Recap: Too much talking in the back (like Tsu Surf mentioned, why heads come to a rap battle to talk is beyond me), but still a good-ass battle nonetheless between Cakes and Chess. Thought Cakes brought slightly more angles, styling on all the hype concerning Chess’ youth (the scheme about Steams always yelling out “He 16!” was hilarious) and I liked how he repped his hood with that “You on a winning streak? Nigga you gonna be under the L like you passed through Sutter” quip. But for all his hot bars and wordplay Cakes needs to work on his performance (unlike Ah Di Boom, he lacks that big man swag) and stage presence as too often he gets distracted by the crowd and has a bad habit of talking/gesturing during his opponent’s rounds. Still, Chess’ round was just a total barfest, impressing with delicious schemes, fierce (“You not Chess, so it’s hard for you to kill niggas that don’t cut it, out to cook, that’s my barber’s que [barbeque] to grill niggas”) wordplay and loaded haymakers all the while staying away from too easy fat jokes. Chess got this one.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
