Six Standouts From Bar Wars' "KingPen"

BattleRap.com made its first (and long-overdue) trip to Detroit this past weekend for Bar Wars' "KingPen" event. What we found there was a wealth of diversity and talent. Michigan's battle scene has long been integral to the national landscape, with vets like Calicoe, X-Factor, JC, Marv Won, Quest Mcody, Ill Will (and about a dozen more) though its rookies are often overlooked as fans focus on New York or California.

The clear frontrunner for emerging talent out of Michigan right now is Gjonaj, and we've already recapped his main event with Born from the "KingPen" card here. This list is to highlight the most impressive emcees on the card that you may not have heard of yet.

Top Performances

5. Teddy MC

This Ypsilanti emcee and organizer of Ann Arbor's Boss Battle League definitely stood out as the funniest guy on the card. He had the crowd rolling with an on-point impression mocking his opponent Joey Cough's writing and delivery, and served as a perfect way to open the night with the right vibe.

Check the clip below for a taste. His setup for the line was: "How are you the only nigga from Flint that doesn't look like a nigga from Flint?"

http://instagram.com/p/5TSMLxsTuR/?taken-by=battlerapdotcom

Here's our interview with him too:

4. Snap

The 24-year-old Detroit emcee had his work cut out for him at "KingPen" taking on our pick for the #3 standout, Deal Da Monsta. He didn't flinch in the face of Deal's aggression and caught fire in the third round to keep things close.

http://instagram.com/p/5TSGrhsTuH/?taken-by=battlerapdotcom

Also of note, he has a metal leg, which (as he explained in the battle) he got from a shotgun blast.

3. Deal Da Monsta

Deal's specialty is the same kind of structure and delivery that has gotten Bigg K so many fans. His haymakers are simple but potent and hit with a ton of force, for example: "Deal's better at the bars like it's happy hour" and "I want him to die slow so I'ma give him one round at a time like the old Smack."

The 29-year-old rapper was one of the most seasoned on the card, with more than a dozen battles to his name, on Scheme Street, Alpha League, GO-Rilla Warfare and Spit Dat Heat.

2. GG/Crome

This match-up was originally set for GZ Battles' "Checkmate" in Toronto but was rescheduled after GG couldn't cross the border.

We missed this battle — the last of the night — because we were doing interviews with Gjonaj and Born after their main event. Once we got outside, it's all anyone was talking about. No one agreed on a winner, but everyone said it was the best battle of the night, aside from the headliner.

We caught up with Crome, a 22-year-old newcomer who made the nine-hour drive with his crew from Montreal, outside the venue so we got him to spit most of his verses again, some standouts from which we'll include here:

"My dudes got something in the car if you tempted to rumble, start swinging we hit the trunk like George Of The Jungle."

"You just wanna be taller right? If I'm getting the concept, well this right could stretch you out like I'm tryna fix that Napoleon Complex."

We missed out on GG completely, so we got Bar Wars host Smo to give us the rundown. Here's what he sent:

GG is an established Bar Wars emcee who has been battling since 2012. Unfortunately due to the fiasco with the original YouTube channel getting taken down down, he only has five of his eight battles online. GG is arguably undefeated and his ceiling of potential could definitely reach the KOTD platform. Locally known for his antics, use of props, angles and entertainment value, GG is a massively underrated writer and performer. Some of his better battles to watch are against Demo (for Daylyt-esque antics) and against Poopie Doo (for hilarious angles mixed with creative punches).

GG had a very strong first round landing some heavy punches in a crowd-friendly cadence. In the building it felt like he took this round. The next two rounds were neck-and-neck which made this one of the battles of the night.

Memorable line: "Now read my lips, you better watch your mouth or we can get flagrant, these hands impatient, you'll get laid out clearly over words... that's lamination."

1. BE-Z

BE-Z was one of the few guys on the card we already knew going into this event (most recently from his impressive performance against MichiGunn) and he didn't disappoint at all this weekend. This was his Bar Wars debut, but in the last few years he's taken on a half-dozen opponents around the Midwest, including the likes of Danny Myers and M. Ciddy.

Like his brother Deal Da Monsta, BE-Z's strong suit is his aggression, but he brings enough solid content to back it up. Here's some from Saturday:

http://instagram.com/p/5TiDXCMTpr/?taken-by=battlerapdotcom

Watch our interview with him here:

For more info on the event, and more detailed breakdowns of the battles, watch Bar Wars host Smo's recap with Rob Roy.

See more of our photos from the event here.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.