Internet fans are important and certainly help battle rap exist. But they didn't exist when Rex was rapping in the park. You weren't there, you were learning how to ride a bike or some shyt. So battle rap started without youtube, and it'll live on without youtube.
Last great battle on big stage was definitely Lux vs Calicoe, without a doubt.
And yeah, you're right, that's a long time ago. I'm in agreement with FreshAIG that the performances were sub par. But I don't think that's what battle fans are being sold. The product that they are going to see is the highest quality shyt, they're expecting rappers to take chances and really spit that shyt. Not just some safe, verbal acrobatics shyt. Dudes gotta be taking shots at each other or else battle rap's gonna become one long cypher. I think if there's complaints to be made, that ya, they should be directed at the rappers themselves. But if you were them, you'd probably do the same thing. Try to stay on by giving a good performance but not really go too crazy, just play it safe. It's a kinda weird situation. Because the fans want performances, but they don't understand that it's actually the lower-tier/mid-tier guys that are more likely to give them that.
Think Lux vs Miles. Lux was spitting real shyt because that was actually Lux back then. People talk about Lux hoodie rap like they do because he was raw back then. Now he's going through some weird life crisis and making all of us watch, I don't care about that shyt at all. But he can do all of that because there's an audience for it. So now Lux is still in battle rap. To me, that's a problem. Old dudes overstaying their welcome is what's wrong with society anyway. But you also gotta think alright, he's also a legend. How is battle rap supposed to treat their legends.
Idk, I just wanna see hungry dudes rap. That's it.
