Bigg K takes on Cortez at The Bunker in Los Angeles, California today (July 23).
In recent months, KOTD has been completely bludgeoning fans with solid events, great battles and high-quality footage and now, thanks to the advent of the by-battle-rap-for-battle-rap venue, KOTD is looking to maintain its momentum with another “Battles At The Bunker” offering.
The event, which is the second installment in the new monthly(-ish) series, is highlighted by a main event clash between Bigg K and Cortez. The announcement of this battle had KOTD fans buzzing, for good reason, because it pits two proven emcees who have a lot to lose against one another.
Thanks to his impressive performance against Head I.C.E at KOTD’s "Massacre 2," Bigg K has maintained his high level of respect and admiration from the battle rap community. To some, Bigg K has transcended from being great to being one of battle rap’s elite talents. His record speaks for itself. After a turbulent start in battle rap plagued by some uneven performances, Bigg K has become one of battling's most consistent forces, and he hasn't clearly lost a battle in quite some time.
His recent showing against Showoff at RBE is apparently up for debate though, with many battlers and fans in the building saying the hometown favorite took the battle — although there have been as many respected voices online saying the opposite after having seen the PPV footage.
Standing opposite of Bigg K will be Cortez, still a severely underrated battler despite his years in the scene, but who is finally getting some of the respect that his body of work calls for by simply not losing. Tez's strong wordplay, performance, and "what more do I have to do?" angles have made him a regular presence across all major platforms.
Bigg K versus Cortez has major “Battle Of The Night” potential because both battlers are putting their momentum, win streaks and pride on the line. Additionally, styles make fights and Bigg K’s strong set-ups into powerful haymakers style should mesh well with Cortez’s versatile pen game. Both battlers talk that street shit, both punch, and both are capable of creating memorable rounds highlighted by angles that break their opponent down masterfully.
As for what to expect, Cortez should be coming into this battle with two major advantages: his status as an undeniable underdog and his experience against any and all types of battlers. Cortez has battled schemers, punchers, talk-to-em’s and multi-heavy writers throughout his career, yet has always found a way to use his versatility to somewhat nullify his opponents' strength.
Even with the 90-second rounds, I fully expect Cortez to use angles and predictive writing in order to slow down the effectiveness of K’s back-to-back punches.
Unfortunately, even if Cortez executes his desired angles perfectly, it still might not be enough. Bigg K has proven that his conviction and room-shaking haymakers are usually enough to overcome strong angles and wordplay. There will come a point in this battle when Cortez lands a strong line, and exclaims “Wordplay!” at which point K will kick the air and tell Cortez that he is, in fact, garbage.
As trivial as it sounds, Bigg K’s ability to make his opponent's strongest lines seem unimpressive with his reactions is a very real threat. Coupled with his belief (and many others') that he is simply the best, Bigg K can quickly become overpowering in the ring.
This is not to say the battle won't be close. In fact, the battle should be 1-1 heading into the third. However, I trust Bigg K more to deliver that one line that sticks with fans as they leave the building, and often times that one haymaker can make all the difference in a close battle.
Bigg K 2-1.
Tickets and live PPV are available at KOTD.com.
Who do you think will win this battle and why? Comment below and let us know.
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