At one time one of the most exciting newcomers in Don't Flop, CoJay has broken away from the UK's top platform to put his own stamp on the battle culture with his new league dubbed "UK Battle League." UKBL will be throwing their first event on December 9 in London. The first announcement from the event is a battle between A and Templer Surfa Kid.
We reached out to CoJay to get a preview of what we can expect from the new league.
I know what you’re thinking. "CoJay ... starting the UK battle league? That’s like an Italian family running the Chinese take away." I was born in the UK though, so allow it. The UKBL is a new battle league for the best guys in the business to do what they do.
We’re putting on our first event “From The Ashes” in Brixton, South London, featuring some of the best UK battle rappers to ever do it (get tickets here). After this, we will be putting on events throughout all of next year, in London, Leeds and Manchester, booking match-ups the fans want to see.
How will it be different than other battle rap leagues in the UK (and beyond)?
Well we’re bringing judging back, and in an innovative new way. At "From The Ashes" we will be debuting our brand new crowd judging system, allowing for fans in the room to sign into our app and cast their vote for who they felt won a battle straight from their phone. We will get these results in real-time, announcing the winner of each battle shortly afterwards. This app also creates a league table on our website, automatically ranking battlers by wins and total amount of votes. At our first anniversary event next year we will have prizes for our league table’s Top 3.
What kind of vibe are you going for? What kind of battles will you book? What scale are you looking to attain?
We’re trying to create a platform that presents and promotes the UK’s best MCs in the best way possible, reaching for the professional standards we see at the big leagues internationally. We have a production team who will be shooting our events in 4K quality, with pitch perfect sound under cinema lighting. Our first event will see some of the UK’s biggest names battle in a small venue to keep that raw atmosphere great battles are made in. I know the amount of time and effort that goes into prepping for battles and I want the work we do presenting the battles to reflect that.
We also want to bring that feeling of exclusivity back to UK battle rap, making a platform where the best are amongst only the best. Although we will be also hosting trial battles to bring new talent into the fold next year, only the best of them will be showcased on the UKBL. Basically, you gotta be nice.
Several former DF battlers have left the league to start their own platforms, which they have used to take shots at Eurgh/Don't Flop. Why are you heading off on your own? What's the current relationship with the league?
I no longer battle for Don’t Flop, but the UKBL is by no means here to take shots at them. Don’t Flop have played the integral role in the building of the UK battle rap scene from the bottom up for the last 8 years, and put on classic battles along the way. However, like myself, there are fans that don’t agree with the direction they’re headed in. This leaves the scene in an awkward position. It’s stopped growing and the fans can see it’s even started shrinking because of this division now.
Some battlers and some leagues no longer associate themselves with the Don’t Flop brand, due to various reasons which regardless if Don’t Flop are at fault, is ultimately leading to less experienced battlers filling in gaps and a tainted international reputation. I have a good relationship with most battlers and leagues in the UK and internationally, so we get to focus on battle rap minus the politics.
We've seen a lot of leagues come and go over the years. Why will yours succeed?
The UK is ready to see a new league putting on big battles. Fans want to be excited by events again, and by bringing big names to the stage with a different more professional spin on things we can bring that hype back to the game. Good rappers, good quality and good vibes, that’s what the UKBL will be and what the fans want.
Follow the league on social media so that you can stay up to date with all of their future announcements.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Web.
Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
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