Netcees - PPV Mag

Sup. I got previews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrJorE7zHaw

Hush vs Orc (pic)
Clash of the Hall of Fame

What more need be said about the guys? The HOF has more than enough in their resumes, but I can do whatever I can with my perspective.

Hush strikes me as either a natural or well practiced rapper. He doesn’t just write verses. I remember my Newbie Tourney, the little input I got from Hush was all of the possible name flips on my first opponent. When he wants to rap, he raps. Check his drop in discussion to see what I mean. The problem is, the guys Hush has beefed with either don’t want it (or more often than not) just aren’t active like they used to be, but we lucked out with his opponent here.

If you read any ORC verse in a vacuum, you’d have to assume he’s a really mean person. From the Burden days and on, Orc’s ability to write a smooth verse shined. I’ve seen plenty of guys describe his style as one of the easiest to transfer to live battles, which is probably why so many less experienced text battlers like to copy his style. I’m expecting some harsh punches that read nicely in a friendly clash of the titans.

Cred vs Inf (gunbars)
Stylistic Icons

Cred and Inf aka Trag. probably have some of the most distinct and divisive styles in text today. The thing is, both of them are absolutely dope at what they do and this matchup promises flames.

Cred, the self-titled gunbar Jesus, has earned that title a thousand times over. Coming from RB, the last place you’d expect to see hot gunbars, the man has taken on all sorts of flak for having a style that reminds you of… battle rap. The last few years have been Cred’s vindication. The only complaints I’ve seen is that he isn’t personal enough and I can tell you from experience, that’s rarely the case. When Cred knows you, he’ll come after you, and he is a mean motherfucker. What I’ve seen the guy throw together in a Fight Night alone proves he can hang with anyone, but his opponent isn’t one to take lightly.

Infiltrate, aka Tragic, is a wordsmith if there ever was one. The man is part of the new wave of wordplay that you can see all over this 1-2 season, but Infiltrate has a way of suspending your sense of ‘no way’ with an approach that you can compare easily to the best ‘slow it down’ battle rappers. The biggest factor when Inf battles, unfortunately, is all the damn DQ’s in his record. It just isn’t a battle league season without Infiltrate editing inappropriately, and this past 1-2 season showed that. Whenever he just battles, though, INF is truly able to find the flips that no one else thought of (not just because they’re words no one has used in 100+ years) and his creativity could make him a force here against Cred.

Flow vs Killing Spree (pic)
Jokers to Kings?

In the post-Vet era of text that we’re living in, Flow and Spree are among the top battlers active and now have a chance to lay their claim to the gap that fills our top tier. Considering they’re going for the longest battle of the event, this could absolutely be the exclamation mark at the end of a statement they’ve been making.

Flow’s had one hell of a ride on Netcees, going back to the Art of Battling days. Over the last few years though, he’s managed to elevate to being a mainstay in contender and semifinal matches, but his Cinderella runs end with mixed success. Pic battles, as evidenced in the Hot or Thot tourney, are right up his alley. Flow’s a funny guy and he’s really figured out how to let it shine here. Spree’s almost guaranteed to drop a pic with ammo and I doubt Flow will leave any stone unturned here.

Killing Spree has been at this long enough to know what’s dope and seems to change up to fit his audience. I wasn’t the hugest fan of him flipping all these medication names in the 1-2 this past season, but he knows what gets the job done. At his point, he knows his opponent and he knows what puts a bar together. If Spree has the ammo for a 20 line battle, he can absolutely kill it, but he’s struggled with consistency before. I’ll be watching this one, in what I expect to see become a battle of attrition.

King vs Eviscerate
Battle of the Ages

It’s not hard to see why King is one of RB’s best. Eviscerate is a name that few here are going to recognize, but if you’re familiar with his work, you know why he could hang.

King’s as good as anyone at a punch. He only shows up on NC to battle but god damn does he show up. With him being absent from NC 1-2 (RB had their own shit going on) it’s about time for him to make his presence known here again and he’s got an interesting opponent for sure.

Eviscerate is an old school type that knows more than enough about rap and writing to write a good battle verse. The only thing I would look out for is him not being direct enough, but I don’t expect him to fall into that trap. Aside from that, I don’t know this dude well. I really only expect a well written verse that’s a good read.

FGR vs SMaSH (video)
Holy Shit, a Video Battle

This relic of our hobby might just be the future in this pandemic age. Considering the biggest news in battle rap is a video tourney, FGR and SMaSH might not just be recording a verse for each other, but building a piece of their rap portfolio. I think they both know that, but won’t let it get in the way.

I have to be honest. I know jack shit about these two aside from FGR being one of the 1-2’s most consistent. I know even less about video battles, so I really can’t offer anything other than quiet optimism that it’ll be better than half the shit we’re seeing in video battle tourneys for cash.

Inno vs Adverse
Making a Statement

This matchup features two of the 1-2 league’s standouts: Inno - the topical mainstay with a meteoric rise to the first season champ - vs Adverse - who’s improvement was demonstrated week to week, bar for bar - in a battle of text’s newest contenders.

I am always a fan of topicalists writing a punch. At the very least, it’s different. The fundamental difference in approach tends to be interesting, but rarely a chore to read. Inno is a rare breed of topicalists who errs on the side of doing too little with a punch and builds his bars up around a concept, rather than a flip or technical writing goal. He’s a funny guy, but when he does too much, it can hurt him. If Inno can be direct conceptually but still use his creative sensibilities to angle his punch, we’re in for some solid hits.

Adverse is a relative unknown on Netcees. The guy has a style that you can tell is anchored in live battles, which I personally fuck with a lot, but he really used the 1-2 season to hone in on what makes a harsh punch. He hasn’t had a huge platform to make a statement yet, but in this event, I can see the guy drop a well-shaped verse. I’m hoping to see bars that flow smoothly into the next as opposed to 5, 6, or 7 1-2 punches. If Adverse’s live battle sensibilities guide him, he could make one hell of a statement here.

Seth vs Sharp
Sharp Rips Seth’s Fucking Head Off

I’m gonna eat this dude alive.

Bold Predictions

-Inno starts writing his verse more than an hour before it’s due
-3 votes are cast
-FGR’s Philly accent costs him a vote, but gets him a vote from Uhoh, which will not be counted because he didn’t view either battle
-Barcotic finds a way to sway despite not being in any battle
-Sharp via KO (No-Show)

That’s all I got in me anymore guys. Hope you all stay healthy and can drop. 24 hour extensions obv. Let’s make it dope.