Method Man is experiencing a renaissance in his career.
With his hit shows, celebrity battle rap show Drop the Mic (produced by The Late Late Show‘s host James Corden) still buzzing and the new Hulu series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga giving the community their entire life, this is year has kept in front of new Hip-Hop lovers more than ever. Contributing to this surge was last year’s 25th anniversary for his group, Wu-Tang Clan. Young people are taking note.
So it is clear young people (artists in particular) know and respect him… but does he know and respect them? In a time when so many rappers from a certain generation have no clue who is hot and “hate on those young cats,” Method Man steps up and proves how invested he is in the culture.
Recently, he let Knowledge from Hip-Hop Is Real know who he considers are the top battle rappers (this current generation) right now.
He mentioned that he thinks that Cali’s Geechi Gotti is fire. He also did not hesitate to also shout out Gotti’s EFB partner and The Source’s 2017 Unsigned Hype Alum, Rum Nitty as one of his top emcees in the culture. Tay Roc made the list, stating he will always be on the list. He further named Nu Jerzey Twork. But then Meth did what so many people who really know lyricism do: He paused because there are just too many “nasty” emcees to limit his list to five.
“There are so many though. I don’t even like doing this. Some people will say ‘Why didn’t you name me?” But then with a little urging, he submitted Norfolk’s Ave, saying “He could be the best.”
If you love Hip-Hop, you understand that there are levels to this sh*t.
You can be an MC, mastering the art of moving the crowd or being the mic controller. You can also be a rapper, one who understands the industry and how it works, producing rap songs that fit into a particular kind of programming. A rapper can also be define as some who gets busy stringing creative words that rhyme, in a fashion that people get the vibe and love the song. Or, you can be a lyricist. The type of entertainer that values words, and constructs the poetry of them in such a way that the listener is enveloped with ooooohs and aaaaahhhs.
Battle rap as an industry that takes all three, and melts them into a aural cornucopia bursting with skill, passion and flavor. No other platform nurtures and showcase this top notch talent like the well-oiled SMACK/ URL battle rap league. URL’s most recent card, Night Of Main Events 9 (NOME9) ,was the kind of lyrical smorgasbord that MCs, rappers and lyricists a like take pride in indulging.
And a few of the battlers on the card shined, while others looked tarnished. Check out how the fans reacted to the most elite battlers go bar-for-bar.
The first battle was John John Da Don vs. Jakkboy Maine.
This long standing grudge match was a prime example of a battler not being cooked enough to be a main course meal. Jakkboy allowed his emotionality to shift significantly his standing as a rising star on the “world’s most respected stage.” The pressure was on. After all, he initiated the battle by poking the bear inside of JJDD.
Bad move.
Not because he is not talented, but because he as a battler is immature (not quite developed enough for the big stage). And John John knows that stage, he thrives on that stage and through his Bullpen rap league (a league that JKBM was once down with). On Bullpen, JJDD nurtures others who are willing to follow behind his leadership and make a name for themselves in this competitive rap space. This battle launched the night, showing that there are levels to this rapping stuff that these young whipper-snappers with a fire pen, some exciting moves and social media fan base may not understand. JKBM… did not understand until standing under those big lights and standing in front of THAT particular vet.
The next battle was between Newark’s Shotgun Suge and Canada’s Pat Stay.
This was another example of how levels come into play in battle rap. In this case the levels are manifested in an extraordinary style clash. Smack White himself acknowledged that this battle was (at least in the building) was a preference battle, executed by two skilled performers on a master level. Shotgun Suge might have elevated his game for this contest and by pairing up against the former King of The Dot champion, many thought that Shotgun Suge would out-classed. Nothing could be further from the truth. This battle showed by over and over again that the Newark spit-kicker can’t be taken lightly ever. He came to rap. He came to bully. He came to win (and depending on who you talked to he did). Pat Stay also transferred all of his crowd-controlling appeal to invite the audience into his wonderfully wonky and talent-specific world. For every bomb that was dropped by Suge, Stay found a way to weave is cool and collective manner into something that only Stay can do… a jokey jokey laced with bar-heavy intensity. There were levels to both of their offerings.
After Suge and Stay, Ave and Arsonal took the stage.
Over the last few months, something has clicked for this Virginia native, making his personality and grown-man swag stand out more than ever. Everyone knows that he can rap… we all know that… why else would he be a part of the Cave Gang team if he couldn’t… but many would admit that he was not main stage exciting.
>>> awkwardly points to the K. Shine battle at Strike 2.5>>>>
But that was last year, almost another lifetime ago. This Ave, with his punching self, brought his new showmanship to NOME9, and basically leveled up on veteran (and debatably Mt. Rushmore contender) Arsonal Da Rebel. When we talk about what levels are in battle rap, you have to address the elephant in the room. And that is that there is a difference between rap styles based on your lyrical generation and heritage. Arsonal, who just bodied Champion of The Year Geechi Gotti on a previous card, could not stand strong against Tay Roc’s Sergeant.
The K. Shine and Rum Nitty and the Tsu Surf and Geechi Gotti battles showed that there are a multiplicity of performance styles that not only elevates the art of lyrical combat, by enhances the experience for the audience. K. Shine and Rum Nitty were excellent opponents, bringing the best out of each other. It is hard to talk about K. Shine without talking about performance and showmanship. As one of the leaders of NWX and The Source‘s 2018 Battler of The Year, K. Shine brings his Harlem grit to the fight out performing anyone in front of him. Nitty is known for bars. Like Ave, Nitty has recently adjusted to the bigger stages with confidence and intensity. Despite his chokes, which may have cost him the battle for battle rap enthusiasts, he had his work cut out for him opposing the the ex-Dot Mobber. But K. Shine was in rare form. When Nitty pushed to one boundary, K. Shine up the ante. Fans teetered back and forth over who won the competition. The answer is simple: The Culture did.
Tsu Surf and Geechi Gotti also was a barfest.
Two style clashes were at play in this performance. East Coast confidence met with West Coast swag to dominate the stage. Two crip brothers, Neighborhood vs. Nutty Block, Motherland vs. a Battle Rap Farm, fans were divided from the start about which way it was going to go. But once Tsu climbed off his surf board and truly invested himself into the battle (you know considering he is on tour and recording with the likes of Mozzy and Chris Brown), he surgically snatched the hopes of a body from Gotti. Surf never sweated. Surf never looked uncomfortable. And even with Gotti’s crew mobbing the stage in support of their hometown hero, Surf backed by his Jersey homies seemed strong enough to stand on his own. And he took everything he could to rip out any momentum pushing Gotti to stardom. Fans who paid their tickets to see The Wave in person, got their money’s worth. To that end, Gotti still was cooking… it just was not enough to survive Tsunami. He took to that stage with the showmanship that only the Newark native could, overwhelming it and unfortunately Gotti, much like the 2004 massive Indonesian tsunami that that killed thousands. JERSEY!!!!
There is not just one battle of the night, but three: Shotgun Suge vs. Pat Stay, K. Shine vs. Rum Nitty and Tsu Surf vs. Geechi Gotti.
Lastly, Loaded Lux and Aye Verb both performed on various levels and exceeded expectations. Both rappers understood the competition was rooted in more than just contest, but was the culmination of years of conflict. Verb represented the underdog finally addressing the champion that has been in the spotlight for so long, and who remains in the way for this quest to be a legend. Lux represents battle rap royalty, who in the spaciousness of his vocabulary, brings the next level of intellectuality reserved for god-tier emcee. To reiterate there are levels to this… the question is, does Verb step up to match this divine plateau? Verb does transcend to this level of Mt. Rushmoredom. While there surprisingly, it is not his “SHOWTIME” that keeps him flying in the company of the battle rap god… it was his craftiness with words. Showing fans that he too is (in his own words) special… This bout is not as impactful if you are looking to it only to find a winner or a loser (you won’t because there is much more at play here). The real impact is the making of room for Verb in a conversation that he has previously been denied existence in.
NOME9 proved again, that there are levels to this rap sh*t and that URL keeps pushing those boundaries to let fans get glimpses.
Forget the Joker. Lex Luther. Charlie Manson. The Real Four Horsemen and Lucifer himself (well maybe not the devil), NOME 9 promises to be one of the most lyrically gruesome nights in battle rap history, as URL promises to host “a card full of villains.” The stakes are high and with few “good” guys on roster, the classic trope that rests on good and evil dissipates. There are very few “good guys” on deck- even as there are a couple of fan favorites.
Peep the break down:
Jakkboy Maine vs. John John Da Don
Dirty and grimey encapsulates Jakkboy’s whole steez. He looks like he wanna rob you, and he talks like already has. The Goonies’ lieutenant has proving that spitting that spit that he is a problem. The current king of ambush, this bottom dweller seems to delight in popping up in battles to take what he believes is his… mastering the art of energy transference in such a way that he makes the audience see his opponent as lifeless. Sorry Tay Roc, JKBM becomes Dracula by sucking the life out battler X when he used his many techniques like Jakkanese or his erratic flow. But he is up against John John (who is a whole other type of villain).
John John is the guy you love to hate. He is Lex Luther. Charming. Successful. Intelligent… but presents the air as if he just does not give a —. Maybe there is some truth to that. A few years back JJDD, the Bullpen League owner, had a falling out with Jakkboy and his folk resulting in not just a ban from his league but a lot of exploitation talk for the DMV rap collective. JJDD most villainous trait was the dismissive disposition that almost appeared as if those murmurings did not matter or did not exist. Jakkboy has since been scratching like a hungry dog to get a piece of who he sees as a nemesis.And he went on smoking people, some of the top lyricists in history, paying them dust. To some, he is a champion… but to others he appears to be arrogant and detached. Which brings us to the battle between him and Goonies’ capo Nu Jerzey Twork. [Spoiler Alert] During that battle, Twork cameo’d Jakkboy during one of his round. Indignantly JJDD refused to finish the battle. For him, this was a sneaky way for JKBM to share a stage w him. The culture boo‘d as they believe a true emcee carries lyrical artilerary for cases just like this. JJDD appears to say “bunk the culture” homie has to earn the right to stand before me. I’m a brand. At one point, people were really riding with this theory… until Jakkboy tried to jack the stage again.
Check out the second time, JKBM went for his:
Shotgun Suge vs. Pat Stay
We know that Pat Stay is not a villain, villain, villain. But he has been known to piss people off. Mostly because he is a white boy white boy,that can’t be placed in that corny white boy box. Homeboy can really rap, while at the same time can make us laugh. He fits in without adopting some of the Crutches that white battlers lean on… and that makes people siiiiiiick!
But Suge on the other hand is no laughing matter. Newark’s own, Grape Street cripping and block hugging Shotgun looks like a bad guy, just by his overwhelming appearance and no-nonsense disposition. Mr. Pocket-Check is everything that bullies are made of. He makes URL his arena by moving people out of the way and showing up for battle like a warrior. Despite what anyone thinks, with as little as a shoulder bump, or by brodying his competition, Suge is the embodiment of a villain. NOME9 will unleash something else for fans to watch w this guy.
Arsonal vs. Ave
If you look up villain in the battle rap dictionary, Arsonal’s face will pop up. For an entire generation Mr. Disrespect has become “The Godfather of Dingy Talk,” laced with the most despicable and vile vocalization of combat. Battle after battle, people wonder how does he come up with the things that he says. Battling against Ave will be interesting… because while Ave is not necessarily a villain, he doesn’t seem like someone you wan get caught in a dark alley with.
Ave seems like that hustler on the corner that you better not owe no money to. Lately, he has been sonning the newer guys in the league. Owning them with humor, condescension and above all a lyrical prowess, Ave makes fans shutter in combat. Straight like that.
K-Shine vs. Rum Nitty
The Source’s 2018 “Battler of The Year,” K-Shine is hot-headed and always ready to scrap. Aligning w NWX has helped, but even the even keeled DNA has not extinguished the fire that bubbles in his gut. That fire (which we just gonna call fire) pours out of him like the sweat from his brow, making him that much more ferocious as a battler before his opponent. That and the fact that he really seems like he will smack the entire sh$t out of you for trying to test him.
But Rum Nitty is up to testing him. Nitty is not a villain in our opinion… The Source Unsigned Hype Alum is a scrappy street fighter with his eyes on legend status. The West Coast lyricist stands on a few pillars that many battlers in this generation neglect to approach when writing: wordplay and conviction.
Tsu Surf vs. Geechi Gotti
Like Nitty, Gotti does not come off as a villain but as champion. So focused on maintaining his epic rise to battle rap stardom, he is not worried about throwing rocks. When you are deemed “Champion of The Year” by some esteemed battle media outlets, you dodge rocks (we understand). Not being a villain doesn’t mean that Gotti nor Nitty aren’t beast, should be taken lightly or might not edge out a win. It means that the tried and true vets that they are against have invested in creating personas more worthy of a WWE spotlight then they have, understanding that marketing a contest with the classic good guy/ bad guy motif wine. Watch the HBO Andre The Giant documentary and you’ll get it. To that point, Gotti is going up against the Ric Flair of Battle Rap, Tsu Surf.
There is an alluring glow around Tsu Surf that borders on the thin line of brilliantly constructed confidence and obnoxiously drenched arrogance. Still, we fans, watch in astonishment as he does something that no other rapper has done: successfully marry his vocation as a battler with his success as a commercial emcee. This makes him a villain because he has the options to skate across the stage and possibly give us 2 rounds and we will f*ck with it because it is him.
Just peep how high the energy has developed around this match-up.
Aye Verb vs. Loaded Lux
For almost the same reason, people can’t stand Lux.
He picks and chooses when he will grace the stage. His mythological biography is riddled with monumental achievements that few, who will tune in on Saturday, have ever seen in person. More than a Surf comparison, you could rightly compare him to Cassidy. Lux is a GOAT and that god status in battle rap will not be easily stripped from him. Think about the many commercial emcees who give him the nod for being an OG. His pop up cameo in the Dipset documentary, Diplomatic Ties, is serves as proof of his star status.
But, St. Louis’ own Aye Verb is a star in his own right, and will most certainly try to tarnish the crown of this Harlem legend… Much like he did last year, to another head on Mt. Rushmore, Murda Mook.
Where did this energy come from?
Well… this is the stuff that legends are made of. Back in the day… a hungry Aye Verb wanted beef with a god… a god that maintained that he was not ready for that heat. No one can deny that today Aye Verb is not ready, nor can they deny that he deserves this shot. His journey to get it, aided by so many side steps (some good and some horrible), devastating valleys (can’t forget his battle with Jimz where he lost in a judged battle) and industry-shattering mountains (just look at “The Mook” battle, he proved that he alone can make a battle god bleed), has been long and arduous. Almost single handedly carrying the flag for Midwest battle rap with this battle, should he become victorious, will be the paradigm shift that he has been waiting at least ten years to initiate.
Either way, the two of them will be villains to the opposing team, because so much is at stake.
Platinum-selling, number one charting Philadelphia legend Cassidy makes his long-awaited return to battle rap next month on Saturday 27 April on the big stage in Atlanta, this time debuting on the SMACK/URL stage vs. Bronx legend Goodz.
This will be Cassidy’s first battle since his controversial encounter with Los Angeles- based battler Dizaster four years ago at the FilmOn.TV’s “Ether” event in LA, with consensus giving that battle to Cassidy 2-1 in an overall disappointing battle plagued by technical issues that failed to live up to the lofty hype surrounding such a potential classic showdown.
With one of the battles of the decade now only five weeks away, the 27 April event “Resolution” will also feature a stack of other top quality battles making it the battle rap event of the year thus far. The long-awaited rematch battle of SMACK/URLTV.tv’s top gunner Tay Roc vs. the red hot, in form K-Shine has battle rap fans in a frenzy and promises to deliver one of the best battles in years. The indisputable number one new guy in battle rap, Nu Jerzey Twork, has been setting SMACK/URLTV on fire in recent years and faces a formidable opponent in the experienced John John Da Don, who is coming off a great 12 months both on stage and with his Atlanta-based BulllPen Battle League. Big stage enforcer Shotgun Suge takes on the rapidly developing Chef Trez, which will be a great test for the Chef as he has an opportunity to go head to head with one of the most commanding big stage performers in the culture in Suge. Back to back puncher Rum Nitty takes on CaveGang’s T-Top, in a battle that will be interesting to see if the small room (king of the Volumes series) expert Rum Nitty can continue to perform to such a high level in the main room as he has also previously done in the past.
Goodz over the last 15 years has battled the likes of URL’s Tay Roc, T-Top, Aye Verb (hosted by Jadakiss), X-Factor, Hollow Da Don, Rone, Hitman Holla, K-Shine, Jae Millz, Conceited, Head I.C.E, Tech 9, Rich Dolarz as well as Cassidy (off-camera) more so at the beginning of his career. Goodz is currently in top form, coming off a very strong performance against Tay Roc in Houston at NOME 8.
Cassidy came up in the late 90’s and early 2000s as a feared, tried and well-tested battle rapper throughout Philly and beyond who honed his craft heavily (including famously battling Freeway of State Property) before being signed by Swizz Beats/Ruff Ryders. Cassidy would go on to release three classic albums in the mid-2000s, collaborating with the likes of Styles P, Talib Kweli, Havoc, Nipsey Hussle, Nas, Fat Joe, The Game, Alicia Keys, Murda Mook, Tay Roc and Loaded Lux amongst many, many more.
This will be the first time that big room battle rap has reached Atlanta and “Resolution” is shaping up to be a hip-hop event that cannot be missed. Head to Club Mansion for one of the biggest battle events ever held outside New York on battle raps leading platform, SMACK/ URLTV and cop the Pay Per View if you can’t be in the building. Sure to be a night for the history books.
URL has its first major event this year, after a jam-packed 2018, will be the highly anticipated “SMACK Volume 4” card this Saturday, February 9th. The card will consist of six 3-round battles, and only be available on pay per view from www.watchbattlelive.com.
This exclusive small room setting (along with the BANNED series) has proven to be a fan favorite since its welcomed inception in December 2017. A string of now-classics battles from this series including JC vs. Nu Jerzey Twork, Iron Solomon vs. Rum Nitty, K-Shine vs. Danny Myers, Aye Verb vs. Nu Jerzey Twork and the recent DNA vs. Mickey Factz grudge match has all been birthed out of this series and we know that this card will add to our list.
What makes the Volume cards so fire, is their ability to strip away the gas that is often found in so many big stage battles. With the series predictable top tier matchups and undeniable lyricism, to be invited to perform on a Volume card is a high honor for battlers. Despite which era you have come from, landing a spot on URL’s latest franchise with a formidable opponent opens the doors for fans to see just how dope and explosive an emcee you really are. Nu Jerzey Twork is a great example of this. This upcoming set will be his third performance on a Volume. And while many zone in on the attributes of his superior performance, these smaller rooms and close ranged battles afford the fans the opportunity to dissect his lyrical gift.
He is not the only one with lyrical gifts that promise to blow us away.
This particular card will showcase several URL superstars and best wordsmiths. Rappers like T-Top, John John, Shotgun Suge, Rum Nitty, Charlie Clips and sure the sometimes retired, always hustling Arsonal Da Rebel (who has definitely showed up against Twork at SM8), are sure to not only talk that talk but entertain.
Arsonal, who has his own league and who has been creeping into TV, is battling Champion‘s COTY, Geechi Gotti. Champion is the premiere battle analysis show in the culture (second to none). Gotti has been putting up numbers and taking wins. Though he did not take T-Top last year at the Strike 2.5 event, nor come in #1 on our Best of The Culture: Top 20 Battle Rappers And Top Events of 2018, he has proven to be someone Arsonal simply can’t sleep on.
The SMACK Volumes are really some of the best shows in battle rap.
