[ACTIVATE SELF]

Rude
Well, this was genius, per usual, Rude. Uhm, the only thing that I did not like about this piece is that you wrote it whereas I did not. Seriously. You know better than most my penchant for writing and exploring Sci-Fi themes. In particular transhumanisim as it applies to existential concepts. Not to mention my fondness towards examing politically rooted ideologies and so called "conspiracy theories". Of which, this verse contained all of that and more. An example of the "more" part was the overarching "love-lost" scenario that added a humanizing element to the idea of this digitally manipulated existence of cybernetic technologies. I loved the emphasis on and illustration of the malevolent tech/weapons manufacturer. As well as, what looks likes it might be, the inevitable future of government controlled reality. The constant state of drug induced unawareness highlighted in your verse could also be parlayed into a socially conscious metaphor that speaks to today's society's obsession with escapism via internet platforms, television and substance abuse. A most recent example of the latter is perhaps the government's new found position on the legalization of pot (which I'm all for, but I question the motives behind). Also, the Music Industry's blatant glorification and promotion of pharmaceutical drugs futher laminates such accusations. I think your verse serves as a beautifully constructed forewarning of the aforementioned commentary. Moreover, not only was it socially aware, but on a purely superficial level (layers unpeeled) it was an extremely well written and enjoyable story. Your technical execution was also top notch. Your narration was focused and it transitioned progressively. Your structure was organized and tidy, and I feel your wording was clean and concise. Rhythmically it was butter. Lyrically it was outstanding. Highlights include (but not limited to) the following: "it hurts because, it hurts", "line of scrimmage", "eye-phones", and "ex to see". I could honestly put the whole verse in quotes. Superb.

Sammy
Okay, so your verse is riddled with ingenious symbolism. Like Rude, you wrote a story within a story. The masterwork that is Dante's inferno is obviously the inspiration behind your content. One thing that I love about your work, and it's something that I feel this piece exemplifies, is your ability to take single scenarios and make them seem like an entire collection of material. A better way to describe what I mean is that I imagine your verses as being the single best scene in a movie or the absolute best page of a novel. It's condescend and scaled down writing that is heavily invested in throwing the reader into a single frame or moment. All while you jam pack said moment with as much rich content as you possibly can. In this instance, you focused on a single level of Hell, the 3rd to be exact. You modernized the location, but through clever use of subliminal and symbolic devices you were able to retain traces of the original manuscript, which was no doubt your goal all along. Let us quickly examine some of my postulations.

*Heaven sent: This denotes your supernatural punishment and alludes to the hellish destination to where you were sent for you gluttony and earthly sins.
*Boss: Refers to God
*Puss & Blood: The remnants of the tortured souls who's flesh is ripped and torn apart by the 3-headed beast named Cerebus whom stalks the realm. Also, an allusion to the gluttonous filth of excess that the level is best known for.
*Under mezzanine: Indicates your location and serves as an allusion to the various levels that exist in Hell.
*Level 3: Is the realm of Gluttony
*Abaddox: Most likely is a play on the name Abbadon. The demon/angel that holds the key to the abyss.
*Fat pudgy demon: Because he represents glutty.
*Purple hue: Is an obvious tie-in to the picture. As well as signifies Abaddox's royal status as a crowded prince of Hell.
*Wasting funds/hookers: Another tie-in to the picture and allusion to gluttony.
*The color red: Indicates the color code of the proceeding levels below you.
*Lake: Means to signify the River Styx aka the 4th level.
*A hell of a dream: alludes to the fact that Dante's entire experience in the 9 Circles of Hell were all the byproduct of a dream and lyrically it's also dope as fuck.
*Morning Star: Is one of Lucifer's celestial names/titles.

So, basically you're the Devil himself aka Satan being punished and forced to work as a janitor in the 3rd level of Hell. But it seems you have dreams of promotion via descention. Dope. As. Fuck.

Vote: Sammy

This was one of the best battles I've read in a long time. You're both two of my all-favorite writers and this battle shows why. I think Rude had better mechanics and wordplay and her execution was absolutely flawless. I also think that her take on the topic was genius, and like Sammy's verse, told a separate story in between it's lines. Relatively speaking it was a perfect verse. I don't feel like Rude lost. Sammy didn't beat her. But get's the nod because his story was just as immaculate. Maybe the scheme wasn't as polished, but the richness of detail and thoughtfulness put into each line was absolutely extraordinary. This was a battle of layers and Sammy had a single thin layer more for me to peel back and enjoy. Excellent battle.