ROUND TWOMATCH REVIEWS
Quotes are sentences attributed to a specific person.
(1)dead man vs. (17)Witty
Props to Witty. He sent me a PM just a couple hours before the deadline saying he wouldn’t be able to drop but he found the time to finish a strong verse. Same goes for dead man, who had intimated that he was not going to show due to lack of motivation. Both pulled through and created a good battle. dead man wrote in his patented style about restrictions and wanting more under the guise of an ode to flying. His technique, as always, was on point with a flow above reproach and rhymes the same. Witty wrote about justice/law in the voice of a gay man dying in this life then going to hell and being reunited with his loverboy one last time before the devil owned their souls for eternity. Shit got serious. But really, this was a dope battle. Both writers weren’t exactly at their TOP level of writing but not too far off. Enjoyable. dead man won in a shutout 5-0.
(8)ZYG vs. (9)big baby
Interesting match-up. ZYG re-imagined an old parable as a text verse bookended by a bit of narrative writing. big baby took the topic and wrote about each season in the context of a relationship, dwindling downwards. Although he didn’t have the best verse of the round like in the First, this was still Top 5 in my mind. It stood as the more original and well written composition between the two. ZYG posted within an hour of the matches going up and wrote another good piece but I think the uniqueness of big baby’s writing and the emotional imprint he went for took this. Some voters didn’t enjoy the romantic nature of big baby’s piece and instead favored the message ZYG conveyed. It was relatively close in terms of voting. big baby won 6-3.
(R)Nigma vs. (13)trap
Trap no-showed. He sent me a PM early in the week saying he wouldn’t be able to show due to work related issues. He wanted CopyPat subbed in for him, so that’s honorable. Of course that couldn’t realistically happen so I left him in hoping he’d maybe find some time but it just didn’t work out. It would have been an interesting match had it gone to votes, I think. Nigma wrote a narrative piece about a cop getting a prostitute who turns out to be a cop herself. The mechanics were solid even if the twist was a bit tired. Nigma won via no-show, in the records as a 5-0 shutout.
(5)NYCSPITZ vs. (21)oXus
Interesting match-up. Prior to going to votes I had the preconception that NYC would run away with this due to the topic and having a history of reading his work. oXus, though, wrote the fuck out of his verse and came away with a pretty easy win here. I liked oXus’ approach to the topic conceptually and his writing was very crisp and refined. He employed some nice little rhyming tricks and there were no noticeable hiccups in his flow. NYC’s writing was just as good and his concept was solid. I have to side with many of the voters, though, in saying he tried to do too much with his verse. black mentioned that if he had a line extension he probably would’ve taken this, and I tend to agree. He had too many moving parts, not enough space. This match was one of the highlights of the round. oXus won 7-1.
(2)Pent uP vs. (15)Wise Ways
Wise no-showed. He mentioned elsewhere that he had a lot of personal shit going on and writing wasn’t a top priority which is more than reasonable. Still, I wish this match had happened because I was looking forward to it quite a bit. Wise wrote my second favorite verse of the First Round and I thought he had a real chance of making a deep run in the tournament. Pent dropped a dope verse, though, and it would’ve been tough to match his effort. He wrote a metaphor-heavy verse about a mother/son relationship and leaving home. He dropped it in the Open Mic and I suggest you give it a read and drop some feed. It’s good. Pent uP won via no-show, in the records as a 5-0 shutout.
(7)Lars vs. (10)Certain
Good match. Lars wrote a creative piece about two prehistoric men named ‘Alpha’ and ‘Bet’ and the formation of language and the eventual first lie, resulting in Bet’s death at the hand of Alpha. He related to the topic extremely well, and even touched on the alpha/beta nature of bros, even if that aspect was a bit too on the nose for me. His strength was his actual writing; he had smooth transitional rhymes and great schemes all around, all cohesive within a tight little rhythm. Certain told the story of a master/slave relationship that dealt with the dark arts and some weird shit, to put it plainly. For me, his piece lacked some context and had some wording issues (master being repeated TOO much, moving past the point of effect and into hitting the reader over the head). I liked his piece quite a bit but the lack of context and seemingly rushed ending left me wanting a bit more. Lars wrote the more complete verse. Props to both. Lars won 7-1.
(3)Vulgar vs. (14)Split Eight
This match-up was probably the closest of the Second Round, both quantitatively and qualitatively. As one of the two matches that finished 6-3 in votes this was the closest match in voting disparity of the Second Round and a few voters mentioned that the difference between the two verses was razor thin. Vulgar wrote about a mobster growing old, and Split wrote about a reflecting surgeon. Both pieces were expertly written. In the end, the flipped coin landed in Vulgar’s favor more often than it did Split’s. No shame in the loss. Vulgar won 6-3.
(R)uh-oh vs. (R)oats
Entertaining. uh-oh, in all caps because da god, wrote about Caesar taking Pompey after a drunken brag the night before. I’m not that knowledgeable on Roman history but his verse was clever and revealing enough that I was able to get where he was going with it. The flow was smooth throughout and the idea was funny and well-executed. Probably better than his First Round verse, which is a compliment to both. His writing definitely surprised me with its quality. oats wrote a partly-scathing piece in regards to the inherent nature of humans, with evolution and alcohol being the vehicles in his piece. His technique was on point throughout and his writer’s voice was pronounced. oats’ verse was one of the best verses of the Second Round. oats won in a shutout 5-0.