The Saurus vs. Dizaster

Part 2

Though his battles with DNA, Canibus and Cassidy might be more widely viewed and well known, Dizaster still remembers clearly the battle that earned him a spot among the international elite.

Before he faced The Saurus at "Battle of the Bay 2" on Nov. 15, 2008, Dizaster was already a well-respected name on the West Coast as a veteran from The Pit in Los Angeles — but to much of the rest of the international battle community, he was perhaps best known as "that guy who partnered with Syanide in the New York division of the 2007 World Rap Championships."

But after this footage dropped, his entire career trajectory changed.

"I went top tier in one battle," Diz recalled.

The Saurus came into the battle fresh off winning a championship at the last-ever Scribble Jam, and though battle rap had essentially completed its transition into the written era, he was still widely regarded as the best in the world at the time. In 2008, beating The Saurus was still a very big deal.

Despite a fairly lengthy pause in his first round, that's exactly what Dizaster did — at least according to the judges, who awarded Diz a 4-1 decision following the overtime round. (The Saurus remains among those who disagree with the judges' take.)

Outcome aside, the battle did signify a bit of a passing of the torch in a sense. The Saurus had been the most emulated battler on the planet for the previous couple of years — but after Dizaster exploded onto the scene that day, taking The Saurus' multi-heavy tendencies and injecting them with a heavy dose of caffeine, it was he who started to spawn his own generation of imitators.

Lush One, who set up the battle for Grind Time West, called the battle "a fucking instant earthquake" that brought a new style onto the scene. Whether or not you agree with the judges' decision, there's no denying that this battle was the driving force that launched Dizaster's battle career into the stratosphere.

Both emcees have been announced for KOTD's "Blackout 6" event. See all the announcements here.

Every Thursday, BattleRap.com posts a classic battle that you should know about, or at least be reminded of occasionally. See them all here.