No Bias. No Narratives.
Recap: A one-round punchfest from Houston Bar Code that saw a returning-to-the-scene Hemi get better and better as his round proceeded, it’s still a more versatile, personal-lit, brazen and consistently spazzing Casey Jay who earns the win.
Verdict: Casey Jay (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Casey Jay – “You not thuggin’, all that BS is not nothing, you in Texas, you can’t weather this storm…the pipe busting!”
Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “My flow’s potent, bragging on his Lord’s ship like I’m showboating!”
Recap: From The Riot Network, Real Name Brandon offers up a bunch of slick wordplay, fiery punchlines, stirring mayhem, heated gun bars and righteous zingers/personals to get by a Marvwon who while dialing up a competitive host of witty big man personals, hardbody punches and dicey heat, couldn’t quite keep up with his opponent’s more haymaker-lit servings in round’s 1 and 3 (call the 2nd debatable).
Verdict: Real Name Brandon (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Real Name Brandon – “I’m tired of you old nigga’s, thinking you gonna last forever, nigga your time is done, if you was nice you would’ve been dead, they say the good die young!”
Recap: From URL’s Born Legacy 12 card, Don Marino gets back on his grind, avoids the notorious unforced errors and while taking advantage of an elongated Danja Zone who was prone to filler after a punch-heavy and strong, multi-layered round 1, unleashes a hefty bag of piercing name flips/punchlines, hard-hitting struggle bars, some solid rebuttals and stinging set-ups/personals to edge round 1, score a debatable 2nd and take round 3 for the win.
Verdict: Don Marino (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Don Marino – “When it comes to smoke, I’m no stranger Danja, you just pointed out the wrong person!”
Recap: Consistently gritty with some solid personals and a bunch of fiery punchlines/wordplay/gun bars mixed in, Clone’s steady heat does enough to edge a gruff and witty, but slightly less turbulent Mackk Myron in rounds 1 plus 3 and get the win in this KOTD matchup.
Verdict: Clone (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Clone – “40s and up, bitch we got an old folk’s clinic!”
Recap: Plenty of buildup for this John John Da Don vs. Ace Amin Bullpen battle, but was it worth an entire 50 minutes? Not so much as both Ace and John John had one too many moments of running back bars and filler throughout the bout. Still a solid matchup considering all the backstory here (esp. JJDD’s history with the Goonies), all the pre-match interviews and who to believe when it comes who did what and when as far as previous run-ins on the street. Gritty personals, as expected, pretty much dominated this battle tho what with John John bringing up everything from Ace’s notorious prison bid to his love for interviews to his battle rap flaws to his emotional (“You can’t tell a man how he should react to any harsh threats, only one to respond to these bold types…large Tek’s [texts]!”) idiosyncrasies. All the while, the ever aggressive Ace showed zero restraint in getting in his opponent’s head via a bunch of gripping punches/schemes on JJDD’s alleged sexual misdeeds, penchant for tall tales as well as his battle vet rep to go along with some dope off-the-dome heat, piercing punches and other performance-enhanced mayhem. A pretty solid battle that was also intriguing due to the large, mask-less crowd that looked on despite a pandemic still being in the midst, after a debatable round 1, we got a punch-heavier JJDD taking the 2nd before an angle-lit and highly personal Ace came back to take the 3rd and make this one debatable.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Ace Amin – “This cannot be, I gave 10 years to the system and I got free, you gave to this culture and you got me!”
Recap: Impressive comeback here by Ru Bando, who after getting out-punched and extolling a gang of wayward angles (NXT’s usage of name flips not only sizzled, but it seemed like he trying to knock Bando’s lack of versatility in round 1 too) in the opening round, got his shit together in the latter rounds, connecting his punches better while unleashing a fly series of blistering gun lines, witty barbs, some dope wordplay and potent storytelling/name flips to take both the 2nd and 3rd rounds and beat back the performance-savvy and mayhem-lit, but not consistently hitting with the punches NXT.
Verdict: Ru Bando (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ru Bando – “You ever fell asleep getting some pussy?, you’ll be laying in the box with your eyes closed!”
Recap: Lacking intricacy with his bars, Max Taylor’s straightforward punches mostly fail to land (tho he does have some wit), leaving an Emerson Kennedy, while not at all on his A-game, with just enough nifty freestyles and otherwise solid punchlines to get the win in this 1-rounder from Shots Fired Battle League.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “I fathered all these nigga’s, got more kids than Philip Rivers!”
Recap: Almost always intense and hardbody with the raps, but never lacking when it comes to effort, in this 1-rounder from Hunger Gamez, it’s good to see Zig Zag display some wit with the long flag-pull at the end of his round. However, an up-n-down and a bit long-winded run by Mr. Zag combined with an on-point, clean and prolific with the flexing punchlines B. Magic. allows the St. Louis battler to score the win.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “I will put my whole palm on ya bitch ass, plus we knew you wasn’t gonna ride from the gate like Six Flags!”
Recap: A mayhem-rich Gattas, after surviving a punch-heavy, versatile and stellar round 1 from RX, ups the ante a little bit while staying consistent with the stifling wordplay, rigid name flips, boastful barbs and wicked punchlines to edge the latter two rounds and get the win in this competitive 3-rounder from KOTD.
Verdict: Gattas (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Gattas – “Be easy, it ain’t a eye job when I’m rolling by, ‘cuz on the Wst I ride with a cartridge in my ’64 like I’m Golden Eye!”
Recap: From New Smacc On Go Vol 1, in this 1-rounder Villa brings the intensity, mayhem and a dope Tony Dungy line to his raps. But in what sometimes came off as a half-hearted effort, the vet B. Magic still manages to pull out a bunch of bruising punches out of his bag of tricks to best his less potent opponent and get the edge here.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “In the kitchen like Raekwon, till it lock up like Akon!”
Recap: Although not as bad as the commenters in the App Gang (and elsewhere) would have you think, Ms. Hustle (who got better with each round) still puts a hurting on Aye Verb in this Kings vs. Queens matchup. The Harlem femcee delivering some solid wordplay, spitfire personals that ran the gamut from battle rap friendships to Verb’s upbringing to challenges on his manhood and aggressive punchlines to gain a 30 over an opponent who while dialed in at times with his usual barbs on women knowing their place and some witty barbs on Hustle’s looks, just could never keep up with a battler who not only seemed to want this one more, but performed like it.
Verdict: Ms. Hustle (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ms. Hustle – “I’m like Surf in the faceoff, I take my .40 on a date!”
Recap: In this competitive 1-rounder from We Go Hard, both Stumbles and Ty Main come packed with a load of spicy punchlines, bodacious heaters and greasy street shit. But it’s the more expansive with the storytelling, witty and haymaker-lit Stumbles who takes it in the end.
Verdict: Stumbles (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Stumbles – “The only freak I know is your mother nigga, I knew your room was spotless, that’s why I told you to come to dinner, make sure your plate clean…eat those, they healthy, ya mother made greens!”
Recap: In a spirited and competitive 3-rounder from Wartown Battles, after the two split the first couple of rounds, a righteous and punch-heavy at times, but wayward thematically 3rd by Riggz gives way to an also righteous, but consistently personal-lit turn by A. Ward, thus giving the 4 Horseman a well-earned win.
Verdict: A. Ward (W) 2-1
Favorite line: A. Ward – “I told ya, I have no chill like Surf predictions!
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!”
Recap: A much closer battle than what the URL ‘App Gang’ gave it, First Lady Flamez gives the JC all he can handle in this Kings vs. Queens 2 bout with a gang of wicked punchlines, sizzling gun bars, real street talk, some wily personals and stinging wordplay that stood out even more when you consider that Flamez not only stayed on her rugged bar game, but rarely, if ever, went for the sort of name flips or lines on her opponent’s past dance moves that have become the norm against JC. Still, while Flamez was her usual gangsta self, an ever boastful JC, for the first two rounds anyway, sizzled throughout. The Pontiac, MI, vet utilizing a wide array of eerie darts laced with expiration dates, blistering personals, mayhem-rich punchlines, stifling gun bars and hitting name flips to earn the win over two pretty solid rounds by Flamez. That said, the Richmond, VA battler would get some payback with a sublime and punch-heavy 3rd round that beat back a dope, but slightly less consistent round from JC.
Verdict: JC (W) 2-1
Favorite line: JC – “All you have in this world is your name, Flamez…and you gonna melt in it!”
Recap: Dope, gritty and righteous 1-rounder between Real Sikh and Sneezy Bo featured a gang of slick wordplay/gun bars and crafty (“They all stuck on what it’s looking like, Serena when she stretch!”) set-ups/punches/similes by Bo which were countered excellently by an aggressive, power-punching and personal-lit Sikh. With an equal dosage of bar efficiency, call this one a draw.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Real Sikh – “You boring and weak, when he go I’m going to sleep, I tried it, but can’t keep my eyes open with Sneeze!”
Recap: From GOTG, showing off some fire wordplay and consistently hitting with the punchlines, mayhem and name flips, a slightly more steady and condensed Bill Collector manages to edge a pretty solid and gritty effort from Wise in what was a competitive 1-rounder.
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “If I catch you off base I’ll tag your block, turn your whole neighborhood to Ragnarok!”
Recap: His simple, yet contagious Nickelodeon raps may have had the crowd laughing, but I’m sure that if and when O Solo sees this battle, Mr Bey will have gained a fan and that what’s most important. That said, Swamp all the way in this 1-sided, 1 round Pyrexx Battle League battle as the South Carolina battler gets extra busy with a consistent variety of witty barbs, stinging name flips, blazing gun bars and hard-hitting punches on his way to an easy vic.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “Fuck you, my girl made me change my number the minute you called and ‘Bey’ [bae] popped up!”
Recap: A couple of We Go Hard vets, Presidential Dubz and Brooklyn Carter, who’ve had more than share of small stage, but big league URL sparring in the past, meet up for a fiery 3-rounder on Smack’s Survivor Series Onyx card. The ever-aggressive and never lacking for confidence Dubz, does a strong job with a spicy mix of shrewd punchlines, performance-stunting heat, salacious personals and witty barbs, while Carter stays grimy with a boatload of gritty bars, boastful rants, fierce name flips, dope set-ups and hard-hitting personals of his own. A close one that saw the two split the first two rounds (which included a spitfire round 1 that Carter edged), after a solid turn by Dubz, a more consistently lit and punch-heavy Carter pulls out the win in the deciding 3rd.
Verdict: Brooklyn Carter (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Brooklyn Carter – “I’ll kill you and your nanny, bury you and your mother…since Puerto-Ricans like laying with they family!”
Recap: From URL’s Kings vs. Queens 2 card, both Loso and Viixen The Assassin put on dope, aggressive, punch-heavy performances in a battle also featured bruising race angles/set-ups from Loso and wicked name flips/gun bars from Viixen. However, a more punch-lit, personal breakdown-adept and cleaner-flowing Loso would take round one before the 4 Horseman would get even more righteous, condensed and hard-hitting with his, calling out his opponent’s alleged transgressions with race throughout round 2 while in the midst deftly using the cameramen in the room to enhance his bars. A superbly executed turn by Loso would he would need every bit of in light of a gritty, mayhem-savvy and personal/punchline-scoring 2nd from The Assassin. 3rd round was another doozy littered with strong showings from battlers, but the spicy Christian-themed lines and less dry spots turn by Viixen allow her to take the final round and prevent Loso from pitching a shutout.
Verdict: Loso (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Loso – “What you bragging about?, how you getting all these names?, you know how many Viixen’s have an STD?, it’s only right they gave you DNA and Flamez!”
Recap: Both T Top and Coffee Brown bring their A-game’s to this fiery URL Kings vs. Queens 2 battle that arguably was the best bout from the card. C. Brown, with her love for persistent mayhem, aggressive/hardbody punchlines, gritty trap talk, spicy personals and boastful barbs stayed lit throughout the match. While the shrewd styling’s of Top what with a fleet of stinging name flips, hard-hitting/witty personals, gripping angles/schemes, righteous punches and plenty of raucous heat proved that the NWX capo can bring it just as crazy with the women as he already does with the fellas. A close battle all the way through with 3 lengthy rounds by both battlers, a slightly more direct overall, funny and haymaker-lit Top manages to edge both rounds 1 and 2 for the win before, in what was incredibly her best (after two fire rounds beforehand) round of the battle, Coffee used a consistently punch-heavy, spitfire turn to take the 3rd.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “Don’t forget before your Sugar Daddy came with the cream, you were Black Coffee!”
Recap: Judging from their history on stage, Real Sikh versus his Italian doppelganger Mike P had all the makings of putting on a dope battle and that’s exactly what it turned out to be. The two battlers, readily known for their boisterous, punch/wordplay-lit and aggressive styles would keep things competitive throughout the match with a punchline-heavier Sikh edging edging round 1, before a more consistently spicy Mike (despite Sikh delivering a couple of roundhouses) would return the favor and edge the 2nd round to even things up going into the 3rd. The final round was yet another goodie (and thanks to Sikh, pretty enlightening and political too) with more sizzling personals on each side in the midst of some righteous screeds. However, it’s a personal breakdown-savvy, boastful-bent and punch-heavy Mike P who edges the deciding turn for the win.
Verdict: Mike P (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Mike P – “You rap in gym clothes, what you take pre-workout before battles so you can get extra loud?, Hey yo Smack the first thought I had when I seen him rapping in Under Amour is we must protect this house!”
Recap: Preferences are for fans. That said, both (“You don’t just think big, you demonstrate!”) Bill Collector and Marvwon get witty and let the gritty punchlines/personals fly in this URL/Born Legacy 12 matchup. Add to that a nice rebuttal game by both battlers, some spicy wordplay here and there, a scheme-lit BC and righteous-preaching Marvwon and you’re with a dope, competitive and ultimately too close battle that neither side won or lost.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Marvwon – “There is no accident, I will let something Black fly through the sky like static shock!”
Recap: The Gun Show makes a visit to The Colosseum Battle League for a 1-rounder against Swagtanna and despite a dope, name-flip-lit and gritty performance from his opponent, pulls out a close win with a spirited, witty at times, punch-heavy, personal-friendly and gun bar-smoking turn that capped a battle that was fire as fuck.
Verdict: Drugz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Drugz – “Bitch, I’m walking with an extra arm like a birth defect!”
Recap: 3 minutes of nothing but fire freestyles and rebuttals to start his turn once again proves Chef Trez’s mettle before the ATL vet proceeds to drop a boatload of fierce gun bars, witty personals and piercing 4-bar setups to gain the vic over a solid and name flip/mayhem-rich Black Aladdin in this 1-rounder from Black Elite Battle League.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “The shot excellent, right on target, my shooting legit, the shit land perfect, Snoop and Pharrell, it was a Beautiful hit!”
Recap: Yes, Mackk Myron’s charismatic, but no-holds-barred sense of humor even extends to rappers who’ve lost a leg as the Pontiac, MI, battler uses a series of scathing personals, witty barbs and piercing punchlines to withstand a pretty solid and gritty effort from veteran Detroit emcee S.N.A.P in this 1-rounder from HankNation TV.
Verdict: Mackk Myron (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Mackk Myron -“Your leg missing, what a tragedy, Snap, if you play Twister you gonna lose automatically!”
Recap: Emerson Kennedy was on to something here. Because for all the blistering personals and (gotta admit) hilarious disses on EK’s commensurate ‘Hickory-Dickory-Dock’ flow patterns tossed at him by Big Kannon in this Born Legacy matchup from URL, BK’s subtle reaches and penchant for some pretty mediocre bars (which from his facial expressions, EK clearly noticed) would get lost in the midst of Kannon’s more high-ranking moments. Still a close one, what with EK’s solid 4-bar setups, fiery wordplay and versatility with his punches working well to offset his opponent’s more idiosyncratic attacks, especially in round 1 which a punch-heavier EK would edge for the win before the two split the latter rounds.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “The first shall be the last like a snake draft!”
Recap: From Gates of the Garden, an always brazen Zap Smoove had some hot lines. But a couple of dry spots by Smoove along with a more nifty with the wordplay, set-up/mayhem-lit, bullish with the schemes and punch-heavy Lu Castro gets the win in this fiery 1-rounder.
Verdict: Lu Castro (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Lu Castro – “Quick question, where you get all this heart from to keep getting back up? go down Smoove [smooth]!, Henny Privilege!”
Recap: In this Born Legacy 12 match that featured the 1st solo appearance of longtime vet Quest McCody on URL, Cortez utilizes with a quartet of verbal apparatus’: fierce name flips, boastful lyricism, ringing mayhem and rigid personals on his opponent’s status in battle rap to take the first couple of rounds for the win before Quest used some pent-up aggression and blistering personals to angle his way to a 3rd round debatable.
Verdict: Cortez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Cortez – “My last battle?, that shit wasn’t trash, that shit was less than that, but Harry’s back ‘cuz once again I’m re-investing Smack!”
Recap: The fact that Prez Mafia could seemingly freestyle half his round after his opponent rapped twice as long as he did and still make a battle close speaks to Prez’s immense talent. Good thing for Chuck Book tho, an at times raucous and certainly versatile punch-game hit with enough consistency to edge this 1-rounder from GOTG.
Verdict: Chuck Book (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chuck Book – “A lot of you nigga’s love to rap about me ‘paying for battles’, man it’s fuck it the way I do business, always got something to say ‘cuz instead of going to the strip club and making it rain, I come and throw money at you bitches!”
Recap: 1-rounder from Colosseum Battle League spotlights two dudes whose battle rap careers have been going in vastly different directions of late (the usually reliable Reepah Rell notably coming off some recent flat performances while gaining more fame online for his actions outside the stage, while the underrated Benji Lolo’s newfound performance stunts have lifted up his status and had him going viral) as Lolo’s witty/stinging punches, fiery schemes, mocking personals and wicked performance bars (capped by a fire Sub Zero, ‘teleport’ scene) lines him up for a bodybag after Rell chokes a couple of minutes into his round before choking again when given a 2nd chance to finish his turn minutes later.
Verdict: Benji Lolo (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Benji Lolo – “Nigga, don’t you sell cookies?, and they not even edible so technically you a Girl Scout!”
Recap: Danny Myers uses a consistent barrage of aggressive/piercing punchlines as well as some downright nasty and scathing personals to handily beat back a solid and gritty effort from Meatrice in this 1-rounder from Bloody Scene.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “You think these battle leagues pimping you out?, I’m a really whore you, you said your skin rich like Prince Akeem…I brought a Semi for you!”
Recap: A bar or two? Sure. But at this point, if you’re going to dedicate an almost entire round on the tired subject that is Danny Myers wife and it ain’t beating that classic 2nd round Mike P. put on Danny last year, you might want to try another topic. Besides that, for a guy who battles nearly every week at this point, as even his opponent here, Don Marino, admits to, Danny always give 100% effort, something a lot of battle rappers could learn from. And while he’s struggled recently with lack of preparation in battles, for the most part (that is, when he was being original with his themes) Marino came correct here, spouting some ill lines and breakdowns on Danny’s battle regimen in round 1 and delivering some dope punchlines when he wasn’t spitting what would be his best round, the 3rd, which saw Don get busy with a versatile turn of rich-set-ups, some exquisite wordplay and fiery personals that didn’t involve Danny’s other half. Unfortunately for Marino tho, in both of the opening rounds an always energetic and performance-stunting Bar God was at his best, unleashing a gang of piercing punches, rigid wordplay, jaunty Mexican-laced personals, fire name flips, boastful barbs, a searing mid-round rebuttal, righteous chatter and rugged gun lines that hit with enough heat to take both rounds for the win in this rare 3-rounder from Gates of the Garden.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “You use performance to cover up your sorry flow, what, you think you the Mexican Hitman?, Sicario!”
Recap: In this competitive 3-rounder from The Riot Network, KD unloads a bunch of lines testing Yung Griz’s street cred while also scoring with a gang of fiery punches. However, besides a minor 2nd round hiccup (which forced a debatable there), Griz displays nary a misstep, all the while using fierce name flips, rigid sports bars, boastful barbs, witty/hard-hitting personals and a plethora of piercing punchlines to take rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Yung Griz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Yung Griz – “My vibes is based on your temperature…it’s like a moodring!”
Recap: In this fiery 1-rounder from iBattleTV, the gritty and unorthodox punches of Ken Savvy make for plenty of performance-lit hijinks. However, a more raucous, punch-heavy, wordplay-nice and name flip-scoring Lu Castro lands more haymakers for the win.
Verdict: Lu Castro (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Lu Castro – “What gun I’m a use?, awww the Tek [Tech] savvy…for ya Geek Squad!”
Recap: Personally, I liked the 3rd round beat the best. Still, in this Verbal Warfare 3-rounder between Ish Mulah and upstate NY recording artist Hundoe Luck, it’s Ish who goes ham all 3 rounds with a litany of steely punchlines, forthright mayhem and fiery name flips to beat back an unorthodox opponent with a gang of gritty bars that were clearly more designed for the booth than the battle rap stage.
Verdict: Ish Mulah (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ish Mulah – “I spit better than Eminem at the lunch truck!”
Recap: Well, that’s a bit surprising. 90-plus battles in his career and Chef Trez hadn’t battled a female yet, waiting till this Bloody Scene card to do a 1-rounder with Diablo. Either way, despite a solid and gritty effort from his opponent, the Chef makes easy work here, mostly staying away from the sexual exploits and instead using a gratifying barrage of stinging mayhem, fiery gun bars, some nasty wordplay and stifling 4-bar setups/punchlines to gain the win.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “I been dope, GTA mission, I’m looking for big smoke!”
Recap: It’s not complicated. If you’re a mid-tier battle rapper complaining about not getting bigger plates, when one comes your way, you have to take advantage of it. Really now, ‘cuz say what you want about a Holmzie Da God or a Drugz, when they go face-to-face with a top tier, the effort is there and at the very least they show up with 3 full rounds. Unfortunately, the same can’t said about Don Marino as unforced errors continue to be his downfall. That being the case here in this 3-rounder against an Ill Will, who besides a killer 1st round loaded with fiery punchlines, brazen gun bars and witty personals, could’ve been beat with a standout showing. But after a pretty solid and punch-heavy at times 1st, Don, while continuing to score with a handful of spirited punchlines/set-ups, just couldn’t avoid the slip-ups in round 2 (which helped a versatile and punch-heavy Will take that turn), before starting off his 3rd pretty rigid, getting little past midway and succumbing to a choke.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “Little flare, any wrong move the 5th will [ap]pear, pistol so close to Don…it’s a consigliere!”
Recap: In this solid 1-rounder from Underground Battle League, while Smoove Da Juugman started off hot with a gang of fiery punches/name flips, a more mundane set of bars during the 2nd half of what was an elongated turn combined with B. Magic rapping for like only two minutes, but making his condensed and punch-heavy round more useful and spicy, gives Magic the win.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Nigga, it’s suicide, who is you and where do you reside?, bullet holes, look like the barrel was ruler wide nigga!”
Recap: Already blessed with some expansive wit, Hollaluyah Jones adds some rich storytelling lines, explosive gun bars, gritty punchlines and some fierce name flips to take each round of this URL matchup versus a gritty, street-laced and vivid, but also flow-challenged and less substantive with the bars Raccs.
Verdict: Hollaluyah Jones (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Hollaluyah Jones – “URL, look at me, I’m what Big T would’ve been if he ever started fucking bad bitches!”
Recap: From Shotz Fired Battle Rap League, even a Fonz who was never quite on his A-game does enough damage in this 1-rounder, what with a boatload of piercing punchlines and hardbody personals/gun bars, to beat back the loud and witty at times, but mostly pedestrian bars from Reek Havik.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “I went to his first battle, the shit was like a first floor balcony, the views ain’t shit!”
Recap: Damn, Dre Dennis has 160 battles. Someone should call Guinness because it takes a special kind of talent to have that many battles. Add that he never chokes and gives a solid performances each and every single time out and it’s no wonder Dre dumped his teaching job to battle full-time. However, despite a dope (tho a little inconsistent), gritty, name flip/gun bar-spazzing and hard-hitting effort from Dre here in this URL Survivor Series Onyx matchup, sometimes it’s not about the other guy being better, it’s about him being hungrier. And that’s Piranha here, the Detroit battler taking every shot Dre could give him and retaliating with a gang of hardbody, real street shit, stinging personals, righteous gun lines, piercing punchlines and rigid wordplay that with a flexing amount of consistency, edged him each round for a well-earned 30.
Verdict: Piranha (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Piranha – “Dre, you got a 3-letter name, putting it on a bullet shouldn’t be an issue!”
Recap: In a fiery 1-round battle from IBattle littered with plenty of hardbody lines, helped a bit by opponent Ish Mulah delivering some indirect bars at a peer, a punch-heavy, mayhem-rich and slightly more haymaker-lit Chase Banks gets the win.
Verdict: Chase Banks (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chase Banks – “You clear bitch, I will air shit, it gets spooky when he wakes up to the sticks like Blair Witch!”
Recap: Not to get in her pockets or anything ‘cuz you never know how much a battle rapper depends on battling when it comes to income, but I’ve thought Bonnie Godiva’s battle rap career would be more prominent if she was chose to stick with one league (RBE? Bullpen?) and possibly be the female face of it instead of all the league-hopping she does. That said, in this 1-rounder from Bloody Scene vs Mackk Myron, Bonnie makes for a solid showing with a gang of piercing punchlines/wordplay and even displaying some fresh wit here and there to make the bout competitive. But Mackk being Mackk, especially against a woman, you had to know he’d come extra mean with it and that he did, using a plethora of scathing personals, hard, aggressive punchlines and even his own mama to score the win.
Verdict: Mackk Myron (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Mackk Myron – “Ugly bitch, you ain’t got shit in your name, you such a ho, I put a condom on my thumb when I click on your page!”
Recap: Sheed Happens needs a congregation. Really now as the Maryland rapper’s extra-rich performance, unorthodox punches, excellent storytelling, fierce struggle bars and rigid trap talk could certainly keep a bunch of church folks coming back as much as it can keep a battle rap crowd enlightened. Add to the mix some stirring name flips and after a debatable 1st round (thanks in part to Sheed’s elongated turn), with a spitfire 2nd round coupled with a dope 3rd, Sheed gets the win in this Survivor Series Onyx battle versus a hard-hitting G Lowe, who once again delivered a pretty solid effort (tho he might want to work on his angles and definitely should add more wit to his repertoire), but just couldn’t quite keep up with his opponent’s more versatile and grittier performance.
Verdict: Sheed Happens (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Sheed Happens – “You ever got a nigga with a key on the elevator?, yeah that was wrong on so many levels!”
Recap: Nothing to quibble about here as in this Survivor Series Onyx 3-rounder from Smack/URL, Ish Mulah’s consistently fiery punchlines, sizzling name flips, boastful barbs and heated gun bars make easy work of a hitting at times, but mostly pedestrian C Dollarz.
Verdict: Ish Mulah (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ish Mulah – “Y’all be around nigga’s that killed Mike P, I be around nigga’s who really shot Police!”
Recap: Usually reliant on a huge supply of fierce gun bars, Dre Dennis changes it up a bit with a boatload of boastful barbs, extra witty personals and some stifling punchlines/name flips that when added to the customary assortment of heat, makes for an easy go in beating back a mostly mediocre Funeral F.A.M.E. in this 1-rounder from IBattleTV.
Verdict: Dre Dennis (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Dre Dennis – “Nigga’s know you as the short nigga with Ace, Twork and Drugz…yunno, ‘What’s His Name’!”
Recap: Sometimes having an easy stage name to flip can come back and bite ya as in this close 1-rounder from LetsTalkAboutIt TV, a pretty solid and punch-heavy at times effort from Legend gets edged (despite a mid-round slip-up) by a name flip-spazzing, wordplay-nice and versatile punching Loso.
Verdict: Loso (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Loso – “I’m a star regardless of the message that I rap, you need me to help you be a legend where you at!”
Recap: Cleaner turns by both Fettuccine 20 and a returning-to-the-stage King Moneyy could’ve made this 1-round We Go Hard bout better. But with only a week or so prep, a couple of mulligan’s on the slip-ups is only fair. Still, while Fetti rapped almost twice as long as his opponent and both battlers spouted a bunch of gritty lines, the more versatile, name flip-lit and consistently hitting punching Fetti gains the edge here.
Verdict: Fettuccine 20 (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fettuccine 20 – “So when I’m airing just look out, the strap on this rifle, hanging from the shoulder, look like I brought my own chair to the cookout!”
Recap: Gates of the Garden 1-rounder, while pretty lengthy on both ends, was still a dope one, and that includes showcasing one of your better Chuck Book performances, the elder vet from PA spouting a boatload of piercing punchlines, gritty name flips, thought-provoking raps, witty barbs and even showing off some spiffy dance and singing moves to keep you entertained. That said, Chuck didn’t stand a chance here as Th3 Saga was just working on a different planet, the Christian battle rapper literally spazzing with back-to-back-back ringing punches, some spitfire name flips, fiery religious-laced darts and sizzling wordplay/personals to get the win without missing a beat along the way.
Verdict: Th3 Saga (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “You don’t feel the stress?, like your bro’s ain’t warn you about this Revelation Book, going to war with a Pale horse bro can seal your death!”
Recap: Coupled with a pair of dope freestyles to combat his turn getting interrupted by some ignoramus in the crowd who forgot to turn their phone off, a condensed and confident Emerson Kennedy uses a consistent diet of blazing set-ups, stirring name flips, some hitting wordplay and stinging punchlines/personals to edge a righteous at times, street-savvy and overall solid, but elongated effort from Ultimate Beast Primus in this No Coast 1-rounder.
Verdict: Emerson Kennedy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Emerson Kennedy – “Ultimate Beast Primus, get your brand up, I Googled all those names and couldn’t find this man once!”
Recap: Not saying its always been his fault, but Quban battles coinciding with shoving matches and or near-fights is not a good look for anyone. Still, and to be fair, is it time for Quban to get bigger plates? Most definitely, especially in light of dudes at or near Quban’s level (or from his class) already receiving their opportunity to shine on bigger cards. And even moreso when Quban delivers yet another quality effort here against a tough and gritty opponent in TruFoe on this Survivor Series card. The military vet from Maryland using a gang of performance-rich darts, sizzling name flips, plenty of flippant mayhem and extended dexterity with his punches to take both round 1 and 3 for a well-earned win.
Verdict: Quban (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Quban – “I told Jakk, soon as this movie get to talking, the toolie get to sparking, one rulie with a larkin, kick the door, turn 4-bedrooms into a studio apartment!”
Recap: Strong, gritty and mayhem-lit performances by both Alias and Prep in this close one-rounder from GOTG. And while Alias was more personal-lit and might’ve scored one or two more haymakers haymakers, the slightly more condensed Prep’s stinging wordplay, freestyle’s and 4-bar set-ups edges it here.
Verdict: Prep (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Prep – “You ain’t ever made a gram move, been hugging on the block, holding on the rock like you running out the clock!”
Recap: Strong showings by both Ish Mulah and Mr. Mills in this 1-rounder from Smoke Room Battle League. But a mayhem-lit, overall punch-heavier and more consistently spicy/versatile Ish gets the edge here.
Verdict: Ish Mulah (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ish Mulah – “Raising hell, put a stop to your show…Dave Chappelle!”
Recap: Dipped in anti-Christian themes, boastful stunting and a bunch of unorthodox (“I’m on an island all by myself, I’m a castaway!”) punches that still for the most part landed, a more condensed Goddie Lumenati manages to force a draw with Th3 Saga who despite a punch-heavy, name flip-lit and versatile showing, hurt himself a bit with a couple of hiccups and an elongated/redundant turn in this 1-rounder from Takeoff Battle League.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Th3 Saga – “You lame homie, and I could tell your persona seem fake, so act up and this could get out of hand Trey [.3] like a Halloween prank!”
Recap: Pretty solid and gritty (esp. in round 3) performance by FATE in this 3-round battle from The Riot Network, gets beat back by an aggressive throughout, gun bar-lit, set up-rich and more versatile punching G Lowe in both of the opening rounds, giving this glasses on glasses matchup to the dude from ATL.
Verdict: G Lowe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: G Lowe – “A couple of screws loose, I’ll knock the shit out you like prune juice!”
Recap: Flexing throughout with a barrage of unorthodox punches and resonating yarns that can originate from anywhere, Jakkboy Maine gets back on his A-game to hold back a fiery, name flip-rich and pretty solid effort from Ru Bando, taking the first two rounds of this URL Survivor Series Onyx matchup for the win before Bando’s highly proficient 3rd did enough to avoid getting shutout.
Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “Yunno, the scariest thing about Jack in the box…yunno, the [Pop!] up!”
Recap: An admiration for fervent gun bars and residual mayhem made for a dope round 2 from King Beanz. But even Beanz best turn wasn’t enough for the litany of piercing punchlines, rigid name flips and sizzling set-ups/gun bars/wordplay from a Chef Trez who in this 3-rounder from GOTG and despite going 2nd, surprisingly enough came with very little rebuttals and won handily anyway.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “Fuck the talk, let’s get to action like we playing Charades!”
