Queen Of The Ring spent another comfortable year as the premiere female battle rap league in 2015, expanding into the West Coast with a Los Angeles division and putting on some solid events in NYC that showcased both new talent and established veterans.
Check our choices for the best QOTR battles released in 2015 below, and watch league boss Debo give his own picks here.
DNA & K-SHINE VS. 40 B.A.R.R.S. & BONNIE GODIVA
Who: DNA (Queens, N.Y.) & K-Shine (Harlem, N.Y.) vs. Bonnie Godiva (Yonkers, N.Y.) & 40 B.A.R.R.S. (Boston, Mass.)
Where: Queen Of The Ring's "No Holds Barred 2" in Manhattan, N.Y.
When: Aug. 9, 2015
DNA and K-Shine cornered the doubles market with a ton of match-ups in 2015, and got strong enough results (and big-time views) often enough for bookings to keep making sense. As for 40 and Bonnie, they’re a much stronger team than many anticipated.
The QOTR boxing ring setting lends itself nicely to doubles matches, especially if you like to act shit out. Like, say, DNA and Shine do, every battle. That said, picking a winner here will come down to your preference.
DNA and Shine have some electrifying haymakers and hilarious moments, but 40 and Bonnie’s material is so structurally sound that it gives their performance a totally different vibe. After hearing the thought they put into their angles and the precision of their back-and-forth, we’re interested in seeing the two of them team up again.
C3 VS. E HART
Who: C3 (Queens, N.Y.) vs. E Hart (Yonkers/Bronx, N.Y.)
Where: QOTR's "No Holds Barred 2" in New York, N.Y.
When: Aug. 9, 2015
This battle is the epitome of what makes Queen Of The Ring great.
C3 brings authentic, unfiltered content to every clash and this is no exception. With every round, it seems wildly unlikely that Hart will be able to bark back and take the crowd, but she does it fairly resoundingly.
Questioning a legend’s legacy is often a fool’s exercise, because a lot of the time they perform like E Hart did here. She’s been damn near untouchable for years, and not battling frequently doesn’t seem to affect her at all. Even though she doesn’t employ the more ambitious methods that have become popular, her style is so punchy and finely tuned that it’s impossible not to react. It’s hard not to give her at least two rounds here, and the Jaz callout is, to say the least, noteworthy.
See what people at the event were saying as this battle was happening with our collection of live updates.
40 B.A.R.R.S. VS. CHAYNA ASHLEY
Who: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (Boston, Mass.) vs. Chayna Ashley (Bronx, N.Y.)
Where: QOTR's "Panic Room 3" in Manhattan, N.Y.
When: May 17, 2015
The crowd seems dead tired for this headline match that went down late on a Sunday night, and that’s a real shame. The battle is strong, with the consensus being that 40 edged it 2-1, but the crowd robbed her of most of her glory. This is, in reality, a great showing for Chayna as well, but it will be overlooked by many.
This battle, like many others this year, made a solid case for the argument that headline matches shouldn't necessarily be the last ones of the night. It’s still very watchable, though, and it’s worth it to see 40 further cement her legacy by taking out another longstanding veteran. You could also argue that Chayna was slept on, severely at times, and that the momentum could have been completely different in another room.
M.B.D. VS. 8R14
Who: M.B.D. aka Mrs. Black Dyamond (Compton, Calif.) vs. 8R14 (Long Beach, Calif.)
Where: Queen Of The Ring's "The Coldest Winter Ever" in Los Angeles, Calif.
When: Dec. 5, 2014
QOTR made its way to the West in late 2014, and shined a spotlight on some solid new female talent. Here M.B.D. brings heavy aggression and dominates the stage against 8R14, who holds her own in a room full of West Coast VIPs, and later in 2015 made her debut on QOTR's NYC stage. Several YouTube commenters called this "one of the best Sparring Session battles ever."
BURETTA BLAZE VS. M.B.D.
Who: Buretta Blaze (Houston, Texas) vs. Mrs. Black Dyamond (Compton, Calif.)
Where: QOTR's "Sparring Session" in Long Beach, Calif.
When: April 4, 2015
Buretta Blaze is something special and runs through M.B.D. pretty easily here, but both emcees more than deserve your attention.
One thing is obvious: Blaze has an amazing pen game. She has punches, schemes, wordplay, the whole nine, and she exudes a confidence that could (and probably will) get her far in battle rap. Although she doesn’t seem quite as able to shake the room as she did in her debut against 8R14, M.B.D. has many of the same qualities and doesn’t slack in the slightest here. In reality, it’s pretty hard to give her a round, but calling this a bodybag would be off the mark.
A lot of people have been sleeping on these ladies, which might make them seem like they came out of nowhere. That’s relatively true for M.B.D., but Blaze has been around. Regardless, we’ll be seeing a lot more of both of them if they keep it up.
Words by Jackson Yates and Chris Mitchell.
Now check out all of our Year In Review coverage.
Which QOTR battles made your list? Let us know in the comments below.
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