It’s here: the battle that represents another rock solid outing for Born and the eagerly awaited return of Gjonaj. The clash took place in Gjonaj’s home league of Bar Wars in Detroit, and the small but enthusiastic crowd did its part to make it the near-classic that it is.
With regard to Gjonaj, many questions come to mind with this battle. Where has he been since his PG shot against Gutta last September? Why did he take Born on a small league instead of Dizaster? Is he still fire? Gjonaj gave BattleRap.com a dope interview after the battle last month, and it addresses much of this. He’s reportedly a terrible businessman, clumsy with his phone, and generally uninterested in taking battles merely because people want him to. And yeah, he’s still really, really good at making words rhyme.
But this isn’t all about Gjonaj. Born commands respect as a lyricist, as anyone who knows anything will tell you. Clearly, Gjonaj saw facing him as a test of his own writing, and it makes perfect sense that he took this battle. Born has done so much — and so well — since becoming battle rap’s punching bag after choking against Calicoe, but his compromised reputation still haunts him. Unfortunately, here it does a bit more than lurk in the background; it eventually rears its ugly head and robs him of the win. Read on for more details.
After losing the coin toss, Gjonaj raps first and quickly hits many of the same highs that he did in his PG battle. Especially for someone with so little experience, he’s basically a force of nature in this shit. Even with fewer punches than his opponent, he uses a dexterous intensity to make his well-crafted lines hit extremely hard. How many ways can this guy play off the word “pick” and still give everyone the Jaz face? Crazy. He closes this round by reminding leagues that his “free will is not for sale,” which is a remarkably profound statement for a newcomer.
Born did not come to play, and he comes out throwing accurate jabs and more than a few haymakers in Round 1. His content isn’t as heady as Gjonaj’s, but the punches are even more relentless. Depending on your preference, you might give him this round. I edged this one to Gjonaj, though, because his round kept me guessing while Born’s, though fire, contained a couple eye rollers.
Gjonaj is on the verge of making intellectual second rounds his trademark. Just like in his Gutta battle, here he “wastes” another round on morbid, multisyllabic poetry. This style is definitely not for everyone, but it makes for a darkly refreshing exercise that’s hard to write off.
Regardless of how you feel about Gjonaj’s second, you pretty much still have to give it to Born. He punches like a madman in the second round, surpassing even the reactions that Gjonaj got in the first. He treads some predictable ground, but the back-to-back punches are just too much.
The third round is something of a rollercoaster. In Gjonaj, we see what was looking like another grade-A showing lapse into “B+.” He comes out with heavy punches and plenty of quotables, but he ultimately settles into head nodding territory. Born, on the other hand, is on pace to win until a choke makes it impossible. He gets stuck after a couple instances of non-reaction to a relatively obscure card scheme (Gjonaj is apparently a blackjack dealer). It’s hard to say what he was thinking in relying on the crowd to catch a buried reference to 21 (a 2008 Kevin Spacey movie that received mixed reviews), and he probably should have just ended his round when the audience didn’t get it the first time.
Despite being among the best of the best in terms of writing, it looks like Born will continue to have to swim against the current until he lands a flawless performance against a big name. Similarly, it seems like we might not see Gjonaj reach his full potential until he’s against a big opponent where he can take genuine angles instead of expounding on his own circumstances.
So there you have it. Great battle. I’ve got Gjonaj 2-1, but I’d be happy to debate with you in the comments below or on Twitter (@sun_jacker).
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