Editorial by Staff Writers: Francel Brito & Justin Smolenski
Once again ibattle delivers yet again another successful night, despite the hurdles faced!
Lexx Luthor’s commitment to elevating his roster always shows in his consistent efforts to pair them with top-tier competitors, effectively pushing their profiles and expanding their reach. However, for this night, we fell a little short of that with some cancellations to some marquee matchups on the card. The JC vs Jay-R Battle did not go down, but it will be rescheduled at a later date. The main event between Geechi Gotti vs Oppa did not go down, however, Lexx says this battle will not be rescheduled.
Oppa vs Geechi Gotti is cancelled and will not be rescheduled for a 3rd time.
— Hibachi Uchiha (@TheLexxorcist) February 24, 2024
Oppa did not deserve this, our fans did not deserve this & neither did the staff/sponsors.
We will still have a great event tonight. Support the PPV for us if you can. We need it now more than ever.
Oppa still managed to display his art, as he rapped his material for Geechi Gotti to an NPC that night. It was essential for him to release that material and express his passion, so I’m glad Oppa got to do so. It’s still an unfortunate situation.
The league’s PPV streams maintain a consistently high production level and brought back its dynamic commentary team, composed of Jersey’s own, The Dutches and Chris. However, this time they let CJA & Febou invade the commentary table and we got a guest appearance Mandy Mayhem herself!
Despite losing two big battles, we get two major battles announced for their Fortitude 3 event on April 20th.
Oppa vs Bigg K. (iBattle Champ vs The Reigning Champion Of The Year)
Los Premee vs Tay Roc (One of the hottest new prospects vs One of The GOATS giving a shot)
Only at ibattle will you get something like this!
#1 Los Premee May be The Best New Talent on The Scene
Distinguished as the paragon of emerging talent, Los Premee has quickly ascended to prominence within circuits of the culture and he is putting himself on Notice. And he isn’t just good because of within the confines of iBattle, but possibly one of the best newer talents across the scene on all leagues, with the most upside. His nascent career has a small sample size but it is an impressive catalog for just 9 battles, showcasing an exponential trajectory marked by his growth. Premee has adeptly sparred with names such as Red Flag, Ace Amin, Danny Myers, and most recently, Chef Trez. And don’t look away just yet, his imminent upcoming clash with Tay Roc in a few months will only continue to underscore the anticipation surrounding his potential.
Premee’s distinctive rap style and penchant for impactful punchlines have established him as a veritable force. His ability to craft explosive moments and deliver resounding haymakers speaks volumes, it’s all attested to not only his writing style but most importantly his delivery & confidence. Notably, in the recent encounter with Chef Trez, Premee unlocked a badge in his skill set, incorporating multiple rebuttals to not only enhance his performance but to match wits with Chef Trez, the best rebuttaler in battle rap. This shows Premee can not only add new features but also adapt to his opponent. After going toe to toe with one of the best active battlers in the world, the trajectory for Los Premee appears boundless, affirming that the sky is the limit.
#2 Chef Trez is The King Of Consistency
2023 was a career-high year for Chef Trez, landing him #3 on the COTY list and almost 100% done off letting the raps speak for themselves. As 2024 begins, most of battle rap has been dormant and few battlers have made an impression in the ring so far, unless of course we’re talking about Chef Trez. With battles logged already vs Kid Chaos, Fonz, and most relevant to this article Los Premee, Trez looks to be picking up right where he left off last year.
Trez vs Premee was by far and away the BOTN, and both equally contributed to that, but to think this was 1 of 3 battles Trez had in the same weekend is absurd! Less than 24 hours after battling Premee, Trez then leaves New York, to fly to Orlando to then battle Fonz. After completing his Fonz battle at the URL Studios. He then fills in for another battle! One of the emcees in the crucible had his opponent no show him. Chef Trez decided to step up and give the crucible talent a 1 round battle. Trez’s only demand was for the battler to go first and asked everyone to give him 20 minutes. And 15 minutes later, Chef Trez comes back with a 2:30 round to do a 1-round battle on the spot. Make sure you put a picture of Trez next to the definition of Work ethic.
Always bringing 3 good to great rounds + a plethora of rebuttals, Trez is producing some of the best footage in the sport and he’s doing it on a frequent basis.
#3 Ryda Starts his Independent Run With Power
In Ryda’s first 1-on-1 battle after declaring his withdrawal from URL, Ryda delivers an audacious proclamation through a stellar performance. This performance was a statement in demonstrating the seamless transmutation of his accrued experience and his current hunger for this new profound approach to taking a more independent route to his career. This speaks volumes for someone who is fully ready to bet on themselves and performances like this are the best way to showcase your dedication to multiple different platforms so they can know what to expect when they book you. Ryda’s 1st & 2nd rounds, completely captivate the audience, emerging as the best battler of the night. (Thus far into the evening before the main event hit the stage). It was good to see him perform at this level because this is a performance to build off for 2024, as he will continue to make calculated moves. This juncture was a clear sign of the depth of Ryda’s talent.
Much credit also goes to Deth The Kid for not backing down against a vet who has a newly established hunger. While Deth is still climbing the ranks of his career, sometimes you clash up against someone who has the hunger to revitalize their career and their momentum, and it can surpass the hunger of an up-and-comer who is still establishing their footing.
Deth’s 3rd round being his best round and the one that matched most firepower with Ryda is a good takeaway from Deth’s performance, but this was the Ryda show, and the 8 year-season veteran stole the show.
#4 Are We Sure Febou is The Face of iBattle ?
One of if not the most standout parts about iBattle is the development of their roster. With a hierarchy that can be broken down into different tiers, naturally, you will have competition and a debate for who is #1 or referred to as “The Face” of the league. As of right now, the name that has held that title in recent times is Febou. Being booked into some of the biggest spots in the league, Febou has battled a series of vets such as Chilla Jones, Geechi Gotti, and Tay Roc. Heavy on promo and vocal about his success, Febou has built his brand to one of the more notable on iBattle from the outside looking in.
This is where 2 other key names are introduced into the discussion: Oppa and Los Premee. Oppa is the current headband holder (similar to a KOTD chain but for iBattle), and Los Premee looking like a breakout star not just on iBattle but for the culture as a whole. Both have shown high-performance rates vs vets and also holding their own and debatably winning some of these battles. Febou does have 2 of the top 10 most viewed battles in the league to his name, but with Oppa and Premee building up their momentum and with some of the best footage quality iBattle has to offer, it may be time to have a conversation on who the face of iBattle is going forward.
#5 Unsung Heros: Nox & King Yoshimitsu
Cancellations and reschedules always apart of events, and a lot of times it leaves leagues with limited options on what they can do. With Noxx and Yoshi both having their opponents not able to make it, they were matched up against each other in a 1 rounder. And surprisingly enough, even on a card full of 3 rounders, they stood out as one of the more electric and better battles of the night. The one big trait that both shared that made the battle what it is pure energy, with both battlers showing this not only in this battle but all their work on the league.
With a league that has a deep roster of talent, it’s harder to make noise and standout with a wider pool of competition. But even with limited prep time and even battle length, these guys have showed up and been some of the more underrated talents on the league for some time. Hope to see them being booked upward if this consistency and reliability keeps being shown
