THE WINTER CLASSIC: HYPE MAGAZINE

[Orc]

THE FRESHNESS




Welcome to the most prestigious tournament we've had in quite some time. Possibly since the dot com days. I say this because the competitors here now could hang with what we had back then. Sure, the styles changed. The people have changed, too. The fire hasn't. I'd like to congratulate you all on making the final 32 and becoming a part of history. This is the tournament that revives text battling. We've seen it happen already. In six weeks we've gone from 145 active members to 190 and it's growing daily. The revolution will not be televised. A word of warning, however. Do not rest on your laurels. We've young heads now. Hungry. Earnest. Creative. Ready to take the jump and champ big events at any moment. This is the inaugural Winter Classic, and this is your time to shine. So, what the fuck are you waiting for?!

ROUND 1 BATTLE PREVIEWS:



@ill nik-A vs @Lenox

ill nik-A is one of the sites top heads at this point and has been for most of Netcees inception. Lenox is a young, bullish dude who's still making the jump. The problem Lenox has is that he's at the stage where he takes feedback as negative -- it doesn't have to be. The people doing this have been doing it for a very long time and are remnants of the best era there was. Listen. Adapt. The battle itself should be straightforward for nik at this point as it's very soon for Lenox to go against someone of this caliber. I have ill nik-A taking this.

@Pinot Grij vs @Allen Knight

This is going to be BOTW. I hope both of these guys can put on a show. We need some fireworks here. This could have been a final and we've got these dudes going at it in the first round. Incredible. AK stepped in late in place of @Letterman. AK's been one of the best around in the last few years and has a particular style that appeals to most NC battlers. Pulse is pretty much a text legend alongside his brother @kungfugrip. He's been impressive ever since he showed up a while back and has beaten some notable heads. This one is honestly to close to call. I'm not choosing a winner. I hope they put on one for the ages.

@Cashius vs @Ender

Cashius is the newest member of the Netcees Hall of Fame and deservedly so. He's cemented his place in Netcees folklore. Ender is a name I recognise from BRL back in the day. Or maybe PR. He was primarily a topical head from what I remember. This is a tall order for him. It's great to see him back around and active but I can't see him leaving this battle victorious. Cashius gets the nod from me.

$chein Dolla Sign vs @Sour joog

I have no idea who Joog is to be honest. I thought he was that other Joog dude who stole the walker texas ranger jokes but it's not actually him. He's a bit of an unknown at this point so hopefully he comes through with some fire. Knucklehead is a decent battler when he wants to be. He's never truly been consistent on Netcees and challenged the top tier which is a shame. His tendency to noshow hurts him also. I gave him a chance here and hopefully he repays it by dropping a verse. I'm going to say that Knucklehead takes this as I haven't read a lot from the boy Joog.

@Suthaveli vs @Cred

Suthaveli aka Suth aka J. Sutherland is a text veteran. He's been around the block and definitely made his mark in the past. He's a dude who has a unique style and swag. Cred on the other hand has improved tremendously with the gunbar hysteria that's sweeped the forum in 2016/17/18. He's taking that as a signal to just write whatever the fuck he wants which is cool to me. At the moment I think Suth is the favourite here. Why? Well, because of all the allegations leveled at Cred recently in regards to the URL shit. I think that saps motivation more than anything and Suth will be fired up. Suth gets the nod here from me.

@E Tha Real vs @Mr. J

E Tha Real is a name that's populated leagues for the best part of a decade. He's a dude that pops in and out for years at a time. At his best he can be a threat to anyone -- the problem is he tends to dip in and out so sporadically that he never truly shakes the rust off. He's been fairly consistent so far during his recent stint on here, though. As for Mr. J he's been transitioning to from topical to text for a little over a month now. When you consider it's been six weeks he's come on leaps and bounds. His punches are getting harsher and he is becoming a little more witty and clever with it. I still think that E Tha Real will be the more polished battler here and that will earn him the win.

@King Karaoke vs @Unemployed

Unemployed is new to the site and has been contributing a lot right across the board which is dope to see. I'm currently not sure as to his level of talent but from what I did see so far he definitely knows what he's doing. Karaoke is one of the hardest guys to beat on this site. That's a fact. He has probably the most consistent verses I've ever seen. If it's a 10 line battle you can almost guarantee 8 will hit. He's THAT consistent. I think that Karaoke is hungry right now and that doesn't bode well for anyone. He wins this.

@Flo Real vs @Strikta

Flo Real has been around for a while after a long hiatus. He's still working at finding a style that really hits here on Netcees. I think he just needs to be harsher with his wording and a little more creative with his concepts. Look at how the top heads execute their concepts. It will make all of the difference, I promise you. Strikta is undeniably dope. He's gutter and his bars are savage. His problem is showing up. He needs to be hungry to do so. I hope he is as his verses are different to what anyone else can bring. If Strikta shows up then I have him winning here.

WRATH vs Barcotic

WRATH has a nice style. It's his own and he doesn't change the shit for nobody. I respect that. It hits too imo. It just isn't harsh enough at times for the general Netcees voter. Barcotic is his own worst enemy. He winds himself up and self implodes. I like the dude, he just needs to be a bit more chill. I've no problems with the wordplays either as long as they work both ways. I think this will be close if WRATH comes correct but that Barcotic will leave with the W.

@For Battling vs @Aero

For Battling has really impressed me over the last few months. After literally years of trolling he recently decided to take the battling aspect of forums more seriously and it's paid off. His style is slick and he comes with at least one banger per verse. Aero has his own steez, too. His persona seems to annoy some people but they need to lighten up as it's just that -- a persona. He needs to champ something truly reputable to make the top tier take him serious and this could be that tournament. Both are coming into this fired up and it's hard to call but I think Aero may edge it out.

@classickERBL vs @Destroyer

I had originally left Class out of the 32 due to the fact he had grown disillusioned with the state of text on Netcees. He felt that he amassed some unwarranted hate but to be honest it was more along the line of feedback. He has since changed his tune and his verse this week in the NBL made me want him in this tournament. He shows real promise and now that he's willing to adapt he can be a real problem. Destroyer is probably top 10 now which is great to see. He's a real success story. He started off losing almost every week then gradually took on board the advice he received and eventually became dope. Let it be a message to all the new heads out there. As for the decision -- I'm going with the upset. I think Des will slack off and Class will bring heat.

@Unfukwitable vs @Paradigm

This is a dope one. Definitely a sleeper for BOTW. Paradigm is a dude who started on longbar sites like myself but transitioned well to shortbar. He's never made waves on shortbar sites though as he's never stuck around long enough. Hopefully that changes this time and he can stick around. He's a good competitor and an excellent mod. Unfukwitable is one of the dudes who needs a big tournament or league win to allow him to take the hop from one tier to the next. He's known for dropping bangers but sometimes hinders himself with clunky wording. I think Unfuk may be a little more in-form at the minute due to Paradigm not being active. I'll go with Unfuk. Looking forward to it, though.

@Defiant vs @Swerve

I was hesitant about putting in Defiant. He's the second most unreliable battler on the site aside from @Lotto Smirk. I put him in because if he shows this could be an interesting battle. Swerve has been pretty active in the NBL this past month and picked up some decent wins. He's a little smoother than Defiant in his execution. His verse this week in the NBL was dope too so I think he'll come away here with the win.

@Alvin Karpis vs @bleak

Bleak returned after a few years hiatus and has matured as a battler and as a person. He was originally globally disliked but has since changed his posting habits. He's made a huge effort to improve at text and it is definitely paying off as his wording is getting better week by week. Karp is a Netcees legend, he's won two Summer Classic's and I'm sure would like to add this sister tournament to his resume. He's done it all the hard way too as he hasn't got the popularity of some of the other Hall of Famers. I think at this point Alvin will just overpower bleak. Karp wins.

@Infiltration vs @dull boy

This one is really interesting to me. I had absolutely no hesitancy in putting dull boy in this tournament. Why? Because he's probably the best writer on the site. I'm sure he can write a a pretty dope text verse if he puts his mind to it. He's a smart man. As for Infiltration, he's listened to the critique that has come his way recently and switched his style back to the old reliable one that has gotten him big wins in the past. I do think that Infiltration will win because he will bring the more polished text verse that will resonate with voters more but I'm excited to see what dull boy brings. I'd like to see him in NBL soon if he enjoys his foray into the text world.

@Schadenfreude vs @Killing Spree

Schad is dope and has one of the smoothest styles out right now. He's flow heavy and relies a lot on his swagger. I don't mind the multies at all, in fact I encourage them. The problem is sacrificing cohesion or harshness for multies. There must be a balance. I think Schad knows that now though and hast tweaked it a little in recent weeks to make the read more fluid. As for Killing Spree, he's probably the best dude on RB imo. I say that because his style translates the best to Netcees. His problem is he's very lazy. I'd like to see him not only apply himself but also prove himself. At this moment Schad has the more polished arsenal and should take this.

INTERVIEW WITH KING KARAOKE



Okay I'm here with the boy Karaoke. He's been one of the stalwarts of Netcees for some time now and has champed the NBL 6 times which is a joint record alongside myself. The first question I have to ask is how do you think the site is doing at the moment?

I think the site is doing pretty well. I feel like when you, Hush and Bags are active on the battle side of things, the rest of the members are interested. Mainly because you guys have people that follow you. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. It’s just my observation. Seems like as long as you guys remain active, the site will be active.

I don't take offense to that observation at all man. I'd agree with it. I feel like at various stages the three of us have turned the wheel on the site and started it anew. So, lately we've been getting an influx of members at a really good rate. What do you think is causing this?

Yeah I noticed the same thing. I think there are 2 reasons. RB’s season just ended and because rmbva/otbva look dead. That’s why we’ve been seeing so much forced wordplay and defeet/cum lines lately. I’m not mad at it. I just wish there was better competition. I really wish that some of the rmbva guys stuck around. Their styles were fresh.

I actually messaged a few of those RM guys but they don't even populate the site anymore. They use Discord instead. I don't even know what that does so I didn't venture any further man. Anyway, you've been around for a long time, give the people a brief history of your text/rap career?

Offline, I started rapping at 16. I did it for a few years. It was my brother, this kid from our hood and myself. We were dope. We really wanted to be like G-Unit/ Dipset. We rapped over beats and had mixtapes. People in the hood really liked our shit too. We stopped doing it after my friend moved because his crib got shot up. I started in text battling 2001 on stillmatic.com. A year or 2 later, I joined ripthemic.com. I think Nik, Baron, Cane and a few others were there. RTM was basically my home site. I was never really good over there but the advice I got from the vets on there made me improve. They’re really the reason why I use a lot of current events. After rtm went down, I went to Urban Authentics (Constrikta, Radius and others) and Lyrikal War. I was mid tier there. That’s another site where Nik, Baron, Cane and Numskull battled. I joined digitalhiphop.com too (Nik, Defcon 5 and some 411hype people) but I just trolled the site mostly. After LW and DHH crashed, I joined rm and 411hype. I did well on those sites but never battled consistently enough to champ anything. I was in school and hustling at the same time so I never really had time to battle. I eventually joined NC around 2011 because my friend came home from jail and we started rapping offline again. I had writer’s block and I felt like being in a league where I had to come up with fresh concepts every week would help keep my creative juices going on/offline.

I think the fact that you actually rap/have rapped IRL comes across in your delivery. It's always been really authentic in my opinion. Who do you see as your biggest competition in the tournament? Any favourites to read currently?

No offense but my bracket is going to be a breeze. The other bracket looks tougher but Cashius is probably going to come out of there. My favorites to read right now are you and Pulse. Honestly, no fanboy shit, you’ve been my favorite battler since I joined the site. It always surprises me that you’re not from America but your verses have the swag of an NY nigga. You’re like the Fabolous of text. This week I was trying to come up with a culture II line but couldn’t get the wording right and you dropped a fire line in the NBL. Pulse is so underrated. I wasn’t around when he first battled but I know he was a big deal years ago. He has that shortened line style but he’s slick and creative.

That's nice to hear man. I appreciate it. People say that a lot about me having the NY swagger. I don't know what it is. I think it comes down to authenticity again. I know what I am so my swagger comes across as authentic. I'm not a gun toting Brooklynite but I'm a slick motherfucker. I'm also Irish and we are witty as a people -- it comes with the alcohol. Pulse is dope to me also. I wish he'd hit up his brother to come though that'd be sick. He signed up a while back but probably forgot all about it. What are your thoughts on BROKE LESNAR disappearing after you murdered the man in the NBL?

Lol Broke has gotten way better since the last time I’ve read his stuff. I went over to rb and saw that he was 15-1 in the league. I was surprised because he was on hiatus for a bit. I hope he signs back in. I killed Junto and GOW tho. I bodied GOW twice in the same week and he never came back.


Man I'm pretty sure @Junto was David Lama. You posted a while back in the league under the alias of Blam Newton and your record wasn't as dope as it usually is as Karaoke. Why do you think that was?

For the record, most of my losses were no shows. I only lost to you, inf and Cred. No disrespect to Cred but if I posted that same verse under the name Karaoke, I would’ve won. I tried the name Blam Newton because I wanted to try a different style. I was trying to challenge myself but eventually I got lazy and went back to my old style. That’s how Bags figured out it was me. I wasn’t trying to hide. Just wanted to challenge myself. I’m not one of these guys who has dick riders or practices text politics (i.e. Barcotic). I earned respect from battling and beating the best.

That's fair enough. I agree with you. You've been touted as a future Hall of Famer and I believe that if you win this tournament you'd be put in. Does this drive you on a little bit? It's nice to be recognised in some way for your talent, no matter what it is.

At first, I was going to say that nothing really drives me anymore. That’s a lie. I like killing niggas. It’s like that Mamba mentality. I see someone and I just want to disrespect them. Especially when it’s someone I’ve never battled before. It’s not just about the hof for me because I think I solidified myself as one of the greatest ever. I used to have a chip on my shoulder when I first got here. My memory is very sharp. A lot of you guys don’t remember this but I didn’t make the playoffs in the first season NBL. I joined the season in week 10 and signed up for the playoffs. Lefty was supposed to get the last spot in the playoffs but he was indecisive. Lama made a thread asking whether he should let me, Jayson Fresh or one other person get that last spot. Lefty said some cornball shit about us being wack and decided to take the last spot. The next season I was in the finals. I eventually beat Lefty too. I’m about to be champ for 7th time. I have the 2 longest undefeated records in the NBL (12-0 and 9-0). I’m at the point I can do this in my sleep. I haven’t battled in over a year and I’m currently undefeated. Yeah, winning the Winter Classic would be dope.

Damn man. I didn't remember that at all but I do now that you've brought it up. That's crazy. I beat Lefty too for my first NBL title which was a huge shock at the time as the whole site loved the dude. Where do you rank yourself in the overall Netcees scheme of things -- Top 5 or Top 10?

Of course, I think I’m the best right now. As far rankings go, I got Cashius, you, Pulse, Allen and Schad. There’s a huge gap between top tier and mid tier right now. I feel like no one is really stepping up. No shade but I want to see people like Cred and Unfuk champ the league/ a tourney. Not saying that they’re not top tier. I think they’ve been here long enough and are dope enough to do it. I’m tired of competing against the same 5 people every tourney.


I definitely agree with that. Unfuk is actually a top tier guy on a longbar website so it's pretty cool to see him take leap over here and adapt. Obviously you've been around so you've seen firsthand how text has evolved and changed with the times. What ae your thoughts about the gunbars and also the wordplay we see nowadays?

Gunbars are ok as long as they’re not overused. The only people who I think can get away with that are Cred, Murda Sho and Unfuk. That’s their niche and they’re dope at it. Seeing other guys who clearly don’t know anything about guns (i.e. 9mms with bolt action) post gunbars all the time is kinda lame. This new wave of forced wordplay is really bad. Shit, it’s worse than can flips. It’s mostly the rb guys who are doing it. I really blame Barcotic. He used to be good at it a few years ago but now it’s really bad. Habitat is even worse. He forces it every week.

Is there anyone that you haven't battled that you'd like to throw down with in the future?

Resin. I no showed him and he no showed me.

That is a battle I'd love to see. @Resin M-I-C, come through. That's all bro -- any last thoughts?

Shout out to all the dudes that keep this site going. The dudes who aren’t weirdos. The dudes who aren’t stalking people from a text battling site offline.

INTERVIEW WITH J. SUTHERLAND



I'm here with my dude J. Sutherland who I've know for about 10 years at this point! Suth give the people a brief history of your text career for those that may not know you:

Ahh fuck. Welp, I started at the age of 12 on HomeGrownHipHopZone & Sickmentalz on some DBL shit. but i wasn't around too much. My cousin would sign me onto battle people on there because my broke ass household couldn't afford a comp like his spoiled ass could, lol. So he would let me know the name of the person I was battling & call me to see what i wanted him to write down for me. he would also read me other peoples balttles so that he would be able to vote for me under my name. Only time i really got to see the setup of the form was when I went over his house. That was from 98- 2k. I actually remember muthafuckas like Ill-nika & pulse from when i did get see some battles, lol.
Got back into txt under name Jinx in like late 06/ early 07. I ran into Murda Sho at some of the long bar sites. tbh, both Rich Henny, Murda Sho & I were short bar texters. Both had clot in the backdoor politics, so muthafuckas fucked w.them off that strength alone. I didn't nor did i care, but kept txting there til it became boring to me. Bounced around other places & kept running into you along the way on different sites. It was like whatever site i was at, I would see you, lol. So i be eventually i discovered illesty due to dynamic (i believe) & told you about it as we got to know each other. The rest is history, brah.


Speaking of illesty -- we had some ridiculous battlers there, didn't we? Me, you, murda sho, Justify, LawdHaveMercy, Guns, Kami Tsunami... following that then Hush and ALIEN. Where do you think that site rates among the very best? I personally feel that it's very underrated.

Yooooo, sooo many hidden gems at illesty i was ridiculous! Justify was the homie for life! Doe Memba, SmG, Thrice, everyone you named. What was so great about illesty is there was a basic format of writing but muthafuckas where really oringal w.their styles. & that really showed when alot of us started to branch off ta battle at B-boys. as much as i trolled there, i respected that site a helleva lot. Tettris was the homie as well, but I didn't really converse w.Alien so i don't know much about that guy, tbh

You've been around very sporadically in the past and never really stick around long. Will this time be any different and what brought you back?

Idk tbh, I'm always so busy on my grind. I have alot of different shit I'm connected to in the real world & I travel alot now. Alot of ideas & plans take me away & causes me to focus on those things until i get it placed in gd hands & taking care of itself.
Them FUCKING EMAILS is what brought me back, ctfu. Brah, i'm looking at my phone thinking is this place really jumping again or are they grasping for straws? Is bags still around in every thread causing some sort of anarchy w. aero & company? Meh, I guess ill check it out.


Hahaha I'm glad to know my emails are serving their purpose bro. What are your thoughts on all the new members we've been getting here at Netcees lately?

I love it. It excites me to see people grow & i hope many of them stick around to do so. Brah, i mean look where you came from to what you are now. Sheeeit. Many don't know about TJ or ....Hades, lmfao. But you made a great uphill strive adapting to many people styles you've read on the net. You're like a chameleon spong. I feel if they could read your story, it might inspire many who like to do this.


Damn blast from the past using those names man. I definitely will share my own route to the top at some stage if people are interested. You've always had your own style with unique wording and a lot of swag. Who would you have based your style off of in the beginning coming up?

Fuck. Redman & eminem because of flow & comedy tbh.

i feel like butler gave me some influence in later yrs. but w.all these, i still try to maintain who i was.

You definitely have. Over the years you've posted on a lot of boards coming across a lot of different talent. Who would you consider to be your top 3 personal favourites?

Jthamind (Justify)
phant
kungfugrip

Comedy typically grabs me, & all three of these guys kept me entertained in that factor w.great punchlines. I like the harsh gutta shit as well, but love to laugh first w.a witty line.


Shout out to @kungfugrip. So, when we posted together at illesty I used to try to copy your wording because it was so different-- not a question. Just a statement I wanted to make.

lol. I assumed this, but you surpassed it & me over the years. I feel you have a mesh of shit that you learned or liked from different people in your style of today. I call you The Highlander, i feel it fits you well.

Thanks man, appreciate that. With everybody complaining about this style and that style lately, what do you look for in a punch? I know you fuck with creativity a lot - does it matter if it's a gunbar if it's creative?

Yea, I def love creativity.
W. punchlines make me think. Thats what i would've said 6 yrs ago. Now & days i feel like thas fading on my end.
I will accept a gd bar even if its a old concept. It may take away from me quoting it but def will get a gd look.
I don't mind gunbars at all. give a gd flip. Unfortunately, u can't please everyone & i feel many people make that mistake in hopes to. Just like life, there are people who bang w.you & people that don't just because..
I just look for a gd bar, hard to put in words but i def know it when i see it. I like it when a person hits you w.a personal tho.
Not the biggest fan of generic but even i might use 1 or 2.

I feel you on that, I'm the exact same. I don't care what the bar actually is whether it's simile/gunplay/wordplay. If it's dope then it's dope. Period. Thanks for your time man. Any thoughts?

Always a pleasure Teej. Good job at bringing it back from the grave. lol, catch ya in Dub sometime.
As for new heads, stick around & keep growing. Fuck what the hazers say, roll w.the punches. Guys like Alvin Karp still catch shit from his op af Jersey.


THE ORCTRO



Well there you have it fellas. The stage is set and the time for you to step up has come. It's about time you made these other dudes realise how dope you are. All it takes is one verse to turn everything around. Believe me, I know from experience. It was 2010, I was considered mid-tier and had previously been accused of flipping and biting from Netcees owner David Lama. To clear my name I joined his league and worked hard to get better and drop original concepts. Facing biter lines and hate votes every week meant that I struggled at first. However, I decided to add a little more humour and swag to my verses. Subtle changes. I started to take names. They started to take notice. I rose through the ranks quickly. My first champ match was vs Lefty, a Hall of Famer, the idol of Netcees. He chose a pic battle because it was his specialty. I beat him 7-0 and shocked the whole site. That was the beginning of a legacy. This could be the beginning of yours.

[ill nik-A]

Good stuff, orc

[Flow]

Dope Mag @Orc, rarely enjoy interviews but liked this one. Props to all involved

[Barcotic]

good shit

lol @ text politics
bitch i earned it the same way u did, even beat U multiple times doing it
the irony is real

[Enbombz]

Dope mag. Yeh I ain't joog or sour cig. This is my first time battling here tbh. You got some characters I'll say that much.

Putting knucks to win though? You seen my verse? Cool read though gents.

[Allen Knight]

Fire, salute @Orc

[Suthaveli]

Coo Hype mag, @Orc. Props.

come to think, @Unfukwitable actually reminds me of LawdHaveMercey

[Schadenfreude]

Great interviews, 100.

[Paradigm]

Dope.

[For Battling]

Great mag. Karaoke getting way ahead of himself though. Telling me that the thugs of the site know more about guns then the po leece LOLLLLLL @knuck handle this

[bleak]

+1

[Incredible]

Not a part of this, but was a good read. Props @Orc

I didn't text battle back then, nor was I active but I actually owned the domain and host for the LyrickalWar forum. I just Installed hacks, fixed whatever, designed & installed different skins

I had a guy named Ziru$ run the site/battle side of things

@King Karaoke

[Strikta]

Fire. Props to everyone involved.

[King Karaoke]

Hi...

Originally Posted by Barcotic

good shit

lol @ text politics
bitch i earned it the same way u did, even beat U multiple times doing it
the irony is real

Nah you suck mad dick...

Originally Posted by For Battling

Great mag. Karaoke getting way ahead of himself though. Telling me that the thugs of the site know more about guns then the po leece LOLLLLLL @knuck handle this

I wasnt even referring to you. Most cops are pussy tho. Lol at a cop asking a snitch to handle me.

Originally Posted by Incredible

Not a part of this, but was a good read. Props @Orc

I didn't text battle back then, nor was I active but I actually owned the domain and host for the LyrickalWar forum. I just Installed hacks, fixed whatever, designed & installed different skins

I had a guy named Ziru$ run the site/battle side of things

@King Karaoke

Thats dope. Only a few people from that site who are still around.

Bye...

[Ghost1]

Interviews were dope to me. Great people to interview that we don't always get to hear much from.

I was gonna do a bracket talk vid each Rd if u guys want it? Won't be able to do this rds till tomorrow tho

[For Battling]

Should’ve used this tbh

[Barcotic]

im actually hated by all n converse w/ no one
but by all means keep telling urself that

[Barcotic]

Originally Posted by For Battling

Should’ve used this tbh

lmao tf is that shit

[Aero]

@King Karaoke good interview. I don't take disrespect kindly so you motivated me to write.

[~RustyGunZ~]

Lol k unit wack as fuck