WEEK THREE MAG: HERE IT IS MASTER ROCK

[Adverse]

INTRODUCTION:
What’s up y’all?! Thank you first and foremost for another great week, it feels almost surreal having two great ones in a row as my last attempts at league running were infested with issues day after day whether that be drama, no shows, lack of voting etc. Honestly I think having a veteran presence this season in guys like Dominate, Blue, timeless, Adonis etc makes a lot of a difference. Most of our writers are taking initiative to vote and be active and that’s really dope and honestly the formula to keep any type of league afloat, it all comes down to the competitors ultimately. We got another stuffed mag this week, predictions/reviews, how I’m doing on my weight loss venture (hint: not great) and maybe a throwback battle, not to mention a dope segment from
My dude Dom. Let’s get to it!

REVIEWS:

We had another great week, only one no show which is pretty much best case scenario. Everyone posted, stayed faithful to the line limit and had some really good showings.

DOMINATE (1-0) vs TIMELESS (0-1)


Let’s start with our Battle of The Week (at least in my opinion) very good showings from both of these writers. Dom graced us with a little more seriousness this week as opposed to his verse against Blue. He told a smooth story about the soul crushing monotony and micromanaging of the corporate world (on some big brother/thought police/1984 shit) it was well put together and though no huge twists were written in it was cohesive and an all in all impressive verse. Timeless told a more general story about a man who has fallen out of God’s favor (the all knowing eye in the sky) while his piece was on par with his outing from last week, they both were good, which makes me feel worse for having to vote against him for the second time in a row. Timeless is probably one of the better writers in this league but is seemingly still shaking the rust off, he hasn’t lost either of his matchups IMO he just has been out written both times. He’s taking the week off but hopefully comes back swinging on his next battle.
WINNER: DOMINATE



DANK (1-0) vs OBJECTIVE (1-0)


Lars has been unusually quiet this season. Hiding beneath the veil of his new pseudonym, he’s been silently putting on a clinic for the first couple of weeks of the league. As Universe put it, Objective “ran into a buzzsaw here” Objective had some cool ideas throughout this verse but obviously came in with an incomplete verse, one that required fine tuning that lack of time prevented him from getting to this week. Lars was very methodical and broke down about everything in the picture during this character assessment of a verse. Was really dope the way he broke it down. I think he knowingly took some risks here after some voters called him out for being too formulaic last week. He stepped out of his comfort zone and it paid off in a big way.
WINNER: DANK


CORLEONE (0-0) vs CANDY (0-1)


This one was unconventional to say the least. Residential site punching bag, Corleone, decided to jump in this week to show some of his writing chops off. Now admittedly, Corleone has a cool, made for audio, type of style. His lyrics have been likened to New York legends Nas and Mobb Deep. But he started off the week by the confusing me telling the battlers “good luck” as me giving them the topic of “good luck” which was a pretty decent comedy but, when his proper verse finally rolled around, it was decent but ultimately felt only half fleshed out. He told the tale of an old woman taking her own life but instead of talking about why the woman ended up offing herself, describing imagery and emotions etc you know the usual manpoem steez he instead rapped himself in circles and got off topic, all in all his verse was okay but left a lot to be desired. Candy had a nice twist on the topic but his piece also felt like it was quickly concocted and not really given the time it so desperately needed. Liked all the vampire lore/references but the story didn’t really go anywhere and got confusing, which caused a majority of voters to lean towards GOATleone
WINNER: CORLEONE

SINACOG (0-0) vs EVICTION (0-0)


On this weeks episode of “Why do we keep giving Sinacog the time of day?” That question is still as elusive as ever. There’s a glimmer of hope that peaks through my blinds every morning, it whispers to me “one day AJ the menace will be restored to his former glory” but I guess it didn’t pan out this week. All hate mail can be forwarded to Dominate. But let’s not let a trademark Sinacog performance undermine how good Eviction was this week. Honestly Eviction weaved together a great verse with awesome imagery and turn of phrases, he had the misfortune of facing an unworthy foe this week but he put together a verse that could have probably beaten most stiffer competition. Excited to see what he does this week.
WINNER: EVICTION

ADONIS (1-0) vs BROKENHAL0 (1-0)


I don’t think this one panned out the way I was hoping, I had it highly anticipated and in a way it matched my expectations and in a way it didn’t measure up. Hal0’s verse started off straightforward enough, having him take up his weaponry and murdering (you guessed it) pens. His imagery and description of his kills really carried him through here and turned a wacky premise into a pretty decent topical. Adonis graced us with another meta verse, he started off strong but many found his name dropping piece to be sort of cheap. Points for originality but it ultimately didn’t vibe with most of the readers. Hal0 won this one pretty convincingly.
WINNER: BROKENHAL0

ADVERSE’S QUEST TO NOT BE A TOTAL FAT SHIT FOREVER:
WEIGH IN: 270
CONCLUSION: Curse you National Championship game for leading me back to a delicious selection of finger foods and soft drinks. I stayed stagnant because of it but am back on my bullshit now.

THROWBACK BATTLE OF THE WEEK:
This one comes to you from our first championship match of the last AOWL season.

WEEK FOUR CHAMP MATCH: UNIVERSE (3-0) vs MMLP (2-1)

Originally Posted by Universe

The Depths of You

*80 line max, as agreed upon

"Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." - Oscar Wilde

......

Lower Level - Cobb

I'm in daydreams of a giant, David with Goliath's head on a thin post
Desperate to know if the window to the soul can be entered when it's closed
But if lofty goals require ladders, Interstellar stars are the door
Power of suggestion becomes part of the norm when it's too hard to ignore
The Following Memento's an artform, uncanny valley's resemble you best
But I didn't expect to scale the face of a mountain in a literal sense
Insomnia's next, give it a rest - I'm not gonna lie just for sleep
Beauty's in the eye of the beholder... I walked inside it to see
Climbed your steep peak for a sneak peek, excuse dialect that I choose
But unless IMAX'd I can't tell you how I intend to be viewed
I went in like transorbital lobotomies, removed all doubts and booby traps
Took a glimpse into your mind's eye and carved out the newest path
Found those Prestigious top hats... God knows I just lost it
If our artist didn't forget the nostrils I'd do a nosedive right off this
I see shapes in clouds, faces in mountains - each step a proof of concept
But with pareidolia, I had twisted perceptions of lucid objects
I felt the spinning top in my pocket... no one can snatch this totem loose
Bats echoed and flew passed as I entered the catacombs of you...


Upper Level - Arthur & Nash

The Subject snoozed on a barcalounger, he might be asleep for the night
Wires link his arm to a portable Somnacin intravenous device
Which lead to Cobb - out cold in a chair on the other side of the room
Nash monitored vital signs and fine-tuned his tie and his suit
Arthur paced the perimeter watching closely, he came equipped
Stopping sounds escaping lips by filling the Subject's nose with nasal strips
Nash sneeringly quipped, "It's nice we got time to help him breathe a bit..."
Arthur replied, "Last thing we need is congestion... or God forbid, a sneezing fit"
Nash said, "The sedative will keep him in LA LA land 'til we find the secret"
"It stands to reason if he wakes his subconscious can't quite retrieve it"
"Cobb's planting ideas too deep then," Arthur said, "Or Mal decided to make the trip..."
"Wait a minute," Nash interjected, "you told me his wife wouldn't be placed in this...?"
"We're planting the idea of an idea," Arthur spit, "the job's to deliver and store..."
"In his memory bank, without him knowing Cobb's been there before"
"Give him the warning..." Arthur ordered as he sat by the Subject's side
Nash aligned himself with Cobb and held a flashlight up to his eyes...


Lower Level - Cobb

I plodded along the caverns of your mind like there's a story to find
This borders on crime, but it's all just familiar territory inside
A bright glare turned blinding white... I wait for the sight to fade
Time's a wasting; The Dark Night always gives way to the light of day
A flight of stairs Rises; I can't stay on ground floors of your grasp
So I sprint toward the blinding light, racing down the corridor fast
Something's recording my actions... I ran up crumbling staircases of rot
Kicked through barricades at the top and found rare safes left unlocked
Grabbed the spinning top from my pocket - this little one hit wonder of tests
"At least your open to suggestions..." I mumbled under my breath
Placed it in an empty safe and spun it... Click. I locked it up quick
Comforted when I heard the whirring of a spinning top from within...


Upper Level - Arthur & Nash

The Subject's facial muscles twitched - a new idea committed to weary thoughts
"It takes merely seconds to feel results," Nash said, "if the sedative's wearing off..."
Arthur checked his watch, music blared, he knew then the end is close
As Edith Plath's 'Non, je ne regrette rien' grew to a crescendo...


Lower Level - Cobb

Heard the opera music and rushed to the exit; the stairs broke to the ground
I stepped to the edge of the eye and looked around... Nowhere to go but down...


Upper Level - Arthur & Nash

The Subject was groaning now... Waking up slowly from within the abyss
"We're out of time," Arthur quickly admits, "Give him the kick..."
Nash lifts Cobb off the chair, throwing his center of gravity off-kilter
Seems no matter how deep the dream, everyone has to sleep with a filter...


Lower Level - Cobb & Mal

Amidst falling debris I heard, "Phillipa and James are on the other side for us"
Mal stepped up, "You're waiting for a train..." I just shut my eyes and jumped...


Upper Level - Cobb, Arthur & Nash

Cobb plunged to the tile with a thud, he once was in limbo with kids
Others may have infinite trips but there's a definite limit to his
The Subject was regaining consciousness; Nash moved furniture around the room
Arthur turned down the music; "Everything's secure," Cobb said, "now let's move"
He yanked loose wires from his suit - Arthur wiped fingerprints clean
Nash quickly packed up the portable Somnacin intravenous machine
"It wasn't that deep of a sleep," Cobb said, "but Mal seems to be routine"
"Next time we need to go lower - I'm talking a dream within a dream"
The team leaves the apartment - We should be debating on what Cobb said
But the Subject wakes up with a long stretch, shaking off the cobwebs
His dream fading from consciousness... He's suddenly optimistic of the future
He mulls something over, rubs his nose, taking a seat in front of his computer
One useful word written on his keypad... he smiles at new visions
A guy of superstition, he picked up the phone and dialed a few digits
An all consuming idea brewing... A voice answered, quite exuberant
"Christopher Nolan! As I live and breathe... How's my favorite screenwriter doing?"
"I can't complain... I have a script idea I'd like to talk to you about"
"Are you kidding?" The voice exclaimed, "For you I can option it right now..."
He knew it would be bought without doubt in the recess of his brain
Already had characters with all their names, and an ending left unexplained
He doesn't trace where it comes from, but somehow he always finds a way
So he starts to type at length under 'INCEPTION' on the title page...


FADE IN:

DAWN. CRASHING SURF.

The waves TOSS a BEARDED MAN onto wet sand. He lies there...

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/

Originally Posted by MMLP

The clouds part in the distance as the title credits soar.
The writings on the wall before Bart can finish lines up on the board.
Arriving at the dawn of new clear day with Homer asleep.
Nobody sees their lives are more animated than the opening scenes.
But heres poor old little Lisa, slumped on the edge of her bed,
cutting a lonely demeanour while resting her head.
With the compression reflecting her own shortcomings
on the set of an episode that no-one saw coming.
Homer’s punishment for his slip of the tongue,
as she hoped for something she didn’t wish to discuss.
Usually The Simpsons would come together in their humble abode
but when her sniffles begun, she suffered alone.
There was nothing but groening as she lay inside the bed,
curled up in a snowball too, just stayed behind and wept.
Now her way of life’s affected in such a humbling way
and would create a minor threat that she couldn’t escape.
Before this nothing would faze her, she was bettering her life.
With a brother she hated to love who’d never leave her side.
The essence of her mind, witty and eloquent
All set to be a bride and rinsing the benefits.
Fast-thinking, a feminist with a part in management
Quick and intelligent, smart and passionate.
a hardened naturalist who by nature, blossomed.
As sharp and sassy as the sax she’s rocking!
Always laughing comically with those who drew the closest
but all that was gone in the moment the news had broken.
Soon we’d notice what nobody had witnessed.
This gloom, unknowingly had broke her resistance,
soon the focus had shifted and now turning on her dreams.
As her hopes and her wishes then burns to smithereens.
The burden for this teenager, looking scared and unprepared
Returning to the screens with a thin blue line like her mother’s hair.
She couldn’t bear it at first, she renounced the challenge
Completely unaware without the four-sight of Millhouse’s glasses.
Now counter balanced and toting the purse
Out of character but no longer deterred.
It had bottled her personality and all that jazz,
So began following Murphy’s law and start playing the sax.
It was her way to relax, always learning from her mom,
she came to the dance so sturdily and strong.
A maturity beyond her years with nothing to hide.
To journeying across the world with the love of her life.
And as husband and wife they pedalled along,
both looking to rise ahead of the crop.
Together they hopped on the property ladder
but never forgot what honestly mattered.
In a hope to recapture the magic they booked
and dropping a chapter in the labours of love.
On the same page from the jump til the tragedy came round.
Then insanity struck and now shes playing cat and mouse,
surveying the surroundings whilst resting in a trance.
She mistakenly allowed the tension to enhance.
No message for the family in an attempt to disguise it.
Apprehension had amassed with all the effort in trying,
in being extensively silent as the highs were replaced.
As the depth of excitement had declined in a day
Would align in adjacent with the paranoia she built.
So after nine months of labour those joys were fulfilled
one last void to be filled, and be a mother at last.
Is it a boy or a girl was what all of them asked
Sadly it wouldn’t of mattered, with this emotional girl torn,
she finally got the courage to stand and look over her still born…

EVENTUAL WINNER: UNIVERSE
One of Universe’s 7 victories on an undefeated season before signing out for good.

NO SHOW SHINE
Master Rock had a good verse prepared for Bodey this week and was ultimately no showed. Let’s show him some love because even if your opponent no shows and you get an easy win that doesn’t erase the effort and thought you put into your manpoetry. One love Rock.


I recall watching her heart as it gently began to sink
At first, it was as light as a feather floating in the wind before it began to shrink
calloused and cold withered dried remanence of the red ink
trying to collect the shattered pieces together like paper machete barely holding on together
the beat of her heart became shallow and dark
but yet there was once a time
where she believed that she was a walking work of art,
Now she's tormented by their attempts to chisel and destroy, chipping at every single bit of her parts
away, she can't escape the agonizing clutch of this endless rainy day,
clouded, while she's met with the despise of everything that they spew and what they convey,
swaying upon their own pathetic displays, but she's weep and questions, who am I, anyway,
I attempt to scrub off the muck of the day,
while I'm ingesting the burning fumes that circulate through my airways I attempt to scream
I raging in the storm of the abuse
I'm traumatized inside my mind
I close my eyes for a recluse wishing that I was blind
now she blankly stares at the rain as it trickles tracing along her scarred lines
Questioning: How does one's love and trust extend pasted a crossed line?
now the hatred flashes back to the dreaded scene of the crime
where a delicate touch is contrarily defined
she's lost and I can clearly see it in the void of her isolated eyes
as the sweep of darkness collides
she cries from the inside feeling cracked and dried
begging for the pain to subside
somehow will the pain to subside
her innocence is now stained as she watched it die
tears of joy gone all just for a ride
down the road, the price is now taking its toll
the hellfire is blazing at her soul charring at her bones
the embers burns and radiate
her skin blisters developing holes in her state
withdrawals acids regurgitate
but yet somehow she still scrubbing at the stain of her self hate
glass half-filled spilled now empty crushed under the weight
let me help pull out of this hole and be your counterweight
not one minute in her pillows her heads in it, she cries to sleep
the agony heartache as she screams and weeps
burning a cigarette to dry her tears
drugs numbing her pain the coldness n her veins
till she can no longer feel now revenge is fair
and not part of the game she ain't playing anymore
ideas of fun evermore not amused
I will be there for her always
I lend her my hand but in her storm her thunder refused
holding to the idea that her kindness was once weakened now abused

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

Dominate has a special interview for us this week, sitting down with topical legend, deadman with a slew of questions. This was dope of him to contribute with something like this, two legends, one platform. I’ll pass it to my man Dom Imus for further correspondence

Dominate here with one of the all time greats, descended from on high to bless us mortals with some knowledge. Give it up for dead man aka Black Disciple aka Die A motherfucking BDz !!!

dead man, you’re widely regarded as one of the best to ever do it. I’ve been on these boards with you more than 15 years and can’t remember it ever being otherwise. Take us back to the beginning. When and where did you actually start this hobby?

2005, on a school library computer. truly just on some troll shit at first. "battled" under the name Black_Disciple on Rapbattles.com and many others for however long before i got bored and started doing something different. i wasn't great at it. pretty sure our battle record is 0-3 or something lol

0-2, and I'm pretty sure you took some votes off me the second time - you were good.

How would you say your style has evolved since those days? Do you remember some of your earliest work? How do you feel about it now?

then: trash
now: antique

my earliest non-battle stuff was basically my best Dynasty aka Lord Shivas Siq'al impression and dressing it down. not sure who still remembers him from HF but yea that was a huge early inspiration. his writing style is really fucking bizarre by modern standards but its different, it works, somehow.

i feel good about it. i still have it somewhere. its dope. its got a voice.

Oh wow, interesting. I do remember Shivas, but I was only into battling in those days so never really looked at much of his OM work. I remember he was considered a god tier writer across both disciplines at the time on HF. I always thought he was an overrated battler though honestly. I'd be interested to hear @Blue Bayou and @Answer weigh in on that. I just checked our archives and unfortunately there's only a couple of battle-esque OM pieces from him. Have a look here for anyone interested: http://www.netcees.org/forumdisplay.php?f=246

Anyways, what’s in a name? Why “dead man”?

because one day its all of us

Grim. How about “Die A BDz” way back in the day?

Black_Disciple = BD = Die A BD'z lmao

Lmao vintage early 2000s name.

Your style is quite distinctly your own, - pretty sure I could pick a dead man verse out of a line up of hundreds, - but is there anyone or anything in particular you’ve found influential over the years?

people have been less influential than environment. i believe everyone writes their best when the community is buzzing the most. the early tournaments and seasons here were insanely fun.

see also: ego, romance, and other pathologies

Who would you list as your favorite writer/s, past or present? Any pieces that are particularly memorable to you?

off top

Dynasty
J rite
impolite
Vulgar
NYCSpitz
Dominate
Ex-Cal
STRONGARM
Zygote
bb
dull boy
Oats
cake
Witness
Zen


Wow you really put my name on that list. Pickle tickled.

(also note - J rite is another HF name people can look up in that link I posted above.)

Do you have a favorite piece of your own you’ve written?

i like Cliffside a lot. Wellington Ave too.

anything re: my family and friends, at heart, are my favorite ones reading back.

Beautiful entries. Links here for our readers:

http://www.netcees.org/showthread.ph...ight=cliffside
http://www.netcees.org/showthread.ph...ght=wellington

Talk to us about your process. How do you go from a general idea for an OM or a take on a given topic to a finished dead man™ product?

process probably not much different than yours. i think i obsess unhealthily on the unimportant so that helps.

How do you feel about the future of this hobby? Will we see it die out soon? Is it already dead? Or will we continue to have occasional spurts of activity with one or two of the elites succumbing to the nostalgia and signing in to post something again here and there?

iiiiiiii dont know man. we're all definitely fucking jurassic

but we're here, diode keeps the site on and people are still having a good time, so who can say

What’s your number one tip for someone aspiring to get better at this? Any “AH HAH!” Nuggets of wisdom that changed your own writing for the better at any point?

try writing in a way you would read and remember. cut your fluff and make your words count. this is a general rule for written communication imo but applies here 100%

And finally, might you possibly grace us with your presence in the league at some point this season?

i wasnt planning on it but its tempting. dont wanna sign in and NS. maybe soon.

Here's hoping. Thanks for your time man, appreciate it. Love you.





PREVIEWS:
It’s 3:15AM and I’m doing this for the culture right now (and so Master Rock quits asking me where the mag is...lol I kid)



ADONIS (1-1) vs SINACOG (0-1)


Well Sinacog already dropped and has a chorus in his topical, going to be hard to top that. Honestly Adonis is a fantastic writer and this could be a way to get some momentum back, I always like the seemingly fresh perspective he has on topics, sometimes they fall flat but a lot of times they’re dope. He doesn’t have to do much here to get the W and ultimately I think he does. Good opportunity here to post a above .500 record.
PREDICTION: ADONIS WINS 99.7/0.3



MASTER ROCK (1-1) vs OBJECTIVE (1-1)


These guys are no strangers to each other having faced off several times over the last couple of years. I like this matchup when it does come up because it’s a clash of similar styles. The way both writers are super descriptive in their verses and rely on imagery is prevalent in both of their works. I picked this picture specifically for this matchup because I felt like there was a lot to be explored inside of it and these are the two for the job. I’m going to call this one a split decision because both writers are on par with each other, it will all depend who is able to out write the other this week.
PREDICTION: 50/50 SPLIT

DOMINATE (2-0) vs BROKENHAL0 (2-0)


This is an interesting matchup. The reigning champ against one of the best writers this season, Dom has made it look easy thus far and when he gets serious, he looks super promising. Hal0 has his hits and misses while writing, when he relies on his description that appeals to the sensory, he has shown that he can really make some waves taking Adonis down last week. I think this one will come down to who wants it more, Dom will have to tell a bigger scale story than he did last week, which was the intent of picking this topic this time around. I think there’s a lot to be explored here and can’t wait to see what each person comes up with, but I’d be stupid to bet against momentum here.
PREDICTION: DOMINATE WINS 60/40

EVICTION (1-0) vs BLUE BAYOU (1-0)


Another cool matchup here that is quiet honestly a sleeper for BOTW honors. Both these writers have impressed me with their first outings. Blue is coming off a rest week and Eviction pretty much is doing the same after battling Sinacog in week two. Blue is locked in and told a riveting story week one about lost love, both of these writers are assets to the league. Honestly with the whimsical topic I’ve picked out this week and not the overbearing depressing topic I’m used to posting, I think that adds another wrinkle to this battle. It all comes down to who can find more to do with the topic and right now I’m leaning towards BB, but can see it go either way
PREDICTION: BLUE WINS 55/45

THATS ALL FOLKS
I hope you enjoy this mag that I spent hours working on, I enjoyed doing it for you all. Always a pleasure, three weeks in and we’re doing great let’s keep this rolling!

[Dominate]

You’re amazing for getting this up. Lmao @ the memes. Never seen a league host do that in mags before, it’s a great feature every week. Nice throwback battle. I loved MMLP’s verse (big Simpsons fan), but unsure how it connected to the topic? Universe had a cool take and very solid verse. Great mag Ad. Don’t be too modest to predict your own battle in future though.

[Dank]

I’d struggle with the whole “write over the weekend, verses due Mon/Tues,” thing. It just doesn’t line up well with my current schedule.

I’ve really enjoyed my writing so far this season though, glad some of you noticed the change(s) made. Props.

[Adverse]

Originally Posted by Dominate

You’re amazing for getting this up. Lmao @ the memes. Never seen a league host do that in mags before, it’s a great feature every week. Nice throwback battle. I loved MMLP’s verse (big Simpsons fan), but unsure how it connected to the topic? Universe had a cool take and very solid verse. Great mag Ad. Don’t be too modest to predict your own battle in future though.

Word I’d love to say the memes in the mag are totally original but I actually took a page off of @Zuch the last time he ran the NBL. They’ve definitely become a staple in my mag writing though lol and I guess MMLP likened the anime character in the picture to Lisa Simpson and wrote a story around it. Love his pop culture references in almost every verse.

thanks for all your kind words and help on the mag I appreciate it greatly, deadman interview was dope.

@Dank the schedule is understandable, I’d like to get it on a more consistent pattern of write over the week, vote over the weekend sort of thing. My job has a rotating schedule so I’m off every other weekend and so I just try to get done what I can when I’m available. I’ll try to take everyone’s availability into consideration though we definitely need everybody on deck

[Master Rock]

Love this! Dope job guys...shout out to Dom with them Deadman interview! And yeah, that was probably one of my favorite mmlp verses.

[Candy]

dope mag xoxo