RBE Puts together the 2nd edition of their Closure event. Unfortunately this event lost the main event battle between A.Ward & Bigg K, due to A.Ward having a health concern and being unable to attend the event. And it’s also unfortunate that this event was scheduled to be live-streamed and live PPV, but on the day of the event, the announcement was made that this would now be available on Video On Demand (VOD) And not lived streamed. A Jam packed weekend of battle rap events, RBE’s Closure 2 was the only scheduled event to have a live experience and was unable to deliver on that end. They are missing out on the importance of having live events. Battle rap in general is a different experience when you are able to be home and watch the performances in real-time with your friends and all of your favorite battle rap social media pages and personalities reacting to everything simultaneously. None the less, the card still provided some solid battles and dope performances.
Golding a grudge is a common way for people to respond to feelings of them being wrong. You’re still mad at the precipitating incident you may be holding onto negative feelings that have been lingering for quite some time you may remember multiple past experiences or interactions making your displeasure abundantly clear every time you think of a situation or a person you may be intentionally holding onto a grudge that you may not even be aware of, There is a need to have some emotional regulations that come from harboring and suppressing these negative feelings.
Closure 2 is the perfect opportunity to have some dialogue on this discourse and alleviate previous grudges and grievances.
As we know the theme of this card is typically grudge matches or battles with the storyline. Some of the battles may not fit the theme for what this card was built for… Until you stop to realize, that the closure is deeper beyond the battles but the closure is within the actual battlers themselves.
Between battlers like will and 40 that are having to fight against the perception of their decline. About a little like Jag that is fighting for his spot back in the league and his respect back from not only RBE but his peers. Then you have other battlers like Ooops, who is transparent and vulnerable with his emotions and always stands to deliver a greater message.
Then you have some battles like O Red and Aktive closing the door to some previous tension. All the battles have some poetic closure they are all seeking whether it be external or internal. And it’s probably what made for such interesting matchups.
I also can appreciate the aesthetics of the battles being shot in the same color tone as the movie Belly. The blue lighting was refreshing.
LTBR Award Recipients
Battle of the Night: Jag vs Showoff | 40 BARRS vs ill Will
Biggest win: Jag over Showoff
Best Performances of the night: #1A Jag | #1B Showoff | #2 40 BARRS | #3 ill WIll | #4 O-Red
1SK Standout: Riddick
KD vs Bad Newz
12 hours prep they ain’t book me with a long time. (Aye verb voice)
The two cast members of bags and bodies take the RBE stage and are the opening act to the closure 2 card. One unique thing about all of the Battlers living in a mansion of bags and bodies Season 1 is, It seems like they all have been equipped with the ability to write in a fast amount of time and they’re conditioned to memorize a lot of material with pressure in the clock winding down. In the house of bags and bodies a lot of the contestants would have to write a 90-second round with only an hour’s worth of time to write and memorize. So with Bad Newz and KD having an extra 11 hours to do two more rounds, it seemed to be no problem.
KD was very direct and landed multiple jabs, while Bad Newz targeted his aggression and Woodland bigger haymakers in between the pacing his battle really comes down to a preference of how you prefer your material and how you would score consistent jabs versus few haymakers. Both emcees looked thrilled and proud of their newly found conditioning to be able to deliver a battle on 12-hour notice. Salute to both.
Round 1: KD Edge
Round 2: Bad Newz Edge
Round 3: KD
O-Red vs Aktive
The biggest grudge match on the card was a prior battle that was unfulfilled. This battle was supposed to originally go down on The Straight to it Volume 3 event, However, Red could not make it to Atlanta for the time being. Aktive had expressed his displeasure and frustration with red not making it to the battle and was very heated at the situation and he was very much looking forward to the opportunity to express all of this in rap. In a previous battle with O Red and Geechi Gotti, Red had some not-so-favorable things for me to type into this article, to say to Geechi Gotti. (If you know, you know) Those same insults Red had for Geechi, Aktive took full offense too as well. And it led to this battle having a high amount of tension. There was even a mid-round stage altercation.
Aktive has been showing his will to improve his penmanship throughout the course of this entire year. Earlier this year he had a battle with show off on the second edition of straight to it, where he had a really good performance it has been able to pick up the momentum that he had in that showing and bring it to the O red battle. While Aktive gives a vigilant effort to compete and has a powerful second round, Red just has stronger content and more potent punchlines. Red has a thunderous base in his delivery, it’s almost like it echoes in the whole room. Red’s delivery amplifies the magnitude of all of his haymakers. This is a former champion of the year, it’s no surprise there is a disparaging gap in skill and expereince between the two emcees but nonetheless, a very competitive battle that ultimately ended in peace despite the altercation mid-round.
Round 1: O Red (clear)
Round 2: Aktive (Edge)
Round 3: O Red
E Ness vs Gwitty
E Ness has had one of his better years in battle rap and has been having fun all year. His flow is always a treasure to listen to. Ness makes his rounds entertaining by landing more potent punchlines within his flow pockets. Ness has had himself a great run thus far since signing with RBE and I look forward to him bringing more of this level of performance to the stage. Seeing an active legend in the game still battle with so much joy is a beautiful sight to see.
Gwitty does always provide entertainment alongside his content and his personality is always on display but the content wasn’t as definitive or sharp as Ness.
Round 1: E Ness Edge
Round 2: E Ness
Round 3: E Ness clear
Jag vs Showoff
Showoff & Jag was such a goodie. Arguably the best battle of this card. Showoff being an RBE Staple, serves as someone who is protecting the home of RBE against someone like Jag. It’s safe to say Jag and RBE’s relationship suffered some turbulence this year. And Jag making his return back to the league was a defining moment for his career. Jag treated this opportunity like his life was on the line.
This is easily Jag’s best performance thus far of his modern-era battle rap run. He has completely sharpened his delivery, his wordplay, name flips Chain punches and internal rhymings. It was all on point, the one thing that has always separated jag from most of his industry peers that have returned to battle rap is his flow. And when you put him in a small room like this, he has the perfect opportunity to display his abilities. A Career high performance for him.
Showoff always brings his intricacies, his wittiness, and clever angles to the table and was just as dope every single round. You can easily make the case for Showoff winning this battle as well. He always brings 100% level of effort.
Round 1: Jag
Round 2: Jag (debatable)
Round 3: Showoff
40 BARRS vs Ill Will
A good redemption battle for both emcees. 40 Barrs had a rough weekend at QOTR and Chrome 23 a few weeks ago and barring in mind Will’s previous performance on RBE featured him getting 30’d by Rosenberg Raw, It was evident both battlers came with a point to prove and were ready to give a bounce-back performance.
Will brings everything you like to the table and what we know him for. His humor is on point, and his ability to switch from being funny to aggressive, although his punches were hit and miss at times in this performance but he certainly was showing much improved strides from his last showing.
But 40 Barrs sets the stage on fire with her first round. Displaying her immaculate writing and dope wordplay she starts to catch fire as the round continues and her momentum crescendos. You can see the confidence in 40’s body language and in her delivery as well. She lands some slick name flips and great punchlines that has the crowd going crazy.
40 Barrs takes the first round clear. And Will responds back with a highlight round in his 2nd. He was able to snatch back the momentum that 40 has built for herself and has another Swiss army knife round where he flexes his versatility.
Battle rap’s favorite slogan. “1-1 going into the third” I do believe both of their 3rd rounds tapered off a bit from both of the peaks they hit earlier in the battle. But both of their 3rd rounds were still good, it’s definitely a debatable round.
Round 1: 40 Barrs (Clear)
Round 2: Ill Will (Clear)
Round 3: Debatable Edge to 40
Real Deal vs Ooops
A dope battle between two emcees that always look to deliver a strong message in their content. I know battle fans don’t normally like to hear this, but this isn’t a battle about wins, it’s about a message. Ooops always takes the time to address real-life situations, mental health, or situations he has or is facing. And that level of vulnerability is always commendable, especially in such a savage sport as battle rap.
The first two rounds of the battle are pretty standard! Real Deal has a solid first and Ooops overpowers it and takes that round clearly. Real Deal has a highlight round in his 2nd where he is on 100% and clicking on all cylinders. The Champ is landing haymakers, jokes, and is tailored-made his material for Ooops
And i guess the third round would have to go to Real Deal by default?
In the third round, Ooops takes the time to deliver Real Deal his Flowers for the role model of a person he is and the type of teacher he wishes he had in his life. This entire third round is more of a compliment-style round. Similar to what we have seen with Danny Myers vs B Magic. Ooops also has a dope scheme to start his third round regarding the RBE Bricks where he name-flips all of the upcoming talents in the league and uses their names to paint a picture about how Ooops is a staple for RBE and has been a figure known for important and heartfelt third rounds.
Great to see both of these two emcees back in the ring.
