Came Bearing Gift 2
Event Rating
Event Recapped by Staff Writer J-Smo
Staff In the building: Titus & Tai-Tai
LTBR Award Recipients
Battle of the Night: Hansel vs Yunus
Best Individual Performances of the night: #1 Rum Nitty | #2 Jaz The Rapper | #3 Hansel | #4 Yunus | #5 Viixen
The Biggest Win of the Night: Viixen over Chilla Jones
Undercard Standouts: Justice | Hennyman | NXT |
The Riot event came back with an action-packed card, a sequel to their highly anticipated “Came Bearing Gifts.” The headline bout pitted the three previous Champions of the Year against the three previous Women of the Year, an epic clash that showcased the pinnacle of inter-gender matches. This unique COTY vs. WOTY concept was a testament to The Riot’s commitment to pushing boundaries and making history in the culture. But it was a true tip of the hat to the Jay Blac.
A special salute goes out to Jay Blac, the visionary behind Champion and the creator of the COTY/WOTY rankings, process, and awards. With over a decade of dedication to battle rap, he has not only served as a blogger, media member, commentator, face-off host, and (even a rapper at times) but has also curated a positive space for the culture and introduced incentives and awards to reward performers. The event was expertly hosted by Larry 2K and Gina Views, whose commentary added another layer of excitement to the battles. However, despite the remarkable efforts poured into the making of this event, it was faced with challenges with the venue, background noise, microphone issues, and a lack of control over the environment proved to be significant hurdles that impacted some of the battles.
Moreover, the event came on the heels of a double-digit battle card in RBE’s Maxout 3, introducing a factor of fatigue that couldn’t be ignored. In the midst of these challenges, a salute must be extended to Geechi Gotti, who not only battled as the main event but also managed the intricate responsibilities of running a league at his own event. Juggling these dual roles is a testament to his dedication and multitasking abilities, highlighting the immense effort it takes to ensure the success of such events, and I’m sure he will take heed of the feedback.
Undercard Standouts
Undercard of any card is put in a high pressure situation. Win, loss, or draw the main goal is to stand out and snatch the attention of the audience, putting light on yourself for a card that isn’t starring yourself. With a 10+ card with 3 main battles, that leaves a lot of room for lower-profile talents to make impact. With a noisy crowd (to say the least), made it hard for many of these battles to really keep momentum. Some standout, as Hennyman vs Justise was a solid battle, and NXT vs Clone was a notch above that with a good punch fest and another very complete performance from the now nearly underrated NXT. His 1st was explosive, which was matched by Clone in the 2nd. The 3rd the talkative crowd started to really interrupt the battle, but NXT handled business and closed out the 3rd regardless of distractions with a rather impressive W vs a respected puncher in Clone.
Hansel vs Yunus BOTN
The true showstopper of the early battles was Hansel vs. Yunus, a bar fest between 2 of URL’s newest talents, each from one of the recent Top 6 Crucible classes. 1st round was maybe the best back-and-forth of the night, Yunus having up to that point what had been round of the event followed by Hansel matching and in many opinions exceeding it with not only a crazy 1st but one of the best rounds of his career.
On paper, this match drew a ton of excitement, Hansel and Yunus, two rising talents through the URL Crucible process, stepped into the ring for an intense war. The majority decision by the judges favored Hansel, but this battle left fans divided and engaged in heated debates over the true victor. Yunus, with his relentless attack and razor-sharp lyricism, put immense pressure on Hansel from the first round to the last. The bout was a masterclass in battle rap, featuring a range of attacks, from both emcees. The battle is filled with haymakers, thought-provoking angles, moments of vulnerability, intricate wordplay, and clever name flips that showcase the depth of their respective talents.
Bossman Beasley (Co-Owner of URL) was actually front row and center to this battle and all I could do was envision him with the birdman hand rub as he watched these two collide. Hansel and Yunus left it all on the stage, their battle will undoubtedly go down as a timestamp for both of their careers for future reference points. Each round felt like a rollercoaster ride, with momentum swinging back and forth as they relentlessly tested each other’s pen and creativity. Regardless of who fans believed emerged victorious, one thing was certain: Hansel vs. Yunus was a shining example of the incredible talent and dedication that continues to drive the URL and the battle rap culture forward.
Whether it was Yunus Hansel Emmanuel Haymaker or Hansel’s extremely witty 2-step/Traveling bar, both shocked energy into a card that needed it. Or even the “100K before 18, I brought myself to Career Day” Bar by Hansel. Bunch of quotables from both. The 3rd is a genuine toss-up and a great, close end to the battle. The battle was judged with a 1k pot and won by Hansel through majority decisions. Regardless of the result having a definitive winner and loser, both showed great flashes of potential and raised their stock immensely from this opportunity.
Who do you have winning between Hansel vs Yunus?
— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) September 4, 2023
Chilla Jones vs Viixen
In the first COTY vs. WOTY match of the night, Viixen vs. Chilla presented a situation where although the battle fit the theme, nobody knew how these styles would actually mesh in motion. As the 1st round of this battle occurred, it looked like it could be for the worse. Viixen opened to what I would consider a standard Viixen round, opening with a new concept addressing her making an Only Fans and following the entertaining opener got into some standard punching, not too many peaks but not bad material either. A beatable 1st, Chilla would follow with a pretty mediocre round of his own. Once again, not bad, Little lines like his NDA line landed fairly effectively but lacked any energy or peaks. Edged the 1st to Viixen.
The 2nd and 3rd are really where the separation begins and the result is evident. Viixen’s 2nd in response is one of the best rounds she’s rapped in over a year. Her Coma and Goosebumps haymakers, Chilla impression, flow pockets, and overall confidence in performance is the Viixen we’ve been looking for her last few. Chilla’s 2nd half of his 2nd started to match this level of quality, but his 1st half can’t be ignored and didn’t match the overall consistency. Viixen clearly took the 2nd. As for the 3rd, it really is a continuation of the 2nd. Viixen Fabulous Moolah bar was CRAZY, and to follow that she had potent angles about Chilla’s rank as a pen and his harsh angle choice. Chilla’s 3rd sadly looked more like his 1st than his 2nd, and once again Viixen clearly took the round. 3-0 for me with a debatable 1st, Viixen gave her best performance in a minute vs what looked like a spent but still serviceable version of Chilla Jones, securing her 1st clear win in a while as well as giving the WOTY’s a 1-0 lead on the night.
1st – Viixen edge
2nd – Viixen 2nd clear
3rd – Viixen 3rd clear
Who do you have winning between Chilla Jones vs Viixen ?
— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) September 4, 2023
Rum Nitty vs Jaz The Rapper
The 2nd COTY vs. WOTY battle and the one with the most expectations, Jaz vs. Nitty was one of the best and most competitive battles of the night even with the restless crowd. 1st round started on Nitty, and from the gate, Nitty showed why he is revered the way he is. Dope round, efficient in landing although lacking peak haymakers, Nitty had a good round although it still felt a little bit down considering Nitty’s standards. Also, worth noting his rounds seemed to go by fairly fast, cutting off at around 3 minutes max. Jaz 1st completely 180s the tempo, landing BIG early and often. Her Kevin Samuels haymaker set a tone early in the round, followed by a litany of what was really just straight punching and going line for line with Nitty, a dangerous task. Jaz 1st is peak Jaz and led to an early and impressive 1-0 lead.
Nitty 2nd was the exact response he needed after Jaz highlighted 1st, bringing his best round of the battle in the 2nd. An elite Nitty round is just always the same spectacle with so many “how the hell did he think of that” moments. The Fuchsia bar is going to stand out as possibly the bar of the battle, but the Cleo/Radio scheme, Ransacked bar, and Lollygagging Haymaker also add to the highlights of this insane round. Jaz 2nd is good as well, really showing how this battle lived up to the hype for the most part. With solid back-to-back punches and a little more on the angled front, Jaz had a respectable round but lacked the peaks or landing rate compared to Nitty’s 2nd, giving us a 1-1 going into the 3rd.
Unfortunately, this is where the battle kind of takes a dip. Nitty 3rd is still good, going over Jaz’s old job as a dispatcher and mixing it with his creative writing/straight disrespect. Somewhere in between his 1st and 2nd quality wise but felt short like his 1st and really left the door open for Jaz to steal the 3rd and the battle. Jaz 3rd was very angle-centric, addressing Nitty star power or lack thereof, multiple cliques, and reuse of bar concepts. Good material but hit or miss in the room with angle choice, The real downer here is some turbulence in her delivery. Granted this can mainly be attributed to crowd noise like many other battles, but pitted against a fully clean round the small difference shows. Her 12-step haymaker was the standout of the round, but took a very long time to build too, causing some debate amongst fans post-battle. Close and somewhat lackluster 3rd, 2 different approaches can lead to a somewhat preference effect. Personally, had Nitty taking the 2nd and 3rd in one of the best battles of the night, and although it ended a bit downhill, still a battle that showcased why 2 of the best in the world are indeed the best.
1st – Jaz clear
2nd – Nitty clear
3rd – Nitty edge
Who do you have winning between Rum Nitty vs Jaz The Rapper ?
— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) September 4, 2023
Geechi Gotti vs Coffee Brown
The main event grudge match, Geechi vs. Coffee was anticipated to be messy and high intensity, with it being an important look for both. I can confirm it was indeed messy, the intensity was high, but these things did not add up to a good battle. Starting from the 1st, neither truly snatched the momentum. Coffee led off with a fair 1st, punch heavy and crisp but lacking any standout bars or moments. A consistent round that can beat any bad/mediocre round but can struggle to stand out vs. more high-power rounds. Geechi 1st is the polar opposite, an inconsistent round that has low lows but has the highest highs as well, with his Train in a Different Way and Can’t Stand/Shoot Kneeling bars landing extremely hard. The 1st is close and comes down to how you prefer the progress of rounds and what you value in landing rate, but I found Geechi’s peaks were standouts in another wise low energy 1st from both. Geechi 1-0 edge heading into the 2nd.
Although we’ll talk more about the roughness of this battle as it goes on, we have to give huge props to Coffee for writing uphill. Her 2nd is better than her 1st, even if not great. Her Catfish bar was fantastic, and her in-between writing was noticeably on point, like her Snake Eyez battle. Her angles about Geechi ghostwriting, holding down the East more than the West fell a little flatter. In a battle that was supposed to be based on mostly messy dialogue, Coffee found her stride in mostly bar-for-bar action. Then Geechi would go, and this is where things start to take an even larger dip. Geechi Gotti’s 2nd is just uninspiring. His “Fuck You Over” rebuttal lands well, and from there it’s just standard punching. Can’t say there’s too much separation in this round as once again, neither really did anything too high level to get it clear, but Coffee round just felt it had a little more of really anything, giving her a slight edge. Low energy, low entertainment 1-1 going into the 3rd.
Coffee 3rd follows the same formula as his 2nd. Punches are good. Angles, little to no effect. Her sex-based bars towards the end of the round, although a couple of airballs still bogged down the ceiling of the round. Geechi’s 3rd, unfortunately, maybe even worse than his 2nd. The straight disrespect approach fell flat, the angles fell flat. The whole battle felt like it was really in a fog, and by the end, it just felt like a low-energy drag. This is shades of the lackluster, not fully focused Geechi fans complained of for parts of 2022 and it results in one of his worst performances and overall battles of the last couple of years. Had Coffee taking the 3rd, and as a result, pulling off an upset that really can be considered monumental but won’t hit the same with an overall poor battle quality.
This is simply another grudge match that goes into the disappointing folder as many do. The actual bars and battling have moments that shine between a messy crowd, strange angles, Desert Eagles on Tripods, and the weird energy of the battle. Hopefully, this is not a preview of the Geechi we expect for his big Eazy matchup. As for Coffee, while the battle itself isn’t great, she had a close battle if not a win in a matchup she was heavily predicted to lose very clearly and that deserves a level of respect and praise regardless of the rewatchability.
1st – Geechi edge
2nd – Coffee edge
3rd – Coffee clear
Who do you have winning between Geechi Gotti vs Coffee?
— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) September 4, 2023
Outside Battles
Two battles didn’t get to take place on the live stream and The Riot dropped the battles immediately the following day
Kapo Bravado vs Blve Coca
Bad Newz vs Wise.
Now both are avialable on Youtube.
