Netcees - View Single Post - STI: "WHO'S WHO?!"

sral · 08-29-2016, 05:18 PM

- President Lars:

Waddup NCG's!
The Pres officially welcomes you all to what will be the greatest show of topical and storytelling skill the interwebz still has to offer. It's 2016. A lot of exceptional talent has been nurtured over recent years, and the roster is also jam-packed with returning veterans of the game eager to show they still have what it takes to dominate at the highest level of competition. Not a single one of these guys can be wrote off as a contender. The board has hand selected some of the finest barsmiths known in textceedom and offered them an open-invite to compete in this text-ravaganza! You can virtually mix and match the roster and every battle has potential classic wrote all over it. This is the time. Who will be crowned King? Well, let's have a look at our competition line-up...

The Sweet Sixteen holds a vast array of talent from all around the interwebz, including some returning legends and more recent stars of the topical scene - oh, and Bags. This shit promises to be the most exciting topical battle tourney to ever go down! The invites were handpicked and sent out, and with numbers VERY limited there were undoubtedly some great writers that missed out on the opportunity - which only serves to show you the level of competition in a tournament where the likes of Witty, oatmeal, B.E, and Certain were forced to sit this one out on the reserved bench. Holy mother of god! Let's take a look at those involved:
@Bags @Cimmerian @RichardCorey @Vulgar
@Eng @PancakeBrah @dead man @big baby @Atheist @Pent uP @NYCSPITZ @Frank @Split Eight
@UnbornBuddah
@Soulstice - Soul is actually a former crew member of mine (as are a few others involved) but that was years ago and he's come on leaps and bounds since those days. His writing is now very refined, as those familiar can vouch. In fact, I'll tell you that his style now is virtually unrecognisable from the youngster with potential my crew picked up initially all those years ago. He's developed into a beast. I've no shame in admitting that, though I'd like to think my tutelage somehow influenced that. Mainly because I'm an ego maniac. Partly because he's that damn good.

@dead man Dead man (Black D) may be one of the best writers of our generation. It would be easier to tell you the leagues and tourneys he hasn't champed, in truth! This guy is a machine. His wording and unique turns of phrase are essentially what makes him stand out, but that isn't to say he's a one-trick pony. Far from it. You don't stay at the top of your game for this long when that's the case. Dead man is a precocious talent, taking every aspect of his personal life and spilling it out there for the world to see unashamedly. He writes with flare. He writes with poise. He writes with a fire in his belly, and once that's been stoked there are VERY few that can match him.

@Eŋg - Eng is somewhat of a dark horse in entering this tournament I think. His actual writing ability isn't in question here, although, some may argue he has never proven himself clinical on the big stage when it matters. I'd argue one huge win could well change that. The great thing about Eng, for me, is his more free-flowing verses that come off effortlessly as he strings words and sentences together with ease. For the unfamiliar, please dig out his verse about the gladiator fighting for his life in the coliseum! This guy is a force to be reckoned with, often found in the Open Mic forum tearing it up regularly rather than in the AOWL - which is possibly why he goes under the radar of many of the sites "known" names. Rest assured, Eng is no slouch and the powers that be had him named in their initial invites for a reason. He isn't here to make up the numbers. Eng is a proven talent, and I feel if he makes the business end of the tournament he'll have grown in confidence with the belief he can take on anyone and win. Definitely one to keep an eye on, especially in the trickier early rounds where he may be an unknown quantity to some of our line up and catch them unaware!

@Bags - Arguably the most controversial entrant into this entire biz due to the fact he's predominantly a good text battling behemoth of NC's who rarely pokes his head into the multi-coloured world of topical rainbows and unicorn urine. For the rest uninitiated though, Bags has competed in numerous topical battles here at The Lime with a great deal of success - champing one finals over Veritas to be crowned top dog and facing off against Cashius in another memorable finale. Anthony Swollavito is no slouch. His resume and track record in these competitions should speak for themselves. He may well be the most underrated topical head this site has known, but his talent hasn't gone unnoticed by the sites upper tier writers and the likes of NYCSPITZ and Dancake agree - he's included in the line up ahead of some very, very skilled writers. I wouldn't put it past him to bag a few upsets (pun ALWAYS intended)!

@Pinot Grij - Pinot was long considered one of the most enigmatic writers this forum had seen. Eventually it was revealed he was a long-time veteran of the battle scene under an alias, but he is absolute magic! The thing I love about Pinot is his refreshing take on topics, his comedic style wins over a lot of writers and he is really reminiscent of CopyPat at times IMHO. Regardless, he's dope as fuck in his own right and his more battle-orientated background lends to his style as he litters verses with countless quotable couplets all richly served with a huge slice of satire. Delicious. Rarely do you see Chef Grij deliver a ham-fisted course, either. He has a flavour all of his own, and it's one to be savoured rather than devoured. I guess my awful food analogy ends there with this one. The readers are in for a treat with his fine cuisine. Bon a petit, everyone!

@big baby - While regulars of the Open Mic may possibly be more familiar with BB da BB's portfolio than the AOWL stalwarts - there's surely no denying the babies talent. This guy can write! Big Baby isn't selected on merit, he's arguably top five on the site - probably more so top three in all honesty - when he chooses to put something down, the board listens. One thing is for sure, this guy is no sucker, and he won't throw his toys out of the pram if a vote goes against him. Okay enough with the baby idioms for a second, this guy signing in was a huge green light for the tournaments success and personally I'm really pleased to have him on board. If he doesn't get caught twiddling with his moustachio I can see this guy reaching the finals.

@NYCSPITZ: A LOT of you guys sleep on NYC. Me? I've known (of) the guy since our days at HipHopKings (shouts to Chin Kwon!) and he's been a problem since then. That was years ago! While NYC isn't as prolific a writer as some of the others involved with the STI, this guy has proved time and time over he has what it takes to compete at the business ends of leagues and tourneys with the best of the best the net has to offer. He's done it. I think all dude is lacking is one HUGE win to finally put him over into that small pool of elite tier respected writers. This could well be that tournament. He's experienced, he's motivated, and could be considered an underdog in some respects given the weight of expectation surrounding our other entrants involved! Could this really be NYC's time to rise and rank amongst the best of the best? Only time will tell...

@Vulgar - This guy is one of RapFlava's most unique writers. His creativity and innovation is up there with just about anyone to have done this damn thing, and I don't say that lightly. I don't think it's unfair to say the real threat to Vulgars chances here is the man himself, Vulgar. On his day his writing is a phenomenal blend of other worldy tales, suspense and a unique narration that is unmistakably Vulg. The ring rust may have set in, as I haven't seen him writing as prolifically of recent, but I think if he makes it through the first through rounds and settled into his stride - he could do some real damage in the tournament. Having competed in many of the toughest leagues on the web over time, this guy knows what it will take to win. He's a huge draw for a reason, he would have been seeded much higher had he been more active for sure!

@RichardCorey - Talk about ghosts of Textmas past! The legendary RC returns to take part in this crazy one-off tournament featuring some of the greatest writers to even push the space bar on a keyboard. What do I say about this guy that hasn't already been said before? He is a legend in every sense of the word. Probably THE single best writer to be found on a hiphop forum for the past decade of more. This guy has more HOF worthy verses than we have in our entire archive here. He's done his thing at just about every hiphop forum with an acronym you'll come across. I mean, he's Rich Corey for fucks sake! Just how much he has in the tank after his lengthy lay off remains to be seen, BUT with his job now as an online writer - I imagine it isnt too far removed from this beloved hobby of ours that it will cause him too much trouble. He is the undisputed king of this shit. Be that the RSTL, the RHYME, or just about any tournament you can think of. There are very few writers with a win over RC, and for very good reason. A motivated RC is a problem for any writer out there; lets just hope he sticks around long enough to make the business end of the tournament!

@Pent uP - Pent is both one of my greatest allies and greatest foes. We've competed against each other, we've played active rolls in crews together. And there is good reason for that. This vodka-sipping motherfucker is one of the best of his generation in text, long looked up to and admired for his naturalistic style - coupling a fantastic cadence to his writing along with a technical flair that has simply proven too much for the majority of his opponents to match. Pent is also a former RSTL and RHYME champion - as well as running through an entire season of the AOWL here undefeated! His accolades should speak for themselves. Even if you aren't familiar with his work, you will be with his name. As his writing matured he became one of the writers I both respect and admire. Granted, he may not have been as active on the scene of recent as he had been in the not-too-distant past - but sleep on him and you'll lose. It's that simple. Not that I imagine his opponents will get much sleep knowing they're up against him!

@Cimmerian: The UPN veteran, possibly RapLeagues also if memory serves me correct though I am a lot older than I once was haha! The great thing about Cimm, for me, is the emphasis he places on flow. It's a characteristic a lot of our more seasoned writers don't tend to place as strong an importance on, even though it's one myself feels is ever so important. Cimm has almost two decades worth of experience accompanying him and is rightly highly thought of by his fellow peers. Netcees has seen a resurgent Cimm return to writing semi-regularly as well as dropping some of his older stuff here for the newer era to marvel at. It's safe to say his style is extremely well refined at this point, he has his groove and rarely deviates from it now. He wears his style like a well worn glove, and it's a comfortable fit. I love Cimm. He's almost a throwback to the prehistoric days of text - and yet, somehow, he finds himself smack bang in the middle of the biggest topical tournament to go down for years with his name touted as one of just sixteen invitees. That's some feat. Generally Cimm tends to stick to shorter lined verses compact full of wonderful wording and beautiful imagery. He lets the pen do the talking. But my god it speaks in the most dulcet tones youve heard once his writers voice is allowed to sing. That's enough of my crappy analogy there. This guy is a dark horse for sure!

@Atheist - Ath is another returning legend of the RSTL-era here for another stab at glory and to stake his claim as one of the best to ever participate at this level. He's a multiple-time RSTL champ, his name still makes countless lists as one of the greatest to ever compete in the topical scene and he even returned to the fallen RSTL some years after his initial run -under the name Kuja - to prove he still had what it took. I love the guy. The RSTL in a lot of respects represented somewhat of a "golden era" in topical writing, and while that league may be no more - many of it's high calibre writers can still be found online today. Will Atheist still have it in him to take it all? I, for one, can't wait to find out!

08-29-2016, 05:18 PM	#3
sral Shrewd as evearthed Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Wolverhampton, England Posts: 8,255 Battle Record: 28-3 Champed - Gimmick Battle League - The Winter Topical - Topical Martyrs - Lime Green Poetry Association - Lyric Olympics - Art of Writing League - Guerrilla Writing League (2x) - Black August II Rep Power: 85899391	- President Lars: Waddup NCG's! The Pres officially welcomes you all to what will be the greatest show of topical and storytelling skill the interwebz still has to offer. It's 2016. A lot of exceptional talent has been nurtured over recent years, and the roster is also jam-packed with returning veterans of the game eager to show they still have what it takes to dominate at the highest level of competition. Not a single one of these guys can be wrote off as a contender. The board has hand selected some of the finest barsmiths known in textceedom and offered them an open-invite to compete in this text-ravaganza! You can virtually mix and match the roster and every battle has potential classic wrote all over it. This is the time. Who will be crowned King? Well, let's have a look at our competition line-up... The Sweet Sixteen holds a vast array of talent from all around the interwebz, including some returning legends and more recent stars of the topical scene - oh, and Bags. This shit promises to be the most exciting topical battle tourney to ever go down! The invites were handpicked and sent out, and with numbers VERY limited there were undoubtedly some great writers that missed out on the opportunity - which only serves to show you the level of competition in a tournament where the likes of Witty, oatmeal, B.E, and Certain were forced to sit this one out on the reserved bench. Holy mother of god! Let's take a look at those involved: @Bags @Cimmerian @RichardCorey @Vulgar @Eng @PancakeBrah @dead man @big baby @Atheist @Pent uP @NYCSPITZ @Frank @Split Eight @UnbornBuddah @Soulstice - Soul is actually a former crew member of mine (as are a few others involved) but that was years ago and he's come on leaps and bounds since those days. His writing is now very refined, as those familiar can vouch. In fact, I'll tell you that his style now is virtually unrecognisable from the youngster with potential my crew picked up initially all those years ago. He's developed into a beast. I've no shame in admitting that, though I'd like to think my tutelage somehow influenced that. Mainly because I'm an ego maniac. Partly because he's that damn good. @dead man Dead man (Black D) may be one of the best writers of our generation. It would be easier to tell you the leagues and tourneys he hasn't champed, in truth! This guy is a machine. His wording and unique turns of phrase are essentially what makes him stand out, but that isn't to say he's a one-trick pony. Far from it. You don't stay at the top of your game for this long when that's the case. Dead man is a precocious talent, taking every aspect of his personal life and spilling it out there for the world to see unashamedly. He writes with flare. He writes with poise. He writes with a fire in his belly, and once that's been stoked there are VERY few that can match him. @Eŋg - Eng is somewhat of a dark horse in entering this tournament I think. His actual writing ability isn't in question here, although, some may argue he has never proven himself clinical on the big stage when it matters. I'd argue one huge win could well change that. The great thing about Eng, for me, is his more free-flowing verses that come off effortlessly as he strings words and sentences together with ease. For the unfamiliar, please dig out his verse about the gladiator fighting for his life in the coliseum! This guy is a force to be reckoned with, often found in the Open Mic forum tearing it up regularly rather than in the AOWL - which is possibly why he goes under the radar of many of the sites "known" names. Rest assured, Eng is no slouch and the powers that be had him named in their initial invites for a reason. He isn't here to make up the numbers. Eng is a proven talent, and I feel if he makes the business end of the tournament he'll have grown in confidence with the belief he can take on anyone and win. Definitely one to keep an eye on, especially in the trickier early rounds where he may be an unknown quantity to some of our line up and catch them unaware! @Bags - Arguably the most controversial entrant into this entire biz due to the fact he's predominantly a good text battling behemoth of NC's who rarely pokes his head into the multi-coloured world of topical rainbows and unicorn urine. For the rest uninitiated though, Bags has competed in numerous topical battles here at The Lime with a great deal of success - champing one finals over Veritas to be crowned top dog and facing off against Cashius in another memorable finale. Anthony Swollavito is no slouch. His resume and track record in these competitions should speak for themselves. He may well be the most underrated topical head this site has known, but his talent hasn't gone unnoticed by the sites upper tier writers and the likes of NYCSPITZ and Dancake agree - he's included in the line up ahead of some very, very skilled writers. I wouldn't put it past him to bag a few upsets (pun ALWAYS intended)! @Pinot Grij - Pinot was long considered one of the most enigmatic writers this forum had seen. Eventually it was revealed he was a long-time veteran of the battle scene under an alias, but he is absolute magic! The thing I love about Pinot is his refreshing take on topics, his comedic style wins over a lot of writers and he is really reminiscent of CopyPat at times IMHO. Regardless, he's dope as fuck in his own right and his more battle-orientated background lends to his style as he litters verses with countless quotable couplets all richly served with a huge slice of satire. Delicious. Rarely do you see Chef Grij deliver a ham-fisted course, either. He has a flavour all of his own, and it's one to be savoured rather than devoured. I guess my awful food analogy ends there with this one. The readers are in for a treat with his fine cuisine. Bon a petit, everyone! @big baby - While regulars of the Open Mic may possibly be more familiar with BB da BB's portfolio than the AOWL stalwarts - there's surely no denying the babies talent. This guy can write! Big Baby isn't selected on merit, he's arguably top five on the site - probably more so top three in all honesty - when he chooses to put something down, the board listens. One thing is for sure, this guy is no sucker, and he won't throw his toys out of the pram if a vote goes against him. Okay enough with the baby idioms for a second, this guy signing in was a huge green light for the tournaments success and personally I'm really pleased to have him on board. If he doesn't get caught twiddling with his moustachio I can see this guy reaching the finals. @NYCSPITZ: A LOT of you guys sleep on NYC. Me? I've known (of) the guy since our days at HipHopKings (shouts to Chin Kwon!) and he's been a problem since then. That was years ago! While NYC isn't as prolific a writer as some of the others involved with the STI, this guy has proved time and time over he has what it takes to compete at the business ends of leagues and tourneys with the best of the best the net has to offer. He's done it. I think all dude is lacking is one HUGE win to finally put him over into that small pool of elite tier respected writers. This could well be that tournament. He's experienced, he's motivated, and could be considered an underdog in some respects given the weight of expectation surrounding our other entrants involved! Could this really be NYC's time to rise and rank amongst the best of the best? Only time will tell... @Vulgar - This guy is one of RapFlava's most unique writers. His creativity and innovation is up there with just about anyone to have done this damn thing, and I don't say that lightly. I don't think it's unfair to say the real threat to Vulgars chances here is the man himself, Vulgar. On his day his writing is a phenomenal blend of other worldy tales, suspense and a unique narration that is unmistakably Vulg. The ring rust may have set in, as I haven't seen him writing as prolifically of recent, but I think if he makes it through the first through rounds and settled into his stride - he could do some real damage in the tournament. Having competed in many of the toughest leagues on the web over time, this guy knows what it will take to win. He's a huge draw for a reason, he would have been seeded much higher had he been more active for sure! @RichardCorey - Talk about ghosts of Textmas past! The legendary RC returns to take part in this crazy one-off tournament featuring some of the greatest writers to even push the space bar on a keyboard. What do I say about this guy that hasn't already been said before? He is a legend in every sense of the word. Probably THE single best writer to be found on a hiphop forum for the past decade of more. This guy has more HOF worthy verses than we have in our entire archive here. He's done his thing at just about every hiphop forum with an acronym you'll come across. I mean, he's Rich Corey for fucks sake! Just how much he has in the tank after his lengthy lay off remains to be seen, BUT with his job now as an online writer - I imagine it isnt too far removed from this beloved hobby of ours that it will cause him too much trouble. He is the undisputed king of this shit. Be that the RSTL, the RHYME, or just about any tournament you can think of. There are very few writers with a win over RC, and for very good reason. A motivated RC is a problem for any writer out there; lets just hope he sticks around long enough to make the business end of the tournament! @Pent uP - Pent is both one of my greatest allies and greatest foes. We've competed against each other, we've played active rolls in crews together. And there is good reason for that. This vodka-sipping motherfucker is one of the best of his generation in text, long looked up to and admired for his naturalistic style - coupling a fantastic cadence to his writing along with a technical flair that has simply proven too much for the majority of his opponents to match. Pent is also a former RSTL and RHYME champion - as well as running through an entire season of the AOWL here undefeated! His accolades should speak for themselves. Even if you aren't familiar with his work, you will be with his name. As his writing matured he became one of the writers I both respect and admire. Granted, he may not have been as active on the scene of recent as he had been in the not-too-distant past - but sleep on him and you'll lose. It's that simple. Not that I imagine his opponents will get much sleep knowing they're up against him! @Cimmerian: The UPN veteran, possibly RapLeagues also if memory serves me correct though I am a lot older than I once was haha! The great thing about Cimm, for me, is the emphasis he places on flow. It's a characteristic a lot of our more seasoned writers don't tend to place as strong an importance on, even though it's one myself feels is ever so important. Cimm has almost two decades worth of experience accompanying him and is rightly highly thought of by his fellow peers. Netcees has seen a resurgent Cimm return to writing semi-regularly as well as dropping some of his older stuff here for the newer era to marvel at. It's safe to say his style is extremely well refined at this point, he has his groove and rarely deviates from it now. He wears his style like a well worn glove, and it's a comfortable fit. I love Cimm. He's almost a throwback to the prehistoric days of text - and yet, somehow, he finds himself smack bang in the middle of the biggest topical tournament to go down for years with his name touted as one of just sixteen invitees. That's some feat. Generally Cimm tends to stick to shorter lined verses compact full of wonderful wording and beautiful imagery. He lets the pen do the talking. But my god it speaks in the most dulcet tones youve heard once his writers voice is allowed to sing. That's enough of my crappy analogy there. This guy is a dark horse for sure! @Atheist - Ath is another returning legend of the RSTL-era here for another stab at glory and to stake his claim as one of the best to ever participate at this level. He's a multiple-time RSTL champ, his name still makes countless lists as one of the greatest to ever compete in the topical scene and he even returned to the fallen RSTL some years after his initial run -under the name Kuja - to prove he still had what it took. I love the guy. The RSTL in a lot of respects represented somewhat of a "golden era" in topical writing, and while that league may be no more - many of it's high calibre writers can still be found online today. Will Atheist still have it in him to take it all? I, for one, can't wait to find out! __________________ - Netcees Rebuttal Tourney - Art of Writing League (x 4) - AOWL Season 11 Champion (Undefeated Season) Last edited by sral; 08-30-2016 at 06:02 AM.