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!”
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!”
Synopsis: This was unfair, a mismatch from jump with Soul Khan fierce punchlines, potent personals and witty flair totally overwhelming an out-of-his-league J. Fox. Not that it didn’t help any that J. Fox wasn’t just trying to rap on another coast, but against a crowd favorite (who knows how to play to the hometown fans) with pedestrian bars, schemes and personals that would’ve fallen flat no matter where this battle took place.
Verdict: Soul Khan (W) 3-0
Best line: Soul Khan – “After this his chick’s gonna go back to soul’s sack, because you the only dude to make a chick go black then go back”
Synopsis: Just because one can predict the themes your opponent will use against you doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win (unless it’s been universally declared as played0 or much less counter. That said, while Fresco certainly had his moments (“Stop rapping and explain to me how Clear Eyes works”), overall, while predictable on the style matter, Soul Khan’s jokes, bars and personals (“….shhhh! You had me at Real Deal’!”) were just too much to overcome.
Verdict: Soul Khan (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Soul Khan – “He only came to battle because he heard it’d be a sausage fest”
Synopsis: Not sure why Soul Khan would dispute the judges decision and say he lost here. I mean this battle was close, but SK’s Gary Coleman rebuttal alone (arguably one of the best rebuttals ever) and poRich’s lame 3rd round totally offset SK’s slip-up in round 2. Good thing SK clearly took the OT anyway.
Verdict: Soul Khan (W) OT
Best line: Soul Khan – “Muthafucka I could beat you if I did or didn’t choke, where was I on the night Gary Coleman died?, giving your mom a different stroke (Diff’rent Strokes)”
Synopsis: Not to dismiss his talent, but with his nerdy aesthetics, Jewish heritage. gimmicks and shock value bars/theatrics, it’s easy to see why Soul Khan gets so much love in the battle rap circuit–after all everybody loves the underdog. Yet, here’s a sample of SK getting too much love against a cocky wordplay feen in QP. Of course, for whatever reason QP’s S.O.N.S. crew seem to forever get hated on and it wasn’t too long before this battle that SK put J. Fox in a bodybag on the URL stage. But all that extra shit aside, on bars alone, seems to me that QP just put on a better overall display, esp. in rounds 1 (“This faggot’s a maggot and magic couldn’t make this fruit fly”) and 2 (“But you a walking contradiction and I’m just now learning why, because you say you hate skinheads, why on the 8th day you get circumcised?”). Soul Khan would later take credit for this win (and with a clearly biased crowd one can understand why), but I got it the other way around.
Verdict: QP (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Soul Khan – “I’ll sunset the S.O.N.S set, dropping every man, your rap crew is some fat dude and some chocolate teddy grams”
Synopsis: I don’t know what Soul Khan was talking about at the end there, with lame lines like “The only time he gets props is in a novelty store”, a weak SK impression and mistaking ‘Juliette Lewis’ with ‘Julianne Moore’, Aspire didn’t have nearly enough in his arsenal to beat SK here. Ignore the OT.
Verdict: Soul Khan
Favorite line: Soul Khan – “You’re so pussy those ain’t sideburns, they’re matching landing strips”
Synopsis: After a competitive 1st round (Frost’s “canoe” line being the highlight), Soul Khan goes full beast mode and takes out Deacon Frost with two rounds of cold jokes (“I’ll take your girl to the movies, she could barely keep her clothes on, you take your girl to the movies and she’s like ‘I already seen this with Soul Khan'”), funny impressions, bars and wicked (“If I snatch you dildo’s would fall out of your pocket”) personals .
Verdict: Soul Khan (W) 2-1
Best line: Soul Khan – “I’ll steal your family dog and cut his abdomen open, then send that bitch home full of plastic explosives”
Synopsis: Z.M. does a great Soul Khan impression and that “wet bandits” punchline was hilarious, but Soul Khan just had too many wicked bars, personals and fat jokes (“I got the words primed to detonate and serve fry this heavyweight, how you gonna clown me when your shirt size is escalade?’) for him to stand a chance.
Verdict: Soul Khan (W) 3-0
Best line: Soul Khan – “…and your stretch marks look like the barcode on your favorite SMACK tape”
Synopsis: Honestly, I had Soul Khan edging this one after 3 rounds with better jokes, rebuttals and punchlines versus Cortez’s aggressive bars and wordplay. But Tez got the OT from the judges and combined with SK stopping early, easily took advantage, clearly showing that you can never go wrong with being more prepared than your opponent.
Verdict: Cortez (W) OT
Best line: Soul Khan – “That was a garbage-ass round, he was spitting pitifully, I’m G. Dep? [well] Your chick hit me up for a special delivery”
Synopsis: Honestly, considering he was a last-minute replacement (tho granted he had a too short 2nd round) I don’t think J. Ka$h did that bad here (just needs to work on his versatility and delivery, but the wordplay, metaphors and bars was there) and that combined with a Soul Khan clearly not at his best…..I had to edge this one to Ka$h.
Verdict: J. Ka$h (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Soul Khan – “And the funny thing is your chick is huger than Pun, fuck a dimepiece that chick is a mutual fund”
