Jack McCrack

“He’s scared of his baby mama cause she’s elephant sized

So he fucks random strippers he’s a hell of a guy

So ladies, next time you get approached by Jefferson Price

Why don’t you tell him to go home and try fucking on his heavy-set wife!”

-Caustic addressing Jefferson Price’s infidelity

 "Too Far"?

            How far is too far?  In a normal social context this question is hard to answer and also subjective.  In the hip hop scene, this line is further blurred by the context of battle rap. 

            If a man ridicules your autistic brother, will you stand in silence as you let him finish his remarks?  If a man is outing your best friend’s infidelities in a roomful of his close friends and some of his family members, do you quietly wait until he’s finished all of his accusations?  Both of these intense situations actually took place in two separate battles.  Both of which made crowd-members cringe and made youtubers grab the popcorn.

Example 1: Caustic vs. Jefferson Price

            Recently in England’s premier battle league, Don’t Flop, Californian rapper Caustic outted his married opponent's infidelities.  In his defense, Caustic has said on his podcast The Dirtbag Dan Show “It (Jefferson Price cheating on his wife) was the first thing I heard about him when I arrived in London.  If you don’t want me to talk about you cheating on your wife, then maybe you should cheat on your wife a little better.”  Jefferson Price’s close friend, Scottish rapper Soul, rushed the stage and punched Caustic in the face.  He’s been banned from Don’t Flop ever since and has drawn criticism from almost all of his battling peers.

 Example 2: Pat Stay vs. Marvwon

“Spit going everywhere! Rip open his teddy bear, whip him over the head

and kick his mental chair down a set of stairs who fucking cares?

All of this shit's true!

No wonder your father left who’d want a sped and a fat piece of shit like you?”

-Pat Stay vs Marvwon, round one

            Pat Stay battled Marvwon at World Domination 2 in 2011.  In the battle, Pat spent a whole round verbally assaulting Marvwon’s autistic little brother.  Marv stood quiet while the crowd squeamishly reacted to Pat Stay’s attacks.  Pat Stay has never apologized for his words, but has defended himself consistently with the “this is battle rap” defense.

Bottom Line

            In the world of Battle Rap you never know what your opponent’s going to address.  Assaulting someone is illegal and will get you banned from almost any league nowadays.  If you’re a battler and have aspects of your life that you don’t want addressed, do your best to keep it private.  Caustic and Pat Stay both proved that there is no proverbial line in the sand.  Both Caustic and Pat Stay continue to be booked as top tier battlers.  The rapper who punched Caustic has been banned from the league, and Jefferson Price hasn’t been seen since.  As Caustic put it in his follow-up battle:

“I said I’m international, pimpin, gangsta even when I’m not in this country

See I’m so fucking good at battle rap, when I finish my round random audience members punch me

Now if you think about it that’s impressive as fuck

And if you don’t get punched in the face after every round you are not being offensive enough”

Brooklyn bred Math Hoffa had a busy year in 2013.  Many top tier battlers choose to battle four or fives times a year.  With only 7 (YouTube) battles on his resumé from 2008-12, Math more than doubled his catalogue in 2013.  On September 8, 2013 his successful streak of battles came to a screeching halt when he punched his opponent Serius Jones in one of the most anticipated match ups on Ultimate Rap Leagues (also known as URL, the highest viewed battle league in North America) yearly superbowl-esque event, Summer Madness 3.  Math Hoffa is considered one of the legends who never retired.  His claim to fame was throwing a punch in his first (taped) battle in 2008 versus Dose.  As history proved to repeat itself, Serius Jones also took a punch from Math Hoffa in what was considered a “Legend vs Legend” battle.  His punch in the Serius Jones battles shut down the whole event and caused countless problems with sponsors and the venue owners alike.  Both videos of Math losing his temper have generated millions of views on sites like Worldstarhiphop.com and YouTube, making him one of the most infamous names in battle rap.

  Whether he tried his hardest or came unprepared, Math successfully made it through 2013 in a way very few battle rappers could.  He solidified his status as a legend, and maintained a level of interest with his audience with material that never grew old or tired.

  The following is a quick look at Math Hoffa’s battles in 2013.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.

  Vs Pat Stay, co hosted by Drake (King of the Dot, Canada)

  Event: Blackout 3

Date: 2-19-13

Views: 584,405

  Dubbed the “battle of the bullies,” Math Hoffa versus Pat Stay  had a lot of hype leading up to the battle.  Contrary to what most people were expecting, both contenders remained respectful and gave one another plenty of space during their performances.  In a debatable match up, both rappers came prepared.  Many believe Math “didn’t try” because it was for a foreign league, yet still managed to entertain with his catchphrases and entertaining delivery. 

  Best line of the battle:

“All you Pat Stay fans close your eyes, get in the zone and relax

Visualize Nova Scotia, Dartmouth, an open door in a local flat

You go inside, walk into the living room and who’s sitting on the sofa? Pat!

Now immediately you get excited cause you’re a fan and that’s how you supposed to act

You approach for dap and a cloud of smoke makes you choke and hack

The smell is like wet ass

That’s when you notice Pat

Suck a pipe, fuck ya life

Your favorite battle rapper is smoking crack!”

-Round One, addressing Pat Stay admitting he used to smoke crack cocaine

  vs Hitman Holla (King Juce battle league, US)

Event: Triumph Over Demise

Date: 3-19-13

Views: 149,381

  This battle has two of the biggest names in the game.  The view count is so low because it was released on KingJuce.com and is not viewable on youtube.  It requires that you purchase a King Juce membership for a small price (roughly 5 dollars).  Although the battle is not available on YouTube, you can catch them both dropping their rounds with no crowd.  Although Hitman Holla was at home in St. Louis, Math Hoffa came through with good material and proved he has crowd control wherever he goes.

  Best line of the battle:

“I hear you do a lot of exposing in your second rounds

That’s cool, I’ma take that

See I got somebody close to you that’s been feeding me straight facts

Now this person been with you since the braids to the wave caps

And when I tell you who it is, I’m guessing he’ll have to face that

It’s your hairline!  Me and that n*gga go waaaay back!”

-Second round, referencing Hitman Holla’s receding hairline

    vs Dose [Rematch] (Ultimate Rap League, US)

Event: Unfinished Business

Date: 3-10-13

Views: 782,846

  This was a previous battle that never made it passed round one after Math threw a punch at Dose and ended the whole battle.  In the first rematch of URL history, Math opened his first round by saying “Alright look before I start I wanna say I was never proud of what happened between me and Dose and that’s why we’re here today, to do this for hip hop.” He held out his hand for a high five and pulled it away to yell “he still look like a sucka!” in classic Math Hoffa fashion, he began what is arguably his most entertaining battle of 2013.

  Best line of the battle:

“So if you came here to fight, let’s skip through the bluffing

I punch a hole through this bird and get a fistful of stuffing

I told you ‘gimme my space!’ you said ‘let’s get it, it’s nothing!’ You disrespectful!  So I checked you! *claps his hands* End of Discussion!”

-Round One, addressing their previous altercation

  vs Shotgun Suge (Ultimate Warrior Battle League, US)

Event: The Apocalypse

Date: 3-13-13

Views: 400,627

    In another battle dubbed “battle of the bullies,” Math Hoffa and Shotgun Suge are both known for overstepping the proverbial line-in-the-sand.  This battle delivered on it’s title more so than his previous versus Pat Stay.  Math edged every round versus Suge, and proved himself as the better of the two “bullies”.

  Best line of the battle:

“When Trick Trick stepped to Arsonal, it was over you

If I was Surf I’d punch you in the face for what I’m going through

I guess this shit was overdue, a lesson learned for both of you

A shotgun does the most damage when it’s close to you!”

-Round One, addressing Suge’s behaviors effect on his crew

  vs Shotty Horroh (Don’t Flop, UK)

Event: Set the Standard VI

Date: 3-23-13

Views: 641,009

  I prefaced this list by saying “the good, the bad, and the ugly”.  This is a battle that falls under the “ugly” category.  Although having a nicely polished first and third versus Shotty Horroh, Math Hoffa came to the event without a second round prepared.  He delivered about 6 lines and called “time” on his second round.  Although Maths point was that he didn’t need a full three rounds to beat Shotty Horroh, the execution was uncomfortable at best, causing league owners to face palm at the embarrassment of Math not taking the battle seriously.  Definitely not a good for Math Hoffa, and he hasn’t been invited back to Don’t Flop since.

  Best line of the battle:

  “I’ll slap him, jab him, kick him, grab him

Lift him, flip him, slam him, grip him, drag him

Stand him, just to trip him!

Arsonal scissor kick him

Pull out my knife and just stab him

Then I stomp on his chest til his heart beats different patterns

Splshin splashin

While he sprayin up blood like it’s the crips attackin!”

-Round three

   vs Jon Jon Da Don (Ultimate Rap League, US)

Event: URL 420 Event

Date: 4-20-13

Views: 454,101

  Despite being a bit of a random matchup, both emcees conducted themselves well.  Math Hoffa succeeded in embarrassing Jon Jon by addressing his reputation for copying (“biting”) lines from other battle rappers and getting away with it.  Math came with a comedic style this time, while Jon Jon came with serious material.  For whatever reason, Math continuously talked throughout the first half of Jon Jon’s second round, answering Jon’s rhetorical questions and giving explanations for Jon’s accusations.  It’s tough to watch because it is poor sportsmanship and makes him look bad.

  Best line of the battle:

“You make the worst life decisions, I been wanting to do this for so long

You a virus in battle rap and I can’t let you go on

You steal bars, you stole Jones’, you stole Hollow’s you stole Con’s

You stole Dose’s, Even Soul Khan the list goes on!

But that’s five cats, I’ma stop at five cats n*gga hold on

You took five cats and put ‘em together

Well that’s actually kind of clever

That explains why your punches are all bites you think you’re Voltron!”

-First round, addressing Jon Jon’s tendency for stealing rhymes

  vs T-Rex (Killaz Battle League, US)

Event: Vlad TV Presents

Date: 6-10-13

Views: 414,910

  This is Math’s second rematch in 2014.  After their first battle in 2009, both of these battle rappers have made names for themselves in the past four years that solidified their spots as legends who never retired.  T-Rex came with the predictable style that he normally uses and for the second time Math Hoffa won.  This battle however is tough to judge on account of it only being one round.

  Best line of the battle:

“Now they say in this day and age that we live in with technology on the rise

Super powers watching super powers, secret governments trying to thrive

They say if we have another World War, not one of us would be alive

Radiation infects the skies and sentences genocide

Only one species would survive

Does anybody know this?

Dot Mobb!  The f*cking roaches!”

-Comedic line addressing T-Rex’s crew “Dot Mobb” and their bad reputation

  vs Daylyt (Rap Battle Network, US)

Event: Barfest

Views: 67

Date: 6-22-13

  Much like King Juce, this battle is only available for a 5 dollar fee (Hence, 67 views).  Much like his battle vs Shotty Horroh, this battle would fit into the “ugly” category for Math.  An underprepared Math was ridiculed by Daylyt during his rounds, where Daylyt continuously pushed his buttons by spilling water on Math’s sneakers and pulling out a pillow to lay down and sleep while Math was rhyming.  I’m unable to provide the best line of this battle because of the 5 dollar fee, but if I can remember correctly both rappers came unprepared and I don’t remember anything worth quoting in this underwhelming battle (Hence, once again, 67 views).  Daylyt’s shenanigans is the only element that gives this battle replay.

  Vs Math Hoffa (MC War, US)

Event: Clash of the Titanz

Views: 95,709

Date: 10-23-13

  Yet another battle against a Dot Mobb member, this battle took place in a small league, with a different format than the traditional 3 round acapella battle.  It was a two round battle with the first round being over a beat.  For this reason, it was a relatively lighthearted battle with both rappers clearly having fun whilst rhyming over a beat.

  Best line of the battle:

“I’m Brooklyn grimey

Ya girl tried sliding me the bush she slimey

Heard she a star so I shot her with fly me

Liked her, so I tapped twice cause I(‘m) G.”

-Round One, referencing Instagrams (IG) “like” function which allows users to double tap a picture to mark it as a “favorite” or a “like”

  In a form of entertainment that glorifies violence like none other, it would seem as if throwing a punch was fair game in the world of battle rap.  Wrong.  Math Hoffa’s punch thrown at Serius Jones landed him a spot on the bench that he’s yet to bounce back from.  With this being Math Hoffa’s second offense, Smack/URL officially banned Math for his actions.

“I want all the fans to know that we don’t condone that kind of behavior here at the URL, we don’t support it in no way, shape, or form.  At this point forward as it stands right now Math is definitely banned from the URL.  He won’t be able to participate in the events due to the situation that happened and the liability he may bring to our business.  It’s unfortunate because that’s my brother, I don’t hate Math I just hate what he did.  We gotta hold our emotions when we’re performing.  This is an artform and when you’re a battler you’re supposed to be professional.  I know things can get real frustrating at times when you’re up there but that’s part of the sport.”

-URL spokesman “Smack”, YouTube: “Smack Talks SM3, Math Hoffa, Hitman & More”

Smack has publically made statements saying that he felt personally disrespected by Math’s actions.  When a league spends thousands of dollars on an event, throwing a punch can hinder the brand making it more difficult to book venues and find sponsors for future events.  When Math threw a punch at Summer Madness 3 (URL’s Superbowl-esque annual event) it shut down the event subsequently cancelling all of the battles set to take place after Math Hoffa/Serius Jones.

  As we roll through April, Math Hoffa continues his hiatus.  There is clearly a long list of reasons why NOT to start a fight during your battle.  With that being said there are some positives that should be acknowledged.   Views.  More views means more publicity.  A 54 second clip of Math Hoffa punching Serius Jones has gained 1.3 million views on WorldStarHipHop.com.  In contrast, the headlining battle from the same event (Calicoe vs T-Rex, 47 minutes) dropped on the URL YouTube page has only gained 832k views. 

The controversy surrounding Math Hoffa’s punch has drawn more views than if he hadn’t thrown the punch.  After the footage was released, Math had more of a buzz than ever before.  Some people would even argue that Math’s first altercation (vs Dose, 2006) is the foundation that Math built is career on.  Had Math never thrown that punch vs Dose there’s a chance his career would have fallen into obscurity.  However, the millions of views (plus a TV Spot on “Most Shocking...”) made him a household name to battle rap fans. 

The best known battle rapper out of Boston is holding an event this weekend.  Chilla Jones is one of the most talked about battlers of 2013 and for good reason.  Jones fits the URL mold, but is an innovator as well.  His “schemes” brought battle rap to a whole new level in 2013.  After his battle versus JC from Detroit dropped on URL.TV, schemes became much more prevalent in the battle world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWlqxqODLk8

This weekend in Alliston, MA Chilla Jones is hosting an event which invites all rappers from the Massachusetts area to showcase their skills.  The “Bosstown Cypher” will take place on 383 Cambridge St at 5 pm Sunday, April 13.  The event has two segments: the group cypher and the open cypher.  The group cypher is acapella format and is invite-only (to participants who were preselected).  The group cypher contains many battlers from the Boston area who have built their name off the Boston based “Shark Tank” battle league.  The open cypher is open to anyone who chooses to showcase their talents.  For the open cypher there will be DJ’s and a “mix of local producers” and some of their instrumentals to rhyme over as well.

I will be live-tweeting this event because in the world of battle rap, people are always looking for the next up-and-comer.  Boston is a popular city for battle rap and this cypher could contain some future legends.  This event is a great way to seize an opportunity since I’m lucky enough to live close to Boston, where the hip hop scene is prevalent and breeds some of the biggest names in battling today. 

“My name is Kid Twist if you don’t know.  I just want to say as the first title holder it is my honor to be standing here watching this title match with two of my favorite…fuck it…The top two battle rappers of all time – I said it!” Kid Twist

              Through the computer moniter, one can hear the crowd erupt in Toronto’s Opera House on January 25th in excitement for what they were about to witness.  Pat Stay vs Dizaster has been a long awaited and highly anticipated match up.  What made this bout even more exciting to the audience was the importance of the outcome decided by five judges.

            In the modern age of battle rap many leagues have done away with declaring an official winner/loser of the battle.  In most cases battles are too close to call, especially when the two rappers have conflicting styles (bars vs jokes).  If a rapper is realistically THAT much better than their opponent, it is widely believed that they shouldn’t need a judge to confirm that.  With KOTD title matches however judges are a necessity.  This adds a whole new element to the Pat Stay vs Dizaster match up.

            It’s no secret after reading YouTube comments that KOTD title matches have a history of being underwhelming.  On January 25th Canadian heavyweight Pat Stay successfully defended his title against the West Coast veteran Dizaster.  Recently, on February 17, Pat Stay vs Dizaster was uploaded to the KOTD channel and the word underwhelming or any of its synonyms have yet to be seen! 

            If you’re a fan of KOTD (or a fan of battle rap in general), you know what happened when Dizaster lost his title to former KOTD champion Arcane.  Dizasters signature freestyle approach (which many of his critics loathe) was rarely seen during the battle. “I didn’t even prepare for Arcane,” said Dizaster on the Battle Rap Arena podcast “Pat is the most I’ve prepared since I battled Canibus.” 

            Despite Dizaster’s best efforts, the judges still gave the battle to the Nova Scotian Pat Stay.  “We just saw King Kong vs Godzilla,” says veteran judge Poison Pen, “When Diz is on and when the crowd is behind Diz he’s unstoppable.  It took him a while to pick up steam.  Pat Stay is king cozy and seemed comfortable the entire battle.  Diz was on fire but Pat was at home and had the crowd the entire time.  That’s one of Pat’s gifts.”  Ultimately, the judges unanimously decided that Pat’s presence and home field advantage gave him the upper hand in this battle.  Dizaster was Pat’s most anticipated battle to date.  He is scheduled to defend his title against Charron this Summer at KOTDs World Domination 5.

  “I almost planned to let him win, you were just my sacrificial goat

I was gonna fuck up on purpose and act as if I choked

But I just couldn’t let my people down because the fans are all I know

Ayo Canada!  You’re champion is home!”

-Pat Stay

The article I read was on a blog known as The Dish.  It was a brief explanation from one of the Dish’s founders, Andrew Sullivan, regarding their transitions over the years and their next move, what they believe is the next big step for them as a blog.   I had never heard of The Dish before I read this article.  From what I could gather, the blog has been around for a long time – “to a time when everyone I met kept asking me what a blog was” the founder jokes.  From what I can tell, it’s a blog that delivers many articles, mainly posts covering a variety of subjects but mainly politics (the article states 240 posts a week.  13,000 separate posts last year alone).  One of the interesting things about The Dish is that their comment section doesn’t contain any crude language or slander.  It’s an open forum where users are genuinely using their posts in an intelligent manner to take part in a larger argument.

            The first part of the article summarizes their decade-long relationship with their users.  “We have an official staff of 7,” Sullivan writes, “and an unofficial one of around a million unpaid obsessives.”   After a bit of nostalgia, Sullivan states that he and the co founders signed an agreement “setting up a company called Dish Publishing LLC,” to which the founder adds: “with no safety net below us but you (the reader).”  Sullivan says that this is an attempt to create a place where the readers and readers alone sustain the site.  No advertising, no bigger media company, etc. will dictate the future of The Dish.  Andrew Sullivan and the other cofounders believe that they have a strong enough backing to stand alone.  Membership comes with a cost of $19.99 a year.

            From this article I can gather that The Dish is a hard working, consistent, and reliable news outlet, which allows both sides of an argument to be addressed.  Its users are a community of intellectuals who have different opinions but ultimately strive for the same goal which is  what the site itself embodies.  

What is Battle Rap?           

Rap music has become one of the most popular genres of music in the World.  As an art form, rap music promotes serious competition amongst its artists, which was evident even before it reached mainstream media.  “Who’s the best rapper?” Is a question most fans have an opinion on, with many criteria to include whilst supporting their claims.  Lyrics, flow, delivery, and breath control are just a few things to include while addressing a rappers skill.  The inherent competition in rap gave way to what is known as “rap battles” or “battle rap”.    In a rap battle, two rappers are competing against each other (face-to-face) in a display of their own talents while insulting (“dissing”) their opponent. 

My Beat

In 2014, battle rap is one of the most popular forms of entertainment for rap fans.  The internet has allowed rap battles to be enjoyed by anyone from the comfort of their own home.  It has also allowed rap battles to grow to a level of popularity where battles are marketed and promoted by leagues across the world.  Each continent has their own handful of popular leagues which include their own native battlers.  In America there is The Ultimate Rap League, England has Don’t Flop, etc etc.

The most popular league in North America is arguably King of the Dot (KOTD) based out of Toronto, Ontario.  In addition to their own roster, they have battlers from America, England, Australia, and even the Phillipines taking part in their events.   Some of their battles get millions of views on youtube, and allow some of the participants (league owners & popular battlers) to live comfortably off battle rap.

My hope is to keep readers up to date with KOTD and their events/video releases.  I’ll also be writing some reviews on the more popular new releases.  Since KOTD books rappers from different leagues around the world, my beat will hopefully be interesting to not only fans of Canadian battle rap, but fans of battle rap in general (whether it be from America, Australia, etc.). 

Last Summer, I personally took a trip to KOTD to participate in one of their tryout events (known as a ‘Prove Yourself’ event).  Although I was lucky enough to be invited back, I have yet to do another battle for KOTD.  Since I have experienced the feeling of participating in battles (even one in KOTD itself), hopefully my insights will be more informed than the average battle-blogger.  My experience in Canada also allowed me to spend a lot of time talking to the owner (former battler) for most of the night along with some of the biggest names in the league.  One of which has become a great friend who I talk to almost daily.  He often has not-yet-announced information that would attract any fan's interest.  Knowing some of these off-the-camera personalities is an interesting thing for most fans to read about.  I can include some of these insights which is another element that would further separate my beat from the average battle-blog.

Smack/URL Presents: JC VS CHILLA JONES

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