Calicoe vs. Ill Will: What To Expect

In 2010, Calicoe, who was becoming something of a hometown hero at the time, hosted a tense outdoor battle between newcomers Ill Will and Cash Eatin for the fledgling Mic Murdaraz league. Cal fit his "Young Calicoe" name perfectly back then, and he can be seen reacting enthusiastically throughout the footage (though disproportionately toward Cash). Five years later, he’s set to face Ill Will at BBG's "Power 2" in what amounts to Detroit vs. Pontiac in The Battle For Michigan.

Needless to say, this is a big battle for Will. It’s not quite student-surpassing-the-master material, but it’s something similar. Cal’s status is obvious; he’s well on his way to being a legend, but you can’t deny how far Will has come. He's gone from local leagues to winning the first season of UFF to being a regular on the URL stage before going his separate ways with the league. Regardless, there are a number of reasons this match-up should be fire. Can you think of any bigger battle rap bullies out of Michigan? I can’t, and that’s a good place to start.

With so much pride on the line, the question on many people’s minds seems to be whether this will devolve to violence. Though rare, that’s never out of the question in battle rap, but there’s no reason to believe shit will hit the fan here. For one thing, Cal, like Will, seems to appreciate when people mirror his belligerence (check Cal's Tay Roc battle for a recent example). They’re from different cities, sure, but nothing comes to mind that would give them particular cause to hate each other. Still, that’s never stopped either of them from acting that way.

While raw aggression might not look its best beside a markedly different approach (e.g., Calicoe vs. Pat Stay), putting two bullies together tends to entertain (e.g., Ill Will vs. Bigg K, and a million others). The amount of hostile ground to cover here seems endless, and it’s almost a relief that there’s no apparent incident constituting “beef,” just because it would limit both battlers in their abuse. That said, this will entail a bit more than who can yell the loudest.

In what most fans refer to simply as “performance,” Cal just may have Will beat. What that really means is that he’ll probably do a slightly better job projecting his voice and keeping the crowd engaged. In reality, however, he and Will are comparable in the way they bring their bars to life. They’re loud, irreverent, and everyone (no matter what they say) loves it. The differences are somewhat subtle, but Cal tends to be more self-referential and boast his own authenticity, while Will tends to be more direct and wildly disrespectful. Obviously, it’s almost impossible to predict how that sort of clash plays out.

It always feels like a copout in battle rap to declare something “up to your preference,” but that’s exactly what this will be, barring any slipups. Cal will likely push the envelope a bit further with antagonism and physicality, but Will’s punchlines and wordplay are crack every time. For me, that will tip the scales, even with Cal having home-field advantage. Ill Will 2-1.

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Tell me why my prediction is wrong in the comments below.