In late August, league owner Eurgh announced some major developments for the U.K. battle rap scene, the most interesting of which involved a spot of emigration. The event is almost here now, and it’s an incredibly savvy compilation of match-ups.
The Southern U.S. is a bubbling well of as-yet unfulfilled potential — packed with hugely talented, original rappers that, due to living away from the polarized East/West coast hubs of battle rap, have not yet found a way to over-saturate themselves.
Eurgh has tapped his connections, including some regular American visitors to Don’t Flop, and yanked a fantastic card out of absolutely nowhere.
Here's a brief breakdown of what's in store:
EURGH VS. JOHN JOHN DA DON
It’s been more than two years since his stateside battle against DNA, but the Don’t Flop founder is finally stepping back into the solo written arena again. After stirring up controversy last year by requesting that the entirety of KOTD fellate him, it might've been more interesting to watch him take on someone who repped the Canadian league, but acting as URL mainstay John John Da Don’s first U.K. opponent could work too.
John John Da Don. Photo by Joe Green for BattleRap.com.
After a hard-fought battle against Arsonal at "Gladiator School" and a lukewarm reception at "Summer Madness 4," John John will be looking to take his first — nay, the — U.K. scalp.
SONNY BAMBOO VS. DNA
Sonny Bamboo has battled on U.K. shores only once, when he absolutely obliterated Villun on home turf. The long-established Atlanta battler is a Grind Time veteran and also this event's co-organizer.
DNA in Arizona. Photo by Osej Serratos for BattleRap.com.
DNA is practically England's Prime Minister. He was one half of an epic KOTD battle with Eurgh and has since made several visits to England to take on Arsonal, Unanymous & Chris Leese (with Charlie Clips), Sensa, Scizzahz & Wizard (with Cortez) and, well, me. He also took on Villun at the memorable 5th Birthday Weekend.
Both emcees have thoroughly earned their respective spots, one through a single stunning performance and one through persistent graft. It’s a notable style clash and one that could breed hugely entertaining results.
NESS LEE VS. HEARTLESS
Ness Lee has had some ups and downs with battling in 2014. His battle against Tumi in South Africa is one of the year's best; his battle with Syah Boy in Atlanta last month didn't happen because the league apparently couldn't pay him.
Ness is another veteran, capable of making fantastic music, and has been representing the South fervently since his arrival on the scene. He has a fair share of legitimate classics under his belt, and Don’t Flop could get another one as Ness performs for his hometown crowd.
Ness Lee battling Drect. Photo via Facebook.
Heartless has been around for a similar duration though, as part of QP’s S.O.N.S. collective, and can punch on a level with the most widely recognized battlers. He battles mainly in smaller leagues now, but will still make this a quality clash.
SYD VICIOUS VS. QLEEN PAPER
UPDATE: Syd will now be facing Syah Boy.
Qleen will be the first of two QPs on the bill, provided he makes it to this event. Qleen was on track for a comeback after some strong showings against Arsonal and QP this year, but was back to his old habits with recently missed performances at SM4 and "Duel In The Desert."
Syd Vicious, another co-organizer of the event, is a veteran battler (having debuted against Heartless) who, aside from standing in front of Bender's "Performance of the Year" at Vendetta, has kept himself pretty much tucked away since the prominence of Grind Time. He’s had a very quiet 2014, though a high-quality battle with Isaac Knox was heavily slept on.
OGMIOS VS QP
Ogmios is probably the most intelligent battle rapper in the U.K. right now, having clashed (and arguably beaten) Real Deal, veteran Lego, Cee Major, ex-champ Oshea and the notion that rappers have to be speedy to be technical. He latches onto stupid things you did or said, sinks his teeth in and doesn’t let go until the audience is whooping incessantly.
QP listening to Jonny Storm. Photo by Osej Serratos for BattleRap.com.
Which means that if you’re the other QP on the bill, and you happen to have been on Maury and had your escort profile exposed (in separate incidents, by the way), you’re probably in a lot of trouble.
JONNY STORM VS SNO
Jonny Storm is a Grind Time veteran (responsible for bringing a ferocious performance out of Uno Lavoz) who has faced Cortez, QP and Reverse Live in 2014. He’ll be looking to regrow his once formidable stature against "Ultimate Freestyle Friday" Season 2 winner Sno, whose unorthodox style and off-kilter image will give Storm a host of material to break down, but also a hell of a run for his money.
UNO LAVOZ VS. CARTER DEEMS
UPDATE: Carter will now be facing Isaac Knox.
Since Carter Deems has returned to the scene, he has become a fan favorite by professing his love for cats throughout his battles. Carter leans toward postmodern bizarreness and still manages to pepper his work with intelligent rhymes and ridiculous multis.
Carter Deems poses with Joe Cutter. Photo by Chris Wynn.
Uno Lavoz is his perfect foil. As part of Don’t Flop’s coveted million-view club, he is highly seasoned and versatile, showing he can dabble in lyricism alongside shuffle dances and mom jokes. His battle with Carter Deems comes after his first main-stage URL battle, which shows the value he carries as a performer.
IMPACT VS BRIXX BELVEDERE
U.K.’s Impact and Brixx share similar traits: they may not be the highest view-getters, and they may not be the most famous battlers in the game, but both are grafters and reliable lyricists. Impact has comfortably settled in the upper mid-tier of British battling, and recently faced recording artist Maniac in Germany, and CrookKid, who runs Colorado-based league Kush N’ Koffins.
Brixx is a less productive battler in terms of output, but has still managed to make himself a part of a Grind Time classic against John John and more recently some fantastic battles with Danny Myers and Born.
Both are such solid, consistent performers that this could be the dark-horse classic of the event.
Final Thoughts
All in all, it’s very difficult for a battle league to hop the water and retain any sense of infrastructure, but by tapping into a fertile Southern U.S. talent pool, Don’t Flop might just have something here.
The event goes down Nov. 1 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. at the Apache Cafe. Presale tickets are available here.
Any predictions for the event? Let us know in the comments section below.
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