Pigsty vs. Soul: What To Expect

"Quarantine 2" goes down this Saturday (March 28), and undercarding Big Kannon vs. Chedda Cheese is an undercover classic waiting to reveal itself.

Soul is, at present, on a roll. Having comfortably beaten an under-prepped Osa at KOTD’s “Blackout 5” and in contention for the Don’t Flop title Tony D shed at the beginning of this year, his return to Canada is prompt but unsurprising. His choice of opponent makes every bit of sense as well - BattleRap.com’s very own Stu ‘Pigsty’ Mitchell, whose considered angles and ability to effortlessly switch between highbrow aggression and observational clowning are a perfect complement for Soul’s.

Soul’s frequent appearances on KOTD are in no small way due to his consistent overachievement against Canadians. Wize Guy, Sketch Menace and Osa all met with a three-round barrage of cerebral punchlines. He humiliated his stylistic forebear Loe Pesci on Don’t Flop. His style is simply at home in Canada’s scene, and even more so in this clash.

Pigsty is where Soul was right around the point he battled 24/7. Not quite garnering the views but still putting craft into his bars, pulling out convincing performances and taking on vets like Sonny Bamboo, Fingaz, Ayem/Pnut, Diaz and A-Class. He experiences Soul’s stumbles and his projection isn’t always what it should be, but between his witty punchlines and slickly constructed historical/political asides he maintains his position as one of the top guys from the Vancouver scene.

Neither emcee battles frequently in, say, DNA terms, but despite this they seem to be over any ring rust that affected some of their earlier performances. Both take refreshing perspectives in each of their battles and are not afraid to be confrontational. Soul vs. Unanymous and Pigsty vs. Ayem demonstrate this. Both are equally capable of directness and meandering schemes, which makes the tone of the battle particularly difficult to predict.

However, I don’t see Soul leaving Canada without the W. He’s too consistent in Canadian territory and has too much momentum right now — he may very well be finishing April as the #1 battler in the U.K. He’s arguably been unbeatable for about two years now. And while Pigsty is no newbie, he’s following a similar trajectory through battle rap to the one Soul has taken, and is currently still reaching his peak.

Soul’s performance was once a weakness but now he varies his levels far more effectively. Pigsty is not quite as dynamic. That is going to play in Soul’s favor — you need only watch the conclusion to his one round against Unanymous to witness how on-point his framing of home truths at conversational volume is.

Either way, I see this being as even as Soul’s fantastic “Blackout 4” match with Sketch Menace, and we have a hearty helping of pen game to look forward to from both battlers.

Cover photos by Iris Chia and Zach Macphoto.

Which way do you see this going? Let us know in the comments below.