Top Moments From URL's "Redemption"

URL's "Redemption" went down in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Manhattan's Gramercy Theater this Saturday (July 25) and for a card that was really only officially unveiled 11 days before the event, it definitely delivered on entertainment.

The day was 95% smooth (with the exception being an on-stage scuffle during the 2-on-2 battle that led to the cancellation of the remainder of the match-up) and further built the momentum of a few of URL's rising stars. It was also a night of returns, with Chilla Jones, Danny Myers and Bill Collector all making their first appearances on the league's stage in some time.

We got some great interviews with Smack, Loaded Lux, T-Rex, Brizz Rawsteen and others so subscribe to us on YouTube or check back on the site when those start dropping this week.

Here are our picks for the event's most memorable moments. All photos are by Smart Alix Kushboy for BattleRap.com.

Battles of the Night

Tay Roc vs. Brizz Rawsteen

A battle that many predicted to be an easy win for Tay Roc was, in fact, a lot closer than that. Brizz did pretty much everything he needed to in terms of learning from his Aye Verb mistakes: his pacing and projection were better, he had few if any eye-rollers, and he, too, looked comfortable on the stage. Despite a small stumble in the third that he recovered from well, he proved his viability as one of URL’s new go-to guys.

Roc was his vintage self though and probably did enough to edge it out. He would, at times, lapse into a slight lull in his performance, but then seemed to sense the danger in giving Brizz room to breathe and would immediately start snapping again. Sure, Brizz still has more to learn, but don’t worry: everything on display here was far above “12 hot rounds” caliber.

Standout line: "Pick in ya brother's scalp, dick in ya motha mouth, get ya bitch pregnant, regret it and kick her stomach out." - Tay Roc

T Top vs. Shotgun Suge

This match-up was originally rumored for "Rookies vs. Vets," and the end result after "Redemption" came in even better than T Top vs. Charlie Clips (RvV's headliner). What seemed like a mirror match ended up being another passed test for Top and further reason to take Suge seriously as a top tier name.

Suge has had a ton of fire performances lately, and here overcame his occasional content deficiency and polished his aggressive performance to a tee. He used his size to his advantage and managed to be more memorable than Top, who actually put on a significantly more impactful performance than he did at RvV.

Top was appropriately aggressive and, more importantly, extremely comfortable. Suge was just too much, though, and the haymaker-after-haymaker style he’s been cultivating brought the house down and probably edged him the win. He ended the battle by saying, “Where the fuck is Hitman Holla at?” which seems like a really good question by now.

Standout line: "They say we both got insane minds, but this shotty will head shot you and give your people leg shots at the same time." - Shotgun Suge

Performances of the Night

Chilla Jones

Even though most foresaw a clear victory for him, Chilla shook the room versus Prep and was the only emcee on the card to catch a body. Prep was solid throughout, but his approach seemed boring compared to Chilla’s ability to blend complexity with power in his schemes and punches. Prep also had a couple moments where it seemed like he didn’t have his material down pat, and Chilla was thoroughly refined.

The version of Chilla that faced DNA a couple years ago on the same stage seems like a distant memory at this point; he practically bullied Prep and managed to use intricate wordplay to clown him.

Standout line: "I got more weapons in the ring now than Green Lantern." -Chilla Jones, explaining how his style has changed since he left URL

Honorable Mention — Danny Myers

In reality, Danny’s performance wasn’t as flawless as Chilla’s — he lost a bit of steam in the second and turned way up in the third, but he never surpassed the intensity that he started with. Rex essentially matched Myers' intensity in the first round, but he wasn't connecting as much in his next two, though not for lack of effort.

Either way, Danny was a lot more consistent than Rex, and he had more than a couple devastating lines that even Rex's first class defense couldn't downplay, including this one that was probably the biggest and most-retweeted line from the event: “You lived because a nigga like me let you, nigga/You died on the same day as your nephew, nigga!” (referencing Rex's defeat by Clips the same weekend his nephew had passed).

At the end of the day, Danny's aggression was on point and unwavering, he outbarred Rex by leaps and bounds, and he all-around did what he had to do.

Standout Moments

Queenzflip vs. Everyone (and Swave Sevah)

http://instagram.com/p/5kW8pzw2eo/?taken-by=iamqueenzflip

Queenzflip was his typical self at "Redemption," but this time he had a microphone and a lot of time to kill. He started by standing on stage before the event began, soliciting insults from the crowd and doling them out generously. He then took it to the next level by walking through the audience tossing insults at them face-to-face: "You look like The Saurus pop. You look like a Backstreet Boy. Your dreads look handicapped." Before long, though, Swave got a mic on stage and avenged the crowd by roasting Flip into oblivion.


DOT’s First Round

A lot of people had a feeling DOT would show out in full reaching glory versus Bill Collector, and he did. Gloriously. His second and third rounds saw him lose some of The Glow, but his first was on the same level as Hitman Holla’s versus Tsu Surf.

Goofiness aside, his performance ability is truly through the roof, and the crowd just couldn’t keep its shit together. He had plenty of “real” bars in that round, too, and seeing him reach and stomp around the stage was immensely entertaining.

It's worth mentioning too that Bill was no slouch in his return battle, feeding off DOT's energy and performing in vintage acrobatic form.

http://instagram.com/p/5k0nifsTsJ/?taken-by=battlerapdotcom

Chilla Jones: Back By Popular Demand?

After he surpassed expectations in his abuse of Prep, Gramercy Theater was buzzing about Chilla needing to stay on URL. He’s become a fan favorite across all the major leagues now, and URL would be hard-pressed not to book him again after the clinic he put on in New York. This all speaks to his overall growth: what people called boring and nerdy is now refreshing and hard-hitting, and Chilla is officially top tier.

Math Hoffa's Return

At one point between battles, Smack and Math Hoffa took to the stage together to show their solidarity. Hoffa hasn't battled for the league since the incident at "Summer Madness 3," although he did get close as the mystery opponent for Ill Will last year. There was no specific announcement of when he'll return or who his opponent might be, but the crowd seemed to like the prospect of a comeback.

Cake!

This event also marked the birthdays of Smack, Beasley and Twizz, and there was an on-stage presentation by Nunu Nellz and Coco Francesca of a red velvet cake decorated with the words "The World's Most Respected MC Battle Arena."

2-on-2 Scuffle

This last item was the only really low point of the event, but also one of the most talked about. About one and a half rounds into what was shaping up to be a great match, a fight broke out. Both Chess/Steams and DNA/K-Shine had put on phenomenal first rounds, and Chess was mid-bar in the top of the second when it looked like he got too close for Shine’s comfort. He wheeled around to accentuate a bar and seemed to end up closer to Shine than he had intended, and Shine reacted by nearly shoving him off the stage. The whole thing escalated remarkably quickly, and all four emcees were tussling among others on stage moments later. The tension resolved eventually, but the remainder of the battle was wisely postponed.

And This Photo

If you get it, you understand how amazing this is.
http://instagram.com/p/5kzDG1MTpE/?taken-by=battlerapdotcom

Check out all of our coverage on this event here, or see the top moments from a bunch of other events here.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.