Gjonaj vs. Danny Myers: What To Expect

We break down the high-energy match-up scheduled for KOTD's "Massacre 2" on May 15.

Danny Myers is slowly but surely flipping the script on his complicated battle rap career. For years the self-styled "Bar God" has given fans strong performances against any and all competitors across different platforms, but he has never seemed to garner the respect some feel he deserves from the battle rap community at large.

The proof of this came in Myers' exclusion from some major battle rap outlets' and bloggers' Top 10 of 2015 lists and in response, Myers has embarked on a journey in 2016 to take on some of the most dangerous and feared battle emcees in the game in succession. After taking on Charlie Clips, Swave Sevah and B Dot (all three on their own turf, and the last two on back-to-back weekends), Myers' journey has brought him to Gjonaj.

The Detroit battler is back on form from his letdown against Dizaster, making an impressive comeback against Psycoses at KOTD's "Blackout 6" in February. He took the judged win there, netting $2,000 and accolades for one of the top performances of the weekend.

Photo by Banshee for KOTD.

Gjonaj, similar to Myers, has experienced up and downs in his career. After his meteoric rise to popularity following a beast of a performance in his PG debut against Gutta and a solid follow-up on his Bar Wars home league against Born, Gjonaj suffered from perhaps rising up the battle rap ranks too quickly, taking a consensus loss against a motivated Dizaster.

No one saw the match-up between Gjonaj and Danny Myers coming, but a look at their recent performances is an indication that it was a good idea and of how high-energy and hotly contested the battle should be.

Danny Myers vs. B Dot.

Gjonaj's methodical approach to his rounds provides a platform where his punches land as true haymakers, thanks to his usually strong build-ups. In a contrast of styles, Myers is one of the vanguards of the punching back-to-back style that is so popular right now, and while Myers is sure to punch far more often than Gjonaj, he's also recently shown a willingness to take angles against opponents. He was praised for his deeper content against B Dot, and he'll need to bring something similar to keep up with the direct material Gjonaj is sure to bring.

Expect Gjonaj to continue his trend of biblical references in battles and relate that to Myers' self-proclaimed "Bar God" moniker in what could be an effective scheme or angle.

A strong angle is something that fans can expect from Gjonaj and between Myers' punch-heavy style and Gjonaj's calculated hay-makers, this battle may come down to which emcee has chosen and executed the better breakdown. Myers may have the upper hand in this regard because his previous opponent B Dot broke down Myers' character so efficiently that there may not be many fresh angles left for Gjonaj to take.

Considering how private Gjonaj keeps his personal life, Myers might have trouble digging up dirt that resonates with fans, but Gjonaj can further defend any angles with some self-reflexive material, effectively defining himself before Myers can.

Personally, I don't think KOTD's impressive newcomer will have enough and I'm predicting a 2-1 victory for Danny Myers in a battle that could easily be the best of the night.

It goes down May 15 at KOTD's "Massacre 2." Get your live pay-per-view here.

Who wins? The Bar God or Gjonaj? Comment below and let us know.

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