No Bias. No Narratives.
Recap: In this 3-rounder from WarTown Battles Clone delivers one of his best performances, 30ing a topsy-turvy Danny Myers with a boatload of hardbody punches, stinging similes, gritty street talk and piercing personals with nothing but sheer consistency to earn an impressive shutout.
Verdict: Clone (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Clone – “I’m not even flexing, you could see a grave right now, we not in Atlanta, don’t be cappin’ like you Brave right now!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from No Chill Battle League, Filthy’s round of mostly subpar bars end up not only getting him offtrack to the point of repeatedly stopping his turn, but a fed-up crowd as well. The former gaslighting himself into thinking he wasn’t the problem while the latter’s continuously loud chatter and commotion while Filthy tried to rap proved otherwise. For some added irony there’s the fact that this was a beatable Fonz what with the Landlord (while still unleashing a solid punch game overall to get the win) getting off to a bit of slow start and struggling with his flow towards the end.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “I’ll bang a ratchet, run down with something stainless clapping, the first hit make a Yung Berg nigga come off his jewelry…it’s a chain reaction!”
Recap: The way Murda Mook kept reppin’ for NY throughout this battle, you just knew some of this showing was about getting revenge for Loaded Lux’s shellacking at the hands of Geechi Gotti last year in Cali. Well, that’s my guess (hell, Mook did bring Lux out on stage in round 3) anyway. That said, this URL Homecoming bout with the current ‘Face of URL’ going up against the ‘Face of the Smack DVD era’ was a close and exciting one, a definitive crowd-pleaser that was worth the price of admission. Geechi, with his aggressive combo of hardbody street rhymes, gritty punches, brash personals and solid freestyles (which helped him edge round 2) rarely let a turned-up Irving Plaza crowd rattle him. While a versatile and angle-rich Mook, when he wasn’t spouting a gang of fiery NYism’s with his raps to keep the listeners in tune, continuously scored with a bunch of straighforward but potent punchlines, witty personals, steely pontifications and boastful barbs. Surprisingly, what ended up deciding this battle was an elongated Gotti too often leaning on the same gun-centric themes we’ve long heard him spout as well as Geechi letting the raucous away crowd unnerve a little bit which at times effected his flow. And with Mook (outside of the constant crowd interruptions and some indirect shots at notables like NuNu Nells), coming off more condensed and slightly more haymaker-lit in both the 1st and 3rd rounds, it’s the Harlem great who ends up pulling out the win.
Verdict: Murda Mook (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Murda Mook – “Your fight with death, I bet that gonna be your last tussle, Funeral that always wins, you better ask Hustle!”
Recap: Gotta admit, really expected Arsonal to be more disrespectful during this URL Homecoming battle, especially with so much to work with considering all the South Carolina ‘raccoon’ shit that’s been in the air of late after Swamp battled Tay Roc just a couple of months back. But perhaps da Rebel saw that battle and decided not to rehash things as instead he seemed more content with flipping it on vet mode and delivering a talking too to Swamp, while also sporting a bunch of witty lines, boastful barbs (the shot at Murda Mook in round 3 was pretty epic, but also fluky when you consier that his opponent dissed him earlier for still not getting a battle Ars has long clamored for) and hard aggressive raps that were mostly hit-n-miss. And for a Swamp who was pretty solid throughout, but not quite on his A-game, Arsonal’s chosen game plan would ironically work to his opp’s advantage. The newly self-proclaimed ‘King of the South’ mixing it up with a bag of highly disrespectful personals of his own, while adding a gang of gritty punches, mocking personals, steely pontifications and brash haymakers sauteed with a slice of Southern pride that got him rounds 1 and 3 (call the 2nd round a debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Swamp – “I got nigga’s in red, white and blue like a Patriot, if I pull up it’s with a ratchet, baretta blazing shit, he gonna see the light then fade to black like an atheist!”
Recap: Fonz vs. B. Magic, elite puncher vs. elite puncher for a 1-rounder on URL’s Banned card, turns out to be a goodie with each battler spouting a plethora of head-turning bars to make you feen for more. Competitive with a near equal amount of haymakers on each side, it’s the more condensed and slightly more steadily hitting Magic who edges it here.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Street nigga, I was straight thugging and you really can’t relate like a play cousin!”
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, competitive 3-rounder from RBE sees up-n-comer Kausion use a barrage of steamy personals, aggressive (esp. that fire ‘peacock’ line in round 3) punchlines, boastful barbs and flagrant gun bars to stay in the fight despite a few dry spots here and there. But armed with a flexing arsenal of stinging freestyles, hitting name flips, witty personals, gritty wordplay and back-to-back-to-back hard-hitting punches of her own throughout the match, it’s the veteran Bonnie Godiva who earns the 30 for the win here.
Verdict: Bonnie Godiva (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bonnie Godiva – “Listen Invisible Woman, it’s about time to be clear with yaself, like are you hearing yourself?, you burned me mean you buried yaself, I’ll put caution tape all around Kausion…have you wearing yourself!”
Recap: From URL’s Banned card, in this 1-round rematch Cortez a gang of stifling gun bars, gripping mayhem, lofty personals/punchlines and nasty boasts/wordplay to handily beat back a raucous punching and rebuttal-lit at times, but overall mostly pedestrian Danny Myers.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Cortez – “Llama’s hurl, erasing DM, I got a girl!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from IEvolveTV, another solid punching and aggressive showing from Cali Smoov gets handily beat back by Cortez’s more steady and gritty mix of bold street raps, nasty wordplay, lofty name flips, boastful darts and hitting punchlines/personals.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Cortez – “Your motivation, you can’t mirror me, I’m a miracle!”
Recap: Against the mostly braggadocious (and basic) raps of JDK, Chilla Jones unleashes a steady stream of stinging personals, righteous 4-bar setup/punchlines, witty barbs, reckless violence and a hard-hitting 3rd round rebuttal to easily catch a 30 and take this 3-rounder from VLMG & Tha Kulture.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “You just gonna find a way to lose, I mean usually I battle names, I don’t get points for JDK, this ain’t Scrabble game!”
Recap: A decade and some change after their memorable 2-round battle back in St. Louis, Aye Verb and Hollow Da Don meet up again for a 1-rounder at URL’s Summer Madness 12. And it’s a goodie with the two battle vets keeping things competitive with Verb using a bunch of righteous boats and solid 4-bar set-up/punches to stay in there while Hollow utilized a stream of fly performance bars, witty personals and gritty punchlines to show he still has it. A close one with a near equal amount of haymakers, it’s the more condensed and versatile Hollow who gets the edge here.
Verdict: Hollow Da Don (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Hollow Da Don – “Are we getting yoga Verb or Yoda Verb?, could any one of them go to Verb and tell ’em we tired of that spoken word!”
Recap: From URL’s Lite Work card, both Danny Myers and Tink Da Demon spout a bunch of mayhem, gore, spiteful gun bars and spirited boasts/punchlines over the course of three rounds to keep you captivated. But in what was a close battle throughout, it’s the slightly more consistently hitting Tink who edges rounds 1 and the deciding 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Tink Da Demon (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tink Da Demon – “Clip full of bald heads preying over your bald head like a skinhead convention!”
Recap: In this fiery and competitive one-rounder from Our Society Battle League O-Red simply wilds out, using an omnipresent barrage of fire schemes, stifling name flips, killer set-ups/punhclines, grandiose gun bars, flexing wordplay/similes and mocking personals along with a spitfire rebuttal in the latter half of his round to beat back a gritty and punch-lit at times, but too often haphazard with the bars Villa.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “His energy lyrically ain’t enough to get rid of me, Eren Yeager, I ain’t the typical Titan your ten will see [Tennessee]!”
Recap: From GTX, giving the fans what they craved with spicy rebuttal games unleashed on both sides, after a debatable round 1, punch-for-punch it’s a wordplay-lit Chef Trez who flexes more, out-scoring and outlasting a pretty solid effort from The Saurus to take both of the latter rounds for the win in what was a competitive 3-rounder.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Paul, Peter, Roll, I’m snatching hope from him, but I’ll never rob Peter to pay Paul…I’m getting both of ’em!”
Recap: Overall, the name flips from the Bar God were kinda topsy-turvy. But after splitting the first couple of rounds with a bullish and boastful but witty at times Aktive (who also had a couple of surprising rebuttals), in the deciding 3rd round of this Bizzle Barfest battle, Danny Myers (helped a bit by a shortened turn from his opponent) continues with a steady barrage of stealth-worthy punches and blazing gun bars to gain the win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “How the fuck are you active [Aktive], I know we both from the era of G-funk but this when I screw the silencer on the pump and boom-bap him!”
Recap: From Beastmode, always able to paint a bloody scene no matter where he’s at, Cortez uses a steady barrage of fiery schemes, flashy gun bars, ruthless boasts/name flips, stinging similes and fierce Brooklyn-laced punchlines to easily get the 30 while beating back an earnest and aggressive at times, but overall topsy-turvy trio of rounds from Canadian up-n-comer Jayyohh.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Cortez – “We ain’t close, bro I give a fuck if the opps watching, I’m talking guns and butter, those my kind of stock options!”
Recap: At first I thought that was Prep underneath the old man disguise. But it turns out it was actually St. Louis emcee Metaphor here in this 1-rounder from GOTG against Danny Myers. And while the former’s pointed gun bars and righteous punches made for a solid performance overall, one too many subpar bars from Metaphor and a Myers mired in raucous haymakers, stinging pontifications/storytelling, boastful barbs and aggressive personals/punchlines gets Danny the win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “My nigga’s love thugging, ain’t no surviving on my block, we’ll turn this shit into White Castle if you bring rider’s on my block, I’m talking shooting K’s and grave chase ’em, that’s 30 sliders in a box!”
Recap: Grafting the energy of a BET crowd that for the most part probably aren’t ardent battle rap fans with fiery punchlines and effervescent current event bars that even your average recluse could keep up with, in this 1-rounder from BET’s Hip Hop Awards show, a more steady hitting DNA is able to beat back (and get a bit of revenge from their earlier match on URL almost a decade ago) a gritty and pretty solid, but a bit too deliberate with the pace and less haymaker-lit K-Shine.
Verdict: DNA (W) 1-0
Favorite line: DNA – “I’m a dump a Glock, he gonna hit with a bunch of shots, then I’m a make him disappear outta nowhere…like the monkeypox!”
Recap: From URL’s Summer Madness 12 card, a close battle between Danny Myers (who could probably be a rock star on the side, the way he gets charged up and interacts with the crowd) and Fonz comes down to a rambunctious punching, more direct and spicy rebuttal game from Danny (after losing round 1 thanks to a stellar second-half to his turn in the opener by Fonz) that in addition to a couple of elongated rounds from Fonz, that while hitting at times punch-wise, couldn’t manage to keep up with the Bar God’s more steadily robust lines (esp. in round 2 where a longwinded and mostly subpar Fonz fought with the crowd over being able to spout a tired T-Rex angle), thus allowing the EFB battler to come back and take round’s 2 plus 3 for the win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “Hey, let me talk to my opposition, he look like one of them landlords that when a woman don’t have all the rent, he offers them a proposition!”
Recap: Continuing a sizzling run of late that has him swiftly rising up the top tier charts, Eazy The Block Captain uses a gang of witty/hardbody personals, steely life tutorials, gritty storytelling, fiery schemes/trap talk, stifling street barbs and flippant gun bars/punchlines to take both of the latter rounds and get the win in this Summer Madness 12 matchup against Calicoe. The Detroit, Michigan emcee and SM vet showing up with 3 rounds of conversationalist/analytical rhymes that were even more heavy-handed when loaded with abstract darts, nimble gems and piercing personals. But outside of an opening round by Cal equipped with enough haymakers to force a debatable, it would be Eazy’s constant shiners via a barrage of versatile and hard-hitting bars that his opponent simplky couldn’t keep up with that’d allow the Philly battler to continue his blazing win streak.
Verdict: Eazy The Block Captain (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Eazy The Block Captain – “Why does the gym feel like trap shit?, machine’ s and diet’s in my plan, cuz I put on gloves to lift weights and still found some powder on my hands!”
Recap: 3-rounder from URL’s Lite Work card. Fire ‘Ginuwine’ bar from Kid Chaos in the 3rd, which in the midst of a boatload of stinging boasts/punchlines/set-ups throughout the match, got him the finale and made for a pretty solid showing overall. But with a bit of a quicker 1st step when it cames to the punches, in addition to some fire name flips, better transitions, spicy wordplay, righteous gun bars and zero reaches (unlike her opponent who had a couple) it’s First Lady Flamez who also lands a couple of more haymaker in each turn to edge both the 1st and 2nd rounds for the win.
Verdict: First Lady Flamez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “Nose up as soon as I walk in the door like I don’t like shit!”
Recap: From Summer Madness 12, a highly anticipated and long awaited style (‘pen’ vs. ‘AMG mode’) clash between Tsu Surf and JC ends up being a mostly one-sided affair after the veteran Michigan emcee got off to a hot start with a barrage of stifling personals in the 1st half of his opening round. And while it was a bit surprising seeing JC get so personal with an opponent, considering all the hype and back-n-forth yapping between him and Surf (well actually it was mostly Surf doing the promoting and shit talking beforehand) leading up to the battle, the EFB member’s change in tone and strategy seemed fitting. Yet stunningly it quickly went downhill from there as the usually boastful, wordplay-lit and God-centric pen of JC’s would succumb to a boatload of subpar punches.personals during the next two-and-a-half rounds that not only left him down and out, but had him pop-locking on stage. All the while Surf, already on an impressive run of 5 wins in a row against top tier opponent’s, would back up months of smack talk with a gritty, punchline-savvy, performance-heavy/crowd-controlling, metaphorically fire at times, street rhyme-lit and personally cold trio of rounds to handily get the win.
Verdict: Tsu Surf (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Tsu Surf – “This must be another JC, it gotta be, the JC I know had me covered when they shot at me!”
Recap: Even with the win, not sure what was going on with Tay Roc in during much-hyped Summer Madness 12 battle versus Swamp. And no, we’re not talking about all the ‘raccoon’ mention’s. First (and a bit surprisingly) there was a highly personal and stellar round 1 from Roc, who while always on point regardless of who the opponent is, usually saves his best rounds for the latter (more on that later) rounds. Then there’s the sheer bewilderment of seeing Roc continuously get into it over all the raccoon talk with a Charlotte, North Carolina crowd that was clearly prideful of their Southern culture. A move we’ve witnessed from Roc before (like against Geechi Gotti in Philly after he took a shot at Cassidy), but one that made zero sense back then and made zero sense here, especially when you consider the fact that the raucous crowd cheered for many of Roc’s bars and wasn’t showing Swamp (who’s from nearby South Carolina) any bias seeing as he got booed too. Lastly, even with just enough haymakers to edge the deciding 3rd and gain the vic (call it a moral victory for Swamp, especially after he came back to take round 2 after getting overmatched by Roc in the opener) in an aggressive battle knee deep in fiery gun bars, highly-spirited personals, solid name flips and gritty punchlines from both sides, the idea that Roc seemingly took Swamp for granted going into this matchup and thought his 1st and 2nd rounds would be enough for a clear win is a move any vet should be wary of making.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Talk to me nice or your jaw I’ma break, nothing’s impossible, God isn’t fake, I can’t take a lake in a swamp, boy but I can toss a Swamp in a lake!”
Recap: Where to start with this one? Well, that’s actually pretty easy. I’m in agreement with Bones Brigante and Jimz. If he hasn’t already Chess needs to make a doctor’s appointment and try to figure out WTF is going on–whether it’s acid reflex or anxiety or whatever–that’s causing him to freak out and throw up on stage. Forget that the fact that’s hindering his battles (to be fair, it’s only happened about 3 times that I can recollect), it’s Chess’ overall health that should be his number one priority. Moving on, a rematch from their competitive EBC battle back in 2018, this one was all Shotgun Suge. The Jersey-to-ATL vet taking advantage of a trio of unforced errors (i.e. breaks in play due to the aforementioned performance issues) by Chess (who did kick some spitfire bars during the opener) in round 1 as well as the frazzled Gun Titles member surprisingly stopping both his 2nd and 3rd rounds short with a steady barrage of stifling name flips, some fire wordplay, rambunctious punchlines, hard-hitting personals, witty barbs and hardbody gun lines/boasts to get a well-earned 30.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “What his life like?, I don’t understand who hyped dude, how you like dude, muthafucka we been following you since you was 15 and we never seen you graduate high school!”
Recap: Fonz vs. Real Name Brandon (aka Ultimate Madness 1 tournament winner versus UM4 tourney winner) from The Riot contains a gang of stifling punchlines, spirited gun bars, lofty set-ups and graphic mayhem from both battlers in make things interesting for the 1st couple of rounds (with a maymaker-lit Fonz edhing round 1 before a 2nd round debatable). But thanks in part to RNB choking away his 3rd, it’s the Landlord (who also added some sizzling wordplay and fire name flips to the mix) what with another round of stealthy punches, who gets the win in the end.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Fonz – “Bro stop it, acting like this nigga the one, no this nigga my son, but he not me, he Jaheim, this R&B nigga a bum!”
Recap: In this close 1-rounder from Gates of the Garden, both Adolph Jr. and Fonz bring the fiery gun bars, ill boasts and hard-hitting punchlines to make thinsg competitive. But despite a near equal amount of haymakers to his opponent and saving himself from a choke by recycling a bar at the end of his turn, it’s a slightly less cleaner Fonz who ends up getting the loss in lieu of an impressive performance from Adolph Jr.
Verdict: Adolph Jr. (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Adolph Jr. – “You think I’m playing nigga?, Robert Downey, Tropic Thunder, just watch what you saying nigga!”
Recap: A 3-round rematch between Cortez and Drugz from URL’s Lite Work card goes the former’s way as the veteran Brooklyn emcee not only takes it back to his old Grind Time days with a boatload of gritty street rhymes, but with an addition of a bunch of spicy name flips, some sizzling wordplay/Spanglish and more consistently hard-hitting punches manages to take rounds 1 and 3 (call round 2 debatable as a pretty and aggressive Drugz stepped it up there) for the win.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Cortez – “Fuck I look like wrestling with drugs…Eddie Guerrero!”
Recap: Showing off more performance with his punches while flexing with a wide array of hitting bars, in this close 1-rounder from Gates of the Garden, it’s a slightly more haymaker-lit and versatile Don Marino who beats back a very witty (esp. when it came to the Mexican jokes), but mostly one-dimensional Bill Collector.
Verdict: Don Marino (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Don Marino – “When you move how I move you don’t have to fight, they lift the gat and they spark it, the clip got a curve like a neck on an ostrich!”
Recap: From Gates of the Garden, Wise who made a nice impression against Tay Roc sometime back, does the same here versus O-Red, using a bunch of fiery schemes, boastful barbs and gritty punchlines to make things competitive in this 1-rounder. But equipped with a barrage of stifling wordplay, rigid sports bars, potent set-ups, sizzling trap talk/gun bars and hard-hitting punches/name flips, it’s a more versatile and steadier with the handle Red who ends up getting the win.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “Fuck humble Red, you’ll get the cocky side, in them Philly streets with the Tommy gun…it get Rocky 5!”
Recap: Rare to see a battler go up against Bill Collector and stand out with a more performance-heavy round. But in this competitive 1-rounder from The Battle Academy, K-Shine uses some eletric storytelling, a bunch of witty barbs/personals, gritty punchlines/gun bars and stifling name flips to beat back a pretty solid (esp. towards the end of his turn) overall and punch-heavy at times, but less consistent and much less stage-lit B.C.
Verdict: K-Shine (W) 1-0
Favorite line: K-Shine – “Just like a nigga, put an extension on Bill right after I got paid!”
Recap: Some white-on-white crime here as Nunn Nunn takes on Mike P in a battle from URL’s Battle in the Bayou card. A long anticipated bout that featured a plethora of local New Orleans’ references from Nunn Nunn, a gang of rambunctious/abstract punches from Mike P, a couple of solid rebuttals from both sides and as to be expected a bunch of aggressive personals from Mike and Nunn (tho the latter making use the now tired angle on Mike’s wife was a bit surprising). Both a crowd-pleasure, set-up rich and a close one throughout with Nunn Nunn taking round 1 and Mike edging round 2, despite a pretty solid and punch-heavy turn by Mike in the 3rd, it’s the more versatile and haymaker-lit Nunn Nunn who takes the 3rd for the win.
Verdict: Nunn Nunn (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Nunn Nunn – “Why take this pussy in New Orleans?!…it’s Mystikal!”
Recap: Highly anticipated, especially on the West coast, Geechi Gotti and Dizaster face off for 3 rounds (last round unlimited) on GTX and to the crowd’s delight, dish a trio of fiery, competitive turns littered with plenty of mayhem, boasts and aggressive punches. Diz in his 2nd battle back after a long hiatus, delivered on his usual checkpoints of graphic violence, fierce storytelling, slick talk and rigid set-ups/personals/schemes. While the versatile Gotti consistently brought the heat with a barrage of hard-hitting/mocking personals, witty barbs, potent street talk, stinging punchline, boastful gun lines and a couple of spicy rebuttals. Altogether a close one, still it’s a more haymaker-lit Geechi who takes rounds 1 and 2 for the win before an equally syrupy on both sides 3rd round debatable.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “We Crips, Bloods, Esai’s, Asian’s, listen you don’t be in them streets enough, I don’t give a fuck much languages you know, bitch you don’t speak for us!”
Recap: While Chilla Jones versus Quban on OSBL can definitely be filed under those ‘Out of Nowhere’ matchups, this 3-rounder is still a fire battle nonethess. Indeed, a turned-up Quban would make his mark throughout the bout with a barrage of gritty punches (esp. in round 2 which he somehow edged after a dope turn by Chilla), graphic mayhem and hitting name flips. While Chilla was…well just Chiila, dishing a plethora of stinging gun bars, cold euphemisms, witty barbs/personals, sturdy name flips of his own, fly smiles and hardbody punchlines. Three competitive rounds provided by both battlers, it’s a slightly more condensed, haymaker-lit and consistently scoring Chilla who edges the 1st and 3rd round’s for the win.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “So get popped or get whipped back to back like gridlock!”
Recap: From Takeova Battle League, a bit of a memory lapse the second round (which he managed to freestyle his way through) cost Chilla Jones a debatable there, but a round 1 and 3 enriched with a steady barrage of sizzling 4-bar setups/punchlines, flexing mayhem, stinging name flips and spicy similes/wordplay handily gets him the win over an overall soild-puinching, but too drunk on the pontifications Dre Litez.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “But don’t worry, we’ll cheer [wheelchair] for you and give you a push [applause], see how I got this platform ramped up?!”
Recap: Despite the rare sight of Chilla Jones struggling to remember his bars (as he does here in round 2 which would lead to him having to save face and freestyle his way through), in this 3-rounder from Alaska’s Sitka Battle League, Mr. Top Tier from the Proving Grounds’ well-finessed schemes, rigid punches and stinging name flips/boasts in rounds 1 and 3 would easily get past a cadence and aggressive-lit, but mostly subpar punching Heat.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “So do y’all mind that I tried switching?, cut out a whole round just to make this up for debate like ice fishing!”
Recap: Remnants of the Grind Time era here with URL’s new ‘Lite Work’ battles, that will still feature 3 rounds, but with a minute-and-a-half time limits per round. A fly concept without a doubt, it’s only right that a couple of GT graduates, in this case Arsonal and DNA, set it off. And this rematch from their infamous Don’t Flop battle almost a decade ago was just as competitive and fiery with a slightly more punch-heavy and trap-talking Arsonal taking the first, before a personal and set-up-lit DNA returned the favor in the 2nd. The 3rd round while also close, would get edged to Ars here as his opponent’s penchant for taking a little too long to get to the punch to go along with da Rebel’s more steady/rapid punching power ends up giving the Jersey capo the win.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “Even tho I don’t get nuthin’ but head, I like Beavis!”
Recap: Rapping over a trio of gritty, resounding beats during this matchup from Verbal War Zone, when it came to kicking sturdy flows/cadences, hitting street raps and stinging punchlines both Ms. Ill and Pristavia came with it. However, while her opponent did keep it competitive throughout the battle, with an extra mix of piercing name flips, wicked wordplay and a more steadier punch game it’s Pristavia who lands the 30 anyway.
Verdict: Pristavia (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Pristavia – “Nigga I’m nasty…Cortez, Yoshi box!”
Recap: Fire and competitive 3-rounder between Shotgun Suge and Stumbles from URL’s Down to the Wire card delivers on the fiery punchlines (both both battlers), slick street talk (esp. from Stumbles), grandular trap talk (esp. from Suge), descriptive mayhem and greasy personals. Close and aggressive throughout with a bunch of brash name flips, steely gun bars and flippant wordplay mixed in to spice up the haymakers, thanks in part to one many indirect bars (esp. when it came to a certain ‘wave’ from New Jersey) and a couple of dry spots, but mostly due to a slighltly more intricate (esp. when it came to his stinging usage of Stumbles’ slogan) Suge delivering a two rounds of seismic lines in rounds 1 (which he barely edged in lieu of a dope by his opponent) and 2, it’s Shotgun who gets the win before a more steady and haymaker-lit Stumbles took the 3rd to avoid the 30.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “What my life like?, I couldn’t wait to gun you, your life not mine’s? till I take it from you!”
Recap: From Our Society Battle League, a dope 1-rounder between Yunus and Quban sees the former spice up the room with a versatile stream of crafty wordplay, fiending (“He’s dying, get rocked with long arms like the Beast Titan, military funeral, that’s a flag by the body, look like the menu for Street Fighter!”) set-ups/punchlines and hitting personals/metaphors. On the other hand Quban was able to rock the crowd with an aggressive/animated round of fiery punchlines, graphic/mayhem-lit darts and fiery boasts/personals in an equally efficient turn that scores this one a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Quban – “Crazy you the creative player but I’m the made nigga!”
Recap: Who knows if the day will ever come that sees A. Ward grace us with his talents on a URL stage. But the feeling here is that if Ward (who’s clearly out to prove that he doesn’t need an appearance on the URL to solidify his battle rap career) continues to go after top tier ‘URL battlers’ (which he is wanton to do) his resume would warrant much more credibility if he did 3-round battles on the likes of Geechi Gotti’s The Riot league then say 1-rounder’s in front of a garage door. That being said, a dope 3-rounder here between Ward and Rum Nitty, littered with a plethora of sizzling punchlines, fiery gun bars, righteous name flips, filthy Godspeak and well-oiled wordplay by Nitty versus a gang of fiesty rebuttals/freestyles juxtaposed over the course of 3 rounds with some flexing punchlines/personals, witty barbs, aggressive schemes, rigid wordplay and stinging boasts/name flips from Ward (who did have reaches here and there) makes this a competitive matchup with the more haymaker-lit Rum taking round 1 before Ward, helped by his off-the-dome aptness, edged round 2. Tied going into the 3rd, it’s a more steadily hitting, intricate and innovative with the pen Nitty (despite a crazy latter half to his round from Ward) who takes it in the end.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “Disrespect, I’ll shoot a Christian with a nail gun!”
Recap: Rim-rocking, competitive 1-rounder from The Battle Academy sees Geechi Gotti use a boatload of witty personals, some compact but stifling schemes, fiery gun bars/trap talk, fierce similes/punchlines and boastful barbs to beat back a pretty solid and mostly hard-hitting, but not as consistently scoring with the punches Rosenberg Raw.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Ugly nigga, your parents need to hold that L!”
Recap: When you’re a straight gunner like Shotgun Suge, even against Drugz you ain’t staying away from the name flips. And in what was an altogether superb performance, a more consistently spicy Suge gets busy with a gang of potent ‘drug’-associated flips/storytelling bars/trap talk, punchlines and personals to handily get the 30 over an overall solid/aggressive with the punches/gun bars and witty at times, but less steady and too often indirect Gun Show in this 3-rounder from URL’s Battle in the Bayou card.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “He ain’t ever use a tuna top for a razor!”
Recap: From 7 Shark Cities Rap Battle League, steady and confident with his brash street raps throughout, that coupled with a mix of steely wit and gritty name flips/personals flexed his versatility, up-n-comer Yung Riddick manages to out-punch and edge a gritty, gun bar-lit and pretty solid Chef Trez (thanks in part to a trio of dem things Trez would edge the 3rd) in the 1st couple of rounds, earn the win and pull off an upset.
Verdict: Yung Riddick (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Yung Riddick – “I punch different, but bitch you better pray to God that I don’t come to you with open hands!”
Recap: Cali vs. Jersey, prolific with the interviews vs. prolific with the interviews, bald head vs. bald head, Danny Myers vs. Jai 400 from the latter’s HowYouGonAct Network league serves up a steady mix of graphic punchlines, aggressive personals (esp. from Jai), pent-up set-ups/boasts and spiteful mayhem to the consistent delight of a well-tuned in crowd. But after a sublime and steadily hard-hitting Jai took round 1, a couple of fly rebuttals, mayhem-slinging (“This is a movie right?, well this clip hold 16 Blocks…Mos Def!”) and more versatile showing from Danny in round 2 would tie things up before the 3rd, which with an equally syrupy display of punches from both battlers would end up making this one debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Jai400 – “Parallel universes is not enough, ‘cuz parallel is all I did to get them numbers just to line him up!”
Recap: Competitive, fierce and aggressive 1-rounder from The Fight-Back Arena between the always entertaining Benji Lolo and Chess goes (despite an often witty, punch-lit at times and performance-spicy effort from Benji) to the latter as the Young Gawd’s more intricate name flips/wordplay, fiery gun lines, rare rebuttals, fire set-ups and vigorous punchlines combine to outscore his opponent and earn the win.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Semi on my waist, I ain’t a Twitter nigga, I don’t like too many in my space!”
Recap: After witnessing Bigg K and now Arsonal do a compliment battle, all I need to see is the ‘Queen of Disrespect’ QB, Rosenberg Raw, Shotgun Suge and Active do one of these and that’ll complete the curiousity factor for me. That being said, despite the lack of disrespect, it’s an easy vic for Da Rebel here as the way more versatile punching, storytelling-lit and witty Jersey vet handily takes all 3 rounds from a ‘thankful’, but too redundant with the bars and seemingly a bit lost in the objective Philly Swain.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Arsonal – “He got the juice, he could turn a grape into a raisin, and what he saying will fully open eyes on an Asian!”
Recap: Ade proves himself formidable with a bunch of abstract, philosophical punches that featured some strong wordplay and stringent Danny-isms here and there. But in this 1-round CrowdShyt audio battle, it’s the Bar God’s surreal name flips, mayhem-rich punches, righteous personals/boasts to go along with a spicy rebuttal that gets Mr. Myers the win.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “You rap like you from a parallel universe where Carlton Banks went to public school!”
Recap: Was there any promo for this one? If so, I must’ve missed it. Either way, despite a solid, gun-bar lit and punch-heavy at times effort from Dre Dennis, a bit of a struggle with his flow as well as one too many reaches and subpar bars from the Loud Boys capo to along with a more versatile and steady DNA unleashing a barrage of stifling set-ups/punchlines, fiery wordplay/schemes, pouty gun lines, boastful barbs and hard-hitting personals, gives the Queens, NY vet the win in this 1-rounder from The Rap Committee.
Verdict: DNA (W) 1-0
Favorite line: DNA – “Dennis you know not to play with DNA…Jurassic Park!”
Recap: Judging from MyVerse and Th3 Saga surprisingly writing their 3rd round (thus, we’ll just call the finale a tie) together in this Barstool Compliment battle, I’m guessing that both of them could care less about getting the win. But it’s all about competition here and despite MyVerse doing a pretty solid job hyping up her opponent throughout rounds 1 and 2, it’s a little more original (esp. when it came to doing his research on his opp’s background), wordplay/name flip-lit, condensed, witty and punch-heavy Saga who edges both of the aforementioned rounds for the win.
Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “I would hate for this round to go flat and cause despair, but allow the leader of The Horsemen to uplift a queen like Charlotte Flair!”
Recap: Versus rising star and ‘Plug talk’ kingpin Kyd Slade in a gritty, gun bar-infested, punchline-lit and close One Off/3-rounder from URL’s Ultimate Madness 5 card, after the two split (w/ Ryda edging round 1 before Slade returned the favor in round 2) the first couple of rounds, a slightly more steady and punch-heavy Ryda adds in some mocking personals and witty barbs to take the 3rd round for the win.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ryda – “I predicted the future, the Silk one made waves, shit I know what it did, ‘cuz ever since I started fucking all these hoes, I knew eventually I had to come and talk to the kid [Kyd]!”
Recap: Tubbs uses an impressive array of gritty punchlines and hometown references to make things close. But in this competitive 1-rounder from Houston Bar Code’s HOME 4 card, a couple of hard-hitting rebuttals to go along with a gang of stinging name flips, fiery 4-bar set-ups and mayhem-lit punches gives DNA the win.
Verdict: DNA (W) 1-0
Favorite line: DNA – “Remember last time I battled JC?, I said ‘razor’ since he super tough, but this time you get one star like the Uber sucks!”
Recap: Mostly abandoning the slew of disrespectful heat we’re used to seeing from him for a gang of sublime punchlines, real street talk and boastful bangers that impressed throughout, Arsonal handily beats back a gritty but topsy-turvy LL Coogi for the win in this 1-rounder from The Rap Committee.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Arsonal – “I be stepping stepping, lay him in Dawson’s Creek, see if his soul make it to 7th Heaven!”
Recap: A rematch of their highly entertaining Verbal War Zone battle from 2019, Bill Collector and Dre Dennis bring the wit, praiseworthy punches and other accolades to this 3-round ‘The Nicest’ Compliment Battle. Noteworthy too for the two being a part of the same ‘Loud Boys’ clique as well as a well-crafted together 3rd round that showed off their symmetry, a close battle what with a debatable 2nd and 3rd round is edged overall by the slightly more punch-lit Bill in the 1st.
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “My homie tough, he got the underground battle game in a cobra clutch, teach a new player to the game how to soldier up, giving them a platform to battle they favorite and show they stuff, bro even Tay Roc would be amazed at all teh doors you opened up!”
Recap: A gritty and competitive 3-rounder from WarTown Battles filled to the rim with a host of flexing gun bars, real street talk and piercing punchlines, after a slightly punch-heavier Kidd Nyheem takes round 1, leave it up to a more condensed Chef Trez to add some fiery name flips and hard-hitting (including a dope one at the end of his 3rd) rebuttals to the mix to edge each of the latter two rounds and gain the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “You hella light, I’ll let it ring and let off shots if you too amped, you’ll get hit teh wildest couple…Marriage Boot Camp!”
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]!”
Recap: Plenty of ‘lyrical’ dick jokes, reverent punchlines, funny impressions, nice rebuttals and clever zingers in this 3-round Barstool Sports Compliment Battle between Pat Stay and Dunsh. A close one throughout, it’s the more experienced austere of flattery (as well as a master at making his opponent feel totally uncomfortable) Pat Stay who out-punches Dunsh and edges the 1st and 3rd rounds (call the 2nd debatable) for the win.
Verdict: Pat Stay (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Pat Stay – “Bond forming tighter than his immaculate Windsor knots, I can’t even tie a tie, you probably practice it with your cock!”
Recap: In this fire 1-rounder from Our Society Battle League, Lady Caution wigs with a gang of fiery gun bars, pent-up mayhem and hard-hitting punchlines/name flips. However, replete with a slightly more consistent and versatile plate of vicious schemes, stifling wordplay, wicked/cold calculated punches and jaunty name flips/personals of her own, it’s First Lady Flamez who edges this on for the win here.
Verdict: First Lady Flamez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “You had me fucked up for even taking this, sugar free , it ain’t sweet ’round here pimpin’, I’ll break a bitch, Napalm, Chloroform, homemade bombs, short list safer than me you should be playing with!”
Recap: While it’s common knowledge that the league didn’t start out that way, but from an aesthetics standpoint it’s still a little weird seeing QOTR putting on a battle that’s not in a boxing ring. That aside, a dope, competitive 3-rounder between Yoshi G and QOTR vet Don Ladyii, what with plenty of salacious sex talk, fiery punchlines/wordplay and piercing personals ends with (after a slightly punch-heavier Yoshi edged round 1 before Don Ladyii returned the favor to edge things up going into the 3rd) another close, hard-hitting and competitive 3rd, but with a slightly cleaner and versatile Don Ladyii edging the final round for the win.
Verdict: Don Ladyii (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Don Ladyii – “You the same bitch that let the state take her kids and blamed it on her mental health…that’s crazy!”
Recap: In this crazy 1-rounder from League of Championship Kulture, an impressive performance by Leo Bronze, who with a barrage of sizzling punchlines, gritty street talk, fire similes, witty (Leo Bronze: “You don’t even got your own face, fake-ass Ja Morant!”) personals/angles and a fiery cameo appearance from his 7yo daughter, let you know that he came to win, gets measured up by a dope showing from Chef Trez. Who with a quartet of hitting rebuttals, piercing gun bars, well-armed name flips and plenty of stinging punches of his own, does just enough to earn a draw.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “We all know about the law of attraction, and by naming yourself Bronze you already took away that number one spot!!”
