Mister Greco, Author at Against The Grain

40 B.A.R.R.S. defeats Chayna Ashley

September 21, 2021June 15, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Bars, bitch. In a close and competitive one from QOTR, 40 B.A.R.R.S. (returning the scene of that notorious Jaz battle) lets off a boatload of fiery punchlines, some superb wordplay, stinging personals, a flexible flow/cadence, stirring mayhem and feisty schemes/name flips to edge rounds 1 and 3 and get the win over a punch-heavy, gritty and persistent, but not as consistently spicy Chayna Ashley.

Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 2-1

Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “So what I took a L bad, I mean y’all don’t never see C back to back except for on Chanel bags”

Tone Montana defeats Uno Lavoz

September 21, 2021June 14, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Tone Montana withstands a mediocre 2nd round and uses a stellar mix of grimy schemes, wicked (“I got two moods, one’s rude, that’s ‘please excuse me’ and ‘fuck you!'”) punchlines and ill bully bars to beat Uno Lavos, who came with his standard assortment of potent (“I heard you name all ya guns, well homie that’s whats up, I name my guns too, this is ‘shut’ and this is ‘da fuck up’!”) jokes and salty gun bars, but overall couldn’t keep up with his opponent’s more consistent flow, delivery and bar quotient.

Verdict: Tone Montana (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Tone Montana – “I ain’t one of those niggas you almost beat, stay in the bike lane pussy nigga, you almost street!”

Tay Roc defeats Tsu Surf

September 21, 2021June 12, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Some battles lean on consistency and some lean on moments. Tsu Surf vs. Tay Roc? Definitely more momentous, which thankfully didn’t make it any less competitive what with a bar-heavier Roc taking the 1st round before Surf made a pretty flexing comeback in the latter half of his 2nd round to edge that turn and make things even going into the 3rd. A battle littered with plenty of ferocious gun bars (esp. from Roc), understated wordplay, very little personals, a bunch of name flips, boastful barbs, a boatload of dry spots and a slew of graphic mayhem, would see its climax in a surprisingly underwhelming final round that the steel gripping lines Roc managed to edge…because he just happened to have more moments than his opponent.

Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Test Roc, get a cracked head and a neck shot, paralyzed from the neck down, he can’t even play his X-box!”

Fettuccine20 defeats Took

September 21, 2021June 10, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Strong 3rd round (“He ain’t seasoned enough…Caucasian food!”) by Took, but too many reaches versus a solid 2nd round by Fettiuccino20 and a solid 1st versus an epic, (“Two different guns, the .40 or the Larkin, these nigga’s will run out quicker than hot water in the projects!”) haymaker-drenched turn by Fettuccine20, allows the Harlem kid to take the first couple of rounds and hold on for the win.

Verdict: Fettuccine20 (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Fettuccine20 – “We snatched Took daughter hoping Took come fidn us, either that or we shooting all through Brownsville like Brooklyn’s Finest!”

Cortez defeats Brayzack

September 21, 2021June 10, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: A veteran emcee spreading the love, Cortez uses his newly formed Tiers Over Tears league to give undiscovered talent a chance to shine. Then he proceeds to use some sharp wordplay and aggressive (“This silencer will leave him on mute, now y’all can read his mind”) bars in rounds one and two to easily take out an overmatched Brayzack.

Verdict: Cortez (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Cortez – “Another rapper, exposed, in broad daylight [Daylyt] you gotta face that…wordplay, face tat, Daylyt, I spawn out of nowhere”

John John da Don defeats Cali Smoov

September 21, 2021June 9, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Thanks in part to Cali Smoov ending what was a pretty (“…that’s why I’m confused, like why do I hear a Mark all throughout John’s verses?!”) solid round early, John John da Don survives a 2nd round choke with some hard personals in the deciding 3rd to edge this one on the road.

Verdict: John John da Don (W) 2-1

Favorite line: John John da Don – “I should leave him alone, ‘cuz he ain’t got no money, but I’d rather give him bucks on sight, like GoFundMe!”

D.O.T. defeats Traffic

September 21, 2021June 8, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Self-proclaimed “Reach God” D.O.T. exercises his bars to superb effect, especially in rounds 1 and 2, with a combination of vanglorious (“My bullets stick together, it’s like they got chemistry!”) gun bars, lofty sound bites and an over-the-top performance to take this one against Traffic, who landed some (“I’ll pull out my evil twin on you, like ‘my bad’ bro”) shiners here and there, but overall couldn’t match D.O.T.’s intensity or wordplay.

Verdict: D.O.T. (W) 2-1

Favorite line: D.O.T. – “Empty the clip on him…[click]…[click]…’Fuck!!!’ then throw the glock at him!”

Pass defeats Caustic

September 21, 2021June 7, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Basement battle between two seasoned vets, Pass and Caustic, is highlighted by a boatload of pointed personals, freestyles, rebuttals and fiery punchlines. Close throughout and competitive despite neither battler really being on their A-game, a more condensed and consistent with the barbs Pass edges rounds 1 and 2 to take the win.

Verdict: Pass (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Pass – “Ill give this boy the biz-ness [business] like rich, white parents!”

Daylyt defeats Ooops

September 21, 2021June 7, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: As Florida Evans would say: ‘Damn! Damn! Damn!’ Ooops and Daylyt match up on the RBE stage to put on one of the realest rap battles ever, kicking so much emotions, real rap talk and soliloquies in their lines that you couldn’t ashamed to say if you were brought to tears. Not that really matters who won, but after Daylyt’s punchline game and rip-shredding bars edged him round one, Ooops continuous name flips got him round two, a deadlocked battle became a near-classic with a gut-wrenching 3rd. First, Daylyt (who perhaps inspired by Ooops conscious/poetic rap stylings decided early on to drop the antics for this battle) drops what is arguably his best round ever, with a consistent barrage of haymakers that gamely ripped apart all his naysayers, while giving you new understanding of what makes Daylyt so (“Steve Urkel should y’all that if a square randomly get a machine, then out of nowhere he a cool nigga”) gifted, controversial, (“It was pops at my front door every day, it was never dad!”) nuisanced and borderline schizophrenic. So stupendous was Daylyt’s round that the stunned look on Ooops face alone spoke volumes on the impact. Still, when he was finally ready to begin his round, Ooops used his turn to hit hard with some sentimental (“See you talking all that protesting shit, but we ain’t have to go to Selma to see what they went through”) analysis and personal real life gab that just as gamely moved the crowd. Daylyt’s delivery and righteous bar quotient got him the round and won him the battle but either way Daylyt vs. Ooops is another contender for Battle of the Year.

Verdict: Daylyt (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Daylyt -“When y’all say I’m stupid, God is the reason I got the face tat”

Reepah Rell defeats B-Trillz

September 21, 2021June 5, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: In what was indisputably a dogfight, Reepah Rell’s more consistently fiery (“B-Trillz, who?, better be still. a couple of bucks will take the braids off a nigga…Meek Mill’s!”) barbs, flaming gun lines and haymakers edges him round 1 and 3 against a steadily (“I’m addressing all these bitches the same, like they was bridesmaids!”) knocking, till he lost a little steam in the 3rd and deciding round, B-Trillz.

Verdict: Reepah Rell (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Reepah Rell – “Don’t this shit got you bugged?, that’s like when my gun blow, it’s escargot, a shell will pop and somebody will eat a slug!”,

Hollow da Don defeats Charlie Clips

September 21, 2021June 4, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: A staggering 1st round filled with multiple derision’s on his opponent’s battle technique, witty punchlines/schemes and aggressive haymakers by Hollow da Don beats back a very solid, but less versatile and a little pedestrian turn by Charlie Clips. This highly anticipated battle is then decided by yet another superlative round by Hollow, going after Clips with a rich palette of jocular darts, crown-friendly punches, career/life tutorials, and heavy-handed personals that all hit their mark. In turn, after a dope 1st round that would’ve easily beat most rappers and during one of the biggest battles of his career, Clips literally goes off-track in the 2nd, struggling with his flow, dispensing substandard rhymes and strangely taking his focus off Hollow to throw shots at Cortez and D. Chambers who were each looking on from the stage. And while Clips’ focus would return in the 3rd with a fiery, personal and punch-heavy turn that got past a solid, but elongated round by Hollow, by the end it’d be too late.

Verdict: Hollow da Don (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Hollow da Don – “I ain’t saying your shit wack, but bro, it’s the same move every time you kick that, set-up/punchline, set-up/punchline, that’s how you spit that?…just a candy rapper with 4 bars, you a [Kit-Kat]…see how easy it is to predict that?”

Kid Twist defeats John John da Don

September 21, 2021June 2, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Good to see Kid Twist, one of the best Canadian battle rappers out there, taking on a URL head in John John da Don. Even better is witnessing a good battle between two contrasting styles as neither battler underestimated their opponent. JJDD came hard with some dope gun (“I bought my Nina a friend, Why? because she enjoys company, I feel like Andy with Buzz and Woody, these toys stuck with me, I let ’em take turns with Kid like joint custody!”) bars and rich punchlines, while Twist’s penchant for tactful rebuttals and witty (“But I’ll bring in the real reason for your name into light, you’re a double-john because hookers started made you start paying them twice”) jokes scored heavy. Got Kid Twist taking the 1st round easy and the same goes for JJDD with the 3rd. So with the battle coming down to the middle round, it’s Twist who gets the win with more consistently nicer bars, better crafted angles and doper (“….you’re like a kid who didn’t make it in sports, you been getting the Battle Rap Participation Award”) personals.

Verdict: Kid: Twist (W) 2-1

Favorite line: John John da Don -“I bet you thought I was coming with some wack shit, sorry, this ain’t what you expected, you been Catfished”

Rosenberg Raw and Johnie Alcatraz (DEBATABLE)

September 21, 2021June 2, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Rosenberg Raw gets off to a hot start in an apparent grudge match against Johnie Alcatraz, using some nice personals and witty (“Suge, what part of Jersey this dickhead from, Cherry Hill?”) anecdotes to easily take round one. However, as the battle moves on, Raw’s bars get less potent and his delivery gets enigmatic, allowing Johnie’s rich performance bars and lucid (“…Raw got pissed, walked in and tried to grab his toaster, so I left Rose on the front porch, I’m a Casanova”) punchlines to edge round two. Last round is a lazy round for both with Raw getting laconic but not saying too much and Johnie failing to take advantage with a couple of punches that landed but did little damage. Call it even.

Verdict: TIE

Favorite line: Rosenberg Raw – “…my only question is how many different colors you got?, you probably be matching the mirror like these red Jay’s gonna do one thing and I’mma kill it when I match it with the red tongue ring”

Viixen The Assassin defeats Precyse Da Assassin

September 21, 2021June 1, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Precyse Da Assassin lands some hot punches/personals here and there. But in this Bosschick Battle League bout for the ‘Assassin’ name, an off-tilt delivery and way too many pedestrian bars from Precyse to go along with a Viixen The Assassin who was on her A-game from jump with a gritty fleet of piercing punchlines, witty/bruising personals, righteous heaters and rigid name flips throughout the match, gives the Wisconsin battler a scorching 3-0.

Verdict: Viixen The Assassin (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Viixen The Assassin – “Now they said Precyse Top 5 off of looks alone, well bitch stare at me wrong and I’m giving your top 5 off oa ya looks alone!”

Hollow da Don defeats Joe Budden

September 21, 2021June 1, 2015 by Mister Greco

(No embed link available for battle)

Recap: Seasoned rapper/artist versus Battle rap honcho? Well, if you’ve already seen the likes of Mr Fab vs. Arsonal or even worse, Canibus vs. Dizaster, you’d have a right to be skeptical about Hollow da Don taking on Eminem’s Total Slaughter stage regardless of all the hype that went into this battle going into it. But put aside all the mic issues, the horrible host that is Sway, a 10-minute plus intro, Hollow just looking weird in a wife-beater that was obviously worn to show off his flexing rams and Budden’s sporadic “reading from a book” flow and you’re left with a fairly decent battle that for first two rounds, was at least competitive with the two light-skin emcees splitting the first two rounds through the use of a nice range of fluid (Hollow: “He can’t escape, he a ho to me, he too/two bitch, Floetry, he get close to me…nah put up that Jagged Edge, I got 112 [1 .12] I want Joe to see [Jodeci]!” wordplay, witty (Joe: “Now why these labels never called you?, lack of hunger?, couldn’t find you?, ain’t have your number? defies all laws of gravity, it’s distorted, you the only thing that stay on Lean but ain’t support it [supported]!”) personals and nifty [Joe: “Said you had a clothing line, but that’s not clear, you putting an emoji on a shirt, nigga that’s not gear!”) punchlines. That said, call the 3rd round a huge let-down…at least for Budden anyway. Succumbing to a chorus of boos throughout what was bar-wise, a pretty lackluster turn to begin with, Joe literally gives up, dropping his mic to the ground before picking it back up after seemingly reminding himself that this much-hyped, flashy, over-produced event wouldn’t be a good look to his career if he cried foul and quit on stage. Still, for Hollow, who overcame an underwhelming 2nd round for a potent (“Third round! these bars gon’ stay with him, deadbeat dad, I ain’t got time to play with him!”) 3rd that was laced with scathing personals about Joe’s well-publicized history with women and showed guts for earlier going after show organizers for alleged money issues that occurred pre-battle, despite his opponent mailing it in at the end, a win of this magnitude certainly put him in another category when it comes to battle rap.

Verdict: Hollow da Don (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Hollow Da Don – “I’m shooting like Craig Hodges, that arm strong [Armstrong] I ain’t missing nuthin’, and you Dennis Rodman, ‘cuz you nice around that mic [Mike}, but sometimes you a bitch in public!”

Arsonal da Rebal defeats Caustic

September 21, 2021May 30, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Arsonal da Rebel and Caustic (who did really well despite having one day to prepare) battle for the crown of “Who’s The Most Disrespectful?” in this one-rounder from KOTD. A close, personal and oft-times pretty heated (hey, as many times as Arsonal’s brought racist bars to battles with white dudes in the past, no one should be upset when a white dude turns around and does the same to him) battle throughout, despite a more consistent flow from (“How the fuck am I racist? I use such colorful language”) Caustic and a horrible “fanny pack” line from da Rebel, it’s Arsonal’s more formidable haymakers and variety with the bars that edges him the win.

Verdict: Arsonal (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Arsonal – “I’m disrespectful, I’ll walk in your house and shit everywhere…that’s a hoarder nigga”

QB Black Diamond defeats No-A-Lot

September 21, 2021May 29, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Granted, No-A-Lot did himself no favors quickly going from misogynistic punches (which sometimes landed) to a lame Loaded Lux impression what with a Bible reading that was ‘complimented’ by a passing put of a collection plate. But if there was ever an example why small, independent battle leagues fail, this was it. From absolutely zero crowd control to having to hold a mic to her head so QB could rap to an audience that talked all through both battlers round’s, clearly HeaviiTV didn’t put in the leg work to put on a battle. Other than that QB’s boatload of raucous shiners and piercing personals win the day in this 1-rounder.

Verdict: QB (W) 1-0

Favorite line: QB – “I’ll have this white boy bowing down to a black bitch with power, I’m Olivia Pope!”

Tech 9 defeats Shotgun Suge

September 21, 2021May 28, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Philly battle rappers been taking a lot of L’s in the ring lately so it’s good to see Tech-9 back in there upholding that gritty Brotherly love tradition. Here against Shotgun Suge, Tech spouts a barrage of no-nonsense bars and drops in a couple of head-ringing (“My block, crackheads and d-boys, Your block? Cisco’s and Leroy’s!”) haymakers to verify his elder statesmanship. His elongated round does contain some filler, but after a crazy (“Say cheese, the clip on the chopper look like a smiley face!”) start to his round, Suge trailed off too dramatically for any real chance at a win.

Verdict: Tech-9 (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Tech-9 -“I do shit deliberately, on purpose, money hungry, for that lunch break, these twin 4’s be smoking together, they like co-workers”

Cortez defeats Chubby Jag

September 21, 2021May 27, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Fiery 1-rounder from AngryFan Radio sees Chubby Jag start off his turn with some dope punches/personals, stay gritty with his material and flow throughout the battle, but fail to put much points on the scoreboard due to a lack of intricacy to his bars. On the other hand, a pretty confident Cortez was able to back up his moxie with a steady stream of fierce name flips, stinging 4-bar set-ups, rigid personals and piercing punchlines/trap talk for the win.

Verdict: Cortez (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Cortez – “You ain’t never sold no drugs, son feeble, it’s Jag, we all know Jag’s don’t pump diesel!”

Mike P defeats Tapedeck

September 21, 2021May 26, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: After dishing a plethora of righteous (“It’s clear you’re pulling back scotch [Scotch] if you ever think I’d duck [duct] tape!”) name flips and hot punchlines to easily take round one, Mike P gets lackadaisical and pretty much takes the second off, while allowing Tapedeck to even things up with sizzling schemes/bars and some nice (“This ya last resort, big machine, you better grab your horse or it’s Swave Sevah versus Danny Myers what’s that?…two .40s going back-n-forth!”) comedic wordplay. After a solid turn by Tapedeck in the final round, Mike P gets back in his bag, dispensing steady heat along with pent-up (“This bitch give me lip, this smack coming with an 8-ball jacket!”) shiners to take the win.

Verdict: Mike P (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Mike P – “I told y’all I’m a step above Tape, so CD’s [see deez]!”

Charron defeats Pedro

September 21, 2021May 25, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: If freestyle battles are ya thing it doesn’t much funnier, competitive or prolific than this one as Charron and the UK’s Pedro go off-the-dome for 24 rounds of witty jokes, dope flips/rebuttals and spirited punches. However, as entertaining as this battle was on both sides, it’s still a more consistently spicy Charron who gets the win.

Verdict: Charron (W) 17-7

Favorite line: Charron – “Kill him with 4 bars, it’s a Kit Kat brand!”

Jakkboy Maine defeats Leem

September 21, 2021May 25, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Using a fluid cadence to spit plenty of nifty punchlines and nuanced mayhem, against the subpar and pretty basic raps of Leem, Jakkboy Maine marks an easy one down on the win ledger in this 1-rounder from 7 Cities Shark.

Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “How many seconds will it take before my bullets him?, it’s like a kid in the corner…a smart mouth gets extended time!”

Math Hoffa defeats Chilla Jones

September 21, 2021May 23, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Rest assured Math Hoffa versus Chilla Jones will go down as a finalist for 2015 Battle of the Year. With contrasting styles and both putting forth their A-game, each battler had the crowd buzzing throughout the match, more than giving the fans their money’s worth. Math’s first round was straight fire, a sizzling combo of contentious bully (“You ain’t about that life, you ain’t been where I been Chilla, forget who the F U R and that’s your chin-Chilla”) bars, heated wordplay and wicked performance bars/schemes. Yet, an undaunted Chilla, quickly returned the fire with a series of lofty (“What good is street cred if you can’t spit that tight?, you get broken off with 4 bars, you the Kit Kat type”) punchlines and fiery name flips that somewhat went away from his forte, but still worked well. Second round kept the crowd hyped with Math putting on emphasis on creatively mocking his opponent’s (“When you tell niggas you scheming that means you rhyming shit for ’em, if I tell niggas I’m scheming, that means go inside it’s a warning”) style, while Chilla gamely turned the table on Math’s notorious real rap lines with steady sermons (“You worry about looking real, that’s something I feel is pitiful, cuz whats’ real about your kids going to jail to visit you and birthdays and holidays past, but you still invisible”) on what really matters most in life. Last round served up another stellar platter with Math splitting his time supplying more (“5 niggas against one, that ain’t a jump, that’s a leap!”) rhetoric on the infamous Dizaster battle along with some aggressive BK (“We slide through, bust it in Ds, it ain’t a titty fuck!”) punches that landed hard. Chilla’s 3rd, arguably his most consistent round, saw him step to Math with some fresh (“If you used that wood proper like you should patna, Bonnie would’ve came back like good posture!”) personals, amiable wordplay and good-natured jokes that’d make Drake proud. Overall a great battle, but while Chilla showed off his humor and took away Math’s penchant for disrespecting his pen game, some of his set-ups took too long, he did have some filler and one wishes he’d played to his strength and schemed a little more. Thus, credit Math for sticking to his repertoire and having a tighter ratio of dope bars per lines, a slightly better performance, a nice counter for all of Chilla’s (“Inside you mad you ain’t fucking with me, youze a Bonnie nigga”) Bonnie drops/Dizaster lines and a wider degree of angles throughout the match, especially in rounds 1 and 3 to take the win.

Verdict: Math Hoffa (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Chilla Jones -“When y’all want bars, he just be rapping facts at you…I mean this gonna be a serious [Serius] disaster [Dizaster]”

Profecy defeats Wronzy

September 21, 2021May 22, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Judged battle from KOTD between Profecy and Wronzy sees a load of spitfire bars from both battlers that allows for a split in the early rounds before Profecy, with a more consistently sanguine flow that scored with plenty of bully bars, witty punches and fiery wordplay, taking it at the end.

Verdict: Profecy (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Profecy – “Been busting guns since I was fucking young…that’s Asian porn!”

Showoff defeats Bangz

September 21, 2021May 21, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: First off, I have no idea where the Showoff/Tsu Surf comparisons keeps coming form because they really do not sound alike at all. Secondly, Showoff’s stylistic wordplay and fiery gun (“Left this body with nothing but holes, I borrowed Goldie’s mac”) bars easily got him the 1st round and edged him the 2nd here in this entertaining matchup versus Bangz. Lastly, while Bangz has plenty of charisma along with some hot (“I’ll grip the pipe or you’ll get the knife, I figure full pizza, ff you could give a buck, you could get a slice!”) bars, the hometown fans were clearly gassing up some of his lines at times and one can only hope that that shit Daylyt started with the collection cap getting passed around gets deaded quick by more promoters/battle league owners taking care of their performers pockets.

Verdict: Showoff (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Showoff – “You the type to let outsiders come in and take over your land, you the 1st type of nigga”

K-Shine defeats Strizzy Streetz

September 21, 2021May 20, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Strizzy Streetz had a couple of nice (“He try to run from me, good luck, I’m hitting every house up like I’m fundraising!”) lines and the MJ bars were cool, but other than that the local hero failed to impress with way too many reaches to count, plus standard bars that were totally gassed up by the hometown crowd. And even tho you didn’t get the best K-Shine here (not to mention how hard it was to hear some of Shine’s bars with all the chit-chatter going on throughout his round), he still managed to impress with some righteous name flips and feelgood (“Boy I get him wet in broad day, that’s a sun shower”) punchlines to gain an easy win.

Verdict: K-Shine (W) 1-0

Favorite line: K-Shine – “You gonna jump whp?, nigga you don’t see they shells? I’ll get Streetz [streets] blocked off like PAL”

Haixian defeats Pro Verb

September 21, 2021May 20, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Bar-wise, Pro Verb’s witty (“Weapons drawn? you run uo the stairs and get your Precious on, running right behind Zone, like you Megatron!”) versatility is able to keep up with Haixian steady combo oi potent schemes and flexing (“I aim high, so I had to take it down, before you can move, you’ll get capped, how the graduation sound?!”) wordplay. However, Pro Verb’s flow, which was interrupted by a handful of slip-ups, ends up costing him the win in what was otherwise a pretty good battle.

Verdict: Haixian (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Haixian – “All I had was a .22, but I put it in front of you, now you Gwitty, some weak shit got you dying in the crowd!”

John John da Don defeats Prep

September 21, 2021May 19, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: In this Rookies vs. Vets battle between John John da Don and Prep. even with the (“Hold on, NuNu Nells your manager?!, fuck you had to do for that?, how we supposed to know what she could do for you, when we don’t even know what she do for Smack?”) hottest line of the beginning round JJDD still gets edged by a slightly more wordplay-heavy and set-up (“Question: verse Hollow, how did it feel to finally throw your own punch?!”) rich Prep. After that, thanks in part to Prep making rookie mistakes like wasting bars on other rappers and tossing out rebuttals that didn’t land, it was pretty much all JJDD. Who even while dishing his own versions of a couple of bars you might’ve heard before, still offered up enough witty personals, hot punchlines and PG-centric tutorials to take the latter two rounds over much less strapping opponent.

Verdict: John John da Don (W) 2-1

Favorite line: John John da Don – “No wonder you from the DMV…with all them L’s you got!”

Arsonal da Rebel defeats Big T (3 Rounds from Total Slaughter Event) [Rematch]

September 21, 2021May 19, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Hey, battle rap has come a long way and I have no problem with Eminem, a former battle rapper himself, giving back to the culture by putting on this Total Slaughter event. Still, why Ebro was there is beyond me, considering all the shitting on battle rap that he’s been renowned noted for. And while the production was slick and on point, mic issues seemed to be a problem throughout the night I hope that someone approached host Sway after the battle to tell him what the meaning of ‘rebuttal’ is.

As for this battle, a comfortable and clearly motivated Arsonal easily 3-0’ed a usually competitive Big T with a steady barrage of winning personals, feelgood (“What happened T, you used to be the man killing them, bars was heavy, but you got lighter over the years..Aunt Vivian!”) wordplay and rich set-ups and let to even (“I’m from where they say don’t pull your glock out if you don’t plan on it shooting, shhhhhhiiiiittttt I’m like Daylyt tattoo artist, I’m drawing on a nigga even if I don’t know what I’m doing!”) richer performance bars. And while Big T didn’t seemed to be intimated by the big stage, his lack of potent wordplay, persistent bouts of righteous (“Nigga I killed a lion, what y’all mad I ain’t spar hard with the kittens?”) filler and stumbles in the last round were a bit surprising to say the least. Too bad as Arsonal’s latter rounds weren’t nearly as crazy as his first, which lets you know that if Big T had brought his A-game, he would’ve had a chance good to win. But none of that was the Arsonal’s fault as Jersey gets another dub.

Verdict: Arsonal (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Arsonal – “Tahiry was like this with JR Smith [licks lips emulating sucking a –] it’s a boy!”

Danny Myers defeats Diesel

September 21, 2021May 19, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Like a boxer preparing for a big fight, it’s a wonder watching the ever-passionate Danny Myers prepare himself for a battle what with the chap stick, water bottle and of course, the intense stare down of his opponent before they ring the bell. And as Diesel finds out here in this 1-round, West-coast AHAT battle, Danny’s focus usually pays off in the ring as after a pretty solid, raucous when needed and punch-centric turn by his opponent, Danny wrecks him with a systematically violent, punchline-crazy and storytelling rich go-around that your favorite up-coming battle rapper can certainly learn from.

Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Danny Myers – “I’ll test you before I put you through war like the ASVAB!”

QB (Black Diamond) defeats Morawsha

September 21, 2021May 18, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Putting aside the incessant crowd noise (including, surprisingly some on stage), QB and Morawsha engage in a dope and highly entertaining 3-round battle for Bosschick Battle League. Morawsha would stay competitive with a fly rebuttal game (esp. in round 1) that along with a gang of bruising name flips/schemes, witty burns and piercing punchlines/personals let the audience know that she’s a problem. However QB, flexing throughout the battle with a boatload of disrespectful darts, hardbody punches, some stinging wordplay and boastful barbs, gets the win here, taking each of the opening rounds with a couple of condensed, haymaker-lit turns that secured the vic before a more consistently spicy Morawsha took the 3rd.

Verdict: QB (W) 2-1

Favorite line: QB – “I’m like a bitch with no ass, I’m just not gonna switch!”

Krucial Ken and Kush Cloud [DEBATABLE]

September 21, 2021May 17, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: In this 3-round battle from Crown of Tha South Battle League, a punch-heavy Kush Cloud and a mayhem-driven Krucial Ken split the first round, before Ken spout’s more rapid (“If any nigga from your clique defend you, I’ll throw flame, I got that ‘ol flame like me and my ex-bitch rekindled!”) heat in the 2nd to back a nice and competitive, but slip-up stained Kush in the 2nd to take the lead. However, despite another slight hiccup, the still punchline swinging Kush dishes just enough nifty haymakers to out-rap what was a mostly pedestrian turn from his opponent, thus making this one a draw in the end.

Verdict: TIE

Favorite line: Kush Cloud – “Why use aggression to kill, when my character’s only charismatic [carry these matic’s]!”

JC defeats Ah Di Boom

September 21, 2021May 17, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Another dope battle from RBE as Ah Di Boom and JC put on a gleaming showcase on bar efficiency and pen game acumen. From jump Ah Di strives to win, spitting rich (“I’m a one-man army, John Wick, and I get Dumber and Dumber when I’m driving my dog whip!”) bars along with (“I got size on me, he ain’t trying to the tussle, if this bitch fight it’s a wrap here, I prepared his funeral, he ain’t trying to the Hustle”) feelgood quips on JC’s notorious dance steps, all backed up by his usual spirited performance. Still, while JC spat a somewhat shorter round, his bars were just as intense, delivering on variety with spicy (“For some reason, niggas without bars done found a way to thrive, then say I only talk about killing, well it’s only been 40 battles, bitch it’s a thousand ways to die”) personals and amiable schemes, while scoring (“I’ll put a blunt out on his face, that’s a hash tag”) higher with their impact as well as a crisper flow. Although JC steps up his performance and stays consistent with the fiery (“You’re not vicious and Ah Di about as real the one McLovin carry”) punches, Ah Di gets tighter with the (“Army shots, he’ll be a corpse, now be all you can be, that mean Omarion about to have an Ice Box where his heart used to be”) wordplay and edges a close round 2 with slightly less filler. It’s the 3rd round that sees each opponent’s skillset fully on display yet separating themselves vigorously, as while Ah Di continues to drop some (“He mad, look like I just touched a female cord, Misfit”) gems, his well-noted foibles for decreased viability, reaching (“He could be Mus-a-lamb I’ll still go ham…”; “…this when I’m gonna try dent [Trident]” and getting distracted (Really, using a big match against JC to call out T-Rex?!? that’s what blogs are for) with random BS materializes–all the while becoming a perfect foil for JC’s nonstop stream of stinging set-ups, potent (“Y’all wave arms to perform, not in the streets”) personals, repeated (“You got a of niggas wanted with you, but in the Spur of the moment the whole team will pass before any one of them shoot”) haymakers and wicked punchlines. All told Yak Town wins again.

Verdict: JC (W) 2-1

Favorite line: JC – “It’s apparent tho, y’all putting marble against carpet, you can’t compare the flow”

Rone defeats Daylyt

September 21, 2021May 17, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Well, this was an easy one to judge as Daylyt uses some behind-the-scene drama with host Eurgh to literally walk out on his battle with Rone. Of course, if it was that serious Daylyt could’ve thought about the fans who paid their hard-earned money to see him, backed out of the event earlier, did a blog or something to air his grievances with Eurgh and allow Don’t Flop enough time to find somebody else to replace him. But Daylyt wouldn’t be Daylyt if he did things the proper way…smh. Credit Rone for maintaining his cool and spit his bars–the crowd certainly ate it up.

Verdict: Rone (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Rone – “He fucks over his own culture, like a porn star fight, but it’s cool, as long as he gets on World Star, right?”

Dizaster defeats Tierstar

September 21, 2021May 15, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Dizaster visits Germany to take on local rapper/artist Tierstar and while the mostly pedestrian crowd fave hit with some witty punches and mocking personals here and there, overall this one was all Diz, who kept the scoreboard lit with a gang of raucous heat, spicy punchlines, wicked 4-bar set-ups/freestyles, hilarious anecdotes and fiery schemes to earn a 30.

Verdict: Dizaster (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Dizaster – “The toughest man in your circle is Angela Merkel!”

Jerry Wess defeats P. Jones

September 21, 2021May 15, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Showing an ability to dispense hot bars (“You playing with health, so I can’t wait any sooner, so I bought a gun so big, the bitch came with the shooter!”) here and there, Harlem’s P. Jones undoubtedly elicits potential here against the ever-entertaining, (“I ain’t Top Tier or a PG, but I tear tops…off GP!”) punch-heavy and versatile Jerry Wess. However, a downpour of slip-ups in rounds 1 and 3 by Jones in addition to Wess’ continual prowess throughout the battle, equates to an easy bodybag for the Brooklyn rapper.

Verdict: Jerry Wess (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Jerry Wess – “Jones, you a two-percent discount…you’re not a big deal!”

JakkBoy Maine defeats Goldie

September 21, 2021May 14, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Scintillating (“And I know y’all can’t see his soul, but hear it linger, cuz these hands will sit ya with your creator, they spirit fingers!”) wordplay combined with a plethora of intoxicating performance bars by Jakkboy Maine makes for an easy bodybag over a stumble-prone Goldie in this one-rounder from the Quiet Zone.

Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “I’m hot headed, juggling gravel, I’ll rock steady, Before and After pictures, back words, because they got heavy!”

Hazey Williams defeats Xcel

September 21, 2021May 14, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: A dope battle between (“Head shot, I done kill more dreams than sleep apnea!”; “Nerd rapper or street nigga, whatever the case, I eat ’em, like Mikey, life made me this way!”) Xcel and (“Every rapper he ate..ass, I could take it a step farther [step-father] like a play dad!”; “X, ain’t nothing God body about false prophets!”) Hazey Williams’ outcome is unfortunately decided early as the former chokes early in the 1st round. What with both batters equally dispensing fiery bars in the latter rounds, it’s Xcel’s lack of preparation that ultimately ends up costing him this one.

Verdict: Hazey Williams (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Hazey Williams – “That nigga prez was your brother, but he got to clap dumb shit, Merci disowned him, that made him a punk bitch, you co-signed it, praising that fuck shit, ‘cuz Five percenters were Islam niggas that jumped ship!”

Real Deal defeats Syd Vicious

February 22, 2022May 13, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: From Don’t Flop, a versatile Real Deal, scoring with a variety of stifling punchlines, witty personals, solid off-the-dome heat and spicy storytelling bars, puts up enough points (esp. during a killer opening round) to beat back a mostly competitive effort from a mayhem-lit and punch/personal heavy at times Syd Vicious, who after getting edged by RD in both of the early rounds, was on his way to at least taking the 3rd if not for a couple of slip-ups.

Verdict: Real Deal (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Real Deal – “And this is Syd from Atlanta?, this for the ’92 Pirates, no way I could let him slide!”

DNA defeats S.Youngin

September 21, 2021May 9, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Dishing fiery punches as well as ripping on his opponent’s government name/swag and throwing in a couple of nice freestyle’s for good measure, DNA handily beats a very pedestrian S.Youngin in this one-rounder from Coloradorap.

Verdict: DNA (W) 1-0

Favorite line: DNA – “You try to front with that .9, but that .8 shooting different, so once I throwback Bullets, y’all gonna see me take a nigga from St. Louis Spirit!”

Born defeats Xcel

September 21, 2021May 9, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: The hurting Born’s been consistently putting on dudes for the past couple of years just begs for a return to the URL stage. Indeed, it’s another strong showing here against a (You’ll get cut out the picture by the cream of the crop”) game, but overmatched Xcel. Delivering exquisite (“Run up on him like ‘give it up’. but he broke as hell, nuthin’ on him but Android, I guess we all can’t be perfect Cel [cell]”) punchline after (“Try me, get a single hit like Def Loaf”) punchline with steady ease in addition to a flurry of rich name flips. Born’s consistent verbal hijinks prove to be too much for Xcel, whose shortened rounds and elongated set-ups, didn’t help matters either.

Verdict: Born (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Born – “I said what up nigga, I know you hype to me, but the only way I’ll lose my footing? diabetes”

Presidential Dubz defeats Stylez

September 21, 2021May 8, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Spilling with confidence and performing (he even brought a mop out) righteously throughout his 3 rounds with hardbody punchlines, boastful set-ups and a nifty mix of fiery name flips as well as some feelgood personals, Presidential Dubz outshines a pretty solid in his own right Stylez to take this 3-rounder from We Go Hard.

Verdict: Presidential Dubz (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Presidential Dubz – “One hit will have him rocking on cam like Jada reaction!”

Illmaculate defeats DNA

September 21, 2021May 5, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Nice with the rebuttals, piercing with the multi-syllabic flow, pointed with the personals and more consistently solid with the punches/wordplay, Illmaculate also takes advantage of a lackadaisical 1st and 3rd rounds from DNA to earn the win in this 3-rounder from KOTD.

Verdict: Illmaculate (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Illmaculate – “See, it’s all a perception game, marketing plan, but this the heart of a lion versus the heart of a lamb, my words pierce through the facade of a man, it’s like punching through his chest and holding his heart in my hand!”

Aks defeats Bangz

September 21, 2021May 3, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: By the time a somewhat subdued Bangz ups the ante with a banging (“I got a punch for every nigga that don’t believe in the cross…that’s an atheist!”) 3rd round, it’s a case of too little, too late as Aks’ feening bars and spitfire (“I’ll have bullets spiraling through his scalp, turn Bangz [bangs] into flat twist!”) wordplay edges him the early rounds, and allows him to hold on for the win.

Verdict: Aks (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Aks – “I’m from Brooklyn, nigga I just left from the East, my whole block getting chicken, call it Sesame Street!”

D.O.T. defeats Ah Di Boom

September 21, 2021May 3, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Shakespeare once said “Brevity is the soul of wit”. If only someone had reminded Ah Di Boom of that before he finished up his somewhat abbreviated rounds 1 and 3 here against D.O.T. Indeed, using Boom’s sublime 2nd round as an example, where even D.O.T’s best rhyme (“I’m that cold, this balde on this knife rusty, that’s ‘cuz the blood on on it is that old”) provocateurs are topped by Ah Di’s witty (“I grab the mettle and pull the handle, that’s a fridge!”) mocking of his opponent’s most vexing foible, in addition to doubly proficient performance bars and some fiending (“Blind man at the restroom, cuz I read D.O.T. [dot] at the door!”) wordplay. Still, ignore the few weed carriers in the crowd who might’ve gassed some of his more pedestrian bars and credit D.O.T. for what’s arguably his most consistent overall performance, rich with festive (“I got a bullet that’ll knock your eye out your socket, maybe you should look out!”) punchlines, amiable bars and fiery (“I got a chopper with a kickstand, he like ‘What that mean?’, the leg’s long and the butt poke out, like Ms. Hustle”) anecdotes. D.O.T. resurrected indeed.

Verdict: D.O.T. (W) 2-1

Favorite line: D.O.T. – “If I catch you in Brooklyn, Carter will release 6 like Young Thug”.

Mo Mula defeats T Rav

September 21, 2021May 3, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Punch for punch, (“They’ll find ya body stiff in the park, my young ratchet was playing freeze tag!”) Mo Mula and (“My razor blade is ripping skin, ya man’s could get sliced too, y’all could share cuts like you splitting dividends!”) T Rav were pretty even, but too many visits from Earl and a better overall performance from his opponent cost Rav any chance if winning this one-rounder from Colosseum Battle League.

Verdict: Mo Mula (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Mo Mula – “You’ll never see me sweat, I got mad genes, my Pierre’s [peers] are Haitian, I know mad Jean’s!”

Charlie Clips defeats T Top

September 21, 2021May 2, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: I agree with Jaz the Rapper on this one: Charlie Clips being on this Rookies vs. Vets card was just weird. No disrespect to T-Top, but considering that Clips is pretty much Top 5 on anybody’s list, to me a rook has got to put in more work before earning the chance to face the likes of Clips. So perhaps a more suitable option would’ve been Math (who’s publicly voiced wanting to face T-Top) or Cortez or even Arsonal. Still, a good match nonetheless and it was nice to see Method Man voice what I think most hardcore battle rap fans feel about mainstream artists trying to get down with the scene. That said, I got Clips (more variety, fierce schemes and sharper [“But if y’all do compare him to Tyson and he weave them first two rounds when that .4 bustin’, Total Slaughter ‘cuz the 3rd round dropping mics like Joe Buddens”] bars) clearly taking round one and Top clearly taking round two with that electric Trap talk, ill (“How many times we gonna guess what room in the same house?’) personals and wicked gun bars. A close 3rd round saw Top spit some nice personals and more of that real street (“I’m a drug lord, I’m only charging a rack a tier [racketeer])” chatter he’s become known for. Yet, Clips came one better here, mocking T-Top style and repetition before delivering a gripping prayer, some tutorials and enough stellar (“Maury show, I call DNA, he know who da [to] pop”) bars to edge this one at the end.

Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1

Favorite line: T-Top – “All y’all see is fire, but I notice the kickback, that Clip worth two good rounds, like your bitch ass!”

Joe defeats Hazeman

September 21, 2021May 2, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: In a noisy room that seemed for the most part, to have no idea that a battle was taking place, Joe survives a 2nd round choke with enough solid punchlines and nice personals in round 1 as well as a more condensed round 3, to beat back a gritty at times, but too-many-dry-spots-having Hazeman.

Verdict: Joe (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Joe – “Two pistols, you’ll be torn between the two like a tough decision!”

Lexx Luthor defeats Jimz

September 21, 2021May 2, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: In what was a pretty substandard battle all around, littered with too many pedestrian bars, Lexx Luthor’s strength in ample wit eeeks out a win over Jimz’s brawny punchlines, especially in a deciding 3rd that saw a more condensed Lexx display more consistency.

Verdict: Lexx Luthor (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Lexx Luthor – “You said I don’t really battle in the hood, today, see I ain’t really at’cha…guess someone don’t know that I’m 2-0 in Africa!”

Bill Collector defeats E. Ness

September 21, 2021May 2, 2015 by Mister Greco

Recap: Good to see Bill Collector back on the stage, a little less animated, but more consistent and still able to put on a quality show. Against fellow PA homie E. Ness, Bill stuck to a balance of familiar jokes on his opponent’s renowned rap history, some ill personals, righteous gun (“No cheap sneaks, this a math test with no cheat sheet, hot 12 will get you squared from one .44”) bars and even some nifty wordplay (“You still the same OL E”) that all delivered on the scorecard. A terrific first round by both battlers had the crowd hype. But in the case of Ness a little too hyped as while BC for the most part stayed true his character, while Ness had his (“Watch how my trigger finger do a thousand reps”) moments after round 1, he seemed to gas himself with some of his own more lukewarn bars (it’s arguable too that Ness used some mixtape verses in his round 3 since his crew seemed to know what was coming) while showing more concern for putting on an entertaining show in front of his hometown fans than actually out-rapping his opponent. First two rounds tied, Bill edged the 3rd with more variety along with enough performance bars to make the late, great Robin Harris proud.

Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 2-1

Favorite line: E. Ness – “I’ll send shots that’ll pass through Bill, cut his fucking lights out, that’s a past due Bill”