On Saturday, July 9, the Ultimate Rap League (URL) made history with N.O.M.E. 12 at Houston’s Bayou Music Center, becoming the first extreme sporting organization to trend on Twitter at #1 during the same night with two separate hashtags.
Pivotal to topping the United States trending charts was the highly anticipated card curated by Troy “Smack” White, co-owner of the premier battle rap league in the world. His goal was to focus on matchups that would combine various tiers of artistry, present to fans a long-awaited grudge match, and culminate the $100,000 Ultimate Madness 5 tournament series with finalists JC and Swamp.
The two hashtags were: #NOME12 and #NOMEXII
#NOMEXII was trending before the event started. Before long, after-show host Smack announced #NOME12 as the URL hashtag, it started to trend in the number one spot within a half-hour into the show. #NOMEXII consistently ranked, landing at the top position an hour later.
We always knew that Drake wanted to get into battle rap, but for some reason, we assumed he would battle Murda Mook or Hollow Da Don. But with one mega-move, he became the rocketship that URL needed to take them to the next galaxy. According to CNN, the OVO mogul leveraged his relationship with newly launched streaming company Caffeine to create yet another platform for SMACK/URL to distribute their battles.
According to Okayplayer, this multi-year deal that Drake has signed with the streaming platform Caffeine founded by Ben Keighran should not come as a surprise. Drake has dabbled in battle rap as a fan, appearing as a guest at the 2015 NOME 5 card, where Wild ‘N Out’s Charlie Clips battled Hollow da Don. A few years later, the Toronto rapper linked up Ninja on another streaming company called Twitch and shifted how many saw gaming. So much… 600,000 views… and actually broke their viewing audience record.
This collab is going to be something special. The Caffeine deal will give you hot battles for free, almost working with the already successful app that not only has battles but mini-docs on their star battlers and interstitials like I’m Just Asking.
URL will have their first event with Drake and Caffeine on February 29th in Atlanta with a card named Genesis. How apropos! This really is the start of a whole new bible in the culture.
“My mouth is effective in its speech; I do not go back on my word.” -Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt
Writings from Ancient Egypt, By Toby Wilkinson
“The ladies will kick it the rhyme that is wicked Those that don’t know how to be pros get evicted A woman can bear you break you take you Now it’s time to rhyme can you relate to A sister dope enough to make you holler and scream”
“Make your check, come at they neck…. Who run the world? Girls!”
Run the World, Queen Bey
A bridge was made in Hip-Hop that has been under construction since the late 70s. A strategic alliance coupling to of the most notable brands in the battle rap world, Queen of the Ring and the Ultimate Rap League have finally produced their first truly intra-gender performance card promising to be a night of intense competition.
That is if you believe that girls can compete with the guys.
Most people did not believe that; believing that the only battle that would be of note would be the teamed contests between the Murda Ave crew and Mafia crew. They were shocked to see that they were wrong, as the women “rapped” their fat asses off- pushing some of the top pens to see that just because an emcee has estrogen, doesn’t mean that they can’t think and talk that sh*t like a man.
Heard you… but did the queens win their battles?
The night started out with a quick and private conversation with the first female to sign to Death Row Records, surviving on the roster with legends like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and the Dogg Pound. The conversation was light and reminiscent, as she was THERE… front seat to some of the most magical adventures of Hip-Hop, but was most powerful in her measured observations is something that Queen of the Ring has been doing for a decade now. One of her concerns about the culture has always been that the legacy of true femcee lyricism not be diminished by the cattiness of how women rappers are portrayed: petty, hyper-sexual and exploitive, weak. This night, she was at ease and excited. For being in a truly female-centered space, where the girl was not the only chick in a guy crew, added legitimacy to the craft that has been her bread and butter for years. She was ready for the show to start.
Everyone was. This night promised to set the year off right. The audience was a different mix of QOTR and URL fans, creating an interesting vibe. One fan said that she never had an interest in hearing guys rap because “who wants to see a bunch of “n*ggas” going back and forth like women?” On the flip, there were men in the audience who did not want to see women on the stage, believing that women can’t stand in front of men with bars that could hit with significant power and strength.
The focus on both of these positions were the two spotlight battles between Chess & Tori Doe and Rum Nitty & O’fficial.
But before that… The women battled.
SURPRISED BATTLE: ROBIN RHYMES VS. FIRST LADY FLAMES
There is a thing in female battle rap where if you mention that someone is having sex with someone or is a whore, that those bars will land harder… and for the casual fan who is interested in shock value lyrism… that is it… that is true… that is strategy… that is fire…
But when that sort of content is not as powerful as the stuff someone with the intention set on barring you to death comes up and breaks loose… you wound up getting 3-0 in your hometown. This was the case between FLL and RR. Flames was fire and performed pretty good on the stage, but was not as creative as Robin Rhymes.
From Robin’s superhero scheme to her Robin Thicke “Lost Without You” flip to her revelation that she spanks RBE’s frontman and owner ARP in bed, she outperformed and kinda outbarred the Queen of Virginia battle rap producing a 3-0 that would have been a 2-1, had Flames not choked in the 3rd.
DEISEL VS. CHEDDAR
The first scheduled battle was between Deisel and Cheddar. During the face-off the night before, Deisel sported her stripes in the game like the vet that she is. Cheddar promised that she would rip those stripes off… adding that she (Deisel) was not in the best female rapper out of Virginia… But with her roots in Virginia in tack, Deisel appeared to be super comfortable. Outbarring Cheddar round after round. She was dominant. She was aggressive. She had crowd participation and her bars were simply superior to the pint-size Cheddar, who already diminutive in size, seemed to get smaller and smaller as the battle progressed. Deisel amassed the stage, teaching a valuable letter that the male veteran rappers at URL have been trying to teach the new class over there: “Stop rushing the bake. Get ready before you try and pop out.”
CASEY JAY VS. MS. MURK
While Deisel was prepared to teach Cheddar that lesson, Ms. Murk (a vet in her own right) was not… at least not in this battle against the formidable opponent Casey Jay (aka Kylie Penner).
Murk choked almost in every round… barely completing the 2nd and not even getting one line out in the third. The third might have been from sheer moral deduction and embarrassment as Lady Luck who was the host uttered on the mic something like “Be quiet… I want to get her off the stage.” Unfortunate… particularly since her poor performance robbed Casey of a battle that folk would want to re-watch and talk about. This is important to note because Murk can really bar-tango. She owed Casey a better and more prepared performance. This is not just sport, but this is a business where the artists’ stocks go up and down based on how they show up.
Casey did not rob Murk but paid that girl every single dollar’s worth of the purse she earned on that bill. She was barking. Flashing those pretty light eyes with what would seem to appear to any opponent a possessed sense of terror when she rapped. She had performance, confidently dancing on the stage like an MMA warrior. She also had a secret weapon, her momma who jumped in letting everyone know she is a real Texas mom and will have her baby’s back. But that was just gravy to this goose that CJ had already cooked. This was clearly the BODY of the night as the crowd started chanting 3-0. Casey J, you are fire.
TORI DOE VS. CHESS
Chess won.
But… the win was not the win that he wanted nor the loss that Tori Doe deserved.
The mirror styled match began with passion and the unorthodox style that has made the two of them anomalies in the culture. But Tori’s mic was messing up from the time they started to the very last time she spat one of her intricately constructed lines. She had that Harlem magic in her pocket, that swag that has millions of Doe-nation followers salivating at her whim. She was clever with some of the things she said like the “why you didn’t wash the dishes?” jawn or the chess scheme about his queen having to protect him and him being a pawn. But the mics, despite all of the off-stage male battle rappers suggesting how to position the mic and even Chess exchanging mics with her to assist, just were static-y and low. With her talk-to-you style, it did not have the impact that a well-tuned mic might have. This f*cked up a could have been a classic as a frustrated Tori gave up almost every round when her concern with the mic disturbance started to overwhelm her and it interfered with fans’ ability to hear what she wrote against the Cave Gang lieutenant, Chess.
Now Chess, to be clear, won. And his win was by no means by default. He is a brilliant emcee, taking the time to find ways to do name flips that were original. Taking his opponent seriously and creating an experience for the audience that was comical at times, thought provocative at other times and at all times mesmerizing. He by far is one of the most interesting wordsmiths that rap music has seen in a while. He embodies the legacy of vintage and almost scientific wordplay like the masters WuTang and Keith Murray, while still showing up fresh and current like J. Cole and K-Dot.
In his battle against Tori, he treated her like an opponent worthy enough for him to sit still and write for. While it is up for debate about how worthy she is, it is unfortunate that we will never fully know because of the huge disadvantage she had with her mic situation. If Casey had the body of the night, this was the heartbreak of it.
They kinda thought that Rum Nitty was coming in to beat up on O’fficial. But unlike any other female emcee, the culture has ever seen, this Louisianna belle is not here for none of those shenanigans. This was another one of those battles that you want to watch again on cam, because in the building depending on what you like, the two were 1-1 going into the third and both were not as amazing in the third as they were in the first two.
Nitty, The Source‘s 2017 Unsigned Hype inductee, had name flips on O’fficial that no one has ever heard before. But it was not just that… he tried to throw that woman around lyrically like a rag doll with punches and dexterous wordplay. But… O’fficial moves like a brawler and a woman that drinks in bars. She likes to fight. She likes to get rough. She is like a voodoo possessed rag doll inspirited with the brute of Nao Shango or the Lao Petro focused on bringing verbal devastation to her opponent.
Together, they masterfully executed and painting the stage red with skill, passion, and performance, making it the “Battle of the Night!”
MURDA AVE. VS MAFIA
This was the first debatable and preference battle of the card.
There is a chemistry that Ms. Fit and Cortez have that is incomparable. The way the Fit wove not just her rhymes but her agile and swift body through and around Cortez was harmoniously symphonic. And if you like two-on-twos where the pair play off each other, bounce back and forth in lyrical choreography, this was the squad for you. This also was a way for you to see the difference in how the two rap. Ms. Fit is full-out AG, and this is not about her sexuality: Aggressive. Agile. Agonic. Cortez talks to people with a more direct, “let me explain to you” what this is kind of way. They are the rare combination of street smarts and book smarts, crafting bars that fight like alley cats and stray dogs.
On the flip, Coffee Brown and Geechi Gotti as a team had that shadow methodology going. Letting each artist complete a thought, with a cosign every now and again, before the other steps in with their respective punch or blow. Geechi, as stated in previous reviews, moves like a shark. He circles his opponent and bites with shift scissored-toothed verses that slowly bleeds whomever he goes against. At least that is the intention… a practice that has allowed him to be the number one or two top emcee in the game for the last couple of years. Coffee on the other side is no shark. She is a piranha, swarming around her victim and trying to tear them apart disastrously. Together, they are like bullies on the stage. They are to be feared without a doubt.
They don’t care (much to the enjoyment of those watching!).
The battle was not as exciting as some of the other battles, but both duos came to the table with an excellent display of workmanship and sportsmanship. Geechi is the most unlikely to be freestyling, but he shows us that he can do more than just punch but come off the head pretty easily. He is like the guy in class that you swear is just the hood dude in class itch to get out at 2:15 pm, so he is not paying attention, but actually is and walks out the semester with an “A” in chemistry… He is not the best because it sounds good and he is a crip, talking crip shit. He is the best right now because he is working on the art. Ms. Fit is funny and up in your face, and her slick talk keeps her relevant. Cortez at least in this battle, played the back more, creating a performance to showcase his little sis. But understood what this battle meant to his legacy and not just hers and so he did not come to play. And Coffee came to the ring with something to prove… And she did. Coffee is not just Geechi’s hype girl with the thick thighs, the ratchet IG and the f-cked up attitude. As an artist, she is primed to sit at the table with some of the best of them… she no longer should be excluded from a female mid-to-top tier conversation… #SpeedingtoTheFrontofTheClass
40 B.A.R.R.S. vs. MS. HUSTLE
If Rum and O’fficial was the battle of the night, this was a close second.
Two women, grown-women, epitomized what female battle rap should look like, sound like and embody. Both had performance, though displayed in very different ways. Hustle was bombastic and she raps like with edge, comfortability and like a seasoned professional. She had jokes. She violated with her slick-mouth and above all of that she just knows what she is doing. 40 is a rapper’s rapper. She is complicated and well-paced. While many of the girls change into something else (it has been referenced that Casey J and even O’fficial became almost possessed with their rhyme-performance genius), she remains who she is: a queen… a lady…
Rumors (and truths) aside, 40’s biggest problem is that she is too busy being preoccupied with life to fully concentrate on the “royalty” preset before her in battle rap. Tonight she was fully present on the stage that mattered and in a squeaker, possibly edged out the URL Queen Bee.
While Hustler was in her bag, even bringing in a cameo from E-Hart (who partnered with 40 in the now infamous Summer Impact card where she choked and forfeited the contest), B.A.R.R.S. was a phoenix rising from the ashes to a new level of triumph. No gas. Just bars. And ultimately, the best way to end the night.
Royalty lived up to its name and was a great introduction for millions of fans interested in seeing what the women bring to the table.
Rounding out a stellar year, SMACK and his band of winners have pressed forward with one more event to satisfy the battle rap fan. Doing it almost better than any other league, they have mastered big stages, talent scouting, small rooms, artistically experimental (just think about the way you felt the first time you saw to a BANNED performance) and innovative concert/ sporting experiences that are comparable to any event that AEG could ever produce.
It is hard to believe that their modest official staff consisting of less than ten people (20 if you include those that support on a need to need basis). Star-makers, this 10th year of industrialization has been neck-breaking as they have attempted to out due themselves card after card. Clearly, they are their own measuring stick- which is obvious by the pending Volume 5 Card coming up this weekend.
Volume cards are closed to the public and extremely intimate. Maybe 30 people in attendance, two-star status-ed emcees are stripped down to put lyric and brawn to the test. Classic battles are made on the Volume stage and it is here in this exposed environment that you really get to see the chinks in your favorite rappers battle armor. Legends are made, but legends have also fallen. This weekend, Volume is on steroids, leaving people scratching their heads overwhelming as big boss Beasley has added another day of contest.
As if the programming of the first-day card did not shake the rooms with some really interesting battles, the next day looks like a “Rookie vs. Vet” card. #LooksLikeThatButItsNot
First Day of Volume 5: Ace Amin and Swamp are the newbies on the card. Both emcees are two of the most exciting battlers we’ve seen in a couple of years. Ace, the Holy Shit saying Goonie, has mastered crowd control with his raw street aggression. Son simply smells like “don’t f*ck with me,” and after epic shoulder bump against Snake Eyez we’re pretty sure no one will. Despite his rough acting persona, lyrically he is sharply manicured – as manicured as his intentionally lined beard. And then you have Swamp. Swamp is battle rap’s T.I. His grand hustle (all puns intended) has tsunamied him into the eye view of the culture’s most coveted personalities (again the puns are intended). His drawl is unique. His posture is confident. And what’s most attractive about him as an artist is that he is not about the hype and cemented firmly in his fight. Swamp is a different type of battler- super comfortable whooping ass all year like somebody’s “I ain’t gonna say it no mo’” granddaddy. No idea who will take it.
Geechi Gotti and O-Red are set to spar on this card. Both former “Champions of the Year,” one might expect them to be the top billers of the night. BUT THEY ARE NOT! Not because they are not fire enough to fill the slot, it is just that the star power of this particular Volume supersedes even this crown champs. #whatinthenameofJayBlac
We know what they came to do. It would seem to be redundant to roll out stats and history on these two. After all, when the shark-like Geechi steps on that stage- it is a fact- that he is going to punch heavy stone-handedly like Thanos (not making you dissipate, but knocking you the f*ck out) in every f’cking bar! But Red… Psychologically, like the color, approaches the art of battle rap with dangerous energy, a spirit of war, strength, power, and a determination that out-balances the passion, desire, and even the love of his opponent.
Nu Jerzey Twork vs. Ave is a battle that has been brewing all summer… all year. Beast against Beast. Monster challenging Monster. Twork brings the gutter of the Trenton to his performances, energetically and creatively in a way this arena has never seen. The leader of the notable crew ‘The Goonies,’ if he is on… and lately there have been few times that he has not been that scary-ass fully-prepared dude to take the ‘w’… Twork devastates. #TrentonMakesTheWorldTakes
And Ave looks like he wants to take.
If Tay Roc is a General in Cave Gang, then Ave is probably a Major (not equal but a star or two away from the top guy). And like a Major, he moves with authority and commands like a boss. Street-laden in his approach, Ave is a shit talker. Southern like Swamp, but he is not someone’s granddaddy. As he likes to say, he is people’s “Daddy.” He schools them. He makes them stand straight and get uncomfortable. He becomes larger than life and his words- this negro’s words- are like a big leather belt that whips up on these young and older whippersnappers that try to talk back. And people be talking back to Ave… we are not forgetting how K-Shine made us forget is emerging star power… but at the same time… we are NOT going to forget how he made the VET and arguable a battle rap god, Arsonal da Rebel, seem ordinary… transparent… PGish even.
This is going to be something crazy to watch- PLEASE LET THIS BE WHAT WE THINK IT WILL BE.
Rum Nitty and Chilla Jones are smack dab in the middle of the card. This is probably going to be the most lyrical battle of the night. Content withstanding, these brothers are going to try and take each other’s heads off. WRITERS BLOCK is in the name of the group that molded both of their styles.
Rum Nitty’s performance value is getting better… and despite coming off that ‘L’ with Th3 Saga… he remains one of those guys that you simply can’t go in and “beat.” Chilla Jones is the same.
Sure… Chilla is not as electric as other dudes and he kinda sounds like Droopy Dog when he raps, but homeboy pen is fire. That’s why he ain’t dead nowhere. He can rap rap. He can scheme scheme. He actually holds Beantown on his back– and let’s not forget he is a former King of The Dot champion.
And so, the question is if they know each other’s weakness and glitches… are they relational and if so does that add or hinder the contest. Will we get the bigga-nine-wrist-bent-jumping-like-a-monkey Nitty? Cause that dude is fire (which is why he was one of The Source‘s “2017 Unsigned Hype” frat brothers. Or will we get the Chilla that been cleaning up those Canadians, hoping to return to URL to fight with the culture’s elite? We will see.
The next battle is Arsonal Da Rebel vs. Chess. The Old Head vs. The Young Buck. New Jersey vs. The Bronx. Experience and Prestige vs. Hunger and Fearlessness. The two will meet as a war against disrespectful words. Neither of them cares about anything… much less the other. They see themselves as diety in this culture. They both gonna just say the God-goodness- most horrible things that they can to each other… and because it is in a closed and small room their vile projections will sting just the more.
Arsonal will not be able to lean on his laurels, because Chess is not Cassidy… they just have the same “C” and two “S’s.” And Chess has to stay focused on solidifying himself as a top tier emcee. This will be interesting to watch, but it might also be dangerous. Chess is hot-headed and drenched with the spirit of don’t f*ck with me. Arsonal is a clinician, and his experience will kick in- lending to a strategy to win with posture and aggression. While it might not be the battle of the night, it will be the one with the most nuclear potential.
The card gets incredibly more dense with the last two battles.
Tsu Surf will battle Reed Dollaz. If you saw the face-off, you see that there is a history between the two. There has been a shift since the very first time a battle between them was ever engaged. Back in the day, Tsu Surf was the young buhl on the streets. He was getting in the game throwing rocks at an already established spit-fire legend. From Philly, Reed put in substantial enough work that not just Surf but his whole class was looking up- itching for a chance to knock him over. But that was then.
Now, Surf is probably battle rap’s most popular talents (outside of the three or four lyricists on Nick Cannon’s show).
He has had substantial recording success, with his critically acclaimed Seven 25 charting and still accumulating streams across multiple digital platforms, one of its single’s “What Changed?” featuring Cascio included on HOT97 regularly, he appeared in the inaugural “Future/ Unsigned Hype” issue of The Source magazine, as one of the heads you have to keep your eyes on, an Amazon best-selling book (#1 on African American Urban Literature Charts) entitled House in Virginia and his new mixtape Blood Cuzzins with West Coast rapper Mozzy doing 5 Million streams between Spotify, Apple, and YouTube in less than 2 months, it is impressive that he is even still interested in battling. And he is… he is interested in battling names that matter and will continue the trajectory of elitism that has made him… well Tsu Surf.
“Reed is a LEGEND,” Surf says. “Whether or not you are familiar with his work, or fond of it, he still is a LEGEND. I also believe that he is perfect for my resume. And that’s what I care about. My resume and my catalog… that’s all you leave.”
Reed is… but he still has to prove something on the stage that matters. And if you speak to people who are familiar with his body of work, they are convinced that his giftedness will speak volumes over all that Surf brings to the table. This is clear that like the Chess vs. the Arsonal battle and the Chilla vs. Nitty battle, this tango is more about legacy and historicity than murder and body catching. This will be a great match up.
The headliner of the card is DNA vs. Aye Verb.
Easily both of these titans could be on anyone’s Battle Rap Mt. Rushmore. Standing alone on their investments into the culture, they are marathons away from almost everyone on the card. Still, neither one has achieved the success that either of them believe that their gifts should warrant.
DNA is one of the most brilliant freestylers that has ever graced the stage. He is paced. He is clear-minded. He thinks quickly on his feet. Aye Verb is a warrior, and he not a warrior because he tells us that he is one. He is hardworking and courageous. Arrogantly constituted to lift the entire midwest movement from marginality to the forefront, and still humble enough to take the gods as well as the newbies.
This battle has the potential to be exciting, as few really know what to expect. These are big room superstars. These two are the ticket sellers with “GTFOHs” and “Showtimes.” Moreover, they represent something critical to a 10th anniversary year, closing card: THEY HAVE HELPED BUILD THE HOUSE WHERE SMACK SITS!
The second day of this Volume card will feature a series of other battles with the next class itching to get their chance to be invited to the V6.
Kid Chaos will take Craig Lamar. Lotta Zay will go against Duce. Prez Mafia will spar against Lucas Castro. Also, fans will get to see Pass and Don Marino, while Jerry Wess and Glueazy (same class) will duel.
Shotgun Suge (aka “The Gatekeeper”) will be paired up against Snake Eyez, Big T vs. Franchise and rounding everyone out is Swave Sevah and The Goonies’ Ryda.
Card gonna be fire. Exhausting trying to give an opinion on it, and moreover excited to get to check it with friends. #Didyougetyourpayperview
By now it is common knowledge that former Jive recording artist and Swizz Beats protegé, Cassidy lost in a rap battle against the Bronx bomber, Goodz.
The two have had history. They were both loosely affiliated with the Ruff Ryder camp, but also have had beef. Cassidy claimed that he never lost to anyone, much less the kid he once “mentored.” That was until…. SMACK/ URL hosted a battle this Spring called “Resolution,” where the lead battle on the card was this grudge match between these two rhyme spitters.
Only thing…
Cassidy did not have the same caché he sported back in the early 2000s and did not have the same gas that he enjoyed during the battle against Dizaster in Los Angeles on King of The Dot. According to most, he lost to the Grown Man Bars leader.
Fans have been saying that. Battle rap media and analysts rappers have been saying it. But now some of Cassidy’s fellow commercial rappers have weight in… Dave East linked up with Goodz in a studio to talk real rap about the now infamous battle. Battle rap media giant, HipHopIsReal captured it on film.
Dave says to Cassidy, while kicking it with a group of friends:
“Ayo Cass, I believed in you bro. I was a fan at one time. So I ain’t one of the n*ggas that ain’t gonna say, ‘I wasn’t a fan.”
But before he could say that “Goodz f…” everyone starts hysterically laughing, presumably at the his loss.
He finishes with a word to the wise, “You have to grow with the time.” And later broke down the real problem with Cassidy, “He is delusional.”
Legendary Harlem battle rapper Murda Mook has announced his long-awaited return to battle rap’s premiere platform SMACK/URLTV, appearing on the platform’s inaugural “Summer Impact” card. The event will be held next month on Saturday, August 10th at The Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Dot Mob general will team up with Detroit’s Calicoe forming the super group “Murdaland.” Who are the lucky (or brave) emcees that they will be battling? The two vets will take on the combined talents of T-Top and Brizz Rawsteen (Dark Lyfe) in what is going to be a tough 2-on-2 battles for two of URL’s most cemented stars. Dark Life is dangerous because they are probably the only multiple-battle-having-duo that can boast being undefeated.
Last year, Murda Mook had his debut on Rare Breed Entertainment (RBE) against a red-hot Aye Verb, proving that the battle rap god could bleed (if not lose).
That classic battle added to his already legendary legacy that includes memorable battles against Loaded Lux (twice), Serius Jones, French Montana, T-Rex, Jae Millz, Iron Solomon, Party Arty plus more. Mook has collaborated with the likes of Remy Ma, Talib Kweli amongst a wealth of others and has been teetering on fully breaking through to the mainstream for the last decade. This will be Murda Mook’s first time back on the SMACK/URLTV stage since he infamously beat Iron Solomon convincingly on the star-studded “Summer Madness 2” stage back in 2012, representing the longest fallback for a battle rapper in 7 1/2 years from the Ultimate Rap League. Ironically many in the culture believe that this battle was prompted by another battle on the card. Mt. Rushmore compadres Loaded Lux copped & Hollow Da Don snatched the biggest look on the card pairing up against the rising commercial rap star, Tsu Surf & the current face of URL, Tay Roc. The allure was just to big one critic said for them not to consider the card.
In what many are considering the best battle rap card on paper since “Summer Madness 2,” the ”Summer Impact” event features 24 of the cultures best rappers battling it out across six matches in a unique 2-on-2 format, that continues to build on the very best year for not only SMACK/URLTV but the culture as a whole.
These are the battles as planned:
Loaded Hollows (Loaded Lux & Hollow Da Don) vs. GunTitles (Tsu Surf & Tay Roc)
Murdaland (Murda Mook & Calicoe) vs. Dark Lyfe (Brizz Rawsteen & T-Top)
NWX (DNA & K-Shine) vs. Every Fuccin Bar (Geechi Gotti & Rum Nitty)
Good Clipz (Charlie Clips & Goodz) vs. Multiple Remixes (Hitman Holla & John John Da Don)
The Monstars (Nu Jerzey Twork & Shotgun Suge) vs. Marv & Quest (Marv Won & Quest Mcody)
Jaz the Rapper & O’fficial vs. TOQ (40 B.A.R.R.S. & E-Hart)
Will Murda Mook be able to successfully adapt to this unique format in a rapidly developing era of battle rap? Will a stellar performance here be enough to propel him forward to finally battling Cassidy? Stay tuned to The Source.
Harlem battle rap legend Loaded Lux is set to make his long-awaited return to SMACK / URL next year, with a NOME 9 appearance battling against St Louis’ Aye Verb in Houston, Texas.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest battle rappers of all-time, news of the return of Loaded Lux to the world’s biggest battle rap stage in URL has sent battle rap fans in a frenzy and looks to set up 2019 as the biggest year for battle rap yet. Facing a formidable opponent in Aye Verb (who most recently took it all the way and then some with Murda Mook on RBE earlier this year), this is the battle that fans have been requesting ever since then. The announcement yesterday on Christmas Day was the greatest present that owner Beasley could have gifted fans.
This is just one more battle that URL has lined up, that has fans trembling with joy. The other announced battle that is on deck is Goodz vs. Cassidy. Goodz is one of the most formidable emcees in the culture and Cassidy… well everyone knows about the Philly vet.
Coming up battling for years off-camera throughout New York before making his on-camera debut, Loaded Lux has previously battled in the SMACK/URL DVD era against Midwest Miles (aka Young Miles in 2006), and most famously against Murda Mook over eight rounds back in November 2003 in the Bronx. Lux then went on to battle half a dozen times on the now defunct 106 & Park on BET in 2009. In the most modern era post-SMACK DVD on URLTV, Lux headlined Summer Madness 2 vs. a young Calicoe in a classic and battled a very tough Charlie Clips on a heated Summer Madness 5 three years later in 2015. Lux has also had a classic vs. Hollow Da Don on UW (2014), rematched with Murda Mook on Eminem’s Total Slaughter in 2014 before most recently battling Arsonal Da Rebel on UW mid last year for Arsonal’s then supposed retirement battle.
Verb will be no easy opponent by any stretch of the imagination for Lux. The experienced Verb has had near 50 battles on camera over the last decade since the Grind Time era on multiple platforms. He has stood on that stage and like Lux also faced off against Charlie Clips, Hollow Da Don, Arsonal, T-Rex, Midwest Miles (twice) and of course most recently with Murda Mook in a performance which really made its own case for him to now face Lux. Aye Verb’s complete battle resume is one of the most impressive overall, having also battled the likes of K-Shine, Math Hoffa, O-Red, Pat Stay, Hitman Holla, Dizaster, Tsu Surf, Cortez, Goodz amongst dozens of others.
This battle has been long in the making for seven-plus years already, and Verb’s recent strong showing vs. Mook coupled with strong fan support for this battle to go down now means the time is now finally right for Lux to greenlight it. The battle means a lot to both, a Lux win will really see him cement his place at the top end of battle rap table while a win for Aye Verb would really rattle the battle rap Mount Rushmore. Stay tuned to The Source for news as the lead-up to this monumental battle.
