[Certain]

VERITAS: Given the bluster of your font size, the intri***y of the first section and your well-earned reputation as a very smart writer, I was stunned by how shallow this verse was. The content simply didn't go anywhere. It felt like major chunks of the verse were removed. The rhymes were really strong at points, and what you did post was good overall. But it really needed to be more fleshed out. I need to know more about what happened to cause our narrator to do ... well ... everything. I felt like I read the beginning of a massive piece that's going to return me to those courtroom proceedings after giving me more detail on everything. Also, I didn't think it was a good idea this week to use the courtroom approach. That was just too simple. I'm sure at least one person has done it well (as I've only read six verses), but it was the obvious choice.

Word: In my head, KRS-One is rapping this verse circa 1987. And while I like Boogie Down Productions, that's not really the greatest thing for a text verse. This was a bit too simplistic in its style and diction and topic. You went head on but didn't really have anything to add to the conversation. The rhymes were mixed, but generally you would do well to use multiple-word rhymes pretty much always. They really will strengthen your flow quite a bit and give the readers who demand lyricism something to look at. Content-wise, you could have been a lot more specific, and you will need to be to survive in this league. There are a lot of government freedom issues, and picking them apart one by one would have been a really effective approach instead of generalizing throughout. Still, I did appreciate the old-school feel to this. And your points were right.

Vote: Word

Note: I deleted my original vote but didn't change a word of it to repost. I just thought this battle should be at the top because it clearly needs more votes while several other battles are pretty much done deals.