Though the "Ether" focus is on Dizaster flying the battle rap banner against mainstream challenger Cassidy, the event also features a miniature parallel: a clash between a battler on the cusp of his own mainstream breakthrough against one of the year’s most prolific emerging emcees.
Con has been right up inside MTV this year, and with a Facebook page boasting almost 800,000 followers it seems to be working wonders for him. While Arsonal has been heading in the same direction by hijacking major events with outstanding performances, and Daylyt by attempting to leak bodily fluids everywhere and turning up in fancy dress, Con has been a mainstay on Nick Cannon’s Wild ’N Out show and gaining immense popularity.
Conceited vs. B Magic. Photo by Joe Green for BattleRap.com.
But he has still been keen to keep one shiny leather boot firmly planted in battle rap. So far this year, he mopped up against Duce in a smaller league, locked horns (in debatable fashion) with his archrival B Magic at "Summer Madness 4" and co-hosted the return of Da Jungle alongside Fox and Okwerdz. Despite his recent quasi-celebrity status, it would seem he has lost none of his touch. His trademark slow-it-downs are still garnering absolutely preposterous crowd reactions.
Bigg K, needless to say, has a huge opportunity here. His form since his astonishing breakthrough tour-de-force against Illmaculate has been nothing short of impeccable, garnering debatable outcomes or decisive victories against the likes of The Saurus, Danny Myers, B Magic, Aye Verb and Arsonal. He is utterly formidable when he is on form — which is pretty much every time he opens his mouth.
Now, after a heavy array of great performances (albeit often on smaller platforms), he is about to go up against battle rap’s emerging MTV superstar on a channel backed by billionaire Alki David. The world is watching, and he has a real chance of hulking out on this one. K has very little to prove performance-wise anymore, but he will be looking for a momentous and timely victory against Conceited.
Bigg K at Vendetta 2. Photo by Chris Mitchell for BattleRap.com.
Conceited will win the crowd over at some points, and very strongly — his charisma is still top notch — but Bigg K is a sleeping giant and his consistency and, crucially, the immediacy and neatness of each of his barrage of punches will, I think, put him one up on Con. Bigg K is an alumni of the new school, and it’s in the wake of the new school that "Ether" is set to blow.
My gut tells me we’re about to see K as the new talked-about guy in mainstream circles.
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