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Rap- the love language of lyrical science. The grail of creative impetus of which BR has mastered the acquisition of its rewarding forces. A translucent method symposium simmering thought morsels made craft packed into strings of rhyme consisting of all shapes & sizes. As happenstance would have it, to be amongst its luring charm is the union of our allegiance as we all bear witness to its qualitative aura. The art of the sport we know as Battle Rap continues its rhythmic theorem into its next evolution arc.
The Warriors path of our tribal ties can be found on the ground and in the field quite literally in what we understand to now be Charlotte, NC. A tale of two cities indeed. With a rich backstory so often hidden in plain sight. Much like how talent within our hip-hop culture works. To let it flourish is to set it free. And as King George Edition III once did, the cities homage and woven ties to its lore & origin chronicles of historical depth could be made a stage of ambience fit for a Queen's vision circa 2022. And like Queen Charlotte once did, the ladies of the URL made this town their own as Music Factory Blvd lit up with the BRCs representation in full bloom as a packed house eager to experience the rhyme & dance of royal performance arrived by the dozens to take part in it all. And just as the Queens streaming live on Caffeine cement once again their storied placing in BR history and how much it means to the Arts, may we all never forget who we're made of…
The Queens of URL Charlotte on this nite must’ve felt right at home-
Salute the ladies.
…
Kings were involved too. More on them later.
Of note: Headliner Bullets=
Jakk took a man’s route; First Lady has taken charge of her sails.
Charlie Clips strikes again; Yoshi G remains teflon?
DNA clocks in & delivers; Official mirrors the energy*
Verb’s dilemma isn’t Raps; the Face serves more than looks~
Viixen is a super 💫 …Roc is as stable a bet as ever$
Jaz & Geech: Forged friendships; deeper than Rap^
Scorecards on the other side of promotions=
#12 Jakkboy Maine v. First Lady Flamez
Synopsis: Jakk fell back and let nature take its course. Wouldn’t we all in the name of keeping the peace. On one end every loss counts and that goes without saying. On the other however (and perhaps more importantly) Jakk wisely ceded to the higher power- happy wife, happy life. Kudos to him. His KVQ counterpart- Lady Flamez lyrically dazzled the opening act of the evenings festivities and absolutely nailed the assignment of both acing the stage presence test as well as landing on the subject of compare/contrast relations in what felt like a surly yet collaborative and respectful examination of Blk Luv figuring itself out as it goes. Dope. And fitting to the environment and setting like no other bout on the bill. Considering the optics, only one matchup provided could truly peel back the layers of this ever important conversation we all in some way shape and form encounter throughout the days of our lives. Jakk made the successions on his end to allow that visibly to empower Flamez on stage. Noble gesture from him to her. Flamez more than held up her end and brought the analogy full-circle with three rounds of balanced entertainment/prospective. These two performed admirably. 🔁
Note: Jakk’s Rd2 was the perfect exemplary standard of Rap as performance art. BRC 📝
Sidebar: “address me right & call me Sir/cause O-lay after Flamez throat it” ?
-has to be a contextual reference to one of those wild bonfires they do in other countries heritage right? Flame eating is a cultural custom in certain places…
Scorecard:
Round 1- Lady Flamez (28)
Round 2- Jakk (30)
Round 3- Lady Flamez (29)
Final Score= Flamez 79-67 Jakk
Decision= Flamez (Unanimous)
PenGod- “i’m talking nail shop every two weeks/alotta different grips/”
“ain’t no way out the bag he got in for me/it’s a napsack/”
“I perfected my approach to this whole sh*t truthfully/and it’s simple/Jodi Arias vigil/just watch the way you move with me/” 💡💎
Flamez 🔥
“put my hands where ya eyes can see/like Busta Rhymes/”
“the ritual stands/you get around Flamez/with a drum/and then we dance/”
Jakk 🔥
#5 DNA v. Official
Eric was present. In a bag of consistency per usual. The 7 day turnaround artists were quite clearly pulling punches here which I thought was perfectly fine considering the body of work each brought to the performing stage still served effective and met the mark of reasonable expectation for what could be tasked with a friendly bout that quickly becomes a tag team headhunt in short order. Still, DNA always finds his way around a scorecard ledger with complete rounds and strategic fight styles that usually lends to tipping the scales of the total in his advantageous favor. Nothing new here. As for Official, I felt she fought wise and mirrored her opponent’s stance while playing the backfoot well to remain lyrically balanced in her approach defensively to avoid the big blows and counter rebuttals that DNA is well known to land on an overzealous lyrical fighter. Both artists of this bout represented the catered material service of the day. Kept everything in front (prevent defense) while throwing punches a crowd audience would enjoy; crowd obliged making for a fun verbal spat. Mission accomplished. One point of emphasis though competitively would clearly be the sudden halt to the closing round of Official’s performance on a scale in which she ended up tallying not to far off of securing the round on points theoretically, should she had continued on with her body of work. Perhaps that conquest simply wasn’t the goal in mind to press for. Nonetheless, these two kept everything in front of you on a stage that clearly enjoyed interpretation within reach. Official kept within arms length. DNA won. The End. GMDW (looking forward to acquiring the mesh hoodie too.)
Scorecard:
Round 1- Official (30)
Round 2- DNA (30)
Round 3- DNA (21)
Final Score= DNA 77-69 Official
Decision= DNA (Majority)
PenGod- “I get her alone~a loan and creep up on you like a car payment/”
“you lost a tourney~attorney wit court~Cort/and then Case dropped/all cause you couldn’t finish a sentence/”
DNA
#NR Charlie Clips v. Yoshi G
Yoshi took the bait. As a pleasantly proud Charlie Clips looked on. Almost as if her valiant effort actually resonated in a way she probably had in mind pre-bout. In the reality on stage however the smirkish grin found on Charlie Clips face could just resemble the comfort level of an all-time great who was given the assignment he could not resist- a typecast battler who poses no actual threat to the win-loss result who will provide a show one way or the other. Hence, for Clips this bout was always a win-win proposition and so we got the laxed Charlie Clips of yesteryear pulling lyrical rabbits out of a hat and being the magician of an entertainer that he is to do just enough for captivating moments. An approach that should’ve come to no surprise to anyone familiar with the distinct difference in war Charlie and wildin Charlie. From taking nearly a complete round off to engage prop theatrics to a questionably stale 3rd round angle emphasis, Charlie left alot to be desired competitively masked behind his ability to satisfy the in the building expectation meter threshold. This is a vintage Charlie. As was vintage Charlie the near unstoppable force on display v. Lu Castro, this version of Charlie is also an iteration we know all too well littered within Clips elaborate resume. Bottomline-there’s no escaping the truths on display in this matchup. Clips won and he was always going to which rightfully shouldn’t have had zero effect on Yoshi’s approach and confidence as a competitor. Yoshi G. Yoshi wears heart on sleeve of her bold shoulders and though seemingly fearless in the ring, her ability to convey the full message has often left much to be desired as to the disposition of her character. Like directing the attributes of it not only into verbs; the how and why to her is. But also the pre-requisite tie-in imagery her body of work missed in this bout. I understand Yoshi’s POV- the creative craft in which you took this approach and did so gallantly for my 2cents v. Pristavia just recently went unappreciated and excessively scrutinized for nefarious reasons outside the ring clouding the lyrical value of your crafty performance. It’s shameful the Art suffers from the fate of the heart when controversy is the inflection point of the artist(s) potential. That said, still the approach must fight through it and sustain itself going forward IMO. And do so beyond the shock value admissions of generalities on the surface that we can all see coming. Nevermind the actual innuendo which is already branded and clear. What about the psychology of its pathological success or failure? The intricate. There’s no question Yoshi possesses amazing talent and charisma with a clear pen ethic. Her 2nd round v. Pristavia was completely masterful. And in this current bout she expressed many areas of strength to go back and watch film with as areas of tactical improvement for future fights (Rd2). But until she settles into telling the story of her moniker’s many realms and possibilities and give it life as opposed to the idea of overselling the end-result of said moniker, there’s still a void to be filled for Yoshi. But the woman is tough as nails under the pressure cooker, so she should embrace it.
As for Charlie let’s address the obvious talking point. Clips didn’t need it to win (in prep or real-time) therefore the Serapis prop was a mild corny deviation from tailored rhyming and essentially a near waste of a round in my book though I do acknowledge it’s effectiveness to many. My personal prospective does not reflect the majority viewership in attendance who thoroughly enjoyed the spoof satire rendition and as a result points worthy of disqualification to me were otherwise accumulated for haymaker tally and added to Clips total on the backend despite the poor optics that are neither here nor there at this point. To each their own. Otherwise, Charlie lyrically found areas of attack and made them count within his visceral approach but all-in-all this was a Charlie who left the ring without a scratch and also left unchallenged. An outside summer for Clips would be dope but only v. headhunters. RE: The Magician v. The Wizard. Clips suffers from too damn talented. Give him the one counterintuitive force he can’t gallivant against.
URL- time to let Cal rattle the cage. Mankind v. Steve Austin. Golden Era match.
Scorecard:
Round 1- Clips (26)
Round 2- Clips (28)
Round 3- Even (19)
Final Score= Clips 73-58 Yoshi G
Decision= Charlie Clips (Unanimous)
#NR Aye Verb v. Casey Jay
First things first. All praise be to Casey Jay. She has consistently put her best fight forward and gave her best lyrical effort throughout many bouts with questionable or open-ended results surrounding her opponent. The overshadowing backdrop often cast by the topics of things out of her personal control probably shouldn’t linger in discussion and exaggeration as much as they do comparable to her own performance. Kudos to her. Svelte and well kempt, Casey took the stage from Verb with a no nonsense approach out the gate and style-pointed her way to success with a commitment to staying in the lyrical pockets that usually serve her well. Showmanship her last 2 URL bouts- ⬆️ No slippage in any round and pointed consistently throughout, Casey Jay would not be denied as she arose to the occasion in victory. Granted, she certainly benefited from the boost a stingy and lopsided live audience afforded her in what strangely felt like a staged protest of some sort in the building. Which leads to that other subject for examination-
Aye Verb’s dilemma. Verb doubling down on the developments of his many hats as a villain arc isn’t actually the issue from my vantage as much as it is likely Verb’s dismissive verbal stance towards the institution of things is what presently paints a very visible and very convenient target on Verb’s stage presence. That said some of the best in many sports have thrived from the rangy unsettling uncertainty of a competitively hostile environment and perhaps the idea of victorious conquest under duress is actually a comfort zone for Verb. Wouldn’t put it past him as the original line-stepping sojourner whom made many road games feel like we were watching Kobe go for 62 in the Garden. Well that Verb has now lived long enough to become the outcast. A distinction he’s so publicly embraced in which I personally don’t mind at all but when said character arc isn’t allowed the room and mic to say whatever it like and so desires without swift reprimand well, you’re just cheapening the sport as a viewer at the end of the day. What shouldn’t be up for discussion- Aye Verb’s craft. Apart of longevity in any discipline is the discovery of new affirmations and an evolving core concentric. No matter how controversial Verb builds fights, once the bell rings floors his. Let the man work. Going forward we know Verb will continue to push back on the fringe criticisms and rightfully so in the context of how to approach his own expertise. Aside from all that is still the prevailing point that- Verb still rapped. As far as the actual raps go, yes it was somewhat puzzling Verb did not soften the blow of his tactical delivery and paint an ethereal picture of Casey to deconstruct.
Note: Casey Jay has to summate her rounds. Signature. Slogan. Whatever. Closure Boss.
Scorecard:
Round 1- Casey Jay (27)
Round 2- Casey Jay (21)
Round 3- Casey Jay (27)
Final Score= Casey Jay 75-57 Aye Verb
Decision= Casey Jay (Unanimous)
PenGod- “Captain marketable/i’m talking to you/if you in there/”
“.357 fly by/my/where did the time go/I spot Aye/mask on/spa day/”
Casey Jay
“it’s Arkham all thru my attic/”
Aye Verb
#10 Tay Roc v. Viixen the Assassin
Vickie. Viixen. Vicious. Venom. Victorious. Should I keep it going? Listen man, the electricity emitted in the building for the Assassins 1st round could’ve lit up a small town for a nite the way Viixen flawlessly completed the energy transference of her setting the tone of the fight from pen to opponent. The film playback does the moment in real-time no justice. The frequency shift to high voltage in that building was single-handedly the doing of one Viixen the Assassin. No grey area needed. She hopped up from her corner took off and lyrically swung on Roc at the tip. Style pointing her way to dunks, straight punches, haymakers, and a high percentage land count that at one point began to feel like a fair question could be emerging- did Viixen just stagger Roc early? How will he respond? Well, not to be out done by anybody, Tay Roc withstood the early flurry of heavy handed Vic bombs and matched the energy temperament of the room in his own right by sending the euphoria of the environment into frenzy as the bottom of Round 1 concluded I thought- this must’ve been what the viewer experience felt like for Viixen’s 1st round v. Casey Jay in LA. Sparks flying all over. These two delivered on the popcorn emoji level anticipation right from the start. No stranger to this terrain, a levitated Tay Roc found in the 2nd round- Viixen is the step forward type. All ŠṁÔǩÊ💨 🧨 No Gas⛽️ As Viixen never let her foot off the acceleration or Roc’s neck for that matter, Roc played stellar defense and avoided the TKO long enough to find a pinpoint area of punch radius in the bottom 3rd to work with and even up the scorecard tally. Which is exactly what these two did as I registered a dead even draw for the bout. What a fight. No way either took a L. Another day at the office for the Legend Roc. Viixen- P4P Top Dog/Female A-side.
Incredible bout. Medal em both. 🥇
Note: Champion Of The Night- Tay Roc. 🏆
Scorecard:
Round 1- Viixen (36)
Round 2- Viixen (28)
Round 3- Tay Roc (33)
Final Score= Tay Roc 90-90 Viixen
Decision= Draw (Split Decision)
PenGod- “i’ll put the pole at the end of Block/he know the bus~bust is coming/”
“you’ll get a hollow stupid/like a intercom and a generator/i’m greatness/” 💤
Viixen 🎒
“she gon have to punch her way outta this casket/like Uma Thurman/”
Tay Roc
#1 Geechi Gotti v. Jaz the Rapper
Reliant on both the live prospective as well as the home viewership vantage simultaneously, I take from this bout the main event audience engagement doesn’t measure to the solid material from both artists 2 rounds in. Makes you ponder if crowd fatigue (physically) were less of a factor from the worn labor of standing room only would you get a more consistently cheerful output of live viewer engagement ala Center Stage in Atlanta. But back to the topic at hand- Jaz fought to win. With a strategy she clearly knew would find room to land with a wide punch radius- angle jabs. Jaz threw the jab all night and set up her straight punches to a tee. The energy of the environment at times did not reflect how effective many of her haymakers actually were or would be under different circumstances as the film review reveals even more. Case in point- the heavy swing from Jaz was often the same ilk of catered material that DNA/Official served up all nite with great success earlier in the card. Despite that Jaz still pointed exceptionally well (the highest total) and landed an absurd percentage count once again for this bout as she picked her spots and lined up her opponent with patience like a balanced fighter who thrives on the attack with their back to the ropes. She addressed the many topical elephants of discussion one would suspect she’d venture to and did so without rushing through it. Once again, Jaz the Rapper met the expectation bar of artistic standard. For Geechi, Champ had it going early on. In a bout where intel would unsurprisingly be much of the undertone for the bout, Geechi’s only good defense across from the style of fight Jaz presents with her personal punch attack was an equally efficient offense and for me 2 rounds in Geechi tallied on par w/Jaz, kept it close. But with an airtight margin of victory/defeat in the balance, Geechi Gotti ceded the final round without throwing many punches and going for the TKO instead opting to match the sexually graphic undertone that seemed to mainly fall on confused ears if not deaf as the odd admissions from both artist came across collaborative and less competitive than how the lyrical fight began which keep in mind was how the fight sold itself leading up to. Overall, these two provided a few key subject layers to take from this bout as future reference mainly Jaz now opening up a pandora’s box of “new” (to fans) material for Geechi’s peers to sort through and decide if they think their charm in delivery will go over the same as a beloved Jaz the Rapper. My prediction: somebody will get the gall to try their luck and be quickly reminded why not many take that route with Gotti to begin with. The tone of this bout in subject matter prior to the final round certainly gave off the energy of just cause Jaz do it don’t think you can [insert battle rapper whoever]. Also, Geechi did Jaz an additional solid and plucked a few dispatcher bars out of the battle rap currency machine for any and all who later will undoubtedly stretch the topic out more than need be. In closing, who knows what’s next for Geechi but what is for certain is that Gotti has arrived at the place many dominant figures in sports ultimately reach- the bar gets raised to unreasonable heights. The question for him would seem to be which road does he opt for at the fork. Shaquille O’Neal- shorter prime than his dominance should’ve had. Or Lebron James- longest sustained prime in his sports history. With a resume like Gotti’s you’d have to ponder what will continue to motivate his commitment to winning and being the best at his craft as opposed to just statistically rewriting the record books. It’ll be an interesting observation to mull over with time as he is actually the litmus test for the modern Era of what tangible accolades in the sport mean as one ages. Achievements someone like a Hitman Holla would’ve certainly garnered had COTY/All 1st team/POTY/ been available in the pre-Caffeine URL NBA/ABA.
Scorecard:
Round 1- Geechi (36)
Round 2- Jaz (38)
Round 3- Jaz (28)
Final Score= Jaz 100-92 Geechi Gotti
Decision= Jaz the Rapper (Split Decision)
PenGod- “I think he done fell in some sh*t/cause yall think mister meaner than he is/”
Jaz
“couldn’t finish school my Mama see me and be happy now/”
Geechi Gotti 🥶
KVQ3= Complete.
Until next time,
Salute.
TwoCent
P.ess- Good to see Your Honor and Dot back in the fold. Two unique talents. 💯
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