After a quiet release schedule in September, we're back this month with another 10 battles you should watch.
URL hit its stride in October, releasing wildly popular battles from "Summer Madness 4" as well as footage from "Ultimate Freestyle Friday," the tournament for new talent airing on BET's 106 & Park.
The New York league's October output could easily dominate this list, but instead we've tried to mix it up and include some smaller battles as well. That being said, don't miss the heavily debated Charron vs. Shotgun Suge or one of the year's most one-sided battles between Charlie Clips and T-Rex.
But enough talk. Let's get to the battles.
Hitman Holla vs. Tsu Surf
Who: Hitman Holla (St. Louis, Mo.) vs. Tsu Surf (Newark, N.J.)
Where: URL’s “Summer Madness 4” at Irving Plaza in New York, N.Y.
When: Sept. 28, 2014
Why you should watch it: Both battlers went into this battle treating it like it was the most important one of their careers. In an interview with BattleRap.com in September, Surf called it "the biggest battle in the world right now." It turned out he was right.
Hitman's frenetic first round and Surf's "real talk" third are the highlights, but the real story of the battle is its popularity.
The footage premiered on YouTube on Oct. 13 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.
After 24 hours it had 240,000 views.
After 52 hours it had 383,000.
By the end of the month, it had passed 930,000.
In case you're not a battle rap stats geek, just know this: those numbers are bananas.
We've got the lyrics for it here too.
Xcel vs. Anubis
Who: Xcel (Brockton, Mass.) vs. Anubis (Flint, Mich.)
Where: BET’s “Ultimate Freestyle Friday” taping in New York
When: Oct. 2, 2014
Why you should watch it: URL scored another hit with this release from BET's "Ultimate Freestyle Friday," — one that's completely different in tone from their SM4 releases.
Before the footage dropped, I was chatting with Xcel on Facebook. He told me: "It was the best battle UFF ever had."
Lately it seems like a new trend for battlers to say they had a classic, when really all they had was a good battle, if that. But Xcel wasn't exaggerating. The battle is fire and Xcel's writing is intricate, filled with subtle references, and delivered with ease.
Anubis brings perfection here too, upping the degree of difficulty with a mid-round flip. He caught the judges' decision and advances to the second round of the UFF tournament, despite only convincing 36% of the 800 or so voters who watched at home.
Xcel's densely layered style may have lost him the battle in the building, but it definitely won him a lot of new fans on YouTube.
Aye Verb vs. Danny Myers
Who: Aye Verb (St. Louis, Mo.) vs. Danny Myers (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Where: BBE's "Duel In The Desert" in Phoenix, Ariz.
When: Oct. 4, 2014
Why you should watch it: The is the first release from "Duel In The Desert," which was originally co-presented by URL but is now being released by King Of The Dot after some back-room jockeying. The camerawork, courtesy of KOTD's usual camera crew, is top notch.
The battle itself is competitive until the third round, but Verb still gives arguably his best performance of the year. Danny brings bar after bar, delivered with his signature maniacal energy and the crowd goes crazy for every minute of it.
Fliiko L vs. Chef Trez
Who: Fliiko L (Atlanta, Ga.) vs. Chef Trez (Lawrenceville, Ga.)
Where: Spit Dat Heat’s "No More Talk 2" in Atlanta, Ga.
When: Aug. 17, 2014
Why you should watch it: Another dope battle packed with crazy bars and intense performances. It almost has that Rum Nitty vs. Danny Myers feel to it (i.e. a competitive, fun, small-room battle with a fantastic crowd). Both these guys are standouts on a talented roster coming out of the Atlanta league. In case you missed it, Fliiko made last month's list of top battles too.
Arsonal vs. Daylyt
Who: Arsonal (Newark, N.J.) vs. Daylyt (Watts, Calif.)
Where: U Dubb’s “Annihilation” event in Newark, N.J.
When: July 27, 2014
Why you should watch it: When he's not busy attempting to defecate on stage, threatening to pull out of his title match with Pat Stay, or engaging in apparent beef with Big Kannon and Young Thug, Daylyt occasionally does no-antic battles like this one against Arsonal.
If you're only familiar with Daylyt's theatrics, this is worth watching just to see the bar-heavy and highly disrespectful side of him.
Pat Stay vs. Rone (Compliment Battle)
Who: Pat Stay (Dartmouth, Canada) vs. Rone (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Where: Hopscotch Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
When: Sept. 27, 2014
Why you should watch it: This is probably the oddest battle of the month. KOTD Champion Pat Stay takes on Rone in front of a festival crowd of thousands, where they declare their "bromosexual" love for each other for three full rounds.
If you're still interested after that description, I've got good news: this battle includes some of the sharpest writing and funniest moments of the year. Someone in the crowd throws a mackerel on stage for God's sake.
Dirtbag Dan vs. Tiger Ty
Who: Tiger Ty (Stockton, Calif.) vs. Dirtbag Dan (San Jose, Calif.)
Where: Dirtbag Dan’s “Battle Of The Zae 3” in San Jose, Calif.
When: Aug. 30, 2014
Why you should watch it: It's a new Tiger Ty battle. If that's not enough to convince you, rethink your priorities in life.
2Face vs. AB Hoggish
Who: 2Face (Stockton, Calif.) vs. AB Hogish (Stockton, Calif.)
Where: At the “Return Of Da Jungle” event at Anderson Park in Stockton, Calif.
When: Sept. 20, 2014
Why you should watch it: Two Jungle alum face off at the league's return event. 2Face brings aggression, AB Hogish goes heavy on the wordplay.
J Murda vs. True Maserati
Who: J Murda (Brooklyn, N.Y.) vs. True Maserati (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Where: Traphouse NY's "All Out War" at Funkadelic Studios in New York
When: Oct. 12, 2014
Why you should watch it: Intense battle in a small room between two guys from Brooklyn who give it their all. Worth watching purely for J Murda's delivery, but there's plenty going on to keep your attention throughout.
Purpose vs. Nikoteen
Who: Purpose (Adelaide, Australia) vs. Nikoteen (Victoria, Australia)
Where: Don't Flop Australia's "The Ice Breaker" in Victoria, Australia
When: Oct. 19, 2014
Why you should watch it: This is the final of Don’t Flop Australia’s 16-man tournament between two of the scene’s veterans.
Did we miss any bangers? Post them in the comments below.
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