No Bias. No Narratives.
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: From the HowY ouGonAct Network, a mostly competitive 3-rounder between Ave and Jai400 sees the latter’s hard-hitting street rhymes, aggressive punches and slick wordplay edge both of the opening rounds for the win before the ever-boastful and punch-heavy Ave puts together his best round with a deliciously personal and haymaker-lit 3rd to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Jai400 (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jai400 – “What make you feel you could deal with Jai [Jay] when you couldn’t survive Roc nation?!”
Recap: In this URL app exclusive 3-rounder, Ave unleashes a roundhouse of hard-hitting personals searing boasts, sporty wordplay and well-themed chain punches to handily beat back an earnest, but elongated and mostly subpar Quest Mcody.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Trust me, your brody know, your whole career been Dusty son, you’ll lose your drive for success taking Cody roads [Rhodes]!”
Recap: Ave versus Tay Roc, a much-anticipated matchup that probably should’ve taken place in front of an East-coast crowd (instead of Summer Madness 13 in Houston), comes with what you’d expect in terms of bars, punches and finally finding out why Ave left Cave Gang (well, according to Ave anyway). Roc with the witty personals, plethora of dope ‘EFB’ flips, pretty solid name flips, rapid-fire ‘AMG mode’ darts and piercing gun bars, came to work. While Ave (who clearly took this battle more personally than his opponent did throughout) came with his usual assortment of rich boasts, fierce name flips of his own, fiery punchlines and storied personals that while a little excessive, for the most part made their point (esp. in round 3). Close for all 3 rounds with plenty of head-nodding by both battlers to show favor of certain standout bars and to let everyone know that there wasn’t any animosity between the two, it’s the more haymaker-lit Roc who takes round 1 before also taking a more efficiently run round 2 for the win. An equally methodical, entertaining and punch-heavy 3rd makes for a debateable.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Say E.F.B. now, I ain’t even fucking mad, you gonna die of a heart attack if you keep eating fucking bad!”
Recap: From The News Battle League, what his opponent P.A.Y.N.E. lacked in rich metaphors and sturdy punches, Ave more than makes up for it, while also adding a gang of fiery name flips, feelgood wordplay and boastful barbs to handily the win over his mostly pedestrin opp in this 1-rounder.
Verdict: Ave (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ave – “You think not?, you still the trauma what we not about?, man my whole gang be steppin’ P.A.Y.N.E. like we got gout!”
Recap: From Bullpen Battle League, Georgia battler Clone does his thing, supplying a gang of gritty raps and fiery punches throughout this 3-rounder and make this matchup versus Ave competitive. But ever ready with a plethora of boastful punches, systematic haymakers that showed off his resilience, witty personals and stinging wordplay/name flips, it’s the Norfolk, VA vet who takes rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “That’s probably why this bluffing shit hit you, so don’t survive a Rico to die from another government issue!”
Recap: Taking on all matters at hand, which in this case included adeptly expounding on his long absence from the battle rap stage, serving up a barrage of sizzling name flips, flexing with a bunch of righteous braggadocious raps and of course, reminding everyone that he’s still one of the best punchers in the game, with the help of an always gritty Tru Foe struggling with his flow throughout the battle (to the point of arguing with a fan in round 2 and choking in the 3rd), Ave handily delivers a 30 in this ‘Outside’ bout from URL.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Boy you’ze a bitch, so miss me with this young nigga shit, I’m old school, I’ll sit and wait for who you wanna go get!”
Recap: From 7 Cities Sharks/Nuthouse Battle League, in the face of the loud, rambunctious gun bars and aggressive punchlines from Murda, Ave uses a more subtle mix of fiery punches, piercing name flips, rampant boasts and lofty similes to take first couple of rounds for the win, before a more potent and haymaker-lit turn from Murda in the 3rd allows him to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “See, this don’t do nuthin’ at all for my stock, they ain’t even gonna put Murda [murder] on my record like the charges been dropped!”
Recap: A dope, well-crafted and punch-heavy 3rd round by Ave in this Chrome 23 3-rounder vs. O’fficial doesn’t make up for a couple of braggadocious and hitting at times, but overall a bit predictable and seemingly uninspired turns by the former Cave Gang capo in the earlier rounds, leaving the consistently gritty, scheme-lit, gun bar popping and punch-heavier Bardashian with the win after she edged both of the opening rounds.
Verdict: O’fficial (W) 2-1
Favorite line: O’fficial – “DNA, Tay Roc and Dizaster?, I mean the list of men is growing for me, didn’t think I could fuck with the hottest nigga’s till I turned into Lori Harvey!”
Recap: Did Danny Myers think that his opening rounds were so fire here that he get away with a lazy 3rd? Or is he battling so much (again) that he just didn’t have the time to conceive a better final round? I’d love to know. Because after splitting (had the more prolific-punching and slightly more haymare-lit Ave edging round 1, before a rebuttal-crazy, wordplay-spicy and versatile Danny handily took round 2) the 1st couple of rounds here vs. Ave on this URL Any Given Sunday card, the Bar God would surprisingly use the same metaphorical, name-dropping angle that he infamously used against Drugz in their battle a couple of years back. But this time with a topsy-turvy effect that clearly wasn’t suited for a large crowd. And with that, it’d be a personal-heavy, brazen and righteous punching Ave who would easily take the deciding round for the win.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “The only way to take Ave light is in a funeral line!”
Recap: Well, damn. Offering up scathing disses at everyone and everything from the Drake-lookalike in the crowd to battle rap in general to his opponent Ave joining EFB (that is, when he wasn’t going at the big man’s alleged health issues) an aggressive, versatile, righteous and pressure-cooking B. Dot also utilizes a barrage of stifling punches/schemes/wordplay to out-wit (going in a pretty solid altogether Ave had to know Dot would focus on his noted punching game, so why he didn’t do more with personals and wit as he did in the 3rd round is a bit mind-boggling) and out-flex his Norlfolk, VA, peer and score a 30 in this Smack Volume 8 battle from URL.
Verdict: B. Dot (W) 3-0
Favorite line: B. Dot – “‘I don’t know B. Dot Ave come with the punches!’, yeah but they all fake, fat Blood ain’t gonna raise nothing but his heart rate!”
Recap: From URL’s Civil War card, another pretty solid effort from Real Sikh, filled with some witty barbs, a stockpile of aggressive mayhem and potent punches/name flips/rebuttals that still however wasn’t good enough to beat the punching power of Ave. The Norfolk, VA, vet using a gang of hitting pop culture references, sick name flips, piercing wordplay and sometimes righteous, but mostly flexing punchlines to take all 3 rounds for an impressive win over an opponent who otherwise has had a dope 2021.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “This Captain Planet, yeah the Indian got heart in the ring!”
Recap: After half a decade battling elsewhere, Head I.C.E. returns to the URL for a competitive goodie vs Ave and the Harlem O.G. does his thing with a gang of stifling O.G. talk, hardbody bangers, a sprinkling of wit, roughhouse wordplay/punches and of course some nonsensical shit to keep you scratching ya head. A bit long-winded at times (esp. in round 1) with a few pedestrian bars mixed here and there, over an opponent who came equipped with his usual assortment of fiery braggadocios zingers, head-ringing name flips, rapid punches and in this case oft-funny ‘old head’ zingers, it’s still the slightly more haymaker-lit and quantitative I.C.E. who edges rounds 1 and 3 for the return win.
Verdict: Head I.C.E. (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Head I.C.E. – “Outside this league, you a nobody, then you joined a group of nigga’s and you the nobody!”
Recap: In what was a crazy punchfest throughout (the only interruption being JTN slipping up a couple of times in round 1, tho he’d get back on his grind and take round 2), after Ave and Jey The Nitewing split the first two of rounds, a sublime 3rd rounds by both battlers gets edged by the slightly more condensed, at times righteous and name flip-savvy Ave to take this altogether dope N.O.M.E. XI 3-rounder.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “Oh what, he seem clever?, ‘cuz I honestly seen better, his rhymes $2.99…how the fuck Wing’s special?!”
Recap: It’s only been a couple of battles since he came back from Covid, but it’s nice to see Ave’s repertoire expanding a bit from boastful barbs and piercing wordplay to getting more personal, angle-lit and righteous with his raps. That said, even with Ave dishing 3 solid turns, this one was all DNA. The NWX capo delivering 3 rounds of steady heat in this Smack Volume 7 battle without a missing beat, whether it was via sizzling name flips throughout the match, nifty punchlines after punchlines, flexing set-ups, fierce multi’s or salacious personals that leveled up to the point of dropping haymaker after haymaker and schooling Ave for an entire 3rd round (a classic) for his lack of a strong promo (amongst other things) game when it comes to his own battle rap career. Shit, it’s only January, but damn, if this new ‘No Gun Bar DNA’ isn’t becoming a serious problem.
Verdict: DNA (W) 3-0
Favorite line: DNA – “You wanna punch? Get hit wit’ the left quickly, the vets busy, the set hit me, you’ll never be the next Nitty, the closest we gon’ see Ave to Rum? wet Willie’s!”
Recap: Boastful barbs, hard-hitting punches, fiery gun bars and fierce name flips/personals aside, it’s a returning-to-the-scene Ave’s dope/metaphor-lit father/son, vet/rookie angle in the deciding 3rd round that edges what was another fire round from Fonz and that in turn earns the Norfolk, VA, vet the win here in this competitive 3-rounder from URL’s Born Legacy 11.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “You get my drift, it’s not that I don’t honor shit you do, but Smack and them kept us distant that’s why our bond just never grew, you know how hard that is to view?, boy that shit gave me an Ultimate Madness, that why when I say was torn, I meant from you!”
Recap: Delivering as much as a talking too as he was piercing punchlines/personals throughout the battle, a more condensed (and blase) Ave spouts enough versatility with his bars as well as steadier heat with his lines to take the first two rounds and beat back a pretty solid throughout and gun-heavy, but too one-dimensional Dre Dennis in this 3-rounder from Gates of the Garden.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “We not the same, you think I came to spit you my best?, y’all expect a classic Jersey….try Mitchell & Ness!”
Recap: Worth noting here some of Ave’s reactions to Bill Collector while he raps, like he had no idea what to expect from B.C., who throughout this battle delivered soundly on the antics, witty (“Chill, Carl Winslow!”) barbs, performance-rich histrionics, lofty personals/name flips and for his core fans, a cameo appearance from his noted Super Dupa Scope. Still equipped with one of the fiercest pens in the game, even against the likes of a battle rapper more known for his jocular stylings than anything else, Ave still came with the heat. The Norfolk, VA spitter shining for 3 rounds with a boatload of piercing punchlines, robust gun bars, flexing wordplay/name flips and even some fiending personals to take each round and score the 30.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Like you already know what running gonna lead you, soon as the machine spit Bill back out…the money too wrinkled!”
Recap: Having the stamina to out-punch Ave is not a task we’d recommend to anybody, but credit Glueazy for making a valiant attempt here in this Banned Legacy bout from URL. Indeed, it’d take a consistently spitfire, more condensed and (“I’ll snipe a boy, ask your daughter if she like the boy, if not [Bow!], pops get a chopper through the window like Biker Boyz!”) herculean effort from the Goonie rapper just to edge the first round over Ave’s vociferous and steadily hitting punchlines. And afterwards, while Glu would deliver a couple of punch-heavy, gritty, name flip spazzing and performance-heavy rounds to stay competitive, one too many personals towards Tay Roc (instead of his opponent) and a slight bit less consistently to his raps would hurt him in the long run. Of course, the biggest key to Glu inevitably losing this match, was an Ave who stayed locked in the latter two rounds with a gang of boastful heaters, stifling gun bars, racial shiners, aggressive (“He’s worthless, shit make me wanna get the tools poppin’, .40 on Glu(e), that’s some expensive school shopping!”) punchlines, roundhouse mayhem and something he doesn’t get enough credit for: head-ringing personals.
Verdict: Ave. (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave. – “We was fed off the strip, all of my niggas split bread, Eazy (easy), like red sausages, no matter the cost, ya dig?, we figured we should be paid, whether pool flips or a smooth lick, the pussy shaved!”
Recap: From URL’s NOME 9, versus a pretty solid and as-to-be-expected brazen/personal-lit 3 rounds from Arsonal, Ave was on 10 here. The Norfolk, VA, battler exquisitiely mixing up his punches throughout this battle with hard-hitting darts challenging his opponent’s street cred, stellar wordplay, mocking personals, fiery 4-bar set-ups, consistent mayhem and piercing name flips that while on overkill with his lengthiness, still amounted to comfortable 30.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Listen homie, how is fake not an issue, when every time you in another nigga state, you getting chased out the venue?!”
Recap: With all those hard-hitting personals Ill Will was throwing at Ave and his Cave Man clique throughout this dope URL/Born Legacy 8 matchup, one can’t help but wonder if it had any say in the Norfolk, VA, puncher leaving the Cave not too long afterwards. Either way, complete with the type of competitive energy that you’d expect from two of battle rap’s best, after the slightly more condensed, fire gun bar spitting, brazen and witty at ttimes edged the opening round and the consistently boastful and punch-lit Ave took the 2nd, Will’s high battle rap IQ would come to play in the deciding 3rd. The versatile Pontiac, MI, rapper comically exposing Ave’s tendency to be an albeit great, but sometimes repetitive puncher while spouting a versatile round littered with piercing 4-bar set-ups, stinging name flips/personals, some head-ringing wordplay and his own unique brand of aggressive/raucous punchlines to take the 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ill Will – “This is cool, but the hood my reality, if I’m ridin’ down on Ave wavin’ the 5th, that’s just good hospitality!”
Recap: Unloading on his opponent with plenty of gritty punchlines/personals, braggadocios bangers, solid name flips, potent gun bars and feisty wordplay for all 3 rounds, a benevolent, but unapologetically savage Ave makes quick work of a nice and righteous at times, but mostly inconsistent C Moneii.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Let me speak clear son, this battle might be your life, but I care none, see? this was a shot to see where you went like a flare gun!”
Recap: Sure, Franchise had a heavily armed and spitfire round 1 (which I had him edging in spite of a dope, punch-heavy turn by Ave). But when you’re equipped with 90 percent gun bars, maintaining such a raucous pace can be a challenge and it showed. As while Ave stayed on his opponent’s neck, during this URL Born Legacy 7 bout, with even more brazen punchlines, witty/flexing personals, fiery schemes and hard-hitting mayhem/name flips in the latter rounds (all the while challenging his opponent’s street cred), Franchise just couldn’t stay on key, delivering both a gun-centric, but topsy-turvy 2nd and 3rd round on his way to a loss.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “So whoever try to help get extra, I tried to tell y’all from teh gate, Franchise ain’t safe, we health inspectors!”
Recap: In what was essentially a practice run, Ave uses a barrage of fierce name flips, wicked punchlines and a load of wit to make short work of a confident throughout, but mostly subpar Gutta in this 1-rounder from CGBL Rap Battle League.
Verdict: Ave (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ave – “I tried to cancel, talking my gerbil died of cancer or baby shitted and every store in my city out of pampers!”
Recap: With little to no history behind them, Math versus Ave comes off as one of those random battles that got booked after their names got pulled out of bag. Nonetheless, outside of Math slipping up here and there as well as stopping his 3rd round short, the battle itself is still a goodie, packed with plenty of fiery punchlines, some nifty wordplay, bully bars, head-ringing guns bars and gritty personals that made things competitive throughout. That said, with a flow that was way more consistent and displaying authenticity with his rich performance, this one was all Ave, who simply out-punched his opponent in each round and took this hands down.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “You ain’t nobody Smack gonna pay to see most, if this nigga can raise a penny at the door, he Patrick Swayze in Ghost!”
Recap: Tough to call and as he mentioned in the battle, JC will definitely differ with this being a ‘debatable’, but with all categories considered and we’re done picking apart a superb punch-fest here with Ave, the verdict here is a draw. Which makes sense when you take in the long noted similar styles between the battlers, an elongated Ave getting turned up with the punches, (“If dance is rather what you’d be on, than young fella keep doing it, or fuck with the music…70’s porn!”) crazy set-ups/wordplay, aggressive urban street talk and braggadocio lines, but not-always-quite-so with the personals. While a more condensed JC, not always able to keep up with his opponent’s more finessed (esp. versus Ave’s fire 2nd round) repartee, still dished enough stifling heat, witty personals, fire name flips and potent schemes/punchlines to drop enough haymakers and edge round 3 after losing the 2nd and a debatable first.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: JC – “I grab this, they wont remember his name, he’ll be past tense, he will literally go from Ave to Memory Lane”
Recap: As expected, a tough, competitive one between Ave and K-Shine with a shitload of fierce mayhem, lofty (K-Shine: “Nina, pushing everything back, I’m procrastinating, .40 blowing everything up, I’m exaggerating!”) gun bars, dope wordplay, a gang of fiery name flips, some personals sprinkled in, a little wit here and there and boastful punchlines that were often brought back, because yunno, battle rappers like to do that sort of thing. Still, a goodie and a near debatable with a tight 1st (edged by a more condensed Shine) and 3rd (edged by Ave) rounds, it’s the middle round that serves as the difference-maker as Ave just went ham with the punches…pointed, relentless and most importantly, lighting up the scoreboard with ferocious (“Shine ain’t real, this is costume jewelry!”) haymakers to edge what was a slow start, but lyrically ascending, versatile and altogether fire turn from Shine.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “…or I’ll be at your New Crib with the semi, have plenty flying, I’ll turn that stick and get Shine threw a window like mini-blinds!”
Recap: A couple of roundhouse, heavy-punching/scheming and personal-drenched rounds by Charlie Clips gets him another win that still yet, may leave one scratching their head a little on how Clips has the uncanny ability to pull victories out of tight spots. In this case, surviving a pretty weak 2nd round that was blown away even more by a tremendous and vociferous turn by Ave. Or how about a close 1st round that Clips only edges because for some reason Ave chose to go overkill with bully bars on an opponent who’s never made his name pretending to be of that ilk? And of course, a deciding 3rd that while he most likely would’ve won anyway, because he’s Charlie Clips and he’s that nice when he wants to be. Yet still, for some inconceivable reason (perhaps, overconfidence?) Ave cuts short his turn and barely spits half a round. Indeed, you can’t make this stuff up.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “My nigga Roc, could’ve been Thanos, but he messed up when he built his squad around this PG, he from Maryland, you from Virginia, so why would we Marvel who based around D.C.?!”
Recap: A competitive, altogether fire and epic punch-fest with plenty of replay value, Geechi Gotti versus Ave is easily one of the best battles to go down in 2018. And damn if Ave, on his A-game throughout with a shitload of flexing (“My mans died, my mode was on ‘ride’, wasn’t even sleepin’ bro, then wifey caught me loadin’ the strap, lookin’ like, “Please don’t go!, two wrongs never make it right!”, [but] it make it even though!”) punches, some phenomenal wordplay and aggressive mayhem/gun play, didn’t do everything to win. But unfortunately for the Norfolk, VA rapper, Geechi, in rounds 1 and 3 (a superbly-executed classic) anyway, just did him one better. An urban alchemist when it comes to the bars, while Geechi’s real life street ethos usually garners the headlines, his ability to mix in dope personals, witty barbs, ‘random’ shots at whoever’s irking him at the time, storytelling bars and gritty (“‘Cuz I’m struggling with making it out the streets, and that’s one of the toughest problems to have, I’m just sayin’, my whole life I’ve been battlin’ the Ave!”) name flips/schemes, more often than not doesn’t get the credit it deserves. And that’s why Gotti wins here.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “My nigga, you remind me of 2Pac though, not ‘cuz of your bars or because the hood feel you, it’s just we seen you throw punches on cam, but we still think Suge killed you!
Recap: A battle (“And since Magic want to know who’s a new killer”) long in the waiting, B-Magic versus Ave finally takes place on the Smack Volume 1 card and for one round anyway, lives up to the hype with Magic vociferously spitting his usual assortment of spitfire punchlines and an also punch-heavy Ave delivering the goods on stinging set-ups, flexing wordplay and utter mayhem. With a more potent Magic taking an altogether spitfire round 1, the feeling was that we were in for a classic battle. But then early into his 2nd round, Magic started slipping up and despite eventually getting back his flow, his pen game was never quite able to get back to top-notch form. And with Magic continuing to slip-up while delivering mostly pedestrian punches in the 3rd, a way more consistent with his flow Ave just kept his handle up, dishing some fire braggadocio lines, sizzling name flips and personals to go along with a standard palette of bedlam to take the latter two rounds and get the win.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “So go extra, that’s gonna get the big toast waving, a shell fed once the joint pulled and this Loc ate it [dislocated]!”
Recap: Long in time, but consistently potent and entertaining, T Top and Ave put on a dope battle on URL that consisted of a variety of stinging name flips, witty personals, fierce punchlines/wordplay, righteous gun bars/trap talk and mostly solid schemes. Close throughout with a more versatile, hitting (“Fuck that, I’ll put your daughter in a bag, by her ponytail, then I’ll dump the bitch on Ave., we got coke for sale, you ain’t even plugged in Virginia, who you know for real?, talking about you Grinding…you don’t even know PharrellVerdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “What you reppin’, Parklife?, y’all ass, who cares, you the star on that garbage squad?, well that’s Bad News Bear!
Recap: Despite Ave amping up his (“I ain’t the one, if I catch you when you pushing your work, shoot in the trap then double back…that’s Suge with no shirt!”) wordplay/punch game to make a late and fiery comeback in the 3rd, by then it was too late. Shotgun Suge, aggressive throughout, more (“I’ll give this old man bucks, making him bleed, Jason Terry, give him 30 plus ‘cuz he the oldest PG in the league!”) lyrical than usual, personal-savvy, performance-heavy and spitfire altogether drops a classic 1st to take what was a fire opening round. Then using a searing combo of more rambunctious gun bars, fire name flips/personals and stinging bully bars, Suge edges the 2nd over an opponent who had his share of spurts, but too often ran into one too many dry spots to pull off the win.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “So you named yourself Ave like you hold weight like that, no, you just an average nigger from Norfolk, straight like that!”
Recap: First, a couple of side notes on this highly anticipated battle between O-Red and Ave. For starters, Jai 400 Block, standing right there behind O’Red and refusing to hold Red’s water bottle in his hand time and time again was just passive aggressive and hilarious at the same time. Secondly, O-Red complaining about Smack supposedly cutting his round short, when Red goes at least 6 to 8 minutes in each round, was just ridiculous. That said, lyrically and punchline speaking, it doesn’t get much better than this one as personals and schemes were for the most part left out. And with the hype around Ave being pretty high before this battle happened as well as the envisage surrounding the veteran O-Red coming back to Smack/URL to take on the hot newbie being a must-see, to see both battles on their A-game (except for s slight slip-up by Red in round 3) made this battle close, exciting and a matchup that was literally drenched with haymakers. A close round 1 that saw a turned-up, (“Bro a goof, and we know O been food, shit everything about Red Cafe!”) punch-heavy and altogether fire Ave, gets edged by a slightly more condensed O-Red not only keeping up with his opponent on the more formidable (“You from Virginia right?, ok when that Baretta tweak, hole through the sternum, your bae, will give your chest a peek [Chesapeake]!”) heaters, but mixing in a couple of fire freestyles with overall, more intricate wordplay and witty personals. Round 2 also goes to Red, who was somehow able to up his showmanship after a superb round 1 with a variety of sizzling (“That foreign ratchet will serve him, welcome to Golden Krust!”) punchlines, stifling name flips/gun play and other noteworthy mayhem to beat back another dope, but not-quite-as-as-nice-as-his-1st turn by Ave. With a win already in hand, an ironically elongated and punch-heavy turn by Red (that contained the aforementioned near choke) makes for a clear loss when it comes to a more condensed, punch-focused and still in his bag Ave in the final round.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 2-1
Favorite line: O-Red – “You want this wreck?, you gonna sit with them on a losing shelf, but fuck it, cool, stitch up your own wounds, that means shoot yourself!”
Recap: NOME 6 matchup between Chess and Ave contains almost all the formalities needed for a standout battle: 3 close, competing rounds, a classic 1st round from Ave, relentless punchlines after punchlines, well-loaded gun bars, fiery name flips, aggressive performances and stinging personals that weren’t just limited to each other, but other battler’s as well. Chess, confident and gritty from jump with not only the aforementioned palette mixed in his raps, but also a wide load of young nigga strife and well-versed struggle bars, would make Ave work for his throughout this battle. The young God coming through with a spitfire and (“He gave Mike P the butt of the .50, so he could see how Vivica feel, well this 50 got a Best Friend, he’s singin’ with Olivia still!”) seismic 2nd round after a pretty solid effort in the 1st, that just didn’t have near enough consistency and potency to beat back a haymaker-drenched turn by his opponent. Tied going into the 3rd round, both battlers would turn up the heat, punching with dizzying efficiency, boastful barbs and spicy personals that kept the bout suspenseful. But a surprisingly more condensed Ave would prove to be better in the end, taking the round with a just-as-versatile and steadier turn that was also more lit on (“That gun play ain’t just chatter, I will clap that fucker, come out the Cave wit’ the trey [tray], I feel like Batman butler!”) haymakers.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “How he gon’ beat me?, ‘cuz if he disrespecting space in-between us, he gon’ see more than my punches on these stages, the meanest, I’m finna show this, if I hit him in his face they ain’t swingers, niggas soft behind the counter, he like Ace at the cleaners!”
Recap: With two exhilarating, punch-drunk rounds as well as arguably the greatest 1st round in battle rap history, there’s really not much you can say negatively about Rum Nitty versus Ave (credit to Smack for predicting this battle could be a classic before it even started). A super-lyrical punchfest from jump, it’s a boastful (“But you ain’t in the streets at all, you bum, your heart not strong enough to run that base…you John Q son!”) and also packing Ave who opens things up and sets the bar high with a classic 1st round that provided textbook 101 material on what incredibly astute (“I stash that fifth, and beat the foul out ya, then point it at the back of your head: that’s Alfalfa!”) wordplay with the proper research and Hip-Hip embedded cultural moxie can separate the top tiers from the rest of the crowd. But not to be outdone and already a noted punchline feen in his own right, Arizona’s Rum Nitty (making his first appearance on the URL stage) would not only prove why he didn’t need a PG with his own turn of rapid haymakers via flexing (“If I whip the piece, your family fucked, headshot your mom’s sister, they gon’ have to M-O-P your auntie up!”) punches after (“If I raise, shit sparkin’, I let that bitch go “blaka,” nigga… like he Facebook stalking!”) punches, but with little to no filler of his own and roundhouse screeds that had the house jumping, the West-coast battler would serve enough heat and frenetic gun bars to make the opening round a draw.
The rare epic battle that was little on personals or schemes or freestyles, had zero rebuttals or much in the way of performance-heavy bars, when it came down who’d take the latter two rounds it was really just a matter of who could punch better. And lack of versatility aside, the 2nd and 3rd rounds still served up a couple of spitfire, competitive turns from both battlers. But with little room for error considering his opponent’s ability to consistently rain down (“That’s child play, the Internet diggin’ this fuckin’ clown, you think you Pac? well, try to be Digital Underground!”) haymakers with steady ease, it’s Nitty’s 2nd round that would be the difference-maker here what with a handful of reaches and subpar punches that allowed Ave to outpoint him. The final round, another classic turn with both battlers on their A-game saw a more condensed Nitty doing just enough (“And on sight, I’ll pick you off, like they photo-flagged him, I’m known for that, mid battle, a 40 clap, that shit will stop Ave dead in a round like a cul-de-sac!”) punch-wise to also force a draw against an opponent who was just relentless throughout the battle, would only add to this battle being one of URL’s best ever.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “See, that’s why we’re different, geek, ‘cuz see I’ve been about the action, 30 under the 40…that’s an improper fraction!”
Recap: Too much! That best sums up Ave’s complete annihilation of Mike P here in this Proving Grounds matchup from URL/Smack. Granted, not a body as besides a wasted round 3, Mike hung in there with some nice punchlines and performance (“But War Report, couple y’all on there showing me what the bums like, funny, after tonight snake eyes gonna say I won twice!”; “When you rap why you think they go that hard, and don’t act bored? you got a style that the PG’s are programmed for!”) bars. But just to show you how dominant Ave, his second round, which was easily his worse, still had enough (“Boy that’s crack, fuck around, find P in a box, Pandora act!”) shiners to beat what was a solid turn by Mike. Consistently punching with wicked name flips, ill braggadocio (“‘Cuz y’all know, I’m way better, every phrase clever and I could fight, I’ll give Mike a mean right [write] like a hate letter!”) bars, fierce wordplay and rampant (“He lying, don’t nothing about this queer pass as gutter, but you see the hood in my face, that’s Illmatic cover!”) haymakers that’d literally make Nas grin, Ave more than proves that he’s graduated from the PG class…with honors.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Y’all seen how I get about vibes, it’s sort of like porta potties, I’ll make you hate to take the shit outside!”
Recap: A strong performance by (“The crowd going to feel homeless, go to sleep on Ave!”) Nunn Nunn gets beat by a superb performance by Ave in this dope PG battle from URL/Smack. Ave easily takes the first round with crazy (“Put the .45 to this square, speed limit sign!”; “You ass and can’t hide it, you like C3 shirts!”) ) nice punchlines combined with fierce name flips and menacing wordplay. Nunn Nunn almost steals the 2nd round, bringing out his steely-eyed girlfriend at the start to team up for some vicious (“Make him think he gonna hit. look at your dumb ass, you caught an erection!”) personals in an epic 2-on-1, while finishing off with some fierce performance bars and dope (“You so pussy, I’ll smack him with a lollipop, I mean literally sucker punch you!”) one-liners that were only hurt by his rhyming a little too long. But Ave, staying true to ‘not needing no help’ takes the round with a steady stream of wicked (“I’ll drop a pack of crackers, Ave a vending machine!”) punches and ridiculous (“Y’all thought he could rock with me? well I’ll make ’em believers, just never compare a fat God to Slim Jesus!”) haymakers. Last round was close, but with Nunn Nunn spouting that real (“The heroin belt be the same one parents beat their son’s and daughter’s with!”) trailer park shit along with fire punchlines, all the while impressively saving himself from a slip-up with a rolling freestyle, he managed to edge the last round by flexing more versatility, even in light of Ave’s continued propensity for dishing scathing heaters.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “Catch him getting in his ride, let off that black heater, you’ll only see a body on the rim, like a Shaq sneaker!”
Recap: Fiery, rapid-fire punchlines, mocking personals, witty barbs, piercing gun bars and plenty of workmanlike wordplay along the way as Ave easily takes all 3 rounds of this 3-round Trap House battle against a confident, but mostly subpar Ah Di Boom.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Got the strap, but never use it…he like a lonely dyke!”
Recap: Confident enough that he had this battle in the bag already to use like half his 3rd round to spit heat at potential upcoming opponents, Ave spouts a heavy wordplay and punch-crazy fest against a mostly lackluster CT in rounds 1 and 2 that more than delivers on his cool-headed premonition.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “I know it’s been awhile since y’all seen me, well I’m back like a never left, the show just ain’t the same without daddy, that’s James Evans’ death!”
Recap: Besides both rappers choking in round 2 (I gave it Steams because he went a little longer that Ave did) and Steams struggling at times with his flow and tepid reaches, Ave easily takes the 1st and 3rd rounds of this matchup with more consistent punches mixed in with some stirring personals and better overall wordplay.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “Fame got you thinking you hot, watch how this flame rock you, you couldn’t handle lines this raw with a Rick James nostril!”
Recap: Bad footage, distracting background noise, definitive crowd bias…it’s all there in this battle between Ty Law and Ave. Still, if you listen closely you’ll hear a competitive battle nonetheless, edged overall by Raw who despite lacking in performance at times, was slightly more consistent in his bars and able to land more punches in the first couple of rounds to earn the win.
Verdict: Ty Law (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ty Law – “Who bars sell more, Ave’s or Ty’s? This nigga commercial!”
Recap: Not much in the way of competition here as Ave. uses some cold punches, filthy schemes and steely braggadocio bars to easily beat an up-n-down, mostly average D. Flamez.
Verdict: Ave. (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave. – “You see, he fooling y’all, but let him try me, I’m a bomb twice, that’s gonna put a couple in his frame like a prom night!”
Recap: Loud with the heat and aggressive with the parlay, it’s too bad that overall PG Skillet’s bars lacked so much intricacy, leaving a solid, but very beatable (esp. after the 1st round) Ave with a pretty banal sweep of this battle from 7 Cities Sharks.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “Nigga’s never picked you for blazin;, you like Jordan with Portland!”
Synopsis: Gotta love the crowd here, going crazy and supporting their man as he attempts to pull off an upset against a visiting, on the road SMACK rapper. And while Ave went in hard for the most part, a little too much filler in the 2nd half of his round combined with JJDD using a beyond tired Multiple Choice scheme made this battle closer than what it should be. Yet, on the nice side JJDD’s bars and schemes were more condensed (plus, I don’t think he stole any bars here) and what with Ave’s slip-up towards the end, JJDD edges it in the end.
Verdict: John John da Don (W) 1-0
Favorite line: John John da Don – I’m strapped like a Tyler Perry shoot, I’m so live, naw, I’m strapped like a parachute, I’m so fly, naw, I’m strapped so I can perish u, that mean u gon’ die, naw, I’m strapped like a pair of shoes, that don’t tie”
Recap: Despite a few witty barbs and nice punches here and there, too many slip-ups and pedestrian bars from Squeako, leaves Ave with a whole lot of room to do work, which he pulls off with a boatload of rapid fire punchlines, stinging personals and gritty tutorial raps to get an easy win in this 3-rounder from 7 Cities Sharks.
Verdict: Ave (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ave – “You washed and you look just like Bosh…before the Heat deal!”
Recap: After splitting the first couple of rounds (Young X [“See, when the narcs want to know who on the block moving yah ’round, they just pull up, Ave hop in the back seat and lay down”] took Rd. 1 while Ave [“Now I got this new mark, thinking I’mma lose heart, shit I’m smooth as GQ in Juice and this the roof part!”] got Rd. 2), it’s Young X’s versatility (personals, jokes, nice set-ups and even a crew chnat0 and slightly better consistency with the bars that edges this 3rd round and gets him a win this highly competitive and spirited matchup from Seven Cities Shark League.
Verdict: Young X (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Young X – “Yeah, you ain’t think i heard about you?, you security guard, what the fuck gave you the audacity to pick up a mic?, this ain’t even your style of work, go break up a fight!”
