How U Gon Act
Rating
Event Recapped by LTBR Staff Writers
Staff Writer: France | Staff Writer: J Smo
LTBR Award Recipients
Battle of the Night: #1 Marv Won vs Holmzie Da God | #2 Ave vs Jai 400 Block |
Best Individual Performances of the night: #1 Th3 Saga | #2 Ave | #3 Marv Won | #4 Jai 400 Block | #5 Holmzie Da God
Jai 400 Block, Jersey native, has taken a bold step at this point of his career by not only launching his very own battle rap platform but staying committed to it. If nobody can do it for you, you do it yourself. With 3 successful installments under his belt, Jai’s venture has now reached its fourth edition, and it’s set to be his most substantial event yet.
The fourth installment of Jai 400’s platform promises to be a blockbuster event, featuring some of the biggest names to the lineup of battles on the undercard, adding to the excitement surrounding the main event. Jai went all out for this event! This was his Maxout, no pun intended. Beyond being the mastermind behind the event, he also headlines the main event himself. When you go over Jai’s resume, you see that he has battled some of the biggest names like K Shine, Cortez, and Bill Collector. And ever since the inception of the platform, he’s stacked the deck including the names like him vs Danny Myers,
E-Ness, and now Ave,
Jai 400 pulled out all the stops for the highly-anticipated “Set It Off” event, with a record number of battles booked and a lineup that featured some of the biggest names to ever grace his platform thus far, this event was nothing short of awesome. To ensure that fans around the online world could witness the battles, Jai got Avocado and The Ruin Your Day team to provide top-tier PPV quality work coverage. But that’s not all; Jai 400 also brought some of the media heavyweights in the game from Black Compass Media (Tony Bro, Polo, and Cola) to curate the event. Their insightful commentary added an extra layer of excitement to the viewers at home, The Black Compass team ran the 3-man weave with the Bar guys holding down the commentary and Tony Bro hosting the battles.
One standout feature of Jai 400’s events is their punctuality. The ability to kick off the first battle at 3:10 p.m. and wrap up the evening by 6:50 p.m. is a testament to his meticulous planning and adherence to schedules, ensuring that fans get to enjoy a seamless and timely experience and the crowd can dedicate as much energy to the performers. As a consumer, I feel like I was cared for with this time management. Battle rap events can be physically taxing after long periods of standing and being out all day.
However, it’s worth noting that no event is without its minor hiccups, and in this case, a temporary issue with PPV buffering and video delays, as well as some errors in the videos of the last two battles, did occur. The VOD even has these issues on the videos, leaving a minor blemish on an otherwise successful event.
Jai 400 deserves immense credit for his remarkable ability to not only plan and curate an enjoyable battle rap event but also execute it flawlessly, all while managing the needs of the battlers and preparing himself for a high-stakes showdown against one of the heavy-hitting legends in the game, Ave. It’s a testament to his dedication and organizational skills that he can juggle multiple roles and still deliver a successful event that fans and participants alike can appreciate.
Podcast Recap
We will be introducing our new rating system for individual battles. Similar to the 5 Mics concept, We will give a 5-star rating per battle on the card. ☆☆☆☆☆
Spee Dolla vs Brooklyn Carter
2.50☆ Rating (Recapped by France)
Brooklyn vs New Jersey. If the Nets were to be described in the form of battle rap, here you have it. To kick off the afternoon, this battle between Spee Dolla and Brooklyn Carter, Spee Dolla brought a unique style to the stage, showcasing an abundance of originality and creativity. His performance was marked by a significant amount of energy and showmanship, often involving allies in the audience to enhance his delivery. While Spee managed to land a handful of clever and creative bars, such as the memorable “Flat line beep” and his use of a ski mask, not all of them hit the mark, leading to some moments falling flat, particularly in his first round. In contrast, Brooklyn Carter maintained a consistent and calculated approach throughout the battle. His vocal projection, aggression, and punchlines demonstrated a level of precision and effectiveness that surpassed Spee’s spontaneity, allowing him to maintain the upper hand in terms of impact and audience engagement.
Brooklyn Carter’s ability to maintain a steady pace and execution plan across all rounds proved to be a strategic advantage. His well-delivered punchlines carried farther and resonated more with the crowd, showcasing a mastery of the fundamentals of battle rap. While Spee Dolla’s creativity and spontaneity added a unique flair to the battle, Brooklyn Carter’s consistency, vocal presence, and powerful delivery ultimately gave him the edge in this showdown, solidifying his reputation as a formidable opponent in the battle rap scene.
Th3 Saga vs E Ness
3.25 ☆ Rating (Recapped by J Smo)
Ness vs Saga is a cool matchup that puts a more modern, pen-heavy style in Saga vs a pure rapper with charisma in Ness. Ness would start out hitting all the common angles vs Saga, from “the” Porn angle and some surface-level Christianity bars. His rapping ability is the highlight of his showing as usual, but his Diddy and Against You/Ginsu bars stuck out as well. Early in Saga 1st you can tell there’s a difference in content, his “Snatched like Shower Curtains like when you think a killer behind it” bar hit hard and from there it was a clinic of writing, his “Chinese Laundry Mat” haymaker later being another perfect example. With much more attention to detail for each bar, Saga just lands back to back till the separation is undeniable, and sprinkles in some comedy and showmanship. Even with some slight stumbles vs Saga, it was a clear 1-0 Saga to begin.
Ness 2nd he picks back up from his 1st, back to the signature flow, and uses most the same approaches as the 1st. Once again, content has never been Ness’s biggest strong suit in battles but someone this uncomfortable in his style is just a pleasure to watch rap, moments like his “Air Dry” and “Let Go and Let God” bars are examples of Ness improving through the battle. Once again, Saga 2nd is just a true pro work. Back-to-back punches that in a smaller room like this seem to land every single bar, Saga once again walks down a solid Ness round, although this one is a bit closer. The round was pretty close till Saga’s fake stumble/choke bar in the 2nd that landed HEAVY. Bombing the rest of the way, Saga was up now a clear 2-0 heading into the final round.
Ness’s 3rd plays out just like his 1st 2, some good, great rapping, but a ceiling on how good it will be. A joke about Saga getting “kicked out the Christian mingle gang” was hilarious, but now working the same approach for the 3rd round of the battle finally became a bit much as he worked the Porn and Christian angle the exact same way but with his shortest round of the battle. Saga 3rd brings a bit more showmanship with a talk-to-em round, starting with a comedic impersonation. He does a scheme breaking down members and parts of Making The Band and a career breakdown, having a tailored attack of punches to close the battle. Good showing against a solid version of Ness, Saga picks up a decent 3 round win in one of the better battles of the night.
Marv Won vs Holmzie Da God
3.25 ☆ Rating (Recapped by France)
In a last-minute battle, Marv Won stepped in as a replacement opponent for Holmzie, who was initially set to face A.Ward. Both battlers deserve major props for accepting the challenge with less than three weeks of preparation. Holmzie kicked off the battle with a solid round, impressing the audience with unique flips and quick setups leading to punchlines. However, it was Marv Won who set the tone with his Placement killer approach, blending aggression with witty lines and dry humor, ultimately winning the favor of the crowd in the first round.
Moving into the second round, Holmzie showcased his freestyling skills, and this continued into his third round. However, his second round followed a similar formula to the first, featuring his signature Rabbit hole/Wonderland Bar and the Marshall bar. Marv Won, on the other hand, responded with lines about their tournament journeys, a powerful Tim Duncan haymaker, and a segment referencing Dash, which struck a chord with the Jersey crowd. This round was fiercely competitive and ultimately determined the battle’s outcome.
In the third round of the Marv Won vs. Holmzie Da God battle, Holmzie brought out his freestyle skills, and it marked a significant improvement in his writing performance. This third round proved to be his best of the battle. Holmzie’s standout moment came when he delivered a memorable line about “Diesel/Olajuwun,” which served as the high point of this round. While the haymakers in this round might not have been as tailored for Marv as they were in the first two rounds, they were undeniably hard-hitting.
Marv Won, on the other hand, began his third round with some freestyle and humor. Strong name flips. Despite the uphill battle, he continued to give a valiant effort and displayed his versatility in this final round. However, Holmzie demonstrated greater consistency with his punches in this round, making it a challenging and competitive exchange between the two battlers. I gave Holmzie the third round, and Marv Won the edge in the 2nd & a clear win for Marv in the first.
O Solo vs Danny Myers
1.75 ☆ Rating (Recapped by J Smo)
Whenever O Solo is involved, you know the battle could turn into absolutely anything, and adding the energy of Danny Myers you get a battle that could have high entertainment value. The first round from Danny is like almost any round from Danny you’re going to find: energy and punches. With a few flips of O Solo’s most famous scheme and a litany of bars, Danny set a level that was already doubtful for O Solo to reach. Solo 1st would be his only clean(ish?) round, with a very abrupt end to his round mid-bar. The strange pace and random content are always fun to watch, and although outdated still rapped with some uniqueness (ex: the “sentimental” wordplay). But this with a short round shows the very large difference in ability here as Danny was up 1-0 clear.
Danny’s 2nd and 3rd was clean-up work, cruising to an early win. The first bit of his 2nd has a sex bar that seemed a little misplaced, but by the 2nd half of his 2nd Danny is back to overwhelming Solo with back-to-back punches. Andre 3k bar was tough, as well as his slash through O/don’t play with my numbers flip. Solo 2nd opens hilarious calling Danny the “Black Ginger Avenger”. Even gets into a bit of real talk to follow, the drastic 180 in approach O Solo is capable of. Once again though, Solo cuts his round bizarrely, and this time his memory issues are a little more evident. By the time we hit the 3rd, the pattern repeats with Danny landing a rebuttal, parallel universe, and of course, punches to beat another short (but entertaining) O Solo round. Solid win by Danny versus another strange but fun O Solo performance.
Jai 400 vs Ave
3.00 ☆ Rating (Recapped by France)
The main event featuring Jai 400 versus Ave kicked off with Jai taking the stage, and right from the start, he unleashed a barrage of creative name flips, by incorporating Ave’s real name, Nate. The crowd was instantly engaged as Jai dropped bars like the “Nate Dogg/Regulate”, also the wordplay on the “Nature/Nate Your” bar, and wrapped it up with the clever Pollenate bar. Jai’s performance opened up high energy and razor-sharp delivery, setting the tone for what would be seen in the later rounds Ave, stepped up to the plate with his own arsenal of solid punches, countering Jai’s creative name flips. Jai basically has 3 names for Ave to work with between J/Jai, 400 & Block, so out the gate Ave is flipping 400 “im pulling off after I drop this 30, 400 (3400) like a dealership” or “The Spin on 400 like Wheel of Fortune” “I can green light J like a 2K perfect release.” The name flips were solid but Jai was able to cover more ground and edge he first
The second round started with Jai implementing some humor and still showing some more versatility. Jai found himself hitting some comfortable pocket, which he delivered with sharp precision and charisma then it transitioned into some Drug bars and some tailored angle punches. Jai dropped some impactful lines, including the memorable “What makes you think you can deal with Jai when you couldn’t survive Rocnation?” This line, along with the Quarter Nate/Coordinate bar, showcased his slick wordplay and ability to land big bombs that resonated strongly with the room, allowing him to end the round on a high note.
Ave, in response, began to lay some breadcrumbs to an angle he would revisit in the third round. He cleverly conveyed that this battle was merely a favor for him, emphasizing the financial aspect with lines like “this is strictly about the cash flow youngin’/Utility bill, I’m still shocked to hear your gas 400.” Ave demonstrated a variety of rhyme patterns and delivered much heavier punches in this second round. He still had some name flips for Jai but mixed in with more punchline that was perfectly interwined in his patterns leaving no stone unturned with references like the Dirk Nowitzki bar, The Jordan 10 Bar, and even a Sugar Momma fetish bar, showcasing his range and depth in bars. A competitive round but I would edge this round over Ave.
In the third round, both emcees opted for an angle-based approach to their bars. Despite Jai 400 experiencing some significant stumbles during his round, Ave managed to shine by effectively conveying his message and painting a more vivid picture for the audience than Jai. Jai’s third round focused on addressing Ave’s drinking habits, and his health, and he ingeniously flipped Ave’s signature “As a man” slogan to engage with his opponent. While Jai’s round had its merits, it was somewhat hindered by his own turbulence, making it challenging to land his points effectively.
This brings me to this bigger point for Jai, you wanna commend Jai 400 as much as possible for running a successful event while also putting on good performances, but this is now the third battle on his platform, consecutively, where he is unable to deliver a clean third round. This is a habit that is starting to develop so while I empathize with Jai for all the tasks he has to juggle, but if battlers who are league owners like Arsonal, John John Da Don, Eazy The Block Captain, Geechi Gotti, Chilla Jones, Dre Dennis, and others can run their event and deliver a clean performance, it doesn’t leave me with much of a reason to validate these hiccups from Jai. He is capable and just needs to dedicate a little more to the prep time. Despite the habit of his stumbles in these battles, I do have Jai with a 2-1 record so far, within the 3 battles on his platform.
As for Ave, he utilized his third round to delve into Jai’s legacy within New Jersey’s battle rap scene, highlighting how Jai fell short in comparison to other prominent figures representing the state when it came to accolades, numbers, and milestones. This angle posed a significant challenge for Jai as Ave eloquently emphasized these shortcomings. However, Jai’s presence on this particular platform demonstrated that he was carving out his unique path. Still, Ave managed to drive home a compelling point that was well-presented, concluding the third round with impactful punches, such as his Gambit bar, leaving a lasting impression on the audience and winning this battle. A great battle for the platform
