Recap: Solid, 1-round matchup between Ty Law and Street Status battler B Mac sees the former deliver his standard panache of quirky punchlines, but with the burden of an elongated turn that wasn’t always consistent. On the other hand, B Mac, with a distinctive Midwestern flow that brought a spark to his delivery, just came with more heat, beating his DMV opponent with well-connected punches that were laced with feelgood wordplay, gritty set-ups and even some entertaining wit.
Verdict: B Mac (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B Mac – “She permanent here, [moves arm like gun] cock back and open a case on Law…that’s Internal Affairs!”
Recap: Steams versus Teewhy would’ve been a better battle if the former hadn’t struggled with his flow in the 1st round and literally given up on his 3rd barely a minute in. Competitive, mayhem-friendly, punch/wordplay-heavy and name flip sauteed when they both were on point with the bars, a clearly more crisp with his flow and passionate with the punches Teewhy also dishes more haymakers to edge round 1, before a debatable 2nd and partly due the aforementioned capitulation by his opponent, easily takes the closing round.
Verdict: Teewhy (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Teewhy – “I’m a pop this thing, Glock’s will ring, thsi bicth fit for a body, I’m bringing bars back and leaving more Cakes stretched than squat machines!”
Recap: One-rounder that you wish could’ve been three as the fierce, aggressive and bullish bars of Lady J met up with the brainy, punching power of Yoshi G to make for one of the better female battles you’ll see all year. Yoshi, confident (“I smell like money, his dick get hard off my odor!”) as ever, excelled throughout her turn via spitfire wordplay, some of her usual sexcapades and fire set-ups when it came to her punches. While Houston’s Lady J kept the crowd in tuned with a gang of boisterous gun bars, fiery street shit and braggadocio darts to produce an almost equal amount of haymakers and make this one debatable.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Lady J – “My style been patent leather and that’s a retrospective!”
Recap: For the first two rounds here, when not doing on-point impressions of each other, Charron and A. Ward equally spout a boatload of stinging personals, fiery punchlines, righteous Godspeak, soldi rebuttals and ringing schemes to split things going into the 3rd round. Too bad neither battler’s pen could maintain the same consistency it showed earlier in the deciding round That’s moreso the case with A. Ward, who when he wasn’t too steeped in on personals, was just all over the place on bars that mostly leaned on basic then anything spitfire. And while Charron also lacked the same fire he’d shown in the previous rounds, the Wild-N-Out cast member’s penchant for witty punches along with a slew of mocking personals easily gets him the round the win.
Verdict: Charron (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charron – “Fuck what you’ve done both years, I’ll make this cutthroat clear, this ain’t Noah’s ark there’s only one goat [G.O.A.T.] here!”
Recap: Yeah, he can often be indirect with the bars, but Eazy the Block Captain’s requisite gritty trap talk, real life street narratives and visceral punchlines still work to make their mark. And in this 1-rounder versus Reepah Rell, with the addition of some fiery personals, the Block Captain’s more rigid rhymes are more than enough to beat back his less potent opponent.
Verdict: Eazy the Block Captain (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Eazy the Block Captain – “It’s a lesson in every bar, I’m just trying to get y’all nigga’s reacquainted, I’m probably one of the few battle rappers who ever living every picture that I done painted, the worst part about jail is when you and your girl arguing and the system say you got one minute remaining!”
Recap: An extra dope Black sitcom scheme in round 3, a gang of fierce/righteous punchlines, fire set-ups, some excellent wordplay, spirited lines on real-life urban drama and a couple of major slip-ups from an otherwise punch-lit Craig Lamar, gives the Ooops a well-earned (1st round Craig, 2nd & 3rd Ooops) win in this competitive 3-rounder from RBE.
Verdict: Ooops (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Craig Lamar – “Take the cool route, ‘cuz if I tune out, nigga I’ll bang the .3 [trey] like I’m trying to get the last ice cube out!”
Recap: His Southern drawl enhancing a plethora of spicy Louisiana cooking via gritty punchlines/4-bar setups, rugged boasts and a wide load of well-finessed personals/gun bars gives the more bar efficient and flow steady Boogie a win over a versatile and fierce throughout, but less steady Big Kannon in this 1-rounder from Bayou Battle League.
Verdict: Boogie (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Boogie – “What you gonna say, the only reason I ain’t have competition ‘cuz I ain’t battle him yet?, nigga, I get money, how many of y’all heard of a bank that deposit reality checks?”
Recap: It’s been said that in order to beat the best, you have to be the best. But then not everything in the world is as black and white as we like to believe or sometimes take for granted. Or in the case of this spitfire, 3-round battle between Stuey Newton and E-Hart, Newton, already a fire puncher in his own right, taking advantage of going second in each round with a pretty solid rebuttal game that especially worked to his benefit in edging the deciding 3rd round after edging a close 1st with more (.38 to ya chest, now I’ll always have a special place in ya heart [Hart]!”) haymakers. Granted, throughout this battle Hart was on top of her shit, dishing out rampant (“Twin pistols under the hoodie, but it looks like it’s one, if I start lighting one, you better have an iron lung, I’ll get every nigger in your circle smoked like the cypher’s done!”) heat, nifty wordplay and flexing punches at will. But except for a superb 2nd round that saw Hart literally overwhelm her opponent with too many haymakers, Newton not only took advantage of some reaches/redundant themes by Hart but stayed toe-to-toe with his opponent via his own fly composition of wily personals, hard punchlines, gritty gun bars/name flips and conscious bar flexing. The latter making for a nice comeback to Hart’s fiery attempt at going at Newton for being married to a white woman in spite of his moniker.
Verdict: Stuey Newton (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Stuey Newton – “I told you, I’m letting the body drop…I ain’t gonna hodl you!”
Recap: Much anticipated West-coast, Smack/URL battle between Tech 9 and Geechi Gotti sees the Philly vet give a pretty solid performance what with a boatload of hometown swag that was often matched by some fiery punchlines, witty personals/barbs and even a bunch of real street shit in an earnest effort to show that his opponent isn’t the only one who can talk that life. Still, for all of Tech’s vigor and rap eloquence, one too many pedestrian bars along with way too nuch filler would hurt him in the long run. And for a Geechi Gotti, staying on point throughout his 3 rounds with his renowned gangster tales as well as displaying oft-times fiending gun line acumen and a sterling punchline game, a 30 is made even more explicit when the adversary has so many chinks in their armor.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “I heard Tech a legend, I say legend for what?, ‘cuz he beat Miles? [laughs]…nigga, what that mean to a nigga that beat trials!”
Recap: Superb efforts by both Chess and Geechi Gotti in this URL Born Legacy 6 battle makes this one a must-see as well as one of the top battles to take place in 2019. Chess, back on his grind with nary a slip-up, gets back to his old self with a gritty fleet of fiery schemes (esp. during a standout round 2 which earned him a debatable there), flashy gun bars, plenty of boastful darts, steely mayhem and fierce punchlines. On the other hand, an ever-confident Gotti delivered a slew of witty and mocking personals on his opponent’s recent struggles with choking when he wasn’t dishing righteous sermons on street drama that could only come from an O.G., scintillating verbal heat, rich storytelling and pointed punches. Add some in-ya-face aggression, sizzling wordplay and a fired-up crowd that was into every bar and you’re left with a highly competitive battle that had a slightly more versatile and more haymaker-lit Gotti taking the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: Geechi Gottu (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Now listen, at 15 you was on SMACK doin’ big things, at 15 I was just tryin’ to make it to 16!”
Recap: A last-minute replacement for Ill Will, credit to Serius Jones for only filling in and showing up for this battle, but really showing up. That is, making it competitive for all 3 rounds with the kind of aggression, (“You see, I done ate salmon on a yacht and I done ate tuna in a can, but I ain’t a legend because of what I did, I’m a legend ‘cuz of who I am!”) boasts and seismic punchlines/gun bars that made Serius a household name in battle rap in the first place. Still, against the likes of Yak-town’s finest, an opponent usually needs more to stand a chance of winning. And tho he dropped his penchant for dated bars throughout the battle, when it came to elongated turns, reaches, pedestrian bars and out-of-nowhere lines on the infamous Math Hoffa punch (which ironically would serve as an ideal set-up to Will’s personal-heavy 3rd round) from years back, Serius’ would end up hurting himself. But ultimately, a spitfire throughout Ill Will, confident, vigorous, entertaining, fire the (“I got split personalities my nigga, you can meet one, like you got Will in your face, then your mama read one!”) punches and extra witty with the personals was just on another level here.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “Bru, you still here?, well, be still here, we used to gun-butt niggers and let the steel go at the same time…can you still hear?!”
Recap: After getting beat by O-Red in a classic inter-gender match several years ago, the rarely seen Ms. Hustle faces off against Jersey’s finest, Nu Jersey Twork, in another 1-round, inter-gender bout here for Queen of the Ring. A solid and aggressive battle with plenty of in-ya-face heat from both sides, gets a bit controversial however, when Hustle apparently goes past her agreed upon time limit, which led to Twork demanding her round be cut short. Still, bar-wise, while Hustle delivered on the side of jaunty gun bars, mocking personals and a surprising tag-in with her old opp Phara Funeral, a little too much filler along a more condensed and spitfire with the gun talk, flexing with the wordplay/name flips/punchlines and very witty at times with the personals Twork ends up taking this one.
Verdict: Nu Jersey Twork (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Nu Jersey Twork – “I was gonna tear you up, ok you ain’t want me to talk about that fight you lost?, ok fair [Phara] enough!”
Recap: With the KOTD championship on the line, after a pretty subpar 1st round that he still won thanks to opponent Head I.C.E.’s elongated and mostly nonsensical turn, challenger Chilla Jones ups the ante on his bar efficiency, wordplay, personals and schemes in the latter rounds. Only getting edged by the champ in a competitive round 2 due to I.C.E’s funny bone going on nuclear, before Chilla easily takes the 3rd and deciding round with a punch-heavy and versatile turn that overcame yet another unorganized, mostly pedestrian and zany go-around from I.C.E.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “So yeah, you the King of the Dot, but you really think they impartial?, they just wanted a Black on the throne like Meghan Markle!”
Recap: First, it’s a little weird that this battle between Arsonal and T Top got no promo since they’re both top tier dudes and there’s a bit of history with them what with Top once battling on Ars’ UDubb league back in the day before he made a name for himself on URL/Smack. But then upon watching this 1-round battle and seeing Arsonal (who was just coming off battling Geechi Gotti) slip-up so much midway through what was a pretty solid turn, before giving up on his written’s and free-styling his way through the rest of his round, one could understand why this battle git no buzz. Then too, with Top making the battle a cinch with his usual assortment of fiery trap talk and sizzling gun bars to enhance Ars losing on his own platform, makes it clear why this battle got the hush treatment.
Verdict: T Top (W) 1-0
Favorite line: T Top – “He say he retiring, leaving the game of battle rap, then realize this the only stage that he matter at!”
Recap: The final score of this battle might tell a different story, but with Moon’s visceral street narratives, gritty O.G. talk and stunted boasts scoring left and right (outside of a flow-challenged 2nd round that he had to cut short) the Richmond, VA, vet made his opponent for it. And that Squeako did, using his distinct Northeastern drawl to dish a gang of fiery punchlines, hard/witty rebuts for Moon’s more rugged pontifications, gripping struggle bars and piercing personals to take each round and get the win in this URL Banned Legacy battle.
Verdict: Squeako (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Squeako – “Nigga I heard how old you was, laughed so hard, bitch I was about to cry, well you turned 44 last month…bitch you about to die!”
Recap: Calicoe versus Bigg K is one of those entertaining, but a bit perplexing battles as well with K going more hard on his punches overall instead of his usual bent towards wit/humor. And Calicoe, while mixing it up a little bit with lit pontification’s, bully bars and lofty metaphors/anecdotes, still went a little overboard on the race angles/themes. Still, a close battle and intense battle throughout, a little too much filler along with Bigg K’s repetition with the heat/punches loses out to a spazzing, (“All my bars about that chopper and how I’m aiming at y’all sight, white boy couldn’t box with me if I agreed to all rights!”) braggadocios and performance-rich turn by Cal in the 2nd before K steps up on the fiery punchlines, stinging wordplay and (“I took penitentiary chance after chance just to get moolah, while you was having underground chicken fights, watching out for intruders!”) flair for street shit with a spitfire 3rd to take that round. So it’s back to the 1st round, a spitfire on both sides and closer round then what’s given credit for, that a slightly more condensed, hardcore and overall more potent with the haymakers Bigg K edges to take this one in the end.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bigg K – “Two [waves hands like knives opposite Cal’s face] slices, a buck-fifty…he caught the lunch special!”
Recap: A ready for action Jakkboy Maine uses sizzling name flips, raucous gun bars, loaded sound effects and a steady stream of fiending punchlines to easily take out a slip-up prone Ceph Deezy in thsi 1-rounder from No Filla Battle Grounds.
Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “Notice, I shot him in the face…he said he was wide open!”
Recap: Solid effort by both Dre Dennis and E-Ness here with the latter dishing his usual assortment of performance-heavy disses and rants, while the former’s noted love for salacious gun bars are well displayed. However, even with an equal effort (along with plenty of gassing and pedestrian bars) from both sides, a more verbally potent and versatile overall Dre gets the edge.
Verdict: Dre Dennis (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Dre Dennis – “And the sponsors paid you scraps, a couple of hundred, you the worst bum, went from Making the Band to not even worth one!”
Recap: Granted, he got an able assist from Mackk Myron towards the end of his elongated turn. But even without the tag-in, Ill Will scores with enough fiery wit, ill schemes, steely gun bars, pointed name flips and righteous punchlines to beat back what was an overall solid, but not as consistently punch-heavy turn by Pyrex.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ill Will – “I did shit, something used, on sight…Craigslist!”
Recap: A game plan based around hardbody, but redundant name flips, Jewish jokes/barbs, head-twisting gun bars and residual trap talk makes for a fine blueprint against Iron Solomon…if you have the wit, punch efficiency and talent of a top tier like T Top to pull it off. And here, face-to-face with Solomon on the URL Summer Madness stage, Top certainly did his thing, scoring (“I wish you asleep right now, I’ll wake him up, bulldog under the pit, let’s make a mutt!”) haymakers left and right with his arsenal of gritty lines throughout the battle to keep it competitive. But when your opponent is a veteran noted for having one of the top pen’s in the game, the strategy…well, let’s just say it wasn’t enough, even in a 2nd round that Top only edged because Iron’s most flexing bars were directed (“Volume 3 comin’! Aye Verb, stop runnin’!, Surf, how you take five shots and still duckin’!?”) at other rappers. The 1st and 3rd rounds here however, just provided a tutorial on how to rap, a condensed, confident and aggressive Solomon granting you nuisance with almost every punch, stunting with the wordplay, anecdotes (“Melvin!”), punchlines, schemes, personals while mocking Top’s rap credentials along the way. Again, a close one because Top is nice like that. But damn if Solomon didn’t take it to another level here.
Verdict: Iron Solomon (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Iron Solomon – “I’m on the best comeback since Jesus returned, that’s why I’m heated I ain’t get to eat the feast I deserve, but when they bring out the cracker, you know T [tea] getting served!”!
Recap: Similar, aggressive styles with a love for fiery punches and loaded gun bars, NXT and Teewhy not only deliver a dope and competitive one in this 3-rounder from Shots Fired Battle League. But after NXT drops a couple of more ringing haymakers to edge an electric-on-both-sides round 1, a slightly more consistently blazing, wordplay/performance-lit and versatile with the punches Teewhy edges the latter two rounds for the win.
Verdict: Teewhy (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Teewhy – “You ain’t no muthafuckin’ man, trying to belittle me, nigga, you a fan, you forgot that ya opp’s elite?!”
Recap: Both Illa and J. Murda do their thing in this 1-rounder from Universl Bars Battle League, kicking gritty street shit along with some greasy gun bars and fiery name flips to keep things competitive. But while Illa was mostly solid throughgout, it’s Murda who gets the edge here, what with a little more consistency to his heat, displaying some wit, dishing fiery performance bars and potent schemes that included a couple that flexed his knowledge of classic hip-hop album covers.
Verdict: J. Murda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: J. Murda – “You better show the fuck up, ‘cuz this ya test to rhyme with others, how’d he do?, the lead flew, and blew Red all over the room…he passed with flying colors!”
Recap: In what was essentially a practice run, Ave uses a barrage of fierce name flips, wicked punchlines and a load of wit to make short work of a confident throughout, but mostly subpar Gutta in this 1-rounder from CGBL Rap Battle League.
Verdict: Ave (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ave – “I tried to cancel, talking my gerbil died of cancer or baby shitted and every store in my city out of pampers!”
Recap: URLTV Banned Legacy PG battle sees Ace Amin get straight busy, dishing that stinging real talk shit few can relate too along with stifling bully bars, ringing prison narratives and rapidly stunted punchlines/name flips over the course of a performance-heavy 3 rounds to beat back a gritty and mostly solid, but not quite as rousing and little less consistent reps from Fuse Da General.
Verdict: Ace Amin (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Ace Amin – “Ain’t no answers for this big clip, it’s a muthafuckin’ conundrum!”
Recap: Admittedly, when faced against a notorious gangbanger the likes of Geechi Gotti, one couldn’t help but think that a vet like Shotgun Suge would transition a bit away from the movie reference lines and queries on what his opponent’s ‘life’s like’ that he’s known for, instead for more witty barbs (something’s Suge is more than capable of) and personals that reflected his own street aptitude. And while Suge did manage to bring a versatile dish of gun-laced darts, raucous bully bars, performance-heavy (including a noted pocket tap) shiners and gritty punchlines/name flips, against what was a Gotti that overall was on his B+ game (mostly due to long-winded rounds), Suge who’s often noted for being condensed, might’ve had a win here if he’d changed his strategy a bit. Instead, including a rebuttal game that included a rousing chest tap in round 2, fierce punchlines, fiery comeback’s for Suge’s slogans, steely gang speak, potent gun bars and notable yarns on real-life street drama, helped in part by Suge struggling with his flow a bit throughout the battle while cutting both his 2nd and 3rd rounds short, it’s Gotti for the 30.
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “I’m a street nigga, you can’t tell me that the block ain’t mine, ‘cuz you nigga’s like to argue over time limits, my nigga’s doing bids, really wishing somebody stop they time!”
Recap: In what was a dope Queen of the Ring battle from beginning to end with plenty of hardbody punches, ringing mayhem and menacing wordplay from both ladies, Jade uses a consistently spitfire 1st and 3rd round to beat back fellow We Go Hard battler Charisma.
Verdict: Jade (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jade – “Already copped, I keep it tucked so I’m talking crazy, hoping she heard me, 90s baby, I’m close to the .30!”
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!”
Recap: With similar compositions of rich, anecdotal bars, performance and a shared love for sonically-inclined, verbal hijinks, Jakkboy Maine facing off against battle veteran Big T was only a matter of time. And besides a lopsided 1st round that a more consistently spicy, frequent Chicago-dissing and oft-mean with the punches Jakk clearly won, this one was a competitive one with Big Terrence coming back from a somewhat lackluster showing in the previous round with a performance-heavy, name flip friendly and wordplay (“Now Smack gonna lose Ciroc sponsoringship, ‘cuz Jakk spilled with the 5th and the blood in the mirror smeared off [Smirnoff]!”) sizzling turn that forced a debatable 2nd after his shirtless opponent’s intricate and flashy punchlines equally made their mark in the round. Still up a round going into the 3rd, Jakkboy continued to flex, dishing rapid mayhem with visceral punches that contained some nasty set-ups, crafty wordplay and heated (“Pistol in his mouth, now he Quiet…on the set!”) gun bars, another fire turn that beat back a solid and personal/punch-heavy, but not as consistently potent turn by Big T.
Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “…and fuck Kanye West, ‘cuz if slavery was a choice, so was his mother dying!”
Recap: iBattleTV matchup between King Jables and Steams proves to be witty (esp. on the side of KJ), punch-heavy, name flip savvy and loaded with mayhem. A more consistently nice and intricate (“Make a move or I wish you’d flex, the C’s will drop J and cables is what you’ll be hooked to next!”) Steams takes round 1, before a vigorous, flow-centric and haymaker aplenty Jables comes back and easily takes a 2nd round that was even more solidified by a Steams choke. Tied going into the 3rd, both battlers came with even more rigid punchlines and some dope wordplay. And while Jables was a little more versatile his bars, a slightly more consistent Steams came hard with enough heat to make this one a draw.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: King Jables – “Ypu know he don’t travel, this clown runs his own league, hosts his own battles, like round 1 it’s on me!”
Recap: Ever animated and always welcoming newcomers to his ‘gun show’, a more condensed Drugz dishes more than enough heat and fiery punchlines to beat back a solid, but a little too filler-prone Whosane in this 1-rounder from The Colosseum Battle League.
Verdict: Drugz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Drugz – “Shots out the llama soar, everything in here will buck like the Dollar store!”
Recap: In one of the better PGs from 2019, it’s a flawless 2nd round that along with some surprising (“And you was just a Lunchable, I was always taught to cover my own ass, like if you say “grace” I say one right after you, just in case God don’t fuck witchu!”) wit and extra spicy personals/name flips that stand out for the normally gun bar/punch-heavy Swamp here as the South Carolina battler used a condensed and punchline-lit turn to edge round 1, before the aforementioned 2nd also earned him that round. And while the witty/slick storytelling (“I seen a nigga who had nothin’…still get bitch-slapped!”) backstylings of Your Honor had at the very least kept things close in the earlier rounds, the DC rapper could only muster (bird sounds included) a half-hearted effort in the final round, which in turn would help a still-on-point and gritty Swamp get the 30.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “You play with me I’m a grip the thing, the drum stick [drumstick] will leave ’em all flat like most bitches like they chicken wings!”
Recap: Not quite as thrifty with the wordplay as his opponent, but still live enough in the building to score with plenty of raucous punchlines, steely name flips/gun bars and loud, righteous street banter, an also cleaner-flowing Pop delivers more than enough stifling bangers in the 1st and 3rd rounds to get the win over West-coast battler Real Name Brandon in this close 3-rounder from We Go Hard.
Verdict: Pop (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Pop – “You go by Real Name Brandon, Tuh!…nigga, my whole life I’ve been branding my real name!”
Recap: Take away Glueazy surprisingly choking away his 2nd round and you have a fire battle between Glu and fellow Goonie squad member Ryda. Still for all the bout’s competitiveness, it’s Ryda who earned the most shine here, delivering a versatile palette of fiery self-deprecating darts, sizzling gun bars, witty personals, stinging punchlines/name flips and during a spitfire 3rd round, a host of flexing shots at his former Cave Gang team and even a couple of shots thrown Smack’s way for allegedly mishandling his battle rap career. And while Glu would also dish a boatload of flexing punchlines, witty/pointed personals and heated gun bars to keep things competitive in both a debatable 1st round and a fiery 3rd, Ryda’s standout performance throughout the bout would prove to be too much in the end.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ryda – “And everybody wanna know if Ryda still Cave Gang or not, well fuck Ave, you asked Roc to give your answer!”
Recap: 1-rounder from Street Status features a cocky and solid with the bars, but elongated and a bit reach-heavy MVP succumb to DNA’s more potent punchlines, a couple of nice rebuttals and flashy gun bars/name flips.
Verdict: DNA (W) 1-0
Favorite line: DNA – “You said you put 30s into 16 like statutory rape?, well that bar deadly, I’ll remix it, I’ll put 40 in 16, I’m R. Kelly!”
Recap: Well, that was enlightening. In front of a Capital Battlegrounds audience that apparently didn’t get the memo on keeping quiet while the battlers rapped, Bonnie Godiva and OG Prama deliver a pretty heated (and lengthy) 1-rounder that saw Bonnie get extra personal with it (going after her opponent’s looks and even her kids with hardcore intensity), an OG Prana having to be calmed down on stage after literally wanting to fight her opponent in reaction to some of Bonnie’s more intimate disses (guess Prana didn’t get the other memo about this being battle rap) and Bonnie’s abused mug being printed on T-shirts for all to see during Prana’s turn. As for the match itself, while OG’s gritty raps, salacious personals and real street ethos made there mark from time to time and kept it competitive, the more consistently lit, personal/wordplay-heavy, aggressive, witty and sometimes downright just mean Bonnie took this one.
Verdict: Bonnie Godiva (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bonnie Godiva – “You shaped wrong, it’s all muscle on muscle like gay porn!”
Recap: Along with some clever wordplay, stifling mayhem and piercing name flips, both 40 B.A.R.R.S. and Tootz spit a gang of gritty punches in this 1-rounder from Street Status. However, a clean turn by Tootz and a couple of stumbles by 40, gives the former the win.
Verdict: Tootz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tootz – “Jesus Christ, too young for mid-life so I’m coping with 40!”
Recap: Even tho it took on the feeling of being a handicap match what with LB The Boss (RIP) getting tagged in for gang of fiery missives, this 1-rounder from Bullpen Battle League still ended up being a goodie with the forever entertaining Bill Collector dropping his usual assortment of eclectic (“The can cover the arm, I’m reaching for a Pringle!”) punchlines, witty barbs/personals and lofty gun bars while an off-the-dome nice, name flip-lit and punch-heavy Casino stayed consistently spicy throughout the battle. That said, what an almost equal amount of haymakers during a near equal amount of time rapping, this one ends up being a draw.
Recap: Long overdue battle between Presidential Dubz and Prez Mafia only goes down for one round and sees the always aggressive and gritty Dubz, apparently with a lot to get off his chest, rapping twice as long as his opponent, but delivering consistent heat within his turn. Mafia, on the other hand, more condensed, witty at times and also dishing plenty of mayhem with the punchlines ends up turning in a pretty solid round that makes one wish this was a 3-rounder instead of 1. That said, it’s Dubz, slightly more versatile with his bars as well as more prepared (that’s a nod to Mafia cutting his round short) who earns the win here.
Verdict: Presidential Dubz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Presidential Dubz – “The bitches out here throwing the na na, you thirsty, doing anything for the na na, [but] this a different ratchet in ya face…he like ‘Nah nah!'”
Recap: In this fierce 1-rouder from WeGoHard, both Lu Castro and Dougy flex with gritty street bars, righteous gun lines, potent punches and moreso in the case of Dougy, stinging personals. However Dougy, more consistent and versatile throughout his turn and able to top his opponent by dishing more haymakers, who gets the nod in this one.
Verdict: Dougy (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Dougy – “Nah, I got a better plan, chopper on me, I’m a let the Harley shoot ya, and this shit a never jam, it’s a party pooper!”
Recap: Dunsh’s often (“Chilla Jones, 35 and still alone, looks like the ladies don’t appreciate your quill Jerome!”) biting, self-deprecating and sarcastic sense of humor makes this a close one overall. But after getting edged in round 1, a more versatile, consistent with the fire (“See, I was booked to destroy ya, and after this they gonna see me excel, so you can’t be that good of a lawyer!”) punches and angle-savvy Chilla Jones does enough to take the latter two rounds and win this entertaining battle from iBattle.
Verdict: Chilla Jones (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Chilla Jones – “That nose, looks like it’s one of Owen Wilson’s nose’s children!”
Recap: Vet vs. newbie. Lite-skin vs. Lite-skin. Those themes and a boatload of florescent gun bars/residual mayhem/piercing name flips by NXT along with witty (“We supposed to believe little Blake Griffin gets guns involved?!”) personals, some solid wordplay and boastful punchlines by Cali Smoov add up to a dope battle and draw in this 3-rounder from the Riot Network. Give the perfunctory heat-blasting NXT a clear vic in the 1st before Cali came back with a versatile and sublime 2nd to even things going into the deciding 3rd round which we’ll call a draw due to an equal ratio of haymakers.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: NXT – “You said Griz work at the call center, I’m all wit’cha…so he gave me the extensions for ya!”
Recap: In this time-stamped battle from Onsite Battle League, when Young Kannon wasn’t proving how much research matters in lieu of dishing spitfire personals, for 3 rounds he was delivering an aggressive and potent mix of fiery gun bars/name flips, flexing wordplay with his punches, colorful bangers that The Wire fans would appreciate and well-crafted, ultra-violent mayhem against an at-times nice with the personals and nifty punchline swinging, but way too inconsistent overall and admittedly unprepared in the 3rd round, Prep.
Verdict: Young Kannon (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Young Kannon – “Like I started writing yesterday, I’m doing Prep bad!”
Recap: Rare to see the normally cool and copacetic Tay Roc stumble, much less get out of his comfort zone when it comes to staying professional on stage. But that’s the case here as after a debatable 1st round that saw both Roc and Pat Stay put forth equally hit-n-miss, elongated turns in which they both coincidentally attempted to try out their opponent’s style, Roc literally loses it. Starting with his temper during the 2nd round in the face of Pat Stay’s downright mean personals, smart aleck zingers, dope performance lines and aggressive punchlines. Then when a still heated (and behind one round thanks to Pat’s aforementioned comeuppance in the previous round along with his own penchant for redundant personals and mostly standard punches) Roc finally returned to his gun bar itinerary in the 3rd and despite a stronger turn bar-wise throughout, surprisingly slip-ups twice, leaving Pat Stay, already commanding the stage throughout with epic showmanship, more versatile his bars and schemes, stinging with some fly wordplay and finally with the verbal stamina to drop freestyles and haymakers at random with yet another opportunity to take the round, which the Canadian rapper obliged in kind to win the battle.
Verdict: Pat Stay (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Pat Stay – “People used to fuck with you serious, but nowadays in the URL you don’t get no W’s period!”
Recap: Drenched with a shitload of themes surrounding loyalty and at the end of the day, one of the most personal battles you’ll ever see, for the most part the much-hyped grudge match between Math Hoffa and Hollow Da Don lives up to the expectations even with it being over an hour long. 1st round was the best one what with the two vets clearly not holding back on anything, swapping some dizzying punchlines along the way, but explicitly sharing their own view on how this battle came to be in the first place via gritty narratives on past beef, Coney Island (and battle) drama, some guy named Dizaster, potent schemes, witty bars and oh yeah, a hilarious new nickname for Hollow from Math: ‘Splish Splash!’. And while Math would allude to being more more interested in exploiting his opponent than actually winning the battle, his hard-hitting and sometimes downright mean war stories throughout this bout, would beg anyone to differ. That said, the opening round, while certainly a close one, the edge here goes to Hollow for more astute (“You’ve been playin’ this tough shit for over ten years my nigga, that’s what you really get, accept your karma, it was a Dose of somethin’ Serius! [serious]!”) angles to his lines while also flexing a bit more when it comes to versatility and wit. The 2nd round was a clear win for Math as while Hollow was able to dish another punch-centric and at times personal-heavy turn, some mediocre bars/schemes here and there, a couple of so-so rebuttals and a Hoffa who was just relentless when it came to fiery (“This gon’ be biblical, ‘cuz how you living is ruthless, you think you know a (Noah) nigga ’til the rain come and it give you the deuces!”) personals, bully bars and schemes would be too much. And while a way more condensed Hollow spit another solid and at times moving (“You know what else ain’t change? Ya attitude, neither did ya bank account, he look at change as somethin’ bad so I’m a leave you dead how you are, y’all remember what he just said? “I solidify my spot with gorillas…”, which makes sense cause apes never evolved!”) turn in the 3rd and deciding round, Hoffa would do way more to make his side of the beef narrative believable, expounding on tales from the two’s old friendship, mixing in some witty personals, deftly punching with some nice wordplay and most importantly when it comes to the overall theme of the battle, letting loose on Hollow’s allegedly bad business dealings. With the consistently aggressive, bodacious, funny and (“Hollow come on… your whole motto’s a con You pushin’ loyalty is like the pope preaching out the Koran!”) punch-heavy Hoffa also doubling his opponent on haymakers in the final round, this ‘Closure’ match from RBE ends up being Math’s for the taking.
Verdict: Math Hoffa (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Math Hoffa – “Yeah, you beat Ars’, but ain’t matter cause he was punkin’ you, John John took ya Don status and put a slump in you, now ya name ain’t the same and it troubles you, ‘cuz Hollow’s just a ho and two L’s now he owe [‘O’] y’all a W!”
Recap: Giving a 1-round shot to rising newcomer Chico, Danny Myers witnesses the fledging rapper impress with a gang of nifty personals and some hard-hitting punchlines. Still, for all of his opponent’s comeuppance, Danny had an answer, using a variety of raucous punches, stifling name flips/personals, a couple of spicy rebuttals, some solid wordplay and a wide load of boastful shiners to spoil any chance of an upset.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “I ain’t gotta lay my stats off ya, but I’m a world famous rap author, fans never knew Chico existed like Smack’s partner!”
Recap: In this aggressive and fiery 1-rounder from West Coast Elites, a more condensed Jade’s spicy/rapid-punching flow, laid back wit, sizzling gun bars and piercing wordplay are enough to beat back a gritty, versatile and pretty solid overall, but not as steadily hitting S.O. Finesse.
Verdict: Jade (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Jade – “Then I’m deading your soldiers, two ratchets getting aired out like the friendship is over!”
Recap: Killer 1st round from a mayhem-lit LL Coogi (with plenty of fierce gun bars and stinging punches to follow in the later rounds), still isn’t enough to beat back a more condensed, scheme-heavy, wordplay-savvy, personal-scoring and braggadocios/punchline-spicy Xcel in rounds 2 and 3, giving the Team Homi vet a close, but impressive win in this dope 3-rounder from Spit Dat Heat.
Verdict: Xcel (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Xcel – “This match just proves that we both in the game, but not by the same rules, see I paid dues, you pay dudes, it ain’t the same move!”
Recap: A solid effort from Verce unfortunately ends up in a choke, leaving a fiery name-flip dishing, gun-bar spazzing and punch-centric B. Magic with an easy win in this 1-rounder from 413 Battle League.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “What a minute, who told this muthafucka he should get brolic?, stuff ya fucking brains in, I’m trying to kick knowledge!”
Recap: In front of a raucous Bayou Battle League crowd for 1 round, 40 B.A.R.R.S. uses a boatload of stifling personals, piercing punchlines and rigid wordplay to beat back a personal-lit, but otherwise mostly pedestrian Double M.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 1-0
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “He the type that got more female traits than a straight man that I ever seen, he’s always worried about footage, but he makes T-shirts, that’s why he’s pressed for the screen!”
Recap: Faced with the mostly basic punches of hometown fave Saint, a performance-heavy Reepah Rell uses a gang of sizzling name flips, righteous punchlines, some fiery wordplay and even a few witty personals to turn this 1-rounder from Premiere Rap Battle League into a haymaker-lit, 1-sided affair.
Verdict: Reepah Rell (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Reepah Rell – “Plus, you look like the faggot type, you probably watch re-runs of Magic Mike!”
Recap: Solid Verbal War Zone battle between Swave Sevah and Pep delivers on cadence, fiery lyrics and some nice wordplay. But even with Swave coming through with a clean and spitfire 3rd rpund that was arguably the best in the battle, it doesn’t make up for too many slip-ups in the previous rounds as well as a more flow-admissible Pep’s more veracious, braggadocio bars and stinging punches.
Verdict: Pep (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Pep – “You dumb or what?, you don’t wanna play Ock, white boy wasted, Rum and Srroc [Ciroc] in the same shot!”
Recap: Come-n-comer Erky Law shows a lot of potential in this 1-rounder against Chef Trez, flexing with a load of nifty punchlines, sporty wordplay and a variety to his bars. Still, never one to take anyone for granted regardless of what tier they’re on, a more condensed Trez’s more potent name flips, jaunty gun bars, lofty personals and consistently bodacious punches are all too much to overcome.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “You should just act, do comedy, we don’t believe that you spraying, I know that he was a grown kid soon as I spotted little man on his way in!”
Recap: While a pretty solid throughout Aye Verb brings some righteous vet talk and piercing punches to this Go-Rilla Warfare 1-rounder, his opponent Gauge, although rapping a little longer, still manages to use his cold flow to spout cocky stylings on street code ethics when he wasn’t dishing some witty (“The powder so white the brick stamp say ‘gluten free’!”) barbs, throwing shots at fellow Chi-Town rapper Big T or delivering enough worthwhile heat to earn a debatable.
Verdict: Debatable
Favorite line: Aye Verb – “You gotta win two rounds to be solidified, if I don’t lose two rounds I don’t get criticized!”
Recap: A dope battle with a bit of a surprise ending as Danny Myers and Stack Almighty face off in this 3-rounder from Bloody Scene Battle League. For the first two rounds anyway, both Myers and Stack came hard with blistering mayhem, hardbody punchlines, boastful shiners, some piercing name flips (moreso from Danny) and in the case of Stack, a couple of spicy rebuttals to split things going into the 3rd round. Then we saw Danny leave Earth, dishing 4 straight fire rebuttals to start off his 3rd before spouting a slew of daunting gun bars, dicey 4-bar set-ups and searing punches to leave his opponent with little chance of overtaking him. Yet with Stack having proven himself to be highly formidable for two rounds, surely he had another round of spitfire bars in the holster ready to take Danny out and win this thing, right? Not so much. As after a solid start (with a couple of feelgood rebuts), Stack tags in one of his Zoo Faculty squad members to take over and for the most part finish his turn. And while the white boy was kinda nice with his punches, we ain’t about to give Stack credit for his man’s hard work, which in turn gives Danny the vic.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “I saw 810 Trap, I said damn ain’t no rules here, y’all murder rate is high…made me wanna move here!”
Recap: Perception can be a little blinding. With Jakkboy Maine readily dominating both the 1st and 3rd rounds, one can easily come off thinking that (as he did in his recap, where he even talked about retiring) this battle versus Nunn Nunn was a lopsided affair. But it really wasn’t, especially seeing as a more consistent and punch-heavy Nunn surely took the 2nd and wasn’t too shabby with his bars and schemes in the other rounds. But putting aside a solid mid round, a performance rich Jakkboy Maine was just stellar here, dishing richly potent name flips with ease, shooting up his opponent with the stinging gun bars, serving up righteous heat with epic punchlines and for the coup-de-grace, a sizzling Little Richie ‘A-Wop-bop-a-loo-lop a-lop-bam-boo!’ punch that not only brought the house down in the 3rd, but solidified Jakk’s victory.
Verdict: Jakkboy Maine (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Jakkboy Maine – “See a white boy in 2018, now anything I pull look like a gun!”
Recap: Generous with the urban street flair, vociferous punchlines, heated personals, fiery name flips and even a nice rebuttal to start off his round, Geechi Gotti lays the hammer down on a swag-friendly, sermonizing and mostly solid overall, but way less potent with the K Philosophy in this 1-rounder from AHAT..
Verdict: Geechi Gotti (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Geechi Gotti – “Face shot, they like Gotti why you got the cannon [Canon] flashed on him?, [‘cuz] this nigga keep smiling!”
Recap: Each having taken a long break from battling on URL, both Bad Newz and Rolla make their Proving Grounds return and it’s a goodie. Newz dishing hardbody punches with a gritty and often cocky edge, while Rolla talked that O.G. shit with fire set-ups and personals. Close and competitive throughout with lofty gun bars, fiery name flips and some able wit mixed in, it’s a more condensed, pragmatic, versatile and less filler-prone Rolla who edges rounds 1 and 2 for the win.
Verdict: Rolla (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rolla – “I’m Cooter Brown, iron out, I’m done pressing him…hand grip, one finger move, it ain’t thumb wrestling!”
Recap: Slinging fire gun bars, festive name flips, wicked punchlines and a head-ringing rebuttal to start things off with vigorous abandon, in this 1-rounder from Capital Battlegrounds, Chef Trez beats back Friday fan King Esco, who while aggressive and solid with his punches throughout, just didn’t have enough potency to his raps to keep up with his opponent’s more spicy lay work.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “The shit you spit?, they hype it, but it is your hometown, well this chopper ain’t Shine, from this K you getting a whole round!”
Recap: Even when he’s punching at his best, Born can often be his own worst enemy. Indeed, as seen here in this URL/Banned Legacy battle vs. Joe, the Bronx vet displayed why when he’s on he can be one of the best punchlines feens in the game. But then, for every highlight there’s immediate reminders of why Born’s battle rap career has been so topsy-turvy. And no, in this case he didn’t choke, Instead, there’s questionable wordplay like comparing himself to a ‘rapist’ to deliver a punch in round 2 or spitfire stretches of haymaker after haymakers followed by bouts with pedestrian bars and reaches or racial angles towards Joe that he had to know have been used before (tho the 2nd round scheme comparing Joe’s looks to ‘every Offensive line football coach, etc.’ was pretty funny and entertaining). Of course, none of Born’s shortcomings would matter to Joe, who outside of one too many Mike P references as well as one too many ‘Born’ flips was able to deliver 3 dope rounds of scathing personals, steely gun bars, ridiculous set-ups, fiery schemes and piercing punchlines to edge rounds 1 and 2, before only losing the 3rd round thanks to a near flawless, punch-crazy turn by Born.
Verdict: Joe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Joe – “If I see your bitch, I might spark it, or a gun butt [smacks hands together], cracker [crack her] with a mean handle…White Chocolate!”
