Despite varying degrees of wackiness from them lately I think Hitman, Clips, Rex, Pat Stay, and possibly even Math (hell of a stretch) all at least deserve a mention or consideration.
Essential The Official Battle Rap Random Thoughts Thread (URL, KOTD, UW etc...)
- Thread starter Brooklynzson
- Start date
You lost me at Pat Stay. He's borderline terrible half the time. Math, without the bad performances (and being criminally ducked), I could see.
Idk about Hitman either, but I'm biased against all delivery/performance battlers.
Pat Stay IS horrible to me but I can't act like he hasn't beaten a lot of top tiers during his prime. You can argue he either clearly beat or had favorable debatables with Dizaster, Head Ice, Ars, Hollow, Math, Daylyt, Marv, Charron. He was the king of arguably the second biggest battle platform for years. Too bad for him h never hit the Smack platform at the time when people would've paid to see him.
Calicoe permanently destroyed dude's auru though...and technically Pat won that battle.
And lol at no point did Serius Jones cross anyone's minds for this list.
Again? He's has one bad performance since he's returned and 2 legendary ones
Yup. Two legendary battles. Followed by a pretty bad loss. Followed by an underrated body bag against another legend that was essentially fukked over by parts of the presentation/non rap shyt (coin flip, Smack calling time in the third, Clips acting like Clips, etc).
Random shyt but since the last post was about Lux, it is still low key hilarious to me that he choked in that first against Calicoe and just proceeded to continue spitting that same verse for his second. I don't know why I've always found him taking that approach so funny.
JuvenileHell
Veteran
Lol at least it gave us the "All First Verse" thing
But yeah that is a weird approach...why not just do his second...unless the choke was planned
**puts on tin foil hat**
Interesting that you keep that last spot vacant. Is your list driven by the business acumen of these dudes relative to the field? I ask because my list is probably exactly yours, but I comfortably put Diz in that last spot. He was everything to battle rap outside of URL, and for like 7-10 years.
I think I can lay back on DNA, Roc, Rex (tough to decide)
So these the guys that raised Rex, no wonder he talks that drug shyt so well:
31 NABBED IN DRUG-GANG BUST
Friday, November 8, 1996, 12:00 AM
Law enforcement yesterday clamped down on a powerful Harlem gang that made millions peddling drugs from city-owned housing and enlisted children to serve as lookouts and hawkers. In pre-dawn raids, police and prosecutors capped a nine-year undercover investigation by arresting 31 alleged members of the 112th St. NO FEAR gang. Last night they were seeking four more suspected gangsters on conspiracy, multiple felony, drug and weapon charges that could carry 25-year-to-life sentences upon conviction. Prosecutors said they also were investigating the gang's attorney, Franklin Wilks who has repeatedly represented the gang's alleged leaders in court. The gang raked in as much as $3 million a year, said Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. The investigation began in 1987, after rookie cop Michael Kelley found that the sidewalks on his beat were so crowded with drug dealers, "you couldn't walk down the street without bumping into them.
" Kelley, of the 28th Precinct, told investigators that after he started making arrests and developing leads, brazen gang members made their objections known by tossing a tabletop onto a patrol car from the roof of a building. In early 1993, authorities got their first break when the gang's alleged leader, Robert (Fat Rob) Gaddy, was arrested. Among those indicted yesterday were the Wiggins brothers Jerome, 36; Kenny, 35, and Reginald, 34 and a father and son, Adrian Farlow Sr., 39, and Adrian Jr., 21, all alleged ringleaders. Investigators identified other alleged gang leaders as Kevin Burnside, 34; Kenny Wilson, 33, and Jim Whitt, 30. Jerome Wiggins, Burnside and Farlow Sr. also were charged with murdering a 27-year-old neighborhood man in 1991. He was killed for allegedly waving a gun, drawing attention to the drug operation.
31 NABBED IN DRUG-GANG BUST
Friday, November 8, 1996, 12:00 AM
Law enforcement yesterday clamped down on a powerful Harlem gang that made millions peddling drugs from city-owned housing and enlisted children to serve as lookouts and hawkers. In pre-dawn raids, police and prosecutors capped a nine-year undercover investigation by arresting 31 alleged members of the 112th St. NO FEAR gang. Last night they were seeking four more suspected gangsters on conspiracy, multiple felony, drug and weapon charges that could carry 25-year-to-life sentences upon conviction. Prosecutors said they also were investigating the gang's attorney, Franklin Wilks who has repeatedly represented the gang's alleged leaders in court. The gang raked in as much as $3 million a year, said Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. The investigation began in 1987, after rookie cop Michael Kelley found that the sidewalks on his beat were so crowded with drug dealers, "you couldn't walk down the street without bumping into them.
" Kelley, of the 28th Precinct, told investigators that after he started making arrests and developing leads, brazen gang members made their objections known by tossing a tabletop onto a patrol car from the roof of a building. In early 1993, authorities got their first break when the gang's alleged leader, Robert (Fat Rob) Gaddy, was arrested. Among those indicted yesterday were the Wiggins brothers Jerome, 36; Kenny, 35, and Reginald, 34 and a father and son, Adrian Farlow Sr., 39, and Adrian Jr., 21, all alleged ringleaders. Investigators identified other alleged gang leaders as Kevin Burnside, 34; Kenny Wilson, 33, and Jim Whitt, 30. Jerome Wiggins, Burnside and Farlow Sr. also were charged with murdering a 27-year-old neighborhood man in 1991. He was killed for allegedly waving a gun, drawing attention to the drug operation.
It's part of it. To reach that kind of status, you have to be selective on what battles you take and protective of your brand.
JuvenileHell
Veteran
You can hold battlers accountable for their losses but at the same time you can't diminish what they did for the culture either.
I agree that right now Verb aint shyt but when you look at the story of battle rap, especially URL's chapter, Verb spearheading the midwest movement that built URL is a big deal, nothing short of Verb pulling a Chris Benoit is going to take that from him.
Jay Z has seen more commercial success than Rakim ever will. Would you knock Rakim, Rakim who innovated lyricism in Hip Hop, off of mt.Rushmore and put Jay there instead?
Would you replace Grandmaster Flash with Nas? We all know what The Message means to Hip Hop, proving that the genre can evolve beyond dance music and show more depth when it comes to content.
The faces of Mt. Rushmore are there because of the monumental contributions each person has made. In the context if battle rap wins/losses when it comes to Mt. Rushmore are the least important things to consider, its more about what you did to help battlerap grow.
All of those things you listed for Hollow outside if his battle with Lux dont really help his case for Mt. Rushmore imo.
Hollow is one of a kind and is elite and a legend and all that but he didnt have an impact on battlerap the way Verb/Lux/Mook/Rex did.
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This was 20 years ago, but the "enlisted children to serve as lookouts and hawkers" part is very telling. Rex still kinda moves like a lookout, plus the beady eyes make him look guilty until proven innocent anyway.
112th and Lenox is still live every time I pass by, I always recognize someone from Rex instagram, or standing behind him at battles. I'm just curious as to when the Crip thing came into play. Maybe some of his OGs turned Crip in jail...
One thing I forgot to mention about DNA being a game changer, is his willingness to experiment with different gimmicks. Him putting the fake bomb on his chest vs Rone kicked the door open for gimmicks and antics in battle rap.
And was he the first battle rap with a full round closing slogan? "Get him the fukk outta here" predates damn near everything I can think of.
He may not be anyone here's favorite, but he deserves his respect. He's a different nygga, word to Goodz squealing like a pig in the background. Can't deny that there's a lot of thorough dudes on that stage screaming and jumping up and down.
And was he the first battle rap with a full round closing slogan? "Get him the fukk outta here" predates damn near everything I can think of.
He may not be anyone here's favorite, but he deserves his respect. He's a different nygga, word to Goodz squealing like a pig in the background. Can't deny that there's a lot of thorough dudes on that stage screaming and jumping up and down.
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TheObserver
Is In a Race against Time.
Rain talking Crazy. He need to leave the Lean and Pills alone.
This interview didnt do nothing but add more problems to the situation.
Beasley gone have to make Rain stay at home or the Shine battle will never happen.
Personally i think they need to have it somewhere else.. Go Back to St.Louis.
Let Verb and Hitman both battle their Farewell URL battles on the Card..
Turn the page.. and Move On..
I just got a feeling if Hitman comes back to NY,something bad is gonna happen to somebody.
Not sure, but I know Rex and Surf got really close, so did Rex and Activ so I wouldn't be shocked if one of them put him on. I know Rex be in Jordan Downs when he's in Cali hanging with them dudes, he got cool with them through Daylyt.
Rex and Surf have even insinuated on air they've done street business together multiple times.