Murda Mook vs Bigg K (Main Event)
The mega-match we didn’t know we wanted or needed. Out of all the possible names we’ve pondered could be matched up with Mook for the last 10+ years (Tsu Surf, Dizaster, Brizz Rawsteen, Cassidy, Charlie Clips, etc), Bigg K is one where no one saw this coming and they’re lying if they said they did. And it’s not because Bigg K isn’t of that cloth, he has one of the best resumes in battle rap history. Timeless lines, classic battles, and brutal bodybags. In the infamous words of Royce da 5’9, Bigg K “checks all the boxes”. Both guys come into this battle with crazy waves of momentum. K because of his A. Ward battle and Mook because of his Geechi battle.
Bigg K is virtually impossible to stop when he has momentum in a round. It’s a freight train. It’s like trying to stop Giannis in transition. He raps so well and fluidly and when he’s at his best, he doesn’t take lines off. The jabs/setup bars pack a punch and when he eventually reaches the end of the pocket, that momentum feels like a tidal wave. And it’s no different here in this Mook battle. Bigg K immediately sets the tone and makes it clear that the A. Ward performance wasn’t a one-and-done thing. We’re witnessing Bigg K at the peak of his powers again. What sets K apart from other “punchers” is the fact that K’s brand of angling is so direct and blunt, and hits almost every single time. And his brand of humor is so dry and sarcastic, he’s not someone you immediately think of when it comes to diffusing opponents but that’s another major skill of his. There’s not an obvious flaw to attack stylistically so the only thing an opponent can do is hope he’s not motivated.
On my initial watch, I thought Mook’s first was really good and had some room for debate on who won the first round. And Mook’s highlight of the round might be my favorite bar of the whole battle (“and I know your body, so don’t get out of it”), but even in this round, it’s evident that a lot of Mook’s content was either outdated or at times outright bad. The segment where he does the “ring around his rosey cheeks”, “humpty dumpty”, and “no siree, nursery” is a failed attempt at a scheme, and for a guy we hold in such high reverence, he’s supposed to be better than this. And he can be, that’s what makes him frustrating. He has the “know my body”, “doghouse/married man”, he has shown a talent to come up with memorable material, but it gets lost in the mundane and uncreative bars he seems to not be able to shake.
Bigg K keeps rolling with his 2nd round revisiting Mook’s past as a basketball player, and while this is far from new information (Serius Jones used this facing Mook), the way K does it and builds on everything leads to what I would call the best round of the battle. There’s not much Mook could have done to combat this round, but it doesn’t help that Mook has his worst round of the battle here. There’s no excuse for Murda Mook, the godfather of the art form, to be doing alphabet schemes in 2023. People were doing that in 2009, 14 fucking years ago. Not only is it OBC, but it’s also the most egregious form of it there is. And Mook is such a good rapper when it comes to his flows and delivery and putting the words together in ways that sound pleasing to the ear, so it might not strike someone initially as something worth getting so passionate over. But if this is supposed to be one of the standard bearers and leading voices in the culture, laziness like this is just unacceptable.
On top of everything I already mentioned about Mook’s 2nd, let’s address the angle he attempts about Bigg K being a vulture. On paper, there’s a way to make that work. We can’t pretend Bigg K doesn’t have a history of questionable things he has said that should be rightfully called to question. Murda Mook isn’t the person who can get so defensive and up in arms over it though when we have actual footage of him defending a white woman’s antagonisms towards black women and saying that he let his non-black friends say “nigga” growing up. This isn’t making things up or taking things out of context, it’s verifiable fact. It’s the right message, the wrong messenger and he delivered it poorly on top of that.
The third culminates with each emcee taking angles on the other and to be honest, I’m not into speculating on people being cops or who was sleeping at another rapper’s place. As media there are things where I don’t know if it’s a fact, I don’t want to perpetuate or push without knowing for sure. That being said, K eventually did mention the YesJulz situation I alluded to previously and it just hits hard for me. There’s nothing that can be said to take the bite out of that, it’s as factual as information gets. And with how he packaged the rest of the material, I have this as a clear 3-0 for Bigg K with the first round being the most competitive.
I don’t hate Murda Mook, I don’t have any desire to see him fail or do poorly. I think he had a lot of dope moments and left with my bar of the battle. He’s a talented rapper. But because he’s talented, we have to hold him to a higher standard than what he showed here. He can’t get passes for outdated material and nursery rhyme schemes just because he’s the first guy people saw battle rap. He shouldn’t be judged or graded on a curve because of his accomplishments. If a rapper coming up through The Crucible now did the alphabet scheme or nursery rhyme one, they would be getting laughed at from all corners of battle rap fandom. We need to be consistent in our critique because when we aren’t, it doesn’t let guys improve. Lying to our battlers doesn’t help anyone.
As for Bigg K, the roll he’s in is what legends are made of. Being able to start off with clear wins over formidable comp like A. Ward and then beating one of the faces of battle rap, it’s hard to kick off a year better than that. He’s firing on all cylinders and reaching levels we haven’t seen from him in years. Motivation is everything in any occupation. We watched years of K going through the motions and doing the bare minimum. Still winning and not losing clearly, sure, but doing just enough to get by. With this newfound fire he’s rapping with, it’s hard to see who K wouldn’t just steamroll at this point in time. Bigg K didn’t NEED to beat Mook to solidify his spot, he’s already one of the greatest of all time without it. But maybe it’s time to reevaluate just how high we have him and how much higher he could go.
Who do you have winning between Murda Mook vs Bigg K ?
— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) May 7, 2023
LTBR Staff Picks
Bigg K 2-1 (2nd & 3rd) – France
Bigg K 2-1 (2nd & 3rd) – Titus
Bigg K 2-1 (2nd & 3rd) – Vlad
Bigg K 2-1 (2nd & 3rd) – Tai Tai
Bigg K 3-0 – J Smo