The "Super Bowl of battle rap" is almost here.
URL is hyping "Summer Madness 4" as the biggest edition of the series to date with Charlie Clips vs. T-Rex towering near the top of this year's bill. Closing the summer of the busiest year yet for both emcees, the event goes down on Sept. 28 as part of three days of battles. But what will the clash bring?
So far in 2014, Rex has had to handle Head I.C.E, Cortez, and Shotgun Suge. He also steamrolled his way through the "Road to Total Slaughter" tournament to eventual victory. Charlie has been more active, his opponents including the likes of Conceited, Tay Roc, O-Red and Hitman Holla. Both felt the wrath of Daylyt over the summer, although against T-Rex he was definitely more "on his shit."
It was also after each of their battles with Daylyt that some momentum was sucked out of their rampages. T-Rex lost some steam when, after beating Daylyt, everyone was talking about Day's antics rather than Rex's win. Since that, his battles have been more controversial than classic, with issues over time limits against Cortez and a dispute over the number of rounds against Shotgun Suge.
Charlie Clips lost momentum against O-Red with a dispassionate performance that involved mostly freestyles. This being said, he mentioned that his mother was ill in the battle (and very recently on Twitter).
So perhaps the personal was overlapping with the professional for that bout. Charlie seems on point and raring to go for this upcoming headline match. His schedule could be his downfall though, with a battle against Big Kannon the week before Rex and another with Illmaculate the week after. Rex has to contend with Rum Nitty the week before at Snoop Dogg's "Gladiator School" event.
They both seem hungry to respond to the idea set out by Beasley's imposing voiceover in the latest preview trailer, which states: “There can only be one King of Harlem.”
“I used to be uptown, I don’t remember Clips being outside,” T-Rex says in the trailer. “I can go uptown in a dice game and roll - I can do all that up there, he can’t come down here and do that. That’s where you separate the two of us at.”
Charlie Clips puts a different spin on it. “This ain’t a uptown versus downtown thing,” responds Clips. “For me, this ain’t even Harlem versus Harlem. Charlie Clips. Versus T-Rex. I love uptown, I love downtown. I love Harlem in general. This whole fucking borough is mine.”
Does their close residential proximity mean that skeletons are being dragged kicking and screaming from closets? Rex seems to think so. “Me and Clips had an agreement at one time,” he says in the trailer. "We said we wasn’t gonna say nothing personal. Psych, I lied, nigga. This shit gotta go there.”
Clips is defiant and promises to come with nothing but bars, but says he's also ready to go the direct route. “We shook hands like men and said we wasn’t gonna go personal. I’m finna just bar your fuckin’ life away,” he says. “But I see you wanna open that other door, huh? Well, fuck it. Take the gloves off then.”
The two seem focused after recent lapses in concentration and the hometown dynamic could make this a battle to rival the most recent “King of Harlem” match-up in the form of Lux vs. Mook, which took place at Total Slaughter.
Watch the full trailer here:
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