QOTR: Prom Night 2 Recap

By / October 1, 2024 / Editorials

LTBR Award Recipients

Battle of the Night:   Danny Myers vs Shooney Da Rapper 

Prom Queen (POTN): Shooney Da Rapper

Prom King (POTN): Ave

Staff Writers: Q Moody (Senior Staff writer), France, Justin Smolenski (J Smo) 
Staff Reporter: Tai Tai (In The Building) 

Babs Bunny’s Prom Night has returned for another unforgettable evening, blending the world of battle rap with the glamorous vibe of a high school prom. Known for its unique energy and festive atmosphere, Prom Night is more than just a typical battle event—it’s a party, a celebration, a time to have fun. Battlers step onto the stage dressed to impress, ready to compete in judged battles, all vying for the prestigious titles of Prom King or Prom Queen.

While the first edition of Prom Night featured one-round battles, this year, the stakes were raised with full three-round matchups. These extended battles bring added weight, with significant Champion of the Year (COTY) and Woman of the Year (WOTY) implications. A judged win at this event isn’t just a victory for the night—it adds value to a battler’s resume and can have a lasting impact on their standing in the culture.

Curated by Babs Bunny and Nunu Nellz, alongside their dedicated team, the event was designed to be a night of fun, energy, and unforgettable moments. J2 and Phara Funeral provided entertaining commentary, offering pre-and post-battle interviews, while a panel of respected judges—John John Da Don, Fonz, E Ness, and Duh Boss—gave their verdict on each performance. Prom Night is a one-of-a-kind event that brings a fresh twist to battle rap, combining style, competition, and an undeniable party vibe. At the end of the Night, Babs received an award for all of her contributions and what she represents and means not just in the battle rap world, but in the realms of Hip-Hop. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners recognizes Babs Bunny, and Herby claims Saturday, September 28th, 2024, as Babs Bunny’s Prom Night.  
It was dope to see her get her flowers.

Tai Tai's Expereince in The Building

Our staff reporter Tai Tai had an incredible experience at Prom Night. She described the venue as a perfect blend of beauty, spaciousness, and intimacy, creating the ideal atmosphere for the event. The energy in the building was lit, filled with love and positivity, as the crowd embraced the theme and truly understood Babs Bunny’s vision. Everyone in attendance dressed to impress, adding to the overall sense of joy and celebration. To top it off, the catered food and drinks were exceptional, contributing to an all-around fantastic experience. 

An Honest Conversation about QOTR's Prom Night

Written by France

It’s important to emphasize that we had staff representation at Prom Night, and based on their experience, the event in the building seemed like a fantastic time. However, it’s hard to say the same for those watching from home. The viewer’s experience of this event was fairly poor. This event has been getting a lot of criticism for a variety of reasons, some justified and some amplified. Let’s unpack all of this and have some honest dialogue.  

This has been a recurring issue with a lot of battle rap events—what’s experienced in the venue often doesn’t translate the same to the viewer at home, and that’s understandable. But when production issues arise, we have a 3-hour wait time between the Prelim battles and the main card; the quality of the battles from the main card suffered, with almost half of the card choking. On top of that, you lose out on a Co-Main event battle; so, in result, the viewers who paid for the livestream tend to be far more dissatisfied than those who attended the event in person. In all of these years of covering events, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine which viewer experience you should value the most when evaluating the success of an event. It’s clear Babs was able to execute the vision for Prom Night in the building, but for us at home, we didn’t get to see it through that lens. Battle rap is a unique entertainment field because it offers two valid ways of consuming the product—live in person for the energy and vibes. Or via Pay-Per-View for comfort and convenience —and both experiences are juxtaposed. For every person like Tai Tai who loved the event, there was someone like myself who was vastly frustrated. One thing is clear: the viewers who experience dissatisfaction tend to always be more vocal than the ones who enjoy themselves.

Friday night was supposed to kick off the weekend with the Bars & Roses event, a prelude to Prom Night. Unfortunately, the event was postponed due to a storm in Georgia, and some battles were canceled. A few of the Friday night battles were used to open Saturday’s card to make up for it. However, this led to a 3-hour wait between the preliminary battles and the main card, which hurt the event’s momentum. It was evident that by the 2nd battle of the Main card, the crowd lacked some engagement. Multiple times, you would find Babs or Vague commanding the room to cheer or give it up, and there was a lack of receptiveness that I can’t help but wonder if that resulted from the long delays. Not to mention, the Audio for the Bars & Roses battles was utterly incoherent. Babs Bunny said something interesting in her interview with Restore Order, admitting, “In hindsight, we shouldn’t have done a PPV.”

It makes you wonder, as a league owner, are you better off just catering to the people who attend your event rather than trying to stream it and dealing with backlash? Does running an event with far less stress outweigh the pigeonholing and sacrifice of revenue possibilities? Are corners being cut when it comes to investing in actual production? I don’t have the answers to these questions, but it’s been years of us going through the revolving doors of these same issues; despite the repeated efforts from leagues to patch things up, the same problems arise, often leaving fans trapped in a cycle of disappointment in which we have become so accustomed to. 

This situation is reminiscent of OSBL’s Eminence event this year, which shifted from a pay-per-view to a VOD (Video on Demand) release days before the event. While it’s frustrating as a fan to wait for battles, it may be easier for the league owner to deal with impatient fans rather than to face vocal complaints about production issues during a live event. While some factors are beyond the league’s control, the production quality always reflects on the league itself. 

I completely understand that a League owner can’t control what the production team does or doesn’t do, nor can the owner guarantee the quality of a performance an artist will provide. Still, the League owner is the one who puts those people in the position to represent their event. So yes, you guessed right, you do have to take responsibility for the final outcome. If you want all the credit for a good stream and battles, you must also be able to take the blame for both when they go south. Fans do not disassociate the quality of the event from the league, they never have. And if we are being honest, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen PPV issues from this brand. Queen of the Ring has had a notorious history of production issues with previous platforms like Cleeng, and it’s disappointing to see these challenges persist.

Another issue that stood out was the lack of transparency about canceled battles. There have been online debates on Twitter Spaces about why the Ms. Hustle vs. Chef Trez battle didn’t happen, and frankly, the reasons for it aren’t as important as the league being proactive in announcing the cancellation once it was confirmed. League owners often delay these disappointing announcements to protect pay-per-view sales, but I’d argue it’s counterproductive. Fans appreciate transparency; when leagues are upfront, they’re more likely to gain empathy and support. Delaying these announcements until the night’s end only fuels frustration and disrespect to the paying customer. 

Combining these production issues, delays, loss of battles, and an inconsistent quality of battles—with about half of the card featuring chokes—it’s tough to say that viewers at home could enjoy the event fully. If a league wants to offer a live stream for viewers, there needs to be a higher level of production standards and precautions. Often, these events feel more like a vibe than a polished production; if that’s the case, it might be better not to stream the event at all, and that’s disheartening to have to say that about a league that has been as established as QOTR. In all of these years of them being in the game, you would want for them to be able to strive above mediocrity when it comes to delivering a clean live stream, but it may be too much to ask for.  

Prom Night is clearly an event that is far more tailored to those who choose to participate in the theme. By immersing yourself in the concept, you are rewarded with a fun evening.  

Bars & Roses Battles

The following battles could not be properly watched/listened to on the stream, so we have Tai Tai, our in the building Rep give her takeaways for these battles. 

The opening battle between Eaze and Mallorei X was a strong start to the event, with both delivering a good performances. Eaze, however, was the consensus winner, as his performance and energy gave him the edge in this one-round clash.

Next up was Oppa vs RaineFire Moon, another one-round battle that exceeded expectations. Both battlers, who started their careers in spaces, showcased their growth on the QOTR stage. It was a true full circle moment for both emcees. While most would lean on Oppa for the win, RaineFire Moon’s performance was well-received and the battle has high replay value.

Cashis Clay vs Raw Image followed with a three-round battle filled with bars, energy, and theatrics. Raw Image delivered solid material, though the crowd seemed more focused on listening than reacting. Cashis Clay had the room with his humor, energy, and performance, earning the win. Despite the loss, many felt Raw Image’s performance would be more appreciated on rewatch. Cash is Clay made the most of this opportunity, being true to his authentic self and capitalized to the point that he even caught the attention of the reigning WOTY, Ms. Hustle, for a potential battle.

Dajon Tee and The Bars and Roses team also shined, continuing their great work in developing battle rappers through their platform. 

First Lady Flamez vs Mackk Myron

1.75 ☆ Rating Recapped by J Smo

Opening the night was Flamez vs. Mackk, a battle that was dominant from start to finish. Mackk’s charisma and entertainment factor were the key, as not only was he in rhythm landing punches, but he also outclassed Flamez as an entertainer and even an angler in portions of the battle. 

While Mackk was setting the tone for the main card, Flamez looked exactly like she did in her battle vs 40 BARRs: under-prepared, low energy, and a free win. While, as always, there are gems in her material, particularly in her 2nd round, her multiple and round chokes and stumbles made this a one-sided affair and led to another clean sweep loss and uninspiring showing from a battler who can be so much better. Mackk Myron 3-0 was translated in a unanimous judging decision. 

Cheyraq vs Jerry Wess

2.00 ☆ Rating Recapped by J Smo

2nd battle of the night, Jerry vs Cheyraq was step better than the opener but still flawed as the struggle went on. They started strong, with both having heavy 1st rounds. Content-wise, you could debate whether Cheyraq was right there bar for bar with Jerry, but the much more seasoned and sharp delivery and rapping ability created clear separation and had Jerry up 1-0. In the 2nd, Cheyraq was even better vs Jerry, who was slowing his momentum a bit. This round was the most competitive of the battle. Even though you can debate Chey edged the 2nd, she ended her round very awkwardly, and while it wasn’t a flat-out choke, it would foreshadow how the 3rd would go.

In the final round, Jerry had his weakest round and choked for a short time, which is relatively foreign throughout his career. While this left the door open for Chey to take the round clean and earn a genuine debatable, she also proceeded to choke and for a much longer time that she never got it back from, ending her round while choking. Not a lot to talk about in the 3rd, with both choking after what was a promising start to the battle. Jerry 2-1/30, reflected in the judged decision and a critical and poorly timed loss for Cheyraq, who has an even more brutal and challenging battle in a few weeks vs Jaz The Rapper. 

Shooney Da Rapper vs Danny Myers

3.00 ☆ Rating Recapped by J Smo

In what ended up as the best battle and really the only even somewhat back-and-forth of the night, Danny vs Shooney was the punchfest we were hoping to anticipate. 1st round of the battle, similar to a couple of battles in the night, was good from both, but Shooney’s 1st borderlines are great as one of the best rounds of the night. While both were consistent Shooney won the haymaker war of the round, her “west on your back/west on my hip” bar being one of the best of the night and going up a comfortable 1-0.

The 2nd is the closest of the battle, both still staying consistent. This time, the highs of the round were nearly equal and even with Shooney getting out a few more punches, the quality and efficiency of Danny’s writing was more potent and while it could go either way I saw the battle 1-1 heading into the 3rd.

The 3rd is neither battler’s strongest round, but unlike the others, this round was more about one battler misfire than who went higher in quality to snatch the round. Danny’s first half of his 3rd is strong like his other rounds, but at some point, he diverts into addressing the angle about him and EHart that was brought up during him vs TTop, which came off strange considering Shooney never brought up the angle. The material from there was a bit bizarre, to say the least, and paled compared to the punch-heavy and steady 3rd Shooney had. It was a solid battle, with Shooney 2-1, 1st and 3rd, and this was reflected in the judged decision, with many saying it may have even been a gentleman’s 30. 

Coffee vs Shotgun Suge

1.00 ☆ Rating Recapped by J Smo

A battle that started well but went as bad as possible, Coffee vs Suge is a quick but disastrous battle to call. Coffee started the battle strong with a strong 1st, showing a well-balanced attack between punches and angling. This would lead to a easy 1-0 lead as Suge showed up how he’s been showing up for the better part of 2 years, stumbling and rushing through his performance. The 2nd was a bit closer, with Coffee taking a small step down while Suge gave his best round of the battle, which doesn’t say much with both rounds had stumbles and Suge delivery was still super rushed. In this round, the crowd began to be silent for the battle, visibly aggravating Suge and Coffee.

The 3rd isn’t a round of battle rapping but a comedy of errors. With people still talking through her round, Coffee cuts her 3rd immediately and gives the crowd some venom as she cut it. She said to Suge, “I’m gonna talk through your s*** now since they just talked all through mine”. Luckily, that didn’t fully play out as Suge rapped for maybe 30 seconds and then choked and cut his round. The story goes on to post battle arguments and pure mess, and the end of this battle and the confusion it devolved into does a good job being a symbol of what the entire event had turned into as this point. Coffee won the judged vote, in a battle that is close to a no contest, then it is any value for either battlers 2024. 

40 BARRS vs Ave

2.75 ☆ Rating Recapped by Q Moody

The most prominent bright spot of an otherwise pretty rough event, Ave and 40 delivered a solid main event battle.

The unanimous decision in Ave’s favor from the judging doesn’t tell the entire story because this was a fairly competitive battle and the best 40 has done so far this year, in my opinion. Her first round was her weakest round material-wise and is also marred by having some spots of not being clean, but her second round was really good, and if anyone has her taking that round, that’s not a crazy take at all. The third isn’t as strong as the second, but it’s a very respectable round and caps off a solid outing for 40. 

Ave has handled business every time this year, and this battle wasn’t any different. At a certain point, it’s hard to find more words to use to praise Ave because in 2024, it’s been all about dominance for him. And even in the face of a solid 40 Barrs, this was more of that. All three rounds, just potent from the first word to the last. I had Ave winning every round of this battle, with the second round being an edge. 40 has a substantial claim to getting that second, but at the very least this was a clear 2-1 for Ave, and the judges decision did reflect that and I don’t think there’s any doubt that he was the best performer of the night.

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