It feels like the Cassidy vs. Dizaster debate just ended and now we're ramping up for another industry-vs.-battler faceoff between Mistah FAB and Arsonal at KOTD/Teddy Grizzle's "Battle Of The Bay 7." But underneath that main event lies an exciting undercard that features some of the most consistent performers in the game.
The Saurus would place near the top of any list of battlers with the most longevity and consistency, and Bender wouldn't be far behind him, and their clash may very well be one of the better vet vs. vet battles on this bill.
The Saurus has been on every instalment of the BOTB series, facing off against Madness, Dizaster, Dumbfoundead, Jonny Storm, Illmaculate and John John Da Don. Bender, meanwhile, is a KOTD fan favorite and has broadened his fan-base through his prodigious rap group Flight Distance. Saurus may have almost ten times the number of battles as Bender, yet the two are often mentioned in the same breath by fans.
Photo by Chris Mitchell for BattleRap.com.
Aside from his clashes against Arsonal, Charron and Bigg K, The Saurus had a pretty quiet 2014, focusing largely on a move to Las Vegas and his professional gambling career. His battle against Ars has disappeared from the Internet amidst “EtherGate,” although it apparently fit snugly into the evening’s lacklustre atmosphere and was not a particularly outstanding clash, being upstaged by their pre-battle Twitter banter.
Yet when he hits full stride he remains unstoppable. He arguably edged Charron in a great battle at “Blackout 4” this time last year and had a closely contested and very solid clash with Bigg K last April at "Vendetta 2." The great thing about Saurus is that he has battled so much and against such high caliber opponents that his modern opponents are forced into a corner from which they have to think outside of the box. The only other option is ending up in one.
Bender, however, is an out of the box battler if ever there was one. From obscure references to succinct putdowns, he has been consistently putting out fantastic music while putting in hungry and memorable performances in the ring. His best work is still from the early stages of his career, but on the strength of it he's become the rare breed of emcee that can lay dormant for months, then still nab himself a Big T or a The Saurus (his only fixtures in the last 12 months) and not look out of place. His selectivity with opponents also shows an emcee can make an impact without having to oversaturate himself.
The Saurus has proven he can hold his own against anyone on the planet, but if anyone can appear out of nowhere and piss on his party it’s Bender. Still, the California veteran is a world-class freestyler and the density and breadth of Bender’s content means that Saurus has a lot to work with.
What to expect then? An evenly placed, visceral and highly direct exchange of crisp, well-crafted multis. I don’t even care who wins.
Watch KOTD's official trailer for the battle below:
Who have you got? Which other match-ups from the BOTB7 card would you like us to break down next time?
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