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Classic Round

Shotgun Suge defeats Ace Amin

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Recap: Irony noted. That is Ace Amin challenging a vet like Shotgun Suge on his rapping ability when the former continues to utilize a tough guy act (bumping Suge like 3 times and even going at it with a fan in the crowd) more suited for the UFC than a battle rap stage. Nonetheless, overall Ace was still pretty solid (esp. during round 1, his best) here in this URL ‘Homecoming 2′ matchup’, keeping it competitive throughout with a speedy barrage of street-themed lyrical swordmanship, gritty punchlines and some hard-hitting personals. But this one was Suge. The more efficient NJ to Atlanta spitter taking advantage of his opponent using way too many lackluster Suge-isms to go with some reaches and righteous banter that went nowhere, but also scoring left and right (esp. during a spitfire round 1) with a shitload of fire name flips, mocking/witty personals, some dope wordplay, sublime trap talk/gun bars and searing punches of his own to earn the 30.

Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “We got a full house, he came here to out-tough me?, Ace high he trying to bluff me!”

Geechi Gotti defeats Eazy The Block Captain

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Recap: Geechi: “You should’ve fucked with me, I wouldn’t have said nothing1″…damn. Granted, not the first time we’ve seen battlers go at league-owners on stage to their face, but Gotti’s righteous, Aye Verb-inspired, personal-lit and crazy 3rd (i.e. classic) was defintely one for the books. That said, even in light of a trap talk-spazzing, storytelling rich, gritty punchline/struggle bar-spewing and at times personal scoring 3 rounds, Eazy The Block Captain (whose best rounds were actually the 2nd and 3rd’s) is just going to have to accept the ‘L’ here as during each round his more consistently punching and versatile flexing opp just did him one better. A confident Gotti staying on point throughout in front of n attentive Chrome 23, New Jersey crowd with a shitload of spitfire street raps, slick wordplay, gangly similes, witty punches, heartfelt ancedotes and wicked personals at both Eazy and a seemingly stunned Remy Ma to earn the 30 in a battle that more than lived up to its expectations.

Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “I do this shit for the haves and the have nots, when Pap punched you, we was all wondering if you didn’t have or have knots!”

Rum Nitty defeats Ace Amin

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Recap: From URL’s Summer Madness 13, a highly entertaining 3-rounder between Rum Nitty and Ace Amin comes down to the latter unleashing a wide array of tricks (including a righteous, URL-friendly and classic 3rd round) and fiery wordplay throughout the battle. While Nitty’s mostly sublime punch-game, gritty name flips, performance-rich lines (and shoulder bumbs) and stinging gun bars proved again why he’s one of the best in the game. A definitive crowd-pleaser with both battlers on their A-game, this one comes down to the slightly more condensed and steady Nitty edging rounds 1 and 2 for the win, before Ace reversed the V in the aforementioned 3rd.

Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “I get to tripping out the gate, I told Beas, send direct payments this man dead, I’m a hit the gun store for an SK and a Mac 10, vest plate and I grab lead, I went tool shoppin’, like a hardware store, then I left Ace with a flat head [flathead]!”

Chilla Jones defeats Klutz

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Recap: From URL, a highly personal, but classic and superbly put together and righteous/irony-filled 3rd (which for whatever reason gained a lot of controversy online) coupled with a 1st and 2nd rounds that were both slightly more condensed and heavy on fiery schemes, sizzling wordplay and a variety of stinging punchlines gives Chilla Jones the edge in all 3 rounds of this Born Legacy 13 matchup for the win over a mostly punch-heavy, performance-lit and multifaceted Klutz, who outside of a few dry spots here and there, still made his mark and kept it competitive.

Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “In this game I’m really the one playa, like story mode!”

A. Ward defeats Soul Khan

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Recap: From iBattle, a dope 3-rounder between Soul Khan and A. Ward sees the latter score left and right with a bunch of lofty punchlines, some fire wordplay and hitting personals/name flips. While Grind Time vet Soul Khan rung up some fly rebuttals, a gang of witty barbs, robust set-ups/punches and ill breakdowns that edged him round 2 after Ward took the 1st. Tied going into the 3rd, a personally-lit round filled with plenty of personal pontifications and braggadocious bars from both sides is edged by a righteously angle-lit and slightly more hard-hitting and consistently spazzing (i.e. classic) Ward to earn the win.

Verdict: A. Ward (W) 2-1

Favorite line: A. Ward – “You was trying to be so politically correct against Dizaster, we all went to sleep on the kid, well you in front of a real pro now [pronoun] and I’m about to smoek he, him and his!”

Fonz defeats 40 B.A.R.R.S.

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Recap: As talented as she is (esp. against dudes) regardless of 40 B.A.R.R.S.’ miscues with her flow in this Queen of the Ring 1-rounder, there’s almost no way she was beating this Fonz. The Landlord delivering a loud, aggressive and sublime round (i.e. classic) that pulled no punches while scoring mightily with a gang of versatile name flips, a couple of fire freestyles, hard-hitting punches, dope schemes, stinging personals and witty barbs to handily get the win over a much less bar potent and inconsistent run by 40.

Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Fonz – “That’s what wrong with you bitches, these hoes don’t know they position, gilr you got milk and eggs in you, you belong in the kitchen!”

Tay Roc defeats Kyd Slade

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Recap: Funny watching emotionally biased bloggers recap this battle and steer their conclusions to their liking regardless of who really out-rapped who. Because isn’t that recaps are supposed to be about? That said, we Tay Roc with a clear win. The Gun Bar King superbly (i.e. classic) using a snitch angle (that literally dropped in his lap before the battle) on opponent Kyd Slade in round 1 via a gang of well-crafted smiles (everything from the dizzying ‘witness protection’ bar to the killer ‘Ah Di Boom/Bigg K’ line at the end), dope storytelling bars and potent personals/wordplay to take an opening round that was as aggressive and heated as we’ve seen on a URL stage without the battle having to be stopped. And while a trap-talking, street rap-lit Slade had a solid 1st as well, Roc’s stellar turn and a couple of slip-ups by Kyd would cost him. The 2nd round was simply a matter of Roc out-punching his opp. This time with a plethora of steely set-up/4-bar punchlines, well-finessed wordplay, residual mayhem, potent drug talk and fiery gun bars that with a slightly more condensed turn equated to a more haymaker-rich and versatile middle round for Roc to earn him the win over another punch-heavy and personal-bent at times, but not nearly as consistent run by Slade. The 3rd round would see Roc go into ‘AMG’ mode and offer up a fire run of speed rap with jaunty punch symmetry. However, it’s a multifaceted Slade, steadily aggressive and head strong with a boatload of piercing punches and hard-hitting personals, who would edge the final round and avoid the shutout.

Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Tay Roc – “You talk too much, we can’t be friends…Deborah Cox!”

Jaz The Rapper defeats Viixen The Assassin

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Recap: At this point bar-wise is there anything Jaz the Rapper can’t do? With an extremely high battle IQ that’s more along the likes of Hollow in his hey day and a versatile bar game that’s top-notch regardless of gender, seeing Jaz elevate the game while coming outside more in 2022 should be one of the top stories in battle rap this year. Viixen the Assassin can attest to it. The Milwaukee, WI, emcee fighting through what was pretty much a home game for her opponent, in front of a cheering and locked-in Irving Plaza, NY crowd what with continuously loud aggression and raucous punches/gun bars/personals for 3 rounds. Yet, despite a pretty solid effort that was atypical Viixen, nothing the Assassin did would be near enough as Jaz just displayed throughout that there’s another level to this. The Brooklyn battler stunting on her opp with a punch-drunk, 4-bar setup rich and haymaker-drenched round 1 that also flexed her lyrical acumen. Before taking it even higher with a flawless and sublime (i.e. classic) 2nd that reminded you of just how well-rounded Jaz is, going after Viixen with a gang of killer name flips, hard-hitting punchlines, self-deprecating humor, witty barbs, piercing breakdowns and mocking/stinging personals that clearly hit their mark. Already up 2-0 (clearly) in this URL Homecoming match, Jaz would then use her 3rd round to get nostalgic and boast on her standing in the game before getting back to another barrage of fiery personals, hard boasts and fierce punches that solidified a well-earned 30.

Verdict: Jaz The Rapper (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Jaz The Rapper – “You got 3 kids and 3 baby daddies, you just one dick suck away from being Yoshi!”

Calicoe defeats Fonz

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Recap: Old Midwest (Calicoe) meets up with new Midwest (Fonz) for a dope 1-rounder brought to you from The Rap Committee. And despite a pretty solid (outside some reaches and a few subpar punches here and there) effort from the always punch-crazy Fonz, it’s the Detroit vet, on his A-game throughout with a steady, subline (i.e. classic) and uninterrupted flow of gritty schemes, lyrical posturizing, boastful barbs, steely pontifications and stinging personals who earns the win.

Verdict: Calicoe (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Calicoe – “I’m trying to hit you and then fucked around and hit your man in the head, he got lead astray [led a stray]!”

Charlie Clips defeats Yoshi G

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Recap: With all the ghostwriting allegations still in the air as well as many feeling that she still hasn’t come close to performing on the level she did during her Tori Doe battle (which saw her leave earth for 3 rounds), can anyone be blamed for doubting whether or not Yoshi G came up with that spitfire 2nd round rebuttal herself? Put me down for $50 stating she did come up with it on her own. For one thing, for all her issues with delivery and execution, Yoshi can still rap and display some dope punches and schemes when needed. Now that we got that out the way, 3-0 Clips. From the hard-hitting/disrespectful personals to the religious disses (capped by a surprising and downright mean cameo appearance from ‘Jesus’ himself in a classic round 2) to the witty barbs to the character assassinations (esp. when it came to the name flips) to a stellar scheme and punchline game, Clips was just on one during this URL Kings vs. Queens 3 match. Couple that with an elongated and mostly dry 2nd round to go along with a 1st and 3rd round by Yoshi that while littered with earnest thot bars and mocking personals, were both topsy-turvy at best and you end up with a shutout.

Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “Bitch, I’m extra nice, you tried to disrespect my sex game, got me extra tight, this dick already put you on a new stage, you better respect the pipe!”

Eazy The Block Captain defeats Aye Verb

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Recap: After a debatable round 1 of this much anticipated URL Resolution 2 match between Ave Verb and Eazy The Block Captain, a couple of seismic, gritty, punch-heavy, personal-lit and witty rounds by Eazy in both of the latter rounds (including a round 2 classic) gives the Gun Titles general the win. Eazy, on go from jump, but still battling a habit of longwindedness (which hurt him a bit in round 1) with his rounds, really impressed with his versatility here. The Philly battler also displaying well-thought out themes, some fire schemes, getting righteous when needed and even buttoning up his usual need for trap talk a bit. And while Verb kept it competitive with a fiery and braggadocios opening round as well as a virtuous and hard-hitting at times 3rd, a mostly pedestrian middle round combined with Eazy raining down haymakers with fierce abandon, gave the St. Louis vet little chance at winning.

Verdict: Eazy The Block Captain (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Eazy The Block Captain – “You called me out nigga, I accepted, you made your muthafuckin’ bed, ‘cuz I will not lose to a nigga who take a rubberband out his braids and shakes his muthafuckin’ head!”

Geechi Gotti defeats Mike P

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Recap: Death is something you don’t come back from and neither is Geechi Gotti’s round here. The 2021 Champion Male Battler of the Year getting his 2022 off to a tremendous start with a complete obliteration of Mike P in this 1-round Banned matchup from URL. Indeed, whether it was sublime personals on everything from his opponent’s man-bun to continually hard-hitting darts going at Mike’s girl to hard street rhymes that glistened with that real talk the Compton, CA native is known for, in his first battle of the year Gotti not only gets off a classic, but effectively dismisses to the crowd of onlookers anything Mike had to say (tho it was pretty raucous and solid) afterwards.

Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Caffiene, just ‘cuz this nigga play Call of Duty for y’all for a living don’t mean ypu mean you gotta keep giving him Black opps!”

Pristavia defeats Yoshi G.

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Recap: The 1st battle from Remy Ma’s new Chrome 23 league, Yoshi G. vs Pristavia, turns out for the most part (I don’t know what was up with that light guy being all up in the visuals and battlers face’s) to be a goodie with Yoshi getting her lyrical swerve on to make things competitive while a versatile, punch-heavy and even witty (esp. in round 3) Pristavia more than lived up to the hype (and her recent Gun Titles recruitment) with a trio of fire turns that more than kept the crowd in tune. That said, thanks in part to Yoshi getting her Murda Mook on with 3 elongated rounds that while hitting and thot-provoking at times were each loaded with way too much filler, while her opponent finessed the stage with everything from fire rebuttals to heavy-handed punchlines (esp. during a classic round 1) to fiery Godspeak to piercing name flips/similes to a well-crafted round 3 that flipped the script on anyone who might’ve predicted that the Christian rapper would get preachy with the Thot Queen, this battle would not only amount to a shutout but prove to be Pristavia’s finest outing yet.

Verdict: Pristavia (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Pristavia – “How is she the savage?, one call for a hit and you all will get killed, clip longer than your father’s trip to the store to get milk!”

Tay Roc defeats Danny Myers

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Recap: Tay Roc versus Danny Myers from URL’s Super Fight 6 card. Let’s deal with all the “controversy” first…well, for starters judging from the hearsay, clips and previews we saw from this battle, the drama that came with it was kind of overblown (and that’s including the argument these two had after their face-off). Accusations of Danny getting gassed what with his friends in the crowd over-reacting when he spit a fire bar? Honestly, outside of rapper Royalty (I think that was him), the feeling here is that Danny’s pals (whether they were going extra with the cheering or approaching him in the ring to dap him) didn’t anything more than what Tsu Surf did rooting on Roc (to the point where even Danny had to tell Surf to shut up). In other words, it wasn’t nothing over the top. Tay Roc using a recycled bar from a virtual battle he did last year against Rio Nkosi? So what. As I’ve said before concerning recycled bars…they’re YOUR bars. So let’s not go crazy and make it like Roc pulled a Prez Mafia here. Then too is the fact that if you go back to the Rio battle, Roc didn’t just go back and use the bars again verbatim. He re-arranged them and it was literally the last bar he spit in a 3rd round I already had him winning. My only issue with recycling comes when either the round is super close (as in a debatable, in which case originality always get first dibs) or if a battler gets lazy and uses a gang of (or in some cases an entire round) of recycled bars during a battle. That said, one could partly blame Roc for stirring the pot in the first place by going on YouTube and stating that he never recycled. Lastly, as we witnessed in the clips to this battle before it dropped, Danny’s rebuttals were superb (esp. the ‘Stop, Hammer Time!’ joint which got him a re-tweet on Twitter from Mr. Hammer himself). Too bad for Danny tho as the rebuts weren’t enough to win. Simply put, after edging round one (which btw was close, thank to a pretty dope turn from Roc) with a classic turn that even the ever-excitable Mr. Myers literally doing push-ups) Danny just got out-barred. Consistently-lit throughout the battle, Roc’s gritty punchlines, fire wordplay, aggressive set-ups, hard-hitting personals (esp. the brazen quips that went right at Danny’s wife and kids) and stifling gun bars were too much to handle in each of the latter rounds. Indeed, except for one or two subpar lines, Roc’s 2nd and 3rd rounds were equally sublime. And while Danny continued to fight hard, dish some fire punches/name flips/witty burners/off-the-dome heat and earn his stripes, one too many indirect bars, pedestrian lines and time spent in the weeds with the mayhem (which Danny is notorious for) would cost him, especially with the amount of haymakers Roc was dropping left and right.

Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Tay Roc – “You probably hear those words ‘head wrap’ and feel sick inside, that head wrap symbolize all those rounds you couldn’t memorize, Eazy-E ain’t the only nigga from the West that got Real Sikh and died!”

Charron defeats Ooops

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Recap: From The Riot Network, a fire battle that was close and intense throughout, Charron still manages to edge earn the win. The Canadian battler even beating back yet another sublime 3rd round from Ooops (who came 3 of his strongest, punch-heavy, consistently-spicy and righteous rounds ever) with a scathing, highly personal (he even brought out the paperwork) and punch-lit final round that capped a 1st and 2nd round filled to the rim with a boatload of fiery name flips, some stellar wrodplay, more scorching personals and hard-hitting/witty punchlines that with its ability to score one or two more haymakers in both of the latter rounds (score round 1 debatable) allowed Charron to get the vic.

Verdict: Charron (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Charron – “You beat cancer? I’ll murder ya crew, now we battling at the airport, your death could be Terminal 2 [too]!”

Tsu Surf defeats Nu Jerzey Twork

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Recap: A shortened (hey, don’t complain, at least he had one), but still punch-heavy 3rd round might be the only the blight on an all-around sterling performance from Tsu Surf here against an often-flow challenged Nu Jerzey Twork on URL’s Smack Volume 9 card. The Jersey vet, continuing to shine in 2021 after two superb showings versus John John Da Don and Calicoe, stayed consistent and in charge, using a variety of stunted lyrical wizardry, stinging name flips/schemes, action-packed mayhem, brazen set-ups/performance bars and fiery personals throughout (esp. in an epic round 2) his 3 rounds to 30 an opponent who might’ve came back too soon after his last rumble against Tay Roc a couple of months back. And while Twork, when he was focused (he did come with a crazy round 2), did entertain and score via a gang of hitting gun bars, wily personals and hardbody punches, overall his lack of preparation (probably not a good idea to get in petty Twitter beefs days before a big battle) which led to many a slip-up (esp. in round 1), would cost him again.

Verdict: Tsu Surf (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Tsu Surf – “I yell ‘Neighborhood!’ once then the locs around, it’ll look a concert outside if I scream ‘rolling loud!'”

Charlie Clips defeats B. Dot

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Recap: A fiery battle that featured two classic rounds (Charlie Clips’ round 1 and B. Dot’s 3rd), a rare display of wit from the usually aggressive and righteous Dot and Clips once again using his freestyle ability and ring vet experience to save him from a loss (thanks as well to Dot’s trio of slip-ups in the middle round), after taking round 1 with a roundhouse, versatile, punch/scheme-heavy and personally-lit turn that was flawless in its execution, Clips (who despite his opponent’s unforced errors, almost lost round 2 by nearly choking) dials up just enough blistering off-the-dome heat at Dot (and a heckling spectator in the crowd) to edge round 2 for the win, before a personal/politically-bent, angle-lit and consistently hard-hitting Dot edged a crazy final round to avoid getting shutout.

Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “A nigga that was Avocado best friend can’t tell me about no black power!”

DNA defeats King Los

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Recap: A couple of dudes, King Los and DNA, who’ve been going at it online for a few years now, finally meet up on the URL/Smack Volume 8 stage and for the most part it was a goodie. ‘Industry rapper’ Los, in only his 3rd professional battle, did pretty well here (tho he still needs to work on his timing and performance), delivering three pretty solid rounds that contained fleeting moments of righteous gems, some lofty wordplay and bruisimg personals/punchlines. That said, this was all DNA. The Queens, NY, vet taking his opponent to task with an often sublime mixture intricate lyrical warfare, fire set-ups, brazen punchlines, fierce schemes, grandiose pontificating and to cap it all, a haymaker-rich, personal-lit, personal breakdown-heavy, hard-hitting and superbly-executed 3rd round that amounted to a classic. DNA with the 30.

Verdict: DNA (W) 3-0

Favorite line: DNA – “You do all this talking about Ancestry, but still need DNA to remind you where you from!”

Chess and Eazy the Block Captain [DEBATABLE]

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Recap: Proof that we can’t just be going around calling anything a ‘classic’, spitfire all the way through, Chess versus Eazy the Block Captain on the URL Summer Madness 11 stage IS A CLASSIC. Indeed, a battle drenched in haymakers with both battlers on their A-game, I dare you to find a dry spot here, much less a single bar that even bordered on being pedestrian. That’s how crazy and competitive this battle was. Chess, aggressive, versatile, steeped in some killer wordplay, rich metaphors and sublime punchlines when he wasn’t scoring with fire name flips, elite gun bars and steady heat (esp. during a classic round 1) throughout the battle, stayed on his opponent’s neck. While Eazy, speaking greasy with that grimy Philly flow and using it to spout a gang of fiery/righteous personals, captivating (“Every time I came home it was drugs on the table, had a decision, should I cross the line?, White girl in a scary movie, I fell for it every time!”) trap/prison talk, witty barbs, head-ringing struggle bars and gritty street rhymes that was at its best during a classic round 2, showed that the hard work he put into getting on that SM stage was well worth it. Nearly equal in time during each round with no slip-ups from either side, a slightly more haymaker-lit Chess takes round 1 before Eazy returned the favor in the second round. The deciding 3rd round was appropriately even money as quantitatively both battlers brought nothing but roundhouse punches in a battle that is arguably the best we’ve seen in 2021.

Verdict: TIE

Favorite line: Chess – “They couldn’t lock this in ’til they had my doe complete, the talk is different, you spoke to P, I spoke to Beasley!”

Geechi Gotti defeats Calicoe

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Recap: A bit of a rocky 3rd cost him a shutout, but against an ever-confident, street-thematic, brazen and overall pretty solid Calicoe (who’s best round was actually the 1st), with a story-gripping, macho-stunting, consistently punch-heavier, witty at times and mayhem-lit Geechi Gotti edges the opening round of this Summer Madness 11 matchup before absolutely ham and delivering one of the illest, haymaker-drenched personal breakdowns of a battle rapper you’ll ever see in round 2 (call that a classic) to own the win.

Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Every time a nigga step to you, he step up, Cal, stop livin’ off yo’ daddy name and get yo’ rep up, nigga, you a grown ass man but worryin’ about ain’t nobody respectin’ you, that’s cuz you in yo’ 30s and yo’ daddy still out here protectin’ you!”

Real Name Brandon defeats MVP

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Recap: That “Yoshi G., I’m a battle rapper now, are you fucking?!” bar by MVP in the 1st round of this Ultimate Madness 4 tournament final at Summer Madness 11 was fire. But other than that and some gritty/witty lines here and there throughout the battle, one too many subpar similes by the St. Louis battler and a Real Name Brandon who stood tall throughout this championship bout with a gang of sublime local references/heaters that played extra well with the Houston crowd, piercing punchlines and boastful barbs to go along with a spitfire, punch/storytelling-lit and nostalgic 3rd round that the Pasadena, CA, battler dedicated to his grandmother, equated to a hat trick for RNB.

Verdict: Real Name Brandon (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Real Name Brandon – “Let you walk away with this bread, I’ll spin the block quick, Glock lift, he gonna be dying to get out of Houston…DeShaun Watson!”

Jakkboy Maine defeats Ooops

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Recap: In this Born Legacy NW matchup from URL, Jakkboy Maine takes away opponent Ooops’ biggest calling card, righteous and sublime 3rd rounds, by using a gang of mesmerizing performance bars, unorthodox name flips, stinging personals, witty barbs and hard-hitting punchlines to edge the first couple of rounds for the win before the 4 Horseman rapper (who had a strong and personal/punch-lit rounds 1 and 2) surprisingly faltered and choked in the final round, helping Jakk score a 30 after a dope, stirring, highly personalized and ironically classic turn of his own.

Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “And this why I pray with my eyes open God…I don’t trust you!”

Eazy the Block Captain defeats T-Rex

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Recap: From URL’s N.O.M.E. 11 card, after watching this performance, is it safe to say that a battle rapper who can combine brazen trap talk with banging street missives/punchlines like Eazy the Block Captain does, can guarantee us this version of T-Rex? Yunno, the boastful, uber-gritty, cap-dropping, back-to-back punching and gun-slinging Rex that we’ve all come to know and love? With 3 seemingly original rounds to boot? If so, I’m all for it, even if it’s only once a year (hell, Rex’s legacy would probably appreciate it too). Still, credit to Eazy for calling Rex out in the first place. They’re styles match up, Eazy has a great promo game, a win over Rex on anyone’s resume is a good look and me things Eazy knew he could bring the best out of the Harlem legend. That said, even with Rex adding some wit and spicy personals on Eazy’s gf to the mix to make it a competitive battle, Da Block Captain was just too much here, unloading on his opponent with that righteous slick talk, mocking/heavy-handed personals, fiery haymakers, graphic street narratives and steely punches/wordplay that consistently hit to take all 3 rounds (including a classic round 2) for the win.

Verdict: Eazy the Block Captain (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Eazy the Block Captain – “What’s the protocol when you got bad work?, nigga, I been through all that, bag it up the same, don’t say nothin’ ’til they complain or call back, I done took losses: bought a 7, whipped it and only bought a ball back, finger-tipped the shake in the bag ’til I got all that, I done bagged up sheetrock, I got holes where my wall at!”

Drugz defeats Prep

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Recap: Considering them both repping the DMV as well as the brouhaha they had some years back when Prep battled Spanish Harlem, one would’ve thought that Prep and Drugz would’ve met up on a battle stage awhile ago. That said, the wait was worth it. An aggressive bout lit with a plethora of hard-hitting personals, for 3 rounds each battler would rain down haymaker after haymaker to compete for battle of the night. And while Prep lit up the scorecard throughout the match with a variety of revealing idiosyncrasies on his opponent to go along with mocking jokes and a gang of NJ Twork comparisons, outside of a minor round 2 slip-up, the more consistently hitting, angle-savvy, name flip-rich, original and witty Drugz edges the 1st (a superlative turn for sure) and 3rd rounds for the win.

Verdict: Drugz (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Drugz –  “And I don’t give a fuck if you in your feelings because salt is how you kill a leech!”

Ooops defeats TruFoe

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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!”

Tay Roc defeats O’fficial

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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!”

DNA defeats Ave

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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!”

Danny Myers defeats Drugz

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Recap: A superlative, name flip/metaphor-rich, classic ‘Who Am I?!’ 3rd round by Danny Myers caps off an overall superb showing from the Cali vet here in this URL Super Fight battle versus Drugz. Danny, who also served up a fiery mix of hitting punchlines, mocking personals and boastful barbs, would land enough haymakers to take both the 1st and final round, hurting himself a bit only when he attempted to blast his opponent on an alleged incident with Yung Ill in St. Louis and thus leaving the well-armed, blazing at times and aggressive Drugz with enough room to force a debatable 2nd.

Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Danny Myers – “This battle was the highlight of your life and I’m the neon marker!”

Pristavia defeats Will Skillz

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Recap: Room-shaking jokes, fly set-ups, dope name flips, spicy personals, stinging wordplay, ability to switch up flows, fiery punchlines and piercing gun bars, for Pristavia it’s all there as she conducts a clinic on a solid and witty at times, but ultimately overmatched Will Skillz in this 1-rounder from Gates of the Garden.

Verdict: Pristavia (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Pristavia – “Against D Money he said ‘I don’t join gangs, gangs join me’…that was a big pause!”

JC defeats Prep

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Recap: Nothing to dislike about this extra dope URL 3-rounder between Prep and JC. ‘Dirty Prep’, already building his brand back up on the smaller leagues, starts things off with a superbly-executed and classic 1st round, delivering a gang of fiery personals with plenty of wit and bite to beat back a punch-heavy, name flip nice and extra crispy turn by JC. But the always confident JC wouldn’t allow his opponent’s fealty to deter him, immediately coming back with a personal-lit, witty, wordplay-savvy and righteous 4-bar set-ups to edge a fire, but elongated turn by Prep, before another haymaker-prolific turn in the 3rd by JC also edged another dope, but lengthy (and a little dated when it came to personals) run by the DMV star for the win in what was still an energetic and spitfire Born Legacy 9 battle..

Verdict: JC (W) 2-1

Favorite line: JC – “And this not even a fighting game, I could still do damage when I’m holding back!”

Charlie Clips defeats Geechi Gotti

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Recap: Reducing Charlie Clips to 4-bar set-ups and jokey-jokes might work for the Hollow Da Don’s of the word, but it’s probably not a good idea for other battlers to try that concept on him. As a brazen Geechi Gotti–in a battle some had him edging due to that mid-round slip-up in the final round from his opponent–should know by now, Clips isn’t your average, everyday battler. Nah, along with the often sizzling set-ups and witty barbs, one also has to look out for a fly rebuttal game, head-ringing schemes, ill personals and as showcased here, the potential for off-the-dome heat at any moment. That said, a competitive and altogether dope Summer Madness 10 bout from Clips and Gotti sees a more punch/set-up-heavy and versatile Charlie take the opening round while a more condensed, impression-friendly, (“We all know this ain’t the same Clips we been watching, this nigga edited!”) righteous and haymaker-lit Geechi edged the 2nd. The last round, crazy, alluring and intense on both sides with plenty of well-aimed personals to spare, would see the continually hard-hitting Clips’ dish a couple of spicy rebuttals to go along with a bunch of flexing/race-centric personals and a gang of room-shifting freestyles that would not only make up for the aforementioned slip-up, but overall allow the Harlem vet to edge what was an effective, unusually (for him, anyway) uber-righteous, but not as head-ringing turn from Gotti.

Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “With 18k’s I feel like an Ultimate Madness check…after taxes!”

JC defeats Kid Chaos

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Recap: Yunno, can’t really say that I get all into battlers wardrobe’s while on stage. Sure, some battlers are known for always being fly (which is fine) and some battlers can be pretty dusty (which they have to know will be used against them in future battles), but for the most part I could care less, it’s just all about the bars here. Which leads me to the befuddled reaction towards this Kid Chaos vs. JC battle as for all the love and reaction Chaos has gotten for being such am energetic and versatile spitter of late, seeing him so hellbent on getting personal with JC–for all 3 rounds–just didn’t make any sense. Whether it was a supreme focus on JC wanting to battle Lux (what’s wrong with that?!), JC’s lack of looking spiffy on stage (as long as the guy is clean, what does anyone care if  he likes to wear T-shits with baggy pants all the time) or the recent chatter surrounding JC looking rather gaunt (and possibly on drugs) of late (ok, since that topic did receive quite a bit of talk online, one can understand an opponent going there, but then going back to when he battled Chilla, JC has always been a small guy), when it came to personals, too often Chaos (who granted did have some solid schemes and wordplay mixed in) just went overboard while acting like he was the vet in the ring and not his opponent (one loss to Loso doesn’t wipe out JC’s entire resume). And to Chaos’ chagrin, judging from this battle JC was clearly paying attention to all the gossip surrounding him of late as well, because this was a clear 30. Spouting God-like synergy throughout the bout, whether he was dishing a gang of eccentric haymakers in a boastful, flawless and punch/wordplay-lit round 1 and just continuing with more of the same to go along with fire name flips, well-aimed personals of his own and steely gun bars in the latter rounds, for all the talk of how close (and in some cases surprising) the Rookies vs Vets battles have been in 2020, all the vets should be thanking JC for this one.

Verdict: JC (W) 3-0

Favorite line: JC – “See me and you? Nothing alike, you hold the door when I’m comin’ in, I’ll pull the plug to end your sufferin’!”

Ryda defeats Mike P

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Recap: Before the recap starts, some friendly advice to up-n-coming battle rappers: never openly admit what your weaknesses are: whether that’s on social media, a popular podcast or radio show, anywhere…because as Mike P found out here, it will come back to bite you.

Now back to the battle…Ryda with a dope, punch/wordplay-heavier and more versatile 1st round and now what amounts to being a superbly-executed, all personal (and yes, hypocritical on Mike’s part to get all in his feelings here after what he did to Danny Myers in a previous battle) and now classic 2nd, clearly got this battle. No fault to judges Method Man and Iron Solomon for not being able decipher whether or Ryda’s 2nd round was real or just made up. But damn the 52% of fans that sided with Mike (who was really hit-n-miss with the name flips throughout the battle) on this one, much less the bloggers who had the audacity to question if Ryda went too far?!? I mean, it’s battle rap for chrissakes.

Oh yeah, for the record a more condensed and just as punch heavy Mike did manage to edge the 3rd.

Verdict: Ryda (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ryda – “That y’all Street Fighter, that cap calm [Capcom], hearsay, y’all forgot I’m Scorpion I’ll swing the blade through the body and stop…midway!”

Mike P defeats Th3 Saga

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Recap: Well, it doesn’t any more convoluted than that as a confident Mike P not only out-punches Th3 Saga for the first 2 rounds here, but Th3 Saga, who’s been on a pretty good run of late….chokes, not once, but twice. And just when you think it just isn’t Saga’s day and Mike with the Bun from Yonkers is on his way to that rare bodybag, after yet another dope, loud, punch/scheme-heavy and raucous turn from Mike, Th3 Sgaa gets back on his grind, brings out a fake cop and in a startling turn of events proceeds to deliver a classic and scathing round on matters dealing with police brutality, current events and race. So yeah, with a little help from Saga’s surprising chokefest, Mike P gets the easy win. But outside of Mike’s fans, I’m guessing that more people will remember this battle for Saga’s epic 3rd.

Verdict: Mike P (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Mike P – “I gotta be a higher power Saga, only God can judge you!”

Th3 Saga defeats B. Dot

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Recap: Damn. Does it get any better than this version of Th3 Saga during this long-awaited URL Quarantined: Sterilized 2 battle against B. Dot? Really now. Delivering 3 epic rounds of righteous heat, an also performance-heavy Th3 Saga leaves nothing on the cutting room floor (esp. during a flawless 2nd round) via a flexing arsenal of spitfire punchlines, scorching personals, scathing breakdowns on Black-conscious rap posturing, hitting name flips, earnest BLM shouts, bodacious wordplay/4-bar setups, fiery sermons/schemes and for the people in the back, some solid/witty Loaded Lux impressions. As for Saga’s opponent? Well, B. Dot certainly showed up. The Cali-wordsmith spouting a series of dope personals (esp. when it came to Saga’s old crew, NWX), rigid punches, fierce set-ups/schemes and piercing street/Black power narratives to keep ya head up. Still, as prepared and electric as B. Dot was at times, Th3 Saga just took it to another level here, taking it back to sublime efforts we’ve seen in the past against the likes of Snake Eyez, Tink da Demon and Swaze Sevah, while more importantly winning both the 2nd and 3rd rounds after a debatable 1st.

Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “For a brave protagonist, my second time on the roof to reclaim the savageness, I became a strategist, ‘cuz first I hit Cor’ [corps], then hit [smack] B. too [B2]…we playin’ Battleship!”

Casey Jay defeats Ms. Murk

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Recap: Rare bodybag here as highlighted by a classic 3rd round that was superbly executed when it came to exquisite punchlines, wordplay, name flips, gun bars and personals, all via a pretty confident Casey Jay who put a severe 3-round hurting on Ms. Murk in this Royalty battle from QOTR and URL. Indeed, the bar-spazzing Casey Jay who had the crowd rocking from jump and was almost as equally superb in the early rounds, would unfortunately receive would little to no competition in return for her effort as Ms. Murk, after starting off nicely in round 1 with a series of fire punches, would choke halfway in that round before needing a water bottle, delivering one line and choking again in round 2 before not even attempting to spit in round 3. Whether or not the notoriously fallible Ms. Murk choked this battle away due to her own shortcomings or due to her opponent’s over-the-top and consistent heat is a conversation for another day.

Verdict: Casey Jay (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Casey Jay – “You was supposed to put on for us bitch, you never did it, you started choking every battle, crowd was losing their interest and if you wrote that shit then how the fuck you forget it?!”

Bedaffi Green defeats True Indeed

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Recap: Spouting the kind of aggressive, hardbody, gripping punchlines and earnest gun bars that earned him a few URL appearances not too long back, but really stepping it up with an epic, personal-lit and heavy on the stunting round 3, in this 3-rounder from We Go Hard, Bedaffi Green also delivered a consistent amount of backbreaking heat to take round 1 as well. Thus taking the win over a pretty solid, gritty with the smoke and competitive…until he choked in the final round, True Indeed.

Verdict: Bedaffi Green (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Bedaffi Green – “You ever let off 4 shots and picked up 3 shells, now you can’t sleep?!?”

Prez Mafia defeats Larry Bull

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Recap: Larry Bull has an aggressive style, yellow skin tone and a wide array of blazing heat that reminds you of The Gun Show. But even versus a pretty solid showing from his opponent, Prez Mafia’s surprising display of stifling off-the-dome theatrics (including a flawless and impenetrable 1st round), wily personals and piercing/witty personals during 3 condensed turns gives Mr. Woosah a clear 20 before a debatable 3rd.

Verdict: Prez Mafia (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Prez Mafia – “Fuck the written’s, I swear to God this nigger trash, I’m a clap what’s basic, your name Larry?, the Bull?, I’m from the Bronx, meet Larry Davis!”

Bigg K defeats Ah Di Boom

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Recap: Ah Di Boom’s return to battle rap is a bizarre and inconsistent one as the South Jersey rapper first has to deal with a gang of allegations from opponent Bigg K of being a snitch (a serious claim, that included K handing out paperwork to the crowd, yet didn’t seem to bother Boom nearly as much as it did K), before spitting a spitfire, punch and performance-heavy 2nd round that reminded everyone of Boom’s hey days. And despite the usually punchline-crazy K not being on his A-game throughout this battle (perhaps because he was too hellbent on the personals), thanks to Boom spitting a gang of reaches, mediocre punches and righteous filler, a more consistent K is able to do just enough to edge both the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.

Verdict: Bigg K (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Bigg K –  “I been popped tags, how could you ever hate on me, first staff you ever grabbed came from ARP, y’all battle rappers never trapping like they say y’all be, so if you ever pumping gas you putting 8 on 3!”

John John Da Don defeats Jakkboy Maine [FORFEIT]

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Recap: Rare forfeit here as an emotionally bent Jakkboy Maine (who also got booed at the end of hsi 2nd), the brunt of a classic 2nd round by opponent John John Da Don, gives up his 3rd round (ironically, this blog had the battle tied 1-1 going into the final round) by jumping into the crowd in an attempt to confront a heckler who kept interrupting his turn. Jakk’s refusal to return to the stage would in turn give JJDD the round and the battle in an entertaining grudge match that featured a plethora of heated personals from both sides, some dope punchlines, a pretty excited Tay Roc, , a bunch of head-ringing gun bars, a well-executed 1st by Jakk that deftly played to JJDD’s rep for copying his peer’s style and of course, a sublime, punch-heavy turn by JJDD in the 2nd that was highlighted by a $79.99 ‘Black Wealth’ chain, courtesy of Walmart, being hurled into the raucous crowd by John John.

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

Favorite line: John John Da Don – “You fuckin’ fruit! 12-gauge will bust his grape, vital signs go ‘Wooooooop’, let’s just say that Shotgun got one thing straight!”

Ace Amin defeats Holmzie The God

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Recap: Capped by a gritty, aggressive, superbly-executed, mayhem-lit, performance-rich and punch-heavy round 1, Ace Amin manages to hold on with a slightly more condensed, but just as raucous 2nd round to edge that one and beat back a versatile throughout, gun bar-waving and name flip/punch-savvy, but also a little too indirect at times and punch-predictable (tho he still got better with each round, so much so that he won the 3rd) Holmzie Da God in this dope Banned battle from URL.

Verdict: Ace Amin (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ace Amin – “You bi-polar, everything black and white?, [click, click] now your mouth full of gray matter!”

Murda defeats King H

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Recap: One would expect a guy who names himself ‘Murda’ to talk about plenty of…murder. And with a gang of raucous 4-bar punches, graphic strings of mayhem, fiery gun bars and flippant personals, B-more’s Murda lives up to his name with more than enough consistently hard-hitting bars (esp. during an epic round 1) to beat back a gritty, but much less nuanced and underwhelming till the 3rd round King H.

Verdict: Murda (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Murda – “Battling this little nigga got me grip type hot, ‘cuz I’m the reason ya shit might drop…bitch, you the reason might not!”

Chess defeats Tori Doe

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Recap: With Tori Doe it’s never really been a question about ability. As Doe’s highlight reel would surely attest to, when the Harlem emcee is on top of her game, she can spit hot punchlines and stinging wordplay with the best of them and that’s probably what earned her this battle with Chess. But what also almost always comes into play with a Tori Doe battle is effort or lack thereof and once again her lack of preparation continues to be her kryptonite as after a flexing, (“Guess I am a dirty little bitch, ‘cuz I’ll [points arm out like gun] get a nigga hit before I let a nigga hit!”) spitfire turn in the 1st round (that only got edged by a more heavy-handed on the punches and condensed turn by her opponent), in what might have been her biggest battle yet, Doe proceeds to let the fans down with a solid, but shortened 2nd round before literally giving up her 3rd round midway in lieu of a minor slip-up. And while Doe disappointed again, a confident, at times belittling (“My gun, just like Tori, mad pretty, but got a nasty bang! to go with it!”), raucous, name flip spazzing, scheme-heavy and flexing with the punchlines throughout Chess just stayed consistently nice with his, scoring a 3-0 in his first intergender match and coming out with nary a scar.

Verdict: Chess (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Chess – “I ain’t gonna talk about you aborting your child ‘cuz maybe you just wasn’t ready, but don’t talk like you could son me when you couldn’t even do that for the one in your belly!”

Mike P defeats Danny Myers

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Recap: Going forward Danny Myers might want to keep his private life to himself. Just saying, ‘cuz whether it’s his 10 kids, that $12K he gave T-Rex to battle awhile back or the illicit allegations in the air surrounding his marriage as well as his wife don’t seem to be ever going away when it comes to battle rap. And when you battle as often as Danny does, being on the other side of, frankly speaking, what was a scathing, explicit, punch-lit and undeniably classic 2nd round from Mike P, a flawless turn that went all-in on Danny’s other half and his personal priorities, one has to wonder how much a man can take. Tho to be fair, Danny always came to compete and once again delivered. The performance-stunting Bar God competing throughout this URL App 1 battle with a gang of fiery punchlines/name flips, hardcore/witty personals (had to chuckle when Danny started going in on Mike’s girlfriend in round 3, yet had to remind Mike about all the shit he just said about his wife in the previous round after Mike told him to ‘chill’) and brazen mayhem/boasts. But after the two split the first two rounds, a close 3rd round gets edged to Mike P as ‘Main Stage Mike’ used a versatile barrage of fierce gun bars, piercing punches and feelgood personals during a condensed to beat back a pretty solid turn by Danny for the win.

Verdict: Mike P (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Mike P – “Your slogan has become your life, and in the process, yo’ eyes been covered, you not stayin’ by the woman you love? Well, that don’t surprise me, brother, you on stage screamin’ ‘Parallel!’ on the same nights you and your wife should be beside each other!”

O-Red defeats Geechi Gotti

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Recap: Damn, talk about turning it up. After a pretty solid 1st round that still got beat back a more punch-heavy and versatile Geechi Gotti, O-Red goes into ‘savage’ mode and dishes two of the hardest rounds of his battle career. The Newark, NJ, vet getting downright nasty with it via a gang of strong-arm wordplay, steely verbal darts, brazen personals (esp. during a flawless and perfectly executed 2nd round = classic) and piercing punchlines. And while Geechi continued to compete hard with a variety of stinging personals of his own, some solid rebuttals/freestyles, dicey name flips, vivid storytelling bars and gritty punches to keep it close, this Champion of the Year vs. Champion of the Year SMACK Volume 5 battle would come down to a more consistently spicy and elevated O-Red edging both of the latter rounds for the win.

Verdict: O-Red (W) 2-1

Favorite line: O-Red – ” I drive-by in a G37, you gonna remember me, holding the .8, sideways, out the Infiniti!”

Yoshi G defeats Toni Blanco

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Recap: While her 3rd round contained the more grandiose bars, it’s Yoshi G’s 2nd that stands out in this QOTR battle. The sexually brash emcee spouting a host of perfectly-executed punches/set-ups and scorching personals before deftly angling her way into a series of spitfire braggadocio thot bars which altogether summed up her battle rap psyche (a classic round that even earned her a couple of Jaz faces). And while opponent Toni Blanco came through with 3 pretty solid and at times gritty/punch/personal/heavy rounds of her own, one too many dry spots and a more haymaker-lit Yoshi G would give the latter the 30.

Verdict: Yoshi G (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Yoshi G – “You always speak on the negative aspect of thot…you pessimistic!”

Dizaster defeats Soul Khan

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Recap: Incredibly long one here (like an hour-an-a-half, which has to be a record for a 3-round battle) between Dizaster and a returning-to-the-scene-after-9-years Soul Khan on the KOTD stage, despite it’s excessive, unlimited rounds, can still serve as tutorial to some of today’s top tier battle rappers who struggle at times with preparation, what with neither Diz or Khan even slipping up once with their bars during this lengthy battle. Still, an effigy in consumption you’d think for even the biggest battle rap fans, altogether the bout itself was pretty solid. Never the typical battle emcee, yet previously known as a witty and sometimes scathing puncher back in his heyday, the now politically-bent Socialist (and apparently a huge Bernie Sanders fan) Khan had no problem inserting his leftist ideologies into his pallette, when he wasn’t going at Diz with a bunch of witty barbs on his opponent’s poetry skills, calling out Diz’s often chaotic temperament and also getting bust at times with some nifty punchlines. But in an elongated battle that even had host Organik looking like he might fall asleep at times, Dizaster would be in his bag (esp. during a superlative round 1) for the entire night, the former King of the Dot champ scoring left and right with a plethora of sizzling bars on white guilt & liberal victimhood, a too-funny impression of Khan, ill breakdowns on Khan’s formerly blistering/and highly personal battle rap theatrics when compared to the PC showman he reps onstage today, politically-bent struggle bars/lesson plans, a wide array of steely/witty/mocking personals, righteous multi’s/mayhem and a boatload of piercing name flips/punches. And while Soul Khan did pretty well for two rounds (not including a so-so 3rd) making for a solid comeback, the more haymaker-lit, versatile and angle-rich Diz still gets the 30 here.

Verdict: Dizaster (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Dizaster – “Got so out of touch, he’s like Al Bundy to us now, which means your battles with Madness, Fox, Deacon and QP would be your 4 famous touchdowns…fuck outta here, you like Gjonaj of Polk High!”


Jerry Wess defeats Glueazy

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Recap: Yeah, he was cooking alright. In what, thus far, should go down as his most impressive performance over 3 rounds, Jerry Wess uses a flawless (and classic), half venting on URL business dealings/going ham with the punches on opponent Glueazy 1st round, a just as incredibly stirring and punch/wordplay/name flip/personal-heavy 2nd to go along with a performance-rich (esp with the sound effects), set-up-lit and versatile 3rd to beat the breaks off of one of the better mid-tiers (who btw turned in a pretty strong showing himself) in the game and establish himself as deserving of a bigger stage.

Verdict: Jerry Wess (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Jerry Wess – “White people making soul food…you about to get cooked bad!”

Eazy the Block Captain defeats Swaggtanna

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Recap: Not just relying on that real life street shit he’s known for, but also coming correct here with a boatload of mocking name flips, righteous trap talk and a gang of stinging punchlines, Eazy the Block Captain not only flexes his versatility in this 3-round, URL battle against a pretty solid and gritty Swaggtanna, but manages to dish more than enough heat (esp. during a classic 1st) to score a 30 too.

Verdict: Eazy the Block Captain (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Eazy the Block Captain – “I’ll do anything to protect my Monopoly so don’t Chance it…’cuz I’ll do another bid, the only part that I hate is intake…with the cold sandwich!”

T Top defeats Rum Nitty

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Recap: Both T Top and Rum Nitty have built up such stellar and consistent careers in battle rap that the two top tier vets finally meeting up could only be a goodie. And neither disappoints here, splitting the first two rounds (Top edging the 1st before Rum came back to take the 2nd round) rounds with blistering gun bars, a shitload of banging (T Top: “Nigga you punch, I vacuum seal, we rap [wrap] different, you throw up C’s, I put up G’s, we stack different, you wear brims, I know brims, the hat different, you owe Troy, I sold boy, we SMACK different!”) punchlines, finessed wordplay/name flips, spinning (Rum: “We cool, but I’ll split ya shit, serious YNW Melly…not the one to get too friendly with!”) metaphorical bangers and some mocking personals thrown in. And Rum, coming off a spitfire, haymaker-drenched middle round, had no reason to think that yet pretty solid, lyrically acute 3rd wouldn’t put him over for the win…that is until Top came through with one of the most innovative, hilarious and personal turns you’ll ever see in battle rap, building a superly-executed hybrid between his opponent’s alleged past employment at Walmart and today’s more notorious  ‘Gun Line King’. And with a barrage of witty angles, stinging punches/personals, jaunty storytelling and a Walmart vest outfitted for good measure, an altogether potent, crowd-pleasing and classic turn by T Top in the deciding 3rd gets him the win.

Verdict: T Top (W) 2-1

Favorite line: T Top – “Say it wit’ me ‘Self check out!’, the cashier taking all day, ‘Self check out!’ like hotels after a long stay, ‘Self check out!’ like doctor visits on an off day, ‘Self check out!’ like Tech-9 before the court date!”

Swave Sevah defeats Nu Jerzey Twork

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Recap: Crazy dope battle between Swave Sevah and Nu Jerzey Twork is only marred by Twork recycling some bars in the 3rd round. Nonetheless, with the veteran Swave dishing witty barbs at Twork’s notorious hand/gun gestures, pointed bully bars, fire tutorials on life, fiery (“Nigga, you wear hoods, I am hood and I’m still in the mud like I’m trying to ambush the Predator!”) personals, guns (esp. during a classic 2nd round that had the crowd mesmerized) and his opponent’s penchant for under utilizing his talent via sizzling punchlines, with Twork also spazzing with the (“It’s known, everybody moving right past him, you stuck on this silly rapping shit, the oldest nigga in your fucking class, you Billy Madison!”) personals, fierce set-ups, stinging rebuttals and rich gun-speak throughout the 1st and 2nd rounds, you’re still left with a couple of debatable rounds going into the 3rd. But thanks in part to the aforementioned reused lines from Twork as well as his own fiery turn of roundhouse punches and virulent mayhem, the deciding 3rd and the battle would go to Swave.

Verdict: Swave Sevah (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Swave Sevah – “Shootouts with shotguns, let’s have our stocks exchange!”

Goodz defeats Gauge

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Recap: Dope 1-rounder from Go-Rilla Warfare between Goodz and Gauge goes the former’s way as despite a pretty solid, slick-talking, braggadocio, personal and at times witty/punch-heavy turn by Gauge, a more refined, affable with the life lessons, wordplay-savvy, slightly more consistently-lit and personal/punch-heavy Goodz edges it at the end.

Verdict: Goodz (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Goodz – “You know why I’m doing better than these battle nigger’s?….because the nigger’s I hang with are doing better than me!”

Danny Myers defeats O-Red

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Recap: In this Banned Legacy 3 battle from URL, it’s an epic showing by the Bar God as a rampage-inducing, name flip-spazzing, aggressive, personal-lit, lyrically sharp and altogether punch-heavy Danny Myers rains down haymaker after haymaker (esp. during a flawless/classic 3rd round that contained a couple of mind-numbling freestyles) to beat back a clearly frustrated and mostly unprepared O-Red, whose 3rd round choke also heightened his opponent’s memorable evening.

Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Danny Myers – “The system been corrupt, so sellin’ dope, it was a need to do it, cops used to plant base on us before the Vegan movement!”

Rum Nitty defeats K-Shine

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Recap: While there are certainly others to blame as well for exploiting the narrative over the years, most of the onus on Rum Nitty chiefly being a ‘gun bar’ dude falls on Nitty himself. The self-proclaimed ‘Gun Line King’ (going back to one of his earlier battles against Tycoon Tax) deceiving us all by making it seem he’s so one-dimensional in various battles and interviews, all the while chasing Tay Roc for the notorious title. The nerve of the guy, fooling us all in this URL/NOME 4 battle with a gang of prolific verbal heat that included a flawless 2nd round here against K-Shine, with more than  just stifling gun bars on the menu, but also a steady proliferation of nasty punchlines, daunting wordplay, rich metaphorical zingers and sublime name flips on the entrees as well. Indeed, another reminder that Nitty’s versatility with the heat keeps getting overlooked and only makes him more dangerous. Not to knock anything Shine did here, the performance-heavy NWX capo delivering 3 dope rounds of gritty darts, frenzied anecdotes, piercing name flips/personals, raucous punches/gun bars and some witty barbs. All the while lacking the consistency to keep up with his opponent in the first couple of rounds, before a rare trio of slip-ups by Nitty in the 3rd helped Shine avoid the shutout.

Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “You know I’m clapping, stone-face savage, so the pole I’m packing, go over heads…with no reaction!”

Ms. Fit defeats Phara Funeral

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Recap: Controversial battle between the returning-to-the-ring-after-a-4-year-hiatus Ms. Fit and Phara Funeral features 2 spirited and competitive rounds (I had a debatable 1st before Ms. Fit edged the 2nd) that were highlighted by a wide load of fiery personals and piercing punches from Fit, while the bar-heavier Funeral stayed lit with some dope wordplay, gritty punches and hitting name flips. In lieu of an unsportsmanlike conduct that should’ve been called on Fit for distracting her opponent and throwing money down on the floor while she rapped in round 1, round 3 is where things got hectic and tensions started to appear above the surface as a consistently aggressive Fit used the final turn to deliver one of the most well-crafted, personal, witty at times and scathing turns we’ve seen from a female in battle rap (making it a classic) history. But with the mention of Phara’s mother (although there really wasn’t any direct shots taken) in a handful of her bars, Phara would allege afterwards that her opponenet broke a stipulation in the battle contract, leading to Ms. Funeral choosing not to spit her 3rd round and therefore handing Fit the win.

Verdict: Ms. Fit (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Ms. Fit – “All the nigga’s you done smashed [Aaawww!], can’t even keep track of your bodies…till we read the Smack card!”

Franchise defeats Chef Trez

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Recap: In sports, just because you know what play the opposing coach is drawing up, doesn’t guarantee that you’ll win the game. And the same theory applies to Franchise, who despite almost always slinging 90% gun bars, still makes for a formidable opponent with his graphic punches, rich performance bars and at times witty verbiage. That said, the Canadian battler’s commitment to dispensing heat is what gets him the edge in this URL/Born Legacy 6 battle against Chef Trez. A consistently energetic, gun line-centric, punch-drunk and haymaker-drenched round 1 goes Franchise’s way before Trez (who despite losing the opening round, still had a pretty dope turn) went ham in the 2nd round with what might be a record ‘5 of those things’ (aka rebuttals) that along with some spicy name flips, fire gun lines and fierce personals/set-ups, nicely combined to tie things up heading into the 3rd round. The last round was a close one with Trez delivering his usual tasty combo of rich punches/personals and off-the-dome burners. But despite getting off to a bit of a slow start, Mr. No Lacking uses a series of gritty street darts, power punches and steely mayhem to edge the final round for the win.

Verdict: Franchise (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Franchise – “Dump the body, toss the heat, talk is cheap, creep up with the ladder like Dawson’s Creek!”

Nu Jerzey Twork defeats Rum Nitty

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Recap: Having clearly prepped many of his bars (as well as his wardrobe) around his opponent’s well-noted gang membership, Nu Jerzey Twork’s strategy of going extra personal with Rum Nitty not only includes fire bars, but a literal slam dunk on Rum by Shotgun Suge (which Nitty returned with a dope rebuttal that’d make Spud Webb wink), Blood flag-waving and mentions of Rum’s family that in a rare moment, got Nitty to completely lose his cool and leave the stage. That sudden ‘intermission’ would come after a classic 2nd round from Rum, an extraordinary, performance-rich fete a fete that contained a host of sterling gun bars, sizzling (“Y’all said he was gonna beat me to death?, you’re right [makes like he’s firing a gun]…he died first!”; “Gun butt, it crack inside the hood…Reaganomics!”) punchlines, the aforementioned rebuttal and eccentric performance lines/wordplay. Still, Twork wasn’t just about personals here in what altogether was a spitfire battle even with all the tension in the air and the near fisticuffs. Withstanding a shitload of searing heat from his opponent in both the 1st and 3rd rounds (less so in the 3rd, as Rum’s turn while still pretty solid, was still his least potent) as well as the aforementioned 2nd, Twork’s pen game proved to not only be reliable, but multifaceted and stellar, whether it was via gritty wordplay, bodacious name flips, flexing (“K-clip, press down on a half-moon…’Do Not Disturb!'”) gun lines or fly (“I slide on an opportunity [tune Nitty], yeah Steams said that too and I shouldn’t be tossing his shit, I already left shells in one Cake, don’t get lost in the mix!”) angles/set-ups that were steered by a righteous flow/performance that stayed on-point and consistent throughout the battle. Or in other words…Jersey.

Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 2-1

Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “Old sniper rifle, fresh out the repair shop…fuck Rum, this shit Vodka, I got a clear shot!”

Ish Mulah defeats Rich Porter

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Recap: Ok, that one surprised me. Already flexing hard through the first couple of rounds of this GHOGH/JCBL 3-rounder against Rich Porter (who after a 1st round choke, got better with his gritty punches with each proceeding turn) with a boatload of bruising punchlines, rich set-ups/boasts and dope name flips, in the 3rd round Ish Mulah goes completely left and gets his B. Dot on to serve up a filler-proof, righteous, socially-conscious and impactful series of lines that added plenty of substance to an already sublime performance/victory.

Verdict: Ish Mulah (W) 3-0

Favorite line: Ish Mulah – “Rich Porter?, you got killed by a rat, you bitch, let’s re-enact the shit, I woulda ran up like ‘That’s 14 keys?’ and snatched the shit!”

Tay Roc defeats Bad Newz

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Recap: Although the allegations (and they do appear to be true) of Bad Newz stealing a couple of bars here lessens the bite of this battle, him and Tay Roc still put on quite a show what with both battlers dishing some exquisite mayhem, stinging gun bars, some salacious (BN: “He my idol, but tonight in this ring I’m son rifle, ‘bad news’ written all over this hammer, that’s the Gun Title!”) wordplay, gripping personals, snappy performance bars and plenty of gritty punchlines and potent (TR: “If we don’t kill him, we coming back for Newz weekly!”) name flips. Still, for all of Newz’ aggression and potency throughout his round, some pedestrian bars by Newz here and there along with an epic Tay Roc clearly on his A-game, dropping haymakers with rapid abandon with nary any filler throughout, would prove to be too much in the end.

Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0

Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Every nigger in my crew clap for me, I could send Chef and Raw like my food Japanese!”