorts to freestyling and still wins the round with enough off-the-dome (including one that A. Ward walked right into) heat and a variety of solid punches that with the help of his opponent not being on his A-game. The verdict already decided, a pretty pedestrian 3rd on both sides is edged by the Christian rapper’s spicy rebuttals.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “You wanna know what I learned from the Bible?, I’m able to lump this nigga the fuck up and leave his top leaking, ‘cuz I got to the part wher it said ‘thou shall not…’ and I just stopped reading!”
Recap: From OSBL, in a 3-round battle littered with plenty of gritty trap talk, gully street bars and fiery punchlines fro both sides, Shotgun Suge survives a late round choke in round 2 with a couple of glistening rounds of rambunctious haymakers and steady heat to beat back a flow-challenged, but pretty solid effort from Hoodlife Vito.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotun Suge – “You ain’t never seen no coke locked up, nigga keep fishing, boy my traphouse came with one bedroom and 3 kitchen’s!”
Recap: Almost too close to call, this KOTD 3-rounder between Charron and Bigg K brought with it what you’d expect from a couple of top tier battle rappers: plenty of fire punchlines, dope angles and a boatload of aggressive heat. However, after getting edged in round 1 to the slightly more haymaker-lit Charron’s crazy 4-bar set-up/punches and other salacious darts, Bigg K’s witty ‘nerd’ angle/personals, bullish punches, top-notch lyrical stunting and head-ringing boasts prove to be efficient and pointed enough to edge both the 2nd and 3rd rounds (despite some nice rebuttals and a pair of pretty solid/personal-lit rounds from Charron) for the win.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bigg K – “Rock with a body shot, your organs shatter, I’m all business with a 30, it’s a corporate ladder!”
Recap: A 1-rounder from the League of Championship Kulture sees Young Herb spout some gritty punchlines, rigid boasts and a gang of piercing personals to keep things competitive. But armed with a couple of spicy rebuttals to go along with a bunch of sturdy gun bars, stinging 4-bar set-up/punchlines and some well-positioned personal bangers of his own, this one ends up with Chef Trez as the vic.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “You a goof, always bitching, crying, reaching for hope, complaining, shaming when you speaking on Facebook, people wanna reach for ya throat, Deandre Ayton type nigga’s, you gotta son them when they weak on the post!”
Recap: In this competitive 1-rounder from We Go Hard, Jade keeps it name flip/punchline-heavy (that ‘landing strip’ bar was crazy), witty and even adds a dope imitation of her opponent to keep it close. But one too many struggles with her flow along with a slightly more efficient Mackk Myron spinning the block with a gang of hard-hitting punches/schemes, killer personals, performance-rich darts and grandiose mayhem gives the
Verdict: Mackk Myron (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Mackk Myron – “You look like Biggie Smalls if he lost weight and put a wig on, you look like that bitch Ice had in his bed with the Tim’s on!”
Recap: From Bulldog Battle League, during this fiery 1-rounder Real Name Brandon souldalike Blakk Rollakk scores with his wit more than his gritty street verses, leaving a more condensed and efficient when came to heated punchlines, frequent boasts and piercing personals Swamp to get the win after a bit of a sluggish start.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “This ain’t nuthin’ but another nigger from up North rapping with a chipped tooth, now ain’t that Fabulous [Fabolous]!”
