Toronto's GZ division extended its reach last Saturday (Feb. 21) with a card that featured emcees travelling from Florida, Michigan and Connecticut for a chance to battle in front of the King Of The Dot staff.
The mostly slept-on event drew some famous names — including Serius Jones and Shotty Horroh — and the usual Toronto notables like Tycoon Tax, Lexx Luthor and beatbox champion Scott Jackson. The visiting emcees also brought representatives from leagues around the U.S. with them, with staff or battlers from Bar Wars, Alpha League, BARburian Arena and iBattle in attendance. As always, Gully TK hosted alongside Bishop Brigante and Organik.
The vibe of the night was solid, and the battles were entertaining enough to keep the crowd's attention.
Prehistoric vs. Nefarious
I got to the venue late and this battle, between Ottawa emcee Prehistoric and Toronto's Nefarious, was all anyone talked about when I asked what I'd missed. Luckily I was able to catch some of the footage and, yeah, they were right: this was the battle of the night. The styles — a combination of personals and bars delivered with rapid-fire intensity — meshed well and both guys had a ton of heart.
Scandalis vs. Shotti P
This main event was tight, with Toronto hip-hop scene veteran Scandalis bringing the most intricate lyrics of the night and an intense gatling-gun delivery. Shotti P is a guy Gully found on a recent scouting trip to Detroit. He was clean for all three rounds with punches and scheme-heavy wordplay.
http://instagram.com/p/zYx4lDMThy/
The line that cuts off in the above clip is: "Even if you point nine, he's still ... not a G." That is FIRE.
Stackboy Chuck vs. Realiztic
Bar-heavy battle with Realiztic at his career best with tight writing and a chip on his shoulder about not getting better opponents. Detroit's Stackboy Chuck brought it too, matching his opponent's force with a solid performance, making this another contender for battle of the night.
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http://instagram.com/p/zYtHFAsTo5/
Tez vs. Q Da General
Detroit's Tez has a sort of relaxed, sometimes comedic approach that mixes in the street style in a similar way to what brought N Pose such success in the Toronto GZ division. Q is from New Haven, Conn. and has been making noise in iBattle and Toronto's BeastMODE league recently. Not a bad battle, but the main thing I remember is Q throwing a crumpled bill into the crowd and a bunch of change at Tez's feet, with an angle about "chasing money."
Check these clips for a good example of each emcee's style:
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http://instagram.com/p/zYo6sDMThg/
G Mayn Frost vs. Bulle
Jacksonville giant G Mayn Frost drove up 19 hours from Florida to make his GZ debut on the heels of his recent landslide win over Rosenberg Raw in his home league. On the other side was Bulle, a throwback to KOTD/GZ's early days, returning after putting on one of last year's most slept-on battles against N Pose in BeastMODE.
Each guy lost a round because of a major choke but Frost's more advanced flow and writing edged out Bulle's stand-and-deliver punches for the judges' decision.
http://instagram.com/p/zYkrs_MTpR/
The Rest Of The Card
There were a few other battles on the card too (AR vs. Kid Fable, Scott Sharpe vs. White T, Bar-Barian vs. Bill Beamin and Rob Roy vs. Unanimous) but I got there too late to catch them and didn't really hear any buzz. If you saw them, leave a comment below about what went down.
Best Photos
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