Round 2: R. Pent uP vs. 6. Soulstice \\ Soulstice wins 5-3

[dead man]

my fucking vote has been deleted twice. fuck fuck fukcfc fuck.

soul -- basically, the verse almost felt like it could have been told through Basquiat's voice. addiction and artistry are almost never mutually exclusive and maybe that is the reason this type of verse isn't conceptually impressive or groundbreaking on any level, but as a character sketch it succeeds. you have done justice to your vision, and in only 10 lines, it si not an easy skill especially for someone like you who tends to lean towards the aural, gradual setting of scenes for this type of work. very well done. you may benefit from some reflective free writing in open mic just for practice's sake. it never hurt anybody and i can't remember the last time i read something from you that was non-competitive.

highlights were your execution of an interpretive angle that was less than impressive.

PENT -- here's the great dichotomy i love to see in these match ups. it makes voting difficult but thats why its fun. its very risky to break the 4th wall in this way - writing verses about another verse you wrote (which i really don't remember, and can't find even after a brief search of your username) either serves a great sense of self-reflection and personal insight or a good bit of self indulgence and narcissism. in your case it wasn't so pretentious to become a negative. all in all, it becomes almost a study in the plasticity of a creative outlet in which public reception plays a role. our submissions and the feedback they receive are a give-and-take. they shape each other. it's a strong relationship. you finding humility through critical opinion on your work was a fantastic way to mold this topic. the dichotomy i mentioned before was referring to the strange imbalance between the two verses in this match. while soul delivered a weaker concept more powerfully, you had a far more original and interesting foundation on which you built a work that was not QUITE as involving (language-wise) as your opponent.

not much else to say. tough choice but PENTUP has my vote.