Recap: Inter-crew match-ups usually make for dope battles and that’s certainly the case in this Riot Network 1-rounder between NXT and Dev The Demon. Indeed, Dev The Demon’s gritty trio of real street darts, righteous personals and stinging gun bars more than made their mark. But after starting out with a couple of hard-hitting rebuttals/freestyles while taking on the ‘Lil Bro’ role with his raps, NXT’s execution of bruising punchlines, fiery wordplay, mocking personals and performance-rich heat would earn the younger Demons squad member the win.
Recap: In this competitive 3-rounder from Bars Over Bricks, Jakkboy Maine survives a superbly punch-lit Kush in round 1 and comes back with a couple of gritty punching, personal-savvy, gun bar/name flip-bent and condensed turns in the latter rounds to edge an opponent who while still supplying two rounds of punch-heavy linguistics, became a little predictable (as well as elongated) and couldn’t quite match the consistent potency he delivered in the opener.
Recap: Not sure that Cassidy versus Hitman Holla the battle ever had a chance of living up to now infamous faceoff these two just had, but the long-awaited matchup was still a good one. With 3,000-plus battles on his resume and having made hits as recording artist, we all know that Cassidy can rap for days. And the Philly legend proved that once again here with 3 lengthy rounds featuring bar after bar after bar. However, since his return to battle rap the problem with Cassidy remains: he continues to live off of moments (“When you bought those fake teeth, you should’ve bought a smaller size!”), jokes and personals. And in an era where most top tier battle rappers can not only punch hard, but are also either lyrical, performance-heavy, name flip/gun bar-lit, intricate, metaphor/simile/wordplay-rich, angle-savvy, witty, can talk that real street shit, a combination of the few or can create their own, unique lane of battle rap aptitude, with only a couple of attributes to work with and with a knack for dropping way too many pedestrian bars, Cassidy still can’t cut it. And that’s why Cass gets shutout here as a more focused, versatile and condensed Hitman’s ability to excellently retort so many of his opponent’s more hard-hitting personals, win the crowd over at times with some pretty solid wordplay, name flips and punches, score with plenty of boastful barbs and of course, cut up the stage with some performance-friendly stunting gives Ballgame the 30.
Verdict: Hitman Holla (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Hitman Holla – “You better watch what you say in your raps, know what I mean Cass?, ‘cuz you could catch a bullet behind those lines like a screen pass!”
Recap: Readily known for his charisma and wit, but over time becoming a dope puncher as well, a versatile (the spicy name flips, salacious food references and graphic mayhem also stood out here), a more haymaker-lit Hollaluyah Jones takes both of the opening rounds of this 3-round We Go Hard battle to get the win, before opponent Bedaffi Green (who outside of being a bit flow-challenged, excelled in the 1st before coming through with a bit of a lackluster 2nd) saves his strongest and most punch-lit round for the 3rd to edge that turn over yet another pretty solid effort from Jones and avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Hollaluyah Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Hollaluyah Jones – “Random…why Haitain’s always got a first name for a last name?, it be some shit like Jean Michael Jean or some shit like St. Michael Paul, but I still fuck with y’all!”
Recap: Strong showing by a boisterous, mayhem-friendly and personal-lit Gamble here. But assisted by his opponent utilizing the standard, redundant personal’s we’ve heard on his opponent before, it’s a more-turned-up-than-usual, name flip savvy, freestyle-spicy and wordplay/punch-heavy Emerson Kennedy who ends up taking this Camp Grounds 1-rounder.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “This is Jordan’s Last Dance, I ain’t think Gamble was a problem!”
Recap: As if the piercing punchlines, steely personals and rigid wordplay weren’t hard enough, it’s the absolutely sublime name flips from Yung Griz that over the course of 3 rounds that leads to a 30 here over a boisterous and solid punching, but nowhere-near-as-potent run by Rubbatung in this 3-rounder from Free Game Battle League.
Verdict: Yung Griz (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Yung Griz – “Big Griz, you a little Tung [tongue] like 1st base!”
Recap: Could’ve sworn that Reed Dollaz announced his retirement from battle rap late last year. But I guess he changed his mind as the Philly legend ‘returns’ to the scene for this 1-rounder on Organyzed Cryme Battle League versus Spaz Mayweather. A pretty solid effort on both sides in lieu of Spaz rapping twice as longer as Reed, but one too many reaches and a handful of mediocre bars by the otherwise gritty/punch/name flip-heavy Mayweather to go along with a more consistently hitting Dollaz really finessing with the name flips/mayhem and boastful punches, gives the self-styled Rambo a close win.
Verdict: Reed Dollaz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Reed Dollaz – “You said your man better than me?, you a damn liar, I’m the one they talked about around the campfire!”
Recap: From IBattleTV, a close 1-rounder here between a gritty and gun-bar-lit Ken Savvy and a personally righteous, intricate, scheme-friendly and surprisingly witty at times Xcel comes down to the Team Homi capo delivering a cleaner turn to go along with a slightly more multifaceted performance for the win.
Verdict: Xcel (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Xcel – “Y’all say Ken is sick? well it’s looking like Ken a bitch, another weirdo on Shady shit, you Ken Kaniff!”
Recap: The ‘Who Am I?’ scheme in round 3 was pretty lame (and a clear knockoff the epic ‘Drugs’ scheme he used against Drugz sometime back, but other than that and a debatable 1st round, a more condensed and off-the-dome-lit Danny Myers uses a bunch of stirring punchlines, some heavy-handed name flips and piercing mayhem/personals top edge the latter two rounds and get the win over a competitive and performance-heavy, but also elongated and not as consistently-hitting Kid Chaos in this 3-rounder from URL.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “Every time I battle these pinheads, it’s a chain reaction!”
Recap: Capped by a dope closer dedicated to LB Da Boss (RIP), Prez Mafia’s descriptive punchlines, measured mayhem and rigid wordplay/name flips/personals work together to form more than enough haymakers to beat back a pretty solid and gritty effort from Alec Flowin in this 1-rounder from GOTG.
Verdict: Prez Mafia (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Prez Mafia – “I’m a loose cannon, a Loud boy, but hwne them birds rip out, the silencer Tyson, ‘cuz you hear the [le tchip] before the words come out!”
Recap: In this gritty 1-rounder from We Go Hard, the alternately righteous and socially-conscious lines from Zeus while strong and impactful, still can’t hold a light to a consistently varied, at times witty, set-up savvy and punch-lit performance from a fiery Fettuccine 20.
Verdict: Fettuccine 20 (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fettuccine 20 – “He got chopped up from limb to limb, pieces of Zeus everywhere, he gonna have to change his name from Him to Them!”
Recap: B. Dot’s good, really good. And pretty smart. But if there’s any notion with Dot that the rapper with the best pen automatically wins battles, then he’s sadly mistaken. And flat-out wrong. Case in point here against Shotgun Suge, who while not noted for having one of the best pen’s, wouldn’t still be in the game after a decade if he wasn’t one of battle rap’s best performers or one of its most wittiest or when on point, one of the most aggressive, grittiest and punch-heavy spitter’s around (and that’s without mentioning the crowd-pleasing ‘Random’ and ‘What His Life Like?’ screeds). So while Dot spent a lot of time (with plenty of mediocre punches mixed in) delivering a talking too to his opponent in round 1, a more condensed, personal/punch-heavy and versatile Suge would edge the opener. Afterwards however, Dot would step it up consistently and get more flexing with the bars, whether it was knocking down Suge’s street cred, deftly spouting more righteous punchlines/schemes, supplying a gang of hitting consciously wrapped haymakers, getting spicier with his set-ups and unleashing more fire wordplay. All this while Suge would come through with a pair (moreso his 3rd) of pretty solid/brazen/personal-stunting turns that while keeping things competitive in a match some thought beforehand wouldn’t be, as it turned out both rounds weren’t enough to beat the more steady landing Dot.
Verdict: B. Dot (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Dot – “How a nigga claim a hood he gotta visit?, just ‘cuz a nigga can’t walk to his set don’t mean he on some Crip shit!”
Recap: Oh, what a better world we’d all live in if Bangz took battle rap seriously. Anyway, not gonna do the extra freestyle sessions that occurred here after what was 3 rounds of Big Kannon’s God pen going off the entire battle via a boatload of hard-hitting personals, some superb name flips/rebuttals and flippant punchlines versus an opponent who freestyled the whole battle to mixed results. In other words, a one-sided battle that could’ve been dope if Bangz had really tried.
Verdict: Big Kannon (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Big Kannon – “He spit from the top, but let me show how our name’s toally fits in the plot, because Bangz may make teh noise but it’s Kannon that’s giving the shot!”
Recap: Good to see an underrated puncher like Johnie Alcatraz back in the game after a long time away. And the Jersey rapper does well here in this CGBL 1-rounder against Steams, serving up a nice mix of piercing punchlines and rugged gun lines amongst other gritty styling’s. But a confident Steams, consistently hitting on all cylinders with a gritty series of stifling punches, quality wordplay and stirring 4-bar set-ups/boastful barbs ends up getting the win in the end.
Verdict: Steams (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Steams – “I’m not a nigger you could belittle with bars, you hear me? hear ye, lighten your tone ‘cuz you Envy Da God!”
Recap: After getting edged by a stronger-punching and gritty Squeako in round 1, D.O.T. takes advantage of a slip-up prone turn from his opponent in round 2 as well as a subpar run by Squeako in the next round via a couple of lyrically-sharp, gun bar-heavy, witty at times and wordplay-solid 2nd and 3rd’s to comeback and win this battle from URL’s Super Fight 3 card.
Verdict: D.O.T. (W) 2-1
Favorite line: D.O.T. – “Revolver, burning a hole in my pocket, I gotta spin it nigga!”
Recap: After getting edged to a more personally spicy and punch-heavier D Dub in round 1 of this competitive 3-rounder from We Go Hard, Ish Mulah adds an aggressive mix of shrewd wordplay, fire similes, some dry wit and top-notch punchlines to an already gritty palette of ill street missives and boastful barbs to lead the Brooklyn battler to wins in both of the latter rounds for the win.
Verdict: Ish Mulah (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ish Mulah – “You was out here making snow angels with your Broham?, in my hood Winter’s was cold, damn, it was shootout’s every night, you ever seen bullet holes in a snowman?!”
Recap: Perhaps Nu Jerzey Twork should have a chat with Goodz one day about taking these small league 1-rounders more seriously. No doubt, NJT was able to keep it clean and drop a couple of room shakers amidst of other fiery punches. But one too many predictable/modest bars from Nu Jerooz to go along with 1st-timer Coy Gutta rapping his heart out for 10 minutes with a consistent boatload of gritty punchlines, some slick wordplay, performance-rich stunting and deliciously rampant heaters, gives the newcomer a huge upset and win.
Verdict: Coy Gutta (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Coy Gutta – “Red bag oo Six Flags, I am not amused, but since he think he Piru, I bet this P90 knock Blood out of Damu!”
Recap: Main event Smoke Room Battle League bout between Bedaffi Green and Young Kannon comes with another hardbody/punch-heavy 3rd round by Mr. I Said That. But able to score at whim with a gang of rapid-fire punches that embodied a fierce mix of blazing name flips, pointed personals, persistent mayhem/gun bars and rousing punchlines, it’s the vet YK who takes the first two rounds for the win.
Verdict: Young Kannon (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Young Kannon – “At your wig let the .44 clap, end a Gold member like Austin Powers…yeah, I got my mojo back!”
Recap: Leave it to Rum Nitty to hit on something I was already thinking going into the 3rd round here: how strange it was seeing Holmzie da God take on an angle of criticizing Nitty for being a gun bar/name flip rapper (not that Nitty isn’t also one of the best punchers in the game) when Rum has taken what’s works for him and turned it into becoming a Top tier battle rapper. Yeah, that just doesn’t make much sense. And neither did Holmzie getting way too diligent in round 3 and tracking down his opponent’s YouTube views to use as angle. Yeah, that was a little much. Other than that, a mostly one-sided here as outside of a punch-heavy at times, but elongated final round, overall Da God struggled to keep up with Rum’s versatile array of stinging punchlines, rugged name flips, fire set-ups, mocking personals and flashy gun bars/wordplay for all 3 rounds.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “But you done done, I brung out a .50, 16 in the clip, plus one…I’m taking somebody with me!”
Recap: In a gritty and pretty intense at times battle that took way too long to finish (thanks mostly to crowd noise), after a spitfire, punch-heavy 1st round from Fliiko L, a Riggz who was never quite on his A-game still manages to squeeze in just enough rigid punchlines, dizzying schemes and hitting personals in both of the latter rounds (while also being helped by an elongated 3rd from Fliiko) to take advantage of a less potent Fliiko and edge this win on Bullpen.
Verdict: Riggz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Riggz – “Nigga, I set the tone for having a pen inside the pen, I paved the way!”
Recap: A plethora of gritty punchlines in this spirited, West-coast Riot Network battle between J. Murda and (“The irony, I’m an activist and got murder on the Riot!”) Cali Smoov. But after a debatable round 1 in addition to the ever-passionate Smoov edging the 2nd round with a punch-heavier turn, a dope rebuttal in the 3rd and final round to go along with some fiery wordplay and more hard-hitting punches from Murda, allows the visiting Brooklyn emcee to edge the round and make this bout a draw.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: J. Murda – “I’m not actually to be played with, like game ads on a porn site!”
Recap: From Bullpen Battle League, here we see Loso rocking it candid, punch/wordplay-savvy and when need be mocking with straight-ahead, measured rhymes and set-ups that with a consistently biting effect, over the course of 3 rounds, easily takes out the punch-lit at times, but overall much less nuanced and inconsistent stylings of Philly Haze.
Verdict: Loso (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Loso – “Every round that he peel the Glock, confirm that Philly stock as relevant as the Millie Rock!”
Recap: From Organyzed Cryme Battle League, that ‘Cocaine paid for college…I had white privilege’ line Raydale Shamaine was fire as was a bunch of other gritty street missives and name flips. But despite his opponent coming through with some dope shit in this 1-rounder and making it close, it’s JC, with a bit shortened, but still superbly effective fleet of righteous punchlines, stinging wordplay, God-body darts and sublime set-ups/similes who gets the win here.
Verdict: JC (W) 1-0
Favorite line: JC – “Saying you won the battle probably gonna decrease our YouTube views, the whole party was made up in your mind Ray…like the Boom Boom Room!”
Recap: From Underground Battle League LLC, Smoove Da Juugman’s boatload of bruising (esp. liked the Quavo line) punchlines do manage to wreck some serious havoc here and there. But a more set-up lit, consistently rigid with the punchlines, gritty with the boasts/mayhem and freestyle/rebuttal savvy Chef Trez does more to earn the win in this 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “It’s smooth sailing, who you scaring?, you’ll swing on who?, I double-dare him, for all those threats do I look like a white woman?, you think I’m Karen?!”
Recap: From Manslaughter Battle League, while the at times brazen and overall solid/witty wordplay of Sasse provided a handful of notables in this 1-roudner, it’s a more set-up rich, consistently hitting and punch/wordplay/personal-lit Emerson Kennedy who earns the win in the end.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “Zoolander…stop acting like this can’t go left!”
Recap: They’re one round for a reason and a vet like Shotgun Suge shouldn’t be struggling to remember bars when all he has to do is spit for 3 to 5 minutes. And while a punch-heavier Suge can get away with a slip-up or two and still win a 1-rounder against the gritty, but mostly pedestrian raps of a Black Aladdin. If I’m a hardcore Suge fan, not receiving some noted ‘What His Life Like?’ bars much less a ‘Random’ shout out or two would leave me a little disappointed.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “Dome shot, the shit I’m squeezing here, I’m just trying to pop Black head!”
Recap: Loso goes up against fellow missionary Cuevas Walker in a 1-rounder on Onsite Battle League and the result is a competitive matchup filled with plenty of righteous personals, religious-laced themes and boastful barbs. And while Walker did get off to a hot start to his turn, a more pedestrian latter half of his round combined with a more consistently hitting, name flip-savvy Loso, gives the 4 Horseman member the vic.
Verdict: Loso (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Loso – “This weird little image you got going on my brother?, it’s wack, one time you even had the audacity to get on stage rocking a perm…relax!”
Recap: If only Bad Newz could match his heat and aggression with more consistently hitting punches more often. Indeed, his battle rap career could be on a much different path. Because when Newz lands his haymakers, more often than not they shake the room due to the Bronx-to-ATL rapper’s sheer intensity and steely set-up ability. That being the case, taking advantage of a Snake Eyez who was a bit too bent on rundown Dot Mobb personals when he wasn’t spitting a gang of aggressive, but lukewarm darts in the opening rounds, a more momentous, brazen, at times wordplay/name flip-lit and personal/street-savvy Newz gets the win in this 3-round, crowd-audacious from Bullpen before Snake would get his comeuppance in a fire and steady-hitting 3rd to edge the final round and avoid the 30.
Verdict: Bad Newz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bad Newz – “You know you can’t believe nuthin’ that come outta Snake’s lips, them bitches tongues is split!”
Recap: So what if Kaboom and some in the crowd couldn’t always tell the difference between a freestyle and a rebuttal? Showing off some solid off-the-dome heat, taking full advantage of his elongated rounds, dropping some witty barbs, out-punching and displaying more versatility with his bars in the opening rounds, a smoking (literally and figuratively) and name flip/personal-savvy Kaboom edges round 1 and 2 of this Battle Academy 3-rounder for the win, before a condensed, gun bar waving, punch-heavier and more bar efficient Chef Trez (who also came through with some quality rebuttals/freestyles throughout the match) edged the 3rd to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Kaboom – (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Kaboom – “Shit real, he fake beefing…Impossible Whopper!”
Recap: Ok, ummm…35 minutes is way too long for a 1-round battle. And while he did have some solid punches here and there, the amount of reaches and nonsensical raps Bliss Creed was dishing out, gave this battle even more reason to have been shorter in length. That said, Th3 Saga’s consistently hitting punchlines/set-ups, steely name flips, graphic mayhem, bruising screeds and other Christian-laced darts wins this one easy.
Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “I could spazz on you right now you’ll forget that this exist, and you better off not know since ignorance is Bliss!”
Recap: Elongated with his rounds, but gritty/righteous with the punches throughout, Trebo makes for a noteworthy performance on the VLMG/Tha Kulture stage here against Chilla Jones. But condensed throughout the battle and scoring left and right with fiery gun bars, rigid name flips and a dope freestyle game that was especially made its mark in the final round, score another 30 for Mr. Jones.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “Now let’s address the elephant in the room…you dumb Bo [Dumbo]!”
Recap: Yes, A. Ward’s rebuttals are crazy (and his ability to freestyle is nothing to sneeze at either) and with some able wit mixed in, when added to a versatile punch-game, Ward has long shown that he can compete with anyone. That said, you have to really appreciate Da Kid Clutch here as the West-coast emcee uses a steady fleet of gritty punchlines/gun bars, fiery/witty personals more associated with his opponent individually than his Christian faith, fierce set-ups/name flips and racial angles that for the most part hit to beat back a pretty solid, punch-heavy at times and off-the-dome-savvy, but not quite as consistent effort from Ward in rounds 2 and 3 (call the 1st debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Da Kid Clutch (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Da Kid Clutch – “And your attire is part of the reason you will never last, ‘cuz he show up to battles looking that one track coach that was never fast!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from VLMG & The Kulture, Swamp gets extra crispy upfront with a fly rebuttal before continuing to lace the Texas crowd with a barrage of gritty punchlines, blistering personals and spicy gun bars to beat a solid, but not as hard-hitting showing from JDK.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “Nigga, I will dump a can if you speak or grab you by those little pointy=ass ears and spin your shit like it’s the jam of the week!”
Recap: Utilizing a bunch of fiery schemes, gritty punchlines, righteous Bible bars, well-crafted wordplay and some gripping personals, a more consistently spicy and versatile Pristavia gets the win in this 1-round from GOTG over a hardbody, but also topsy-turvy Iam Marz.
Verdict: Pristavia (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Pristavia – “You’re just a knockoff Ave, like where ya girl buy her Louis bag!”
Recap: Close and highly entertaining (don’t believe me then just ask Bill Collector, who at times looked like he might blow a gasket laughing so much throughout the bout) battle from URL’s Born Legacy 12 card between D.O.T. and Your Honor features a gang of dope name flips from each side to go along with plenty of loud gun bars, piercing punchlines, witty barbs and performance-rich antics that kept the crowd glued. A really strong 1st round by Your Honor gets edged by a slightly more punch-lit, eccentric and condensed D.O.T., before a more consistently spicy YH edges round 2 to split things going into the final round. And while a pretty solid YH would come through with another congenial turn of whimsical punches to highlight his 3rd, a more versatile D.O.T. would get both real and personal while addressing the small elephant in the room, that is D.O.T. being a former member of Dot Mobb while in turn YH recently joined the legendary collective. The change in subject matter would allow D.O.T. to get intuitive and take some time and share some intriguing war stories concerning the group before moving on and unleashing some more resident heat to win the round and the battle.
Verdict: D.O.T.
Favorite line: D.O.T. – “Let’s see if you can handle bars…that’s two grips!”
Recap: Outside of a minor couple of slip-up’s in round 2, St. Louis vet Ooops really impresses in his URL debut. The 10-year rhyme-slinger and former politician pouring his soul out with a blistering barrage of righteous punchlines, hard-hitting personals, solid wordplay and other impactful conscious-lit/fealty raps to get past a steely, rigid gun bar-savvy and personal/gritty/name flip-friendly TruFoe in the 1st and 3rd (a superbly-executed and an indisputable classic from Ooops, who’s long-known for memorable closer’s) round’s and win what was overall a dope battle from two of the Midwest’s finest.
Verdict: Ooops (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ooops – “I never voted for Trump but I kept a .45 in office!”
Recap: Against a righteous at times, but flow-struggling and filler-prone Panama Puma, Chef Trez has an easy time of it, using a shitload of gritty gun bars, rigid name flips/trap talk and bruising punchlines to take the win in this 1-rounder from The Kool Nerds Podcast.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Hold on, I’ll tie him up, he got 30 minutes to talk, that’s a big glock, either make time or go viral, your death sponsored by Tik Tok!”
Recap: A one-round punchfest from Houston Bar Code that saw a returning-to-the-scene Hemi get better and better as his round proceeded, it’s still a more versatile, personal-lit, brazen and consistently spazzing Casey Jay who earns the win.
Verdict: Casey Jay (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Casey Jay – “You not thuggin’, all that BS is not nothing, you in Texas, you can’t weather this storm…the pipe busting!”
Recap: Add another one to the list as Th3 Saga, who’s been killing it on these GOTG 1-rounders lately, uses a gang of fiery name flips, searing schemes and piercing wordplay/punchlines to handily beat back a gritty and sometimes wordplay-savvy, but not near as consistently-lit effort from HNH Zeek.
Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “My flow’s potent, bragging on his Lord’s ship like I’m showboating!”
Recap: From The Riot Network, Real Name Brandon offers up a bunch of slick wordplay, fiery punchlines, stirring mayhem, heated gun bars and righteous zingers/personals to get by a Marvwon who while dialing up a competitive host of witty big man personals, hardbody punches and dicey heat, couldn’t quite keep up with his opponent’s more haymaker-lit servings in round’s 1 and 3 (call the 2nd debatable).
Verdict: Real Name Brandon (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Real Name Brandon – “I’m tired of you old nigga’s, thinking you gonna last forever, nigga your time is done, if you was nice you would’ve been dead, they say the good die young!”
Recap: From URL’s Born Legacy 12 card, Don Marino gets back on his grind, avoids the notorious unforced errors and while taking advantage of an elongated Danja Zone who was prone to filler after a punch-heavy and strong, multi-layered round 1, unleashes a hefty bag of piercing name flips/punchlines, hard-hitting struggle bars, some solid rebuttals and stinging set-ups/personals to edge round 1, score a debatable 2nd and take round 3 for the win.
Verdict: Don Marino (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Don Marino – “When it comes to smoke, I’m no stranger Danja, you just pointed out the wrong person!”
Recap: Consistently gritty with some solid personals and a bunch of fiery punchlines/wordplay/gun bars mixed in, Clone’s steady heat does enough to edge a gruff and witty, but slightly less turbulent Mackk Myron in rounds 1 plus 3 and get the win in this KOTD matchup.
Verdict: Clone (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Clone – “40s and up, bitch we got an old folk’s clinic!”
Recap: Plenty of buildup for this John John Da Don vs. Ace Amin Bullpen battle, but was it worth an entire 50 minutes? Not so much as both Ace and John John had one too many moments of running back bars and filler throughout the bout. Still a solid matchup considering all the backstory here (esp. JJDD’s history with the Goonies), all the pre-match interviews and who to believe when it comes who did what and when as far as previous run-ins on the street. Gritty personals, as expected, pretty much dominated this battle tho what with John John bringing up everything from Ace’s notorious prison bid to his love for interviews to his battle rap flaws to his emotional (“You can’t tell a man how he should react to any harsh threats, only one to respond to these bold types…large Tek’s [texts]!”) idiosyncrasies. All the while, the ever aggressive Ace showed zero restraint in getting in his opponent’s head via a bunch of gripping punches/schemes on JJDD’s alleged sexual misdeeds, penchant for tall tales as well as his battle vet rep to go along with some dope off-the-dome heat, piercing punches and other performance-enhanced mayhem. A pretty solid battle that was also intriguing due to the large, mask-less crowd that looked on despite a pandemic still being in the midst, after a debatable round 1, we got a punch-heavier JJDD taking the 2nd before an angle-lit and highly personal Ace came back to take the 3rd and make this one debatable.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Ace Amin – “This cannot be, I gave 10 years to the system and I got free, you gave to this culture and you got me!”
Recap: Impressive comeback here by Ru Bando, who after getting out-punched and extolling a gang of wayward angles (NXT’s usage of name flips not only sizzled, but it seemed like he trying to knock Bando’s lack of versatility in round 1 too) in the opening round, got his shit together in the latter rounds, connecting his punches better while unleashing a fly series of blistering gun lines, witty barbs, some dope wordplay and potent storytelling/name flips to take both the 2nd and 3rd rounds and beat back the performance-savvy and mayhem-lit, but not consistently hitting with the punches NXT.
Verdict: Ru Bando (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ru Bando – “You ever fell asleep getting some pussy?, you’ll be laying in the box with your eyes closed!”
Recap: Lacking intricacy with his bars, Max Taylor’s straightforward punches mostly fail to land (tho he does have some wit), leaving an Emerson Kennedy, while not at all on his A-game, with just enough nifty freestyles and otherwise solid punchlines to get the win in this 1-rounder from Shots Fired Battle League.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “I fathered all these nigga’s, got more kids than Philip Rivers!”
Recap: Almost always intense and hardbody with the raps, but never lacking when it comes to effort, in this 1-rounder from Hunger Gamez, it’s good to see Zig Zag display some wit with the long flag-pull at the end of his round. However, an up-n-down and a bit long-winded run by Mr. Zag combined with an on-point, clean and prolific with the flexing punchlines B. Magic. allows the St. Louis battler to score the win.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “I will put my whole palm on ya bitch ass, plus we knew you wasn’t gonna ride from the gate like Six Flags!”
Recap: A mayhem-rich Gattas, after surviving a punch-heavy, versatile and stellar round 1 from RX, ups the ante a little bit while staying consistent with the stifling wordplay, rigid name flips, boastful barbs and wicked punchlines to edge the latter two rounds and get the win in this competitive 3-rounder from KOTD.
Verdict: Gattas (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Gattas – “Be easy, it ain’t a eye job when I’m rolling by, ‘cuz on the Wst I ride with a cartridge in my ’64 like I’m Golden Eye!”
Recap: From New Smacc On Go Vol 1, in this 1-rounder Villa brings the intensity, mayhem and a dope Tony Dungy line to his raps. But in what sometimes came off as a half-hearted effort, the vet B. Magic still manages to pull out a bunch of bruising punches out of his bag of tricks to best his less potent opponent and get the edge here.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “In the kitchen like Raekwon, till it lock up like Akon!”
Recap: Although not as bad as the commenters in the App Gang (and elsewhere) would have you think, Ms. Hustle (who got better with each round) still puts a hurting on Aye Verb in this Kings vs. Queens matchup. The Harlem femcee delivering some solid wordplay, spitfire personals that ran the gamut from battle rap friendships to Verb’s upbringing to challenges on his manhood and aggressive punchlines to gain a 30 over an opponent who while dialed in at times with his usual barbs on women knowing their place and some witty barbs on Hustle’s looks, just could never keep up with a battler who not only seemed to want this one more, but performed like it.
Verdict: Ms. Hustle (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ms. Hustle – “I’m like Surf in the faceoff, I take my .40 on a date!”
Recap: In this competitive 1-rounder from We Go Hard, both Stumbles and Ty Main come packed with a load of spicy punchlines, bodacious heaters and greasy street shit. But it’s the more expansive with the storytelling, witty and haymaker-lit Stumbles who takes it in the end.
Verdict: Stumbles (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Stumbles – “The only freak I know is your mother nigga, I knew your room was spotless, that’s why I told you to come to dinner, make sure your plate clean…eat those, they healthy, ya mother made greens!”
Recap: In a spirited and competitive 3-rounder from Wartown Battles, after the two split the first couple of rounds, a righteous and punch-heavy at times, but wayward thematically 3rd by Riggz gives way to an also righteous, but consistently personal-lit turn by A. Ward, thus giving the 4 Horseman a well-earned win.
Verdict: A. Ward (W) 2-1
Favorite line: A. Ward – “I told ya, I have no chill like Surf predictions!
Recap: Really now, how many times have we seen one-themed rounds from battlers? Where a battler concentrates on a single topic during an entire round? Quite a few times if you know your battle rap history (Cortez’s “Something we gotta speak about” 3rd’s or Tay Roc himself going after C3 with nothing but name flips during a round when they battled some years back). But somehow, if you’ve seen some of the recaps online to this Roc vs. O’fficial battle, it’s ‘overkill’ when Roc goes in on O’s body for a whole round?!? And mind you, Roc had already announced before this battle that he was going to do a entire round without any gun bars. Yet, they’re mad that he went there for 3 minutes?! And all things being equal, when does a vet get knocked down for trying to get creative with their pen, even if it doesn’t work out? That said, an explosive, gun-bar heavy 1st round by O gets beat by her losing points for a couple of wayward personals that didn’t land, but mostly a condensed, brazen, wordplay spicy and performance/punch-heavier Roc. The 2nd round was less close as O’s sterling name flips, fire personals (esp. on Roc’s gf) and ringing mayhem handily beat a pretty solid, but less hitting turn by Roc. Going into the 3rd round tied, O’fficial would spout another fiery, punch/personal-lit turn that while not as heavy-hitting as her previous round, still delivered on sheer grittiness. On the other hand with Roc centered on personals only, it would just be a matter of how many of his ‘body’ barbs would land and yeah, most certainly did, what with descriptions that ranked between funny, hilarious and just downright mean (and wonder why this already classic round went viral and hit World Star?). Add to that a shrewd, cadence-flexible performance and Roc takes the 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc (W) 2-1 – “You don’t gotta common, you got a rare body bitch!”
Recap: A much closer battle than what the URL ‘App Gang’ gave it, First Lady Flamez gives the JC all he can handle in this Kings vs. Queens 2 bout with a gang of wicked punchlines, sizzling gun bars, real street talk, some wily personals and stinging wordplay that stood out even more when you consider that Flamez not only stayed on her rugged bar game, but rarely, if ever, went for the sort of name flips or lines on her opponent’s past dance moves that have become the norm against JC. Still, while Flamez was her usual gangsta self, an ever boastful JC, for the first two rounds anyway, sizzled throughout. The Pontiac, MI, vet utilizing a wide array of eerie darts laced with expiration dates, blistering personals, mayhem-rich punchlines, stifling gun bars and hitting name flips to earn the win over two pretty solid rounds by Flamez. That said, the Richmond, VA battler would get some payback with a sublime and punch-heavy 3rd round that beat back a dope, but slightly less consistent round from JC.
Verdict: JC (W) 2-1
Favorite line: JC – “All you have in this world is your name, Flamez…and you gonna melt in it!”
Recap: Dope, gritty and righteous 1-rounder between Real Sikh and Sneezy Bo featured a gang of slick wordplay/gun bars and crafty (“They all stuck on what it’s looking like, Serena when she stretch!”) set-ups/punches/similes by Bo which were countered excellently by an aggressive, power-punching and personal-lit Sikh. With an equal dosage of bar efficiency, call this one a draw.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Real Sikh – “You boring and weak, when he go I’m going to sleep, I tried it, but can’t keep my eyes open with Sneeze!”
Recap: From GOTG, showing off some fire wordplay and consistently hitting with the punchlines, mayhem and name flips, a slightly more steady and condensed Bill Collector manages to edge a pretty solid and gritty effort from Wise in what was a competitive 1-rounder.
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “If I catch you off base I’ll tag your block, turn your whole neighborhood to Ragnarok!”
Recap: His simple, yet contagious Nickelodeon raps may have had the crowd laughing, but I’m sure that if and when O Solo sees this battle, Mr Bey will have gained a fan and that what’s most important. That said, Swamp all the way in this 1-sided, 1 round Pyrexx Battle League battle as the South Carolina battler gets extra busy with a consistent variety of witty barbs, stinging name flips, blazing gun bars and hard-hitting punches on his way to an easy vic.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “Fuck you, my girl made me change my number the minute you called and ‘Bey’ [bae] popped up!”
Recap: A couple of We Go Hard vets, Presidential Dubz and Brooklyn Carter, who’ve had more than share of small stage, but big league URL sparring in the past, meet up for a fiery 3-rounder on Smack’s Survivor Series Onyx card. The ever-aggressive and never lacking for confidence Dubz, does a strong job with a spicy mix of shrewd punchlines, performance-stunting heat, salacious personals and witty barbs, while Carter stays grimy with a boatload of gritty bars, boastful rants, fierce name flips, dope set-ups and hard-hitting personals of his own. A close one that saw the two split the first two rounds (which included a spitfire round 1 that Carter edged), after a solid turn by Dubz, a more consistently lit and punch-heavy Carter pulls out the win in the deciding 3rd.
Verdict: Brooklyn Carter (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Brooklyn Carter – “I’ll kill you and your nanny, bury you and your mother…since Puerto-Ricans like laying with they family!”
Recap: From URL’s Kings vs. Queens 2 card, both Loso and Viixen The Assassin put on dope, aggressive, punch-heavy performances in a battle also featured bruising race angles/set-ups from Loso and wicked name flips/gun bars from Viixen. However, a more punch-lit, personal breakdown-adept and cleaner-flowing Loso would take round one before the 4 Horseman would get even more righteous, condensed and hard-hitting with his, calling out his opponent’s alleged transgressions with race throughout round 2 while in the midst deftly using the cameramen in the room to enhance his bars. A superbly executed turn by Loso would he would need every bit of in light of a gritty, mayhem-savvy and personal/punchline-scoring 2nd from The Assassin. 3rd round was another doozy littered with strong showings from battlers, but the spicy Christian-themed lines and less dry spots turn by Viixen allow her to take the final round and prevent Loso from pitching a shutout.
Verdict: Loso (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Loso – “What you bragging about?, how you getting all these names?, you know how many Viixen’s have an STD?, it’s only right they gave you DNA and Flamez!”
Recap: Both T Top and Coffee Brown bring their A-game’s to this fiery URL Kings vs. Queens 2 battle that arguably was the best bout from the card. C. Brown, with her love for persistent mayhem, aggressive/hardbody punchlines, gritty trap talk, spicy personals and boastful barbs stayed lit throughout the match. While the shrewd styling’s of Top what with a fleet of stinging name flips, hard-hitting/witty personals, gripping angles/schemes, righteous punches and plenty of raucous heat proved that the NWX capo can bring it just as crazy with the women as he already does with the fellas. A close battle all the way through with 3 lengthy rounds by both battlers, a slightly more direct overall, funny and haymaker-lit Top manages to edge both rounds 1 and 2 for the win before, in what was incredibly her best (after two fire rounds beforehand) round of the battle, Coffee used a consistently punch-heavy, spitfire turn to take the 3rd.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “Don’t forget before your Sugar Daddy came with the cream, you were Black Coffee!”
