AOWL Magazine Week 2- 'The KING Edition'.

[King Ra.]

The Introduction
Yo, whuddup? Welcome to AOWL magazine, week 2- the KING edition. If you thought week 1's mag was dope, well this one may be even better. A lot of dope writers threw it down the previous week, Split & myself will review each match up . Dropped your piece & got no showed? Don't worry. I got you. We'll check out the drops that got avoided. Got these predictions for week 2, which looks like another round of high quality match ups (but when you're in a league as dope as this one, how can you have anything less?) Two writers chose to have a discussion with the King, so we will check how that turned out. Also we look into the Open Mic to see what's been going down, this week 3 writers get the spotlight. Genocide breaks down each writer (that dropped) from week 1 & we look into who is bringing what to the table. So with so much jammed packed, just sit back, relax & enjoy the read.







OPEN MIC FEATURE #1

'Genodus' written by Genocide

Empty inside, its I, before my mom and dad ever collide
With their testicles tied, this is me on a molecular side
A stencil of mine, the rough draft I was founded upon
The cytoplasmic cabin, a spawn, a dope rapper devolved
Back into small, before I ever mattered at all, I was a germ
Divided from sperm, a worm, for lack of more popular terms
Not your concern, these are just the facts of development
Passed as irrelevant, but we've all been plasma, the delicates
Let me take you back to your elements, absent inteligence
Back when your measurements microscopically sediment
Obvious, evident, that we've come far from bacteria, growth
Debate youve evolved but can't deny the theory, it shows
Serious though, sick of hearing how my nucleus is really a hoax
But No, cause nowadays I have some feelings, some toes
Exposed, some actual buzz, proud as fuck I ain't the capsule I was
That would be tough, I'm more satisfied about the casual stuff
Asthma and dust, the grass being cut, a fine womans gradual touch
The words I write, master, conduct, the action of love
The fact my daughters world hasn't begun, the fact that she's here
Damn, If not for dna we never would of happened, appeared


What the readers are saying....

Figurative- "The flow was on point but it got a little repetitive after a while. Nice use of vocab though, and just enough multis."

zygote- "Enjoyed the progression from cell to fetus - highlight was "some feelings, some toes.".... your writing/topic here stimulated some thought."



WEEK 1 Recap
by Split & King Keith

Rawn McDon vs. Innovator
The topic was a wide shot of the Statue of Liberty overlooking New York, with the Twin Towers still intact. Rawn took the picture very literally, what it encompassed- and described the Statue as it stands and what it encompasses. Innovator wrote about what it symbolizes- a beacon of hope, that when you draw close, you see is almost forlorn, a whiff of the American dream that serves more as a reminder of our naivete than our nations promise. Rawn was praised for his flow and rhyme scheme, as well as his strong vocab. Most wished he had developed his piece further. Innovator was praised for his angle on the topic, his poetic lines, and the range of emotion that feels very distinct to New York City, but saw his lines as bordering on overly-simplistic.

Voters gave this one to Innovator, 6-2.

c.d.m. vs. dead man
This battle came as a surprise to me. Dead man dropped a very strong verse, tight rhymes, really encompassed a very difficult topic- the location depicted on the steps, the atmosphere on the steps themselves, then wrapped it in a nice metaphor. C.D.M. had a loosely rhyming piece about justice, vengeance and righteousness.

Voters leaned heavily towards deadeth, and he won 9-0.

Coup vs. ZenLand
Coup came with a more abstract piece, showcasing his vocab and style, lightly addressing the topic. ZenLand had a very good take on the topic, writing a surreal piece about the Holocaust, the passage of time and the way fate impacts his main character's perception of time through a severe mental ordeal. ZenLand really grabbed hold of the topic, and has some strong concepts and mechanics.

The votes went to ZenLand in a 7-0 blowout.

Frank vs. Mike Wrecka
Frank came with his signature style, driven to kick off things right & did so over Mike Wrecka. Mike dropped a nice, emotional-like story but it wasn't enough to get the voters to select him.

Frank won in a blowout, 9-1.

Genocide vs. Orc
Orc's return to the topical wargrounds probably didn't go as expected. Genocide rode this match to a solid victory. The rust was evident but Orc still did a nice job.

Genocide cruised, 10-2.

Split vs. Malachi
Malachi's debut ended in defeat to one of the up & coming writers in Split. Voters were pretty impressed with his story though, especially for a first time topical written.

Split wins in a knockout, 6-0.



A Word With The King Part I

Malachi is a new writer in the topical genre & is looking to become one of the best, if not THE BEST, writer to grace the net. The kid is certainly inspired & driven. Procrastination is a bitch though. He better tame her, otherwise his dreams will become nightmares. I caught up with the young god & here's how things went.


King Keith: First off, introduce yourself to our readers.


Malachi: Yo wassup, its Malachi aka Prophet from Netcees. AOB's youngest.


King Keith: The youngest indeed, ha. Doing the damn thing too. How's that school life going? Still peeking at that cute teacher you like cleavage? Or they all have sandbags?


Malachi: Sandbags, but my IT teacher has an ass damn. Anyway yea I guess schools aight, we have testing and shit all this week, cant wait till summer break tho so I can really focus on my craft.


King Keith: Aha, alright. Summer is right around the corner so hang in there. Let's talk about your craft. You dropped your first topical last week. Though you lost, how did you feel about your first drop & what are your thoughts on the critique?


Malachi: Yeah, I thought it was okay especially being my first topical match. If I had took more time on it and not had "half assed" it like c.d.m put it, I think i could have done way more but what can I say, procrastination gets me every time. As for the critique I didn't think I was going to get that much props. Its much appreciated though, just wait for my week 2 drop, way more effort.


King Keith: I hope you do bring it this week. You got mad potential, just got to work at it. Speaking of week 2, any match up(s) that you have your eye on & who do you think will win?


Malachi: Yo I really wanna see how that Strikta vs. Frank match goes. I've never seen Strikta do a topical. I want to see if he's as good at battling as he is at topical writing. Frank is real dope with it but you never know. I think Frank will win, if he shows (said he wasn't though), but if he does I wouldn't be mad if Strikta came out on top either. Also I can't wait to read Zenland vs Zygote. Zygote, in my opinion, one of the best writers I've read. Lol nigga posted his verse in thirty minutes, the concept of his verse was cool a well. Let's see what Zen can come up with.


King Keith: Strikta & Frank will be a good one indeed. Idk how Zygote just writes that fast but even so it comes out dope. I see you're signing out week 3. Why & when do you look to return back to the league?


Malachi: Very soon, actually maybe like for week 4 or week 5. I have a bit on my plate. School homework, I'm working on a collab for Open Mic and a future flex plus i got that Ultimate Tourney & the AOBL. Coming back with a vengeance though.


King Keith: We'll be sure to keep our eyes out on that. This is the end of our discussion so say your last words & shout outs.


Malachi: Bow to the young god. Holla.



OPEN MIC FEATURE #2

'The Cave' written by Zenland

I start depictions of Mars descendin near the atmosphere
In large descriptions as I lay scarred but ridden
Of bizzare inflictions. Which I soon removed
With carved incisions into the hull of my skull
Down in my brain where horrors remain charred but livin
As memories of miseries which turn into bars I've written
With jarred precision til I learn lessons of my transgressions
And they are forgiven. Until then they stand guard of forbiddens
As I lay trapped in a cave, where minutes lapse in a day
As I'm clasped, A slave of the past I face,
My laughs decay into a drastic craze of wrath and rage
Til I collapse and pray and synapses portray imagery near me
Of lastin praise which last and stays
And which maps away across the paths in the brain
And I master the waves and crack the chains as sparks flew,
And I chart my cruise through the passageways
And I start anew but my hearts confused, Earthly gains, Is it a worthy game?
Its hard to choose with only but bizzare clues,
I can only hope and plead that this isn't what's supposed to be
As serotonin pleas for me to go to sleep,
Rest in peace, I scream into the morning breeze.


What the readers are saying....


Coup- "As for the mechanics, great job there..you ahve a good sense of rhyme and just by reading 4 pieces from you I think I would never mistake a piece by you with another...."




Figurative- "You have a very unique structure that is fun to read alongwith. Also, i love the interpretation you leave up to the reader."




Witty- "....the rhyming was great, and the imagery and emotion seemed both effortless and real, I could feel what you wanted the reader to feel and I understood everything clearly."