The URL took center stage last Sunday in downtown Atlanta, GA for what was a brilliant evening of lyrical cinema in front of an enthusiastically involved and patient assembly of spectators in full support of the sports lyrical charm. As the night overwhelmed with back-to-back-to-back strong performances each artists delivered as the card lived up to it’s billing up until that point. A great experience and atmosphere for the most part took place on this day in the A. With Atlanta being a second home to so many from all over, I included, it came as no surprise the embracing of Hip Hop’s many faces and identities were given their just due for the Arts and thus allowed each performer the space to connect with the viewership both physically present and afar as each artist shared their craft masterfully. As we all know the billed main event did not occur and the otherwise great evening of Rap on display was cut short abruptly. However, with so much great content to unpack from the events results I say let’s hone in and spread positivity to the artists of this platform for vibing with us on Any Given Sunday.
But,
before that…
The app 8 dollars you act like it’s 8 Gs/
this food for thought cost the same as one #3/
so at ease…/
Kudos to Smack White. Mr. Troy finally Jermaine Cole’d the on the fence variety of viewership and said what he said. We spend money in many places as people. Simply put, spend money on HipHop. Support it. Invest back into it. Justify it however you need to just do it. 96 US$ will pass through most of our hands many many times over the course of a year. A black-owned catalogue of in-house product licensed for sole distribution should not have to hustle backwards for those who do not see the foreshadowing of Battle Rap’s inclement evolution into sports entertainment. Nor should it stunt its own growth for convenience.
We are all bearing witness to an art form cultivating into a sport in real-time.
Let’s support it as much as possible. Just a thought.
TwoCent
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY 2 ⬇️
Note: *NR- ‘non-ranked’ titans of the sport will not be included into Top 25 poll until 3 battle minimum has been fulfilled for sake of general fairness, SOS, and respect in consideration to all parties and approaches to the craft, collectively. But instead will automate to the equivalent of a Top 10 opponent by default.
1st Quarter URL Top 25 Poll: Edition 1 coming soon…
The Card=
#18 Ave v. #11 Danny Myers
Synopsis: Firstly, great bout. Secondly, the broken record in regards to Danny the Myers can’t be overstated. Far too many swing and misses against Ave allude to the eerie beginnings of an inevitable burn out on the horizon. Though we hope not the attrition usually comes full-circle. I had his land percentage in this fight much lower than v. Tay Roc despite edging the tally count which could point to several things. Mostly how f’n talented Danny truly is. Aside from that fact though Danny Myers took more risks and attempted to style point this fight. And in ways he found success in that effort. See second round. Though he also missed the mark for me down the stretch, perplexing considering the idea itself was perfectly ideal. See third round. Danny pens an angle round of steady jabs consisting of demographic context most of us either know well or know well enough. Being so the resonation is there already built-in however the sputtered ending to the chain of jabs fell short of the proper time and placement to land enough punch power to finish Ave despite the methodically rich approach to the round itself as evidenced by the final tally. I imagine Danny zoning into that last round and providing surface context between Ave(s) changes the tone of this bout. (aside: more of this please Mr. Myers and anyone else for that matter. Bar Aesthetic rounds used for educational purposes= Dope) Overall this method did in fact work well for him in retrospect. However, the steady force of lyrical blow to the core of Danny is what set Ave apart in the totality of the bout. Ave knows the strength of his own attributes and sticks to the word for word combat that suits him best. In some cases the status quo may not end in his favor (see v. B Dot) but yet on nights like this where the brawl is met at the center of the ring, Ave excels. A clean tactician of his straight-forward punch count, the combos Ave provided in this one coupled with meeting the same stratosphere of lyrical syntax as Danny while scoring 2 rounds the decision lands in his favor according to live metrics. Get Ave in the pit with Roc. Revival of the fittest. Hash & grit between old friends.
Round 1- Ave (31)
Round 2- Danny Myers (36)
Round 3- Ave (28)
Final Score= 89-87 Danny Myers
Decision= Split Decision (Ave)
PenGod (Danny)
“froze stiff, they be on by-stand by standards that they stand by”
#13 Lu Castro v. #NR Charlie Clips
Synopsis: The enigma of superstardom. Charlie Clips.
Lu Castro has put together two bodies of work (v. Rum Nitty/ v. Clips) that distinctly resemble what other sports may refer to as ‘scary potential’. It’s the type of talent you see in a person that you realize has another level. And that level is even higher than the high level already amassed. It’s this quality that keeps Lu Castro amongst the stars of the URL roster as not only a budding promotional marvel but a legit fight that can be sold for expectations of a TKO. Question- how many performances within Lu’s immediate weight class of peers can you make comparable to Castro’s 3 round masterpiece Sunday? I would venture to say not too many in terms of a complete fight. Lu took it to Clips front door and leave it to Charlie to pick that exact night and moment to absolutely dismantle the best version of his opponent. Of which we’ve seen from Clips before lending to the rightful designation of him as an enigma. The guy who’s just as skilled, just as much raw talent, and just as dangerous when engaged as anyone ever is also the guy who can be counted on to pick and choose when to be all those things at once. For whatever reason Sunday nite was one of those nights Clips decided he wanted to score 50 and he did just that. But he did not wash rinse and repeat Lu Castro. Optics wise it’s a narration driven truism of the sport Lu will have to wear in regards to this fight. They’ll say he lost admirably. I don’t disagree however margin of defeat is undoubtedly missing within the context of the sport. Lu Castro could not outright win this bout with a decision. Up against the Charlie Clips who showed up to Center Stage its about surviving and going the distance. Lu did that. That feat should be taken into account tangibly. A perfect bout like this one demonstrates the merit of need towards a sanctioned point system; as opposed to open-ended interpretation as the sole determining factor, real-time metrics help aid the true barometer of what’s actually occurring lyrically. Especially considering unlike a boxing for example, the two artists are not in combat at the same time. Deeming the contrast of the battle with far too much subjectivity IMO. What actually happened in this bout? Lu performed to the high echelon Clips took himself to. But Lu performed first. How do you keep that in mind with just the mind in real-time? Basketball coined “its a game of runs”. An applicable statement here considering every time Lu got into his round he gained a momentum swing. And then Clips rapped and went on a run of his own landing repeatedly like two steals lead to two fast-break dunks followed by back to back threes and the lead has been cut down to five as the Golden St. Warriors go on a 10-0 run. This was that in Battle Rap terms. Things even themselves out. Except in basketball the context of a final score brings clarity to the highs and lows of a full 48min competition. In reality, Lu Castro went down to the wire with Charlie Clips in this bout as the point tally demonstrates and thus with all things even I still must acknowledge i’d certainly expect the majority rule to favor Clips and rightfully so for his amazing turn back of the clocks. Clips is an all-timer man. But Lu Castro has arrived. Hype met heights. Level UP Lu. Chess?
Round 1- Even (28)
Round 2- Clips (28)
Round 3- Castro (27)
Final Score= 79-79 (Even)
Decision= Majority Draw
PenGod (Lu Castro)
“Charlie clapped then it’s Charlie Chaplin, we dont speak on clips”
#5 Chess v. #8 Calicoe
Synopsis: Two things can be true at the same time. 1. Calicoe has every right to take gripe with how frequently his wizardry through 3 rounds turned victory gets consistently swept under the rug and left out of sight out of mind. It’s true. And it’s egregious in a Battle Rap conversation of historical context kind of way. The irony in how a wizards sleight of hand requires oblivion from the spectator. Nonetheless there’s a chance some may be running the risk of falling into such a observational daze as evidenced by his lack of inclusion into the final COTY Top 20 finish despite a resume for the year that included Hitman, Geechi, and Surf. Who else’s resume looked like that with two majority win decisions attached? As a result alot of the cultures viewership continually finds themselves being served a seasonal reminder of Calicoe’s prowess and ability to win any matchup on any nite. Calicoe sized Chess up to a tee from the promotional go. To which one would have to think ahead and foresee the outcome of Sunday’s bout as the most likely result all along (a brawl) leading to the next point. 2. The sport belongs to Chess if he wants it. The soul of the man measured in bars. The future is the present, a paraphrase from the man himself. In the ring with Calicoe, Chess punched through the equilibrium shot and stood on his feet in this bout. If anything warrants major respect and appropriate adoration for Chess in the long view prospective of this fight it is that. What happened in the 1st round happened. Rather than harp i’d rather note Chess ultimately returned and rapped therefore dock the round officially, deduct points from the round, and move forward was the assignment I saw most fitting in that situation. He can’t take the round but he can accumulate points and focus on the execution of the next two rounds to gain ground on the momentum swung toward Calicoe. Chess did that. Admirably. The topical substance these two MCs combined to give deserves it’s just due breakdown for those of us who will review film and revisit the layered content at a later point. Calicoe remains a wild card therefore having no expectations and looking forward to what motivates Calicoe one bout at a time makes him the mercurial yet unique figurehead of the sport that he is. Cal also calls his shot well in advance so theoretically we are well aware of who’s in scope and on his radar. As for Chess, the World is yours I would think is the theme around his prospects for upcoming bouts. And if it is indeed true what they say about Chess being the best of them all (I agree) in the grand scheme, that long-shot in Harlem may be a distant sun atop the NYC sky though should it be?
Round 1- Calicoe (35)
Round 2- Chess (32)
Round 3- Calicoe (27)
1 Docked Round- Chess (1st)
Deductions- Chess (-10) 1st (-5) 3rd
Final Score= 90-77 Calicoe
Decision= Majority Decision (Calicoe)
PenGod (Chess)
PenGod (Chess)
“Y’all neva seen Chess with pops, I guess I really wasn’t Fresh”
#NR Cortez v. #2 Tsu Surf
Synopsis: Postponed. TBD
All in all, dope night of lyrical fights, momentum swinging outcomes, and end results that put on for the sport and the brand. Always good to be back in a place i’ve once called home, love to East Atlanta. Always a good time. AGS2= Complete.
Up next: Charlotte, NC
Til then,
Salute and respect to everybody.
TwoCent
P.ess-
Still Thematics by Daryl Rice:
1/1