Born Legacy 13
Rating
Event Recapped by staff Writers J Smo & France
LTBR Award Recipients
Battle of the Night: Danny Myers vs Saflare Sole | Chilla Jones vs Klutz
Best Individual Performances of the night: #1 Danny Myers | #2 Arsonal | #3 Chilla Jones | #4 Klutz
The Biggest Win of the Night: Danny Myers over Saflare Sole | Arsonal over Eaze
Caffeine Fan Vote Winners: #1 Nunn Nunn | #2 Chilla Jones. | #3 Danny Myers | #4 Team NJ (Arsonal & Shotgun Suge)
Full Podcast Recap
Nunn Nunn vs Real Deal
Recapped by J Smo
The first matchup of the night, Real Deal vs Nunn Nunn had some low expectations, and in the end, probably exceeded it a bit. The 1st round of the battle started on Deal, and his 1st was probably the weakest of his 3 rounds. Emphasizing a lot of straight punching and pure rapping, Deal 1st isn’t bad but doesn’t land many true haymakers. A small segment speaking on his history in BR/roads he paved may have been his peak, which is no shocker considering how great Deal is when working with specific topics and gaining momentum off material with substance.
After a serviceable start, Nunn Nunn would go in the 1st taking an angle-heavy approach himself. With rounds based around Deal being a schoolteacher, Nunn worked angles about LGBTQ school rights and lack of security in schools for schooling shootings and tried to direct these topics at Deal. While there were points content-wise that were pretty much nonsensical (i.e., Saying “Why don’t you go get more security for these schools” to a singular teacher), the angle went over very well in the building and Nunn Nunn had built good momentum. Nunn had the crowd, but I personally had Deal taking the 1st by an edge just having a little more content that scored while Nunn Nunn angle dipped in and out of being effective. Debatable 1st.
The 2nd is the dip of the battle, where both MCs took the round to angle about jobs. Deal going at Nunn for his CDL, Nunn Nunn once again working on some aspects of the teacher angle. Not a lot to talk about here, Deal’s Riggz line being his best bar out of the CDL angle may be the small bright spot that makes me give him the edge in another 50/50 round, this time with no real explosiveness on either side. Worst round of footage from the battle.
Then the 3rd, which will be what’s talked about most from this battle. Deals 3rd was actually very good, one of the better punched-based rounds you’ll see from him. The focus of this round though is fully on Nunn Nunn, who had a classic talk with Smack round that we’ve seen a plethora of times in Battle Rap. The craziest part: It was one of the better convos with Smack segments that have been done to this point. Airing his grievances about his pay, having pay for the app to see his own rounds, and not even really having a relationship with Smack, he delivered one of the most explosive rounds of the night and really created a moment in the 3rd. Now in terms of grading on directness, I can’t fault anyone who says Nunn’s round being at Smack and basically not Deal at all in a way forfeits him winning the round itself. In many cases, this is the standard grading, but when a round is this good (e.x. BDot 3rd vs EK) and has that much success, I personally make the exception. To each their own though those giving Deal the 3rd have an understandable case. Nunn takes the 3rd to end an overall okay battle.
1st – Real Deal edge
2nd – Real Deal edge
3rd – Nunn Nunn preference
Chilla Jones vs Klutz
Recapped by J Smo
A battle that’s all about the pen’s, Chilla vs Klutz was always going to be a content-driven battle and ended up being almost easily the best battle of the night. 1st round of the battle on Chilla, his 1st is a solid but beatable round. Quickly into the schemes (beer/alcohol scheme was fire) and punches, the round has some hidden gems but lacks explosiveness and peaks. Klutz 1st is also, solid on the content front, but had some dry spots of his own.
I commend the jacket/hot and cold concept, and the attempt to be creative and take chances which is one of my favorite parts of Klutz approaches. With that being said, it took quite a while to build up. The AC scheme and haymaker it led into did get tons of crowd reaction. Although the AC schemes have been done to death, the tailored-ness of it to Chilla’s career made it somewhat original. 1st debatable, I personally edged Chilla, but Klutz 1-0 is a perfectly viable answer.
The 2nd of this battle is the peak of it and maybe the peak of the whole event. Chilla Handheld Console scheme was a bar of the night contender. Followed by great chain punching and energy, the toilet paper scheme (lol) was also a highlight of the round. Although there were a lot of stop-and-go in-between lines, making the pace a little off, Chilla 2nd was a powerhouse round and looked like it may be unlikely to be matched. But Klutz proves again he can exceed expectations by matching Chilla best round. His “Chill Bitches” haymaker was the perfect combo of Klutz at his peak, comedic and even conversational build-up that almost shocks you when it turns into a hard-hitting punch. Aaron Hernandez bar was also insane, and other highlights to name. Definition of a 50/50, both giving a round at 100%. Once again, I personally edged Chilla for how consistently he landed throughout the round.
The 3rd is where things get kind of kind of weird. Chilla 3rd is an angle relaying back to the death of Klutz BM (RIP) and how Klutz said he couldn’t stand to hear about cars but became a car salesman. Yes, the topic of it on paper just sounds strange. And for about 50-60% of the round, it kind of was. Chilla was using morbid jokes comparing elements Klutz selling cars to his deceased partner’s death, and while landing the energy behind it was more than awkward. This was all flipped upside down in the 2nd half though, where Chilla lands 2 rooms shaking haymakers, his Seat Warmers, and Hyundai bar, to bring the angle all the way back full circle. Insane roller coaster experience of an angle execution, Chilla’s 3rd not only landed heavy but seemed to take the air about the building of Klutz round. Klutz 3rd is okay, with a great John John call out near the end, but clearly, the energy wasn’t there like the 1st 2. Clear 3rd for Chilla.
Was the angle too far? That’s going to be a different answer depending on who you ask. The key thing though: Klutz kept his composure, and the battle went through clean. In that situation, there is no what should’ve happened, shouldn’t be allowed; it already happened. Just judge off of the material like any other battle and go from there. With all that being said, this was a great battle my BOTN pick. While I had Chilla all 3, the first 2 are extremely debatable and is going to be a great look for both battlers.
1st – Chilla edge
2nd – Chilla edge
3rd – Chilla clear
Danny Myers vs Saflare Sole
Recapped by J Smo
2nd to last battle of the night, Saflare vs Danny was expected to bring the card energy that by this point was needed. Starting on Sole 1st, the energy was present, but truth be told the round overall can be described in 1 word: beatable. Not a bad round, Saflare’s talent is always going to leave you with an aggressive delivery and some clever material at the least, but this round lacked consistent landing, a smooth pace, or the haymaker he’s been so good at landing in his previous top-tier bouts. Danny on the other hand, gave us exactly what many have wanted from Danny not just in this battle but in general; Back to Back Punching.
Danny is absolutely at his best when he’s working with pure creativity and punching his opponent’s head off. While his skillset as a rebuttaler, conceptional rapper, and pure rapper with multis are all impressive and should be showcased they’ve lately been taking away from Danny best skillset and how he got to where he is as a battler.
This was a masterclass on all levels, and the pattern of this 1st continued for the duration of the battle. Danny just seemed to do everything Sole did but just did it better, truly the definition of “levels” in a battle. Saflare 2nd was the bright spot of hope, fighting back and really making things interesting. Unfortunately, Saflare rapped himself into a choke, trying to get his entire round rapped through stumbles. Sometimes you got to know when to call time, and this mistake put him in a position where it was just going through the motions for Danny to have already won the battle before a 3rd is rapped. This was a crystal clear 3-0 with Danny’s “it’s not about getting here, it’s about staying here.” concept being the perfect ending to what is easily Danny’s best showing of 2023.
Danny’s performance is another flash of greatness in a HOF career, that brings what was a somewhat unsteady year of his up multiple notches with a clear POTN for the card. As for Saflare, this is the 2nd and more important lesson he’s learned over his last few battles. His first truly clear 1v1 L on URL, he was still decent in the battle but clearly has things to work on with an already great foundation of talent to work with. A true vet vs rookie experience.
1st – Danny Myers Clear
2nd – Danny Myers Clear
3rd – Danny Myers Clear
Arsonal, O-Red, Shotgun Suge vs Hansel, Eaze, Awthenic
Recapped by France
Hansel vs O-Red (Round 1)
The Rookies lose the coin toss and kick things off for the battle. Hansel steps up to the plate first.
Hansel stepped into the ring to face off against the formidable O-Red. With his characteristic wordplay and punchlines, Hansel renders to have a solid performance that had moments, and a few highlights, like the Residue bar. Despite Red’s attempts to interrupt him, Hansel responded with a quick wit and sharp (STFU while im rapping) remark, displaying his ability to react on his feet and show fearlessness. However, as the round progressed, Hansel seemed to lose a bit of pacing and rhythm, finishing on a slightly flat note.
On the other hand, O-Red, known for his aggressive delivery, rapped for an astonishing 2.5 minutes longer than Hansel. Despite his extended time, Red struggled to secure any significant momentum and failed to exhibit effective crowd control. It’s honestly befuddling how O-Red can be this late into his career and still run into crowd control issues. Furthermore, his round fell short of surpassing the quality of Hansel’s performance, leaving the crowd eagerly awaiting the next round of this intense battle.
Hansel secures the win by the caffeine fan vote and gives the rookies a 1-0 lead.
Eaze vs Arsonal (Round 2)
In the intense second round of the 3 vs 3 battle, the talented battle rapper Eaze found himself pitted against the legendary Arsonal. Eaze delivered a round with solid material, showcasing his lyrical prowess. However, there seemed to be a disconnect between Eaze and the crowd, as his delivery failed to resonate with them as strongly as anticipated. Known for his exceptional stage presence, Eaze’s skills perhaps shine brightest on a grand stage, where he can captivate the audience with his performance. I still think he holds the best big stage performance out of his rookie class, so it’s possible to extenuate his skillset to its maximum capabilities, he may need to be on a big stage.
Unfortunately for Eaze, he was up against a vintage-level Arsonal, who displayed an exceptional level of performance, clicking on all cylinders. Arsonal dominated the stage, putting on a remarkable show and proving himself to be the standout battle rapper of the night. Arsonal wins this round with ease (ba dum tss) by the largest margin. Arsonal was by far the best battle rapper on the floor.
Arsonal evens the score, and ties it up 1-1.
Awthenic vs Shotgun Suge (Round 3)
In the decisive third round of the 3 vs 3 battle, the spotlight fell on the rising star battle rapper Awthenic as he faced off against the electric Shotgun Suge. Awthenic proved to be the standout performer on the rookie’s team, displaying a remarkable skill set throughout the round. With his impressive punchlines and flawless delivery, he effortlessly captivated the crowd by establishing a strong connection. He put up a valiant effort. However, Suge, known for his high-energy performance, swiftly ramped up his intensity, overpowering Awthenic’s material despite a few minor stumbles. The round was undeniably competitive, with both rappers delivering strong performances. Yet, when the fan votes were tallied, the majority leaned in favor of Suge, cementing his victory in this fierce battle.
Shotgun Suge secures the victory for the Jersey team by winning the caffeine fan vote.
Team Jersey wins Round 2 & 3
