Math Hoffa vs. Bigg K: What To Expect

Bigg K vs. Math Hoffa: arguably the best puncher in battle rap versus the guy whose lyrical ability is often overshadowed by his history of punching dudes’ lights out mid-battle. Goddamn. I haven’t been this hyped for a match-up in a long time.

To the unseasoned fan, this just looks like a clash between two tough guys who might end up fighting. Not the case. Just because they both seem like they might try your chin at any moment, that doesn’t mean they aren’t also capable of some of the best writing in the game. K has made his way into plenty of Top 5 lists with his back-to-back punch style, and Math is due for another strong showing after his classic with Chilla Jones earlier this year.

When two bullies face off, there tends to be a lot of card-pulling, along the lines of “You swung on Dose and Serius; do it now” or “You tried to punk Caustic ‘cause he talked about your dead homie; I’ma say what I want.” What makes the personal realm more interesting, though, is how each of these emcees might make use of that sort of material.

I’ve written about Math before, and I’ve made it clear that I consider him one of the most versatile to ever do it. He’s got bars (like that), he can joke, he can paint a picture, he's incredibly charismatic and he’s low-key one of the best “angle” battlers out. Some think Dizaster socked him out of sheer embarrassment from the weight of Math's third round against him, and that’s not too hard to believe. Ever since Rosenberg Raw rapped about K missing a funeral for a battle several years ago, few others have been able to say anything meaningful that personally relates to him. Now, Math could be the one to do it right.

Here’s a tough question, though: even if Math brings about an earth-shattering concept relating to K, will it really matter? That might sound pessimistic, but take a minute to recall the sheer amount of substantive material that K has effortlessly overshadowed with only bars (you could make the case that he’s never even lost). Sure, he’ll incorporate personal details about his opponent to set up a punchline, but that’s about it.

Since that’s worked amazingly for him so far, there’s little reason to think he’ll change the formula now or that it will ever stop working. Aside from all that, there are other indications that we could get something pretty incredible out of these two.

K has openly referred to this as his biggest battle yet despite having also faced names like Aye Verb, Illmaculate, and Arsonal. This probably means that he has a tremendous amount of respect for Math’s contributions to the sport, which comes as no surprise. K’s material is always piff, with each round stuffed to the brim with on-topic haymakers, so imagine the results when he really puts the pressure on himself.

Math, on the other hand, is (obviously) coming off a perpetually rocky period and a (reported) recent loss to Quest Mcody at BBG's "Power 2." It seems lazy to say “he’ll be great because he needs to be,” but re-watch him versus Chilla if you’re not sure he can pull that off.

Clearly, there’s a lot at play here, but it may come down to something relatively simple. On K’s side, there’s deadly consistency and a barrage of A-1 punchlines; on Math’s, there’s a wide range of tactics at his disposal, each of which could vary from shaking the room to falling flat. I expect a classic, but for now I’ll side with reliability. K 2-1.

"The Crown 2" will be available on demand a few days after the event. Order it here.

Let me know your thoughts and predictions in the comments below.