GWL WK 2: Exis vs MMLP (MMLP Wins)
 

Armed with my favorite weapon of choice
I'm sickle swingin' with precision and perfection on point
You should just focus on the positive, like the future
Not the negative, That's called the present here boy...

Ayo,

The flow feeds my body components and it goes
As a Corona, oozin' from the nose to your toes
I grab hold of they're ankles, come from another angle
Talkin' to dismantle your mandibles & leave only sandals
Spark a candle & give your cold feet a pair of socks
Throw you a lollipop 'cause you can't move in a box
But you move when I talk, they lock the glocks
Represent as catalyst & warned Cali's Catholics
In a bloody second you Virgin Mary I second it
You entered the pit too far 'cause I got a stopwatch for guard
Call the God's & you'll straight up see the backside of a star
It's the part the Bible always kept in the dark...
No show like Letterman's, ask your church reverends
They refer to the worst night even taller than the Everest
Playin' in the streets sellin' & sold with a pot of gold
Been there & shit's old, another's done lost his soul.

This wasnt the traditions of Earth, this realm which needed protecting
Was beginning its journey to beat the oppression.
Planted seeds of deception from what their reign had become
In need of a legend that was taken from us.
As a congregation of monks were now assembled to Fight!
Regulations we must follow in stemming the tide.
Bosses spreading the lies as commandments were enforced.
But the fundamentals applied had mattered to them all.
Soon the casualties of war had naturally returned.
Battle plans were drawn up as new challenges emerged.
When fatalities upsurged it began to play on their minds
Their own mortality confirmed with the rates on the rise.
But they came in to Fight! and that desire wouldnt break
Kept on saving the lives to go fight another day.
Finding other ways to combat the torrent of clashes.
The spilled violence, custom-made meant they were often unsanctioned
And it warranted action as the armies would come.
It left followers anxious as the Press Start to corrupt
With parties rebuffed, belligerence was born
When hierarchies constructed revisions of the wars
If risen off the floor and could stand on their feet
A "Finish him" was roared by the commander in chief.
In same bracket, Sub Zero and co grappled in the pits
As the masses would cheer for what combatants come to fists!
Johnny cage, Scorpio, kang, Sonya Blade...

.... Which character is this? This question I'm afraid is senseless
It doesn't matter who is picked, its inane to mention
Game just deflects us from the fact we never were Mortals
The same fate hits everyone. Death becomes us all

Exis, good try but you got to dig a little deeper man. Everything about your verse just seemed surface and ho-hum. You need to get more creative if you want to succeed in this.

MMLP, another great showing this week. The picture was cool but making a topic out of it was tough. But I loved the whole Mortal Kombat angle. Maybe I'm partial because I'm a fan of the MK series but i thought this was a super creative way to take this. (Shoulda ended it all with a FATALITY though :p)

Vote - MMLP

Cool...

I told you stupid fucks I was out for week 2, Nigga signs me in so I posted, & on time! Liike I give 2 shits if it wack nigga, If you don't like a verse I spit then you ain't readiin' shit right...OH & I'M OUT FOR ROUND THREE, COMPREHENDE?

Told Lars I don't battle smh...

Yeah Exis understand you didn't want in this week and i commend you for showing at all but like Universe said you've got to put a different spin on the topics to succeed in these topical leagues but it's all good and i do like your style, it's real reminiscent of 90s hip hop.

MMLP i had a couple gripes but they were minor and most came down to the fact that i think a couple of your rhymes weren't concrete, most noticeable the closer didn't rhyme at all. Otherwise i thought you had a good take on the topic, i liked the whole premise you went for and appreciated it as a fan of the MK series. Also liked how it was foreshadowed because i had it in the back of my mind throughout even though you didn't come right out and tell us what you were writing about. Good writing here, and i think you walked out of here unscathed with an easy win

V - MMLP

Exis- I completely understand feeling rushed and thus feeling pressure to scramble and come up with something. That happened to me both rounds of this competition. Your verse reminded me of a standard flex piece, a battle rap you could’ve posted in the open mic cypher, with or without this pic. That doesn’t mean it was bad by any means, I just thought you could’ve done more with it and reach outside your comfort zone as far as the style you normally write with. For instance, this pic to me looks like...a hardened iguana of some sort standing tall like he had conquered a battle. Lol a badass lizard if you will. Just something more specific to reference the pic would’ve been cooler

MMLP- not trying to repeat what’s already been said but the mortal combat perspective was interesting. His name is Scorpian though isn’t it? Lol. Enjoyed the imagery her and general flow. I’m giving this to you strictly bc you had more substance to your piece and it wasn’t as vague as Exis

V/ MMLP

I don’t like echoing what the rest have said here; for what it’s worth I enjoy Exis’ verses and the implied flow / rhythmic cadences he uses to drive them forwards. There’s an audio-esque sound to it with the rhyme placement that is often underrated in text, bizarrely, but the repeated sounds help carry this. I liked the idea of tying it in to the current coronavirus crisis, he went beyond the image directly in front of him and transcended it, which some may feel comes off as indirect in terms of the picture - for sure - but personally I tend to think of the topic supplied as a brainstorm session. You take a look at it, you interpret it how you will, and you write accordingly based on your ideas around it. I have no issue with that.

MMLP - I think you matched him in terms of flow here, conceptually yours went beyond what was there also by adding the Mortal Kombat theme layered throughout. The scattering of foreshadowing was present, as is often the case with your pieces, and the degree of technical skill was also more favourable to me personally than the one Exis used. For what it’s worth, your closer didn’t rhyme to me either. Lol.

Vote - MMLP

MMLP wins 4-0