AOWL Mag - Fourth Edition

[Mike Wrecka]

Season 2

AOWL Mag - Fourth Edition






WHAT UP my people. AOWL magazine is back for a fourth edition. Taking the text scene by storm. Destroying the competition. If you aren't here, you aren't anywhere. Best league on the internet people. And you are a part of it. Big up to Certain for continuously modding his ass off all the while getting to our first ever TITLE MATCH. Props to Mr. J his opponent. Good luck guys, im sure its going to be a great read. The always entertaining Pancakebrah did the predictions this week as a guest writer. Love him or hate him you have to admit, he is a douche bag. Yes, nailed it! Kenny Rogered that fuck face. We have our first regular battler here in the AOWL Dominate. He has crossed over to topicals, at least for this week and we hopefully see that happening more and more. Im sure he will drop something awesome so lets all make him feel at home by giving him a big topical welcome with rainbow unicorn hugs and in no time he will be hanging Fairy and Wizard black light posters in his room. Guaranteed! We have an interview with King Ra. this week so look out for that below. Ok so last week was dope. The Elements theme was really interesting. One word topics may have initially thrown off a few people but I think everyone realized that it provides such a wide range of different approaches to a topic. This week we have images as the theme. Colored boxes to be exact. But as always lets look back before we look ahead



Week 4 in Review by Certain

We had another strong week in terms of writing and voting, though I had the sense that some people struggled with the unique one-word elemental topics. Three shutouts were balanced by three exceptionally close battles that could have gone either way. Here's a brief roundup of what happened:

Zenland beats King Ra. 6-5
This one gets my nod for battle of the week. Both competitors had original concepts for the topic "Sun", with King Ra. probably fleshing his verse out more while Zenland wrote his story better.

Adonis beats Clutter Buck 8-6
Stories tend to beat topicals in these leagues, and Adonis gained a narrow edge on Clutter Buck because he told a good, fleshed-out story. Clutter Buck went with the extended metaphor approach and rallied late in the voting process but fell short.

YDK beats Mike Wrecka 4-3
This was one of those battles where both competitors underachieved and made it really tough on voters. YDK explained his verse to me in a private message: He was personifying the horoscope, something no voter seemed to pick up on. But Mike Wrecka failed to incorporate the topic into his verse well enough.

breathless beats symetrik 6-2
This battle totaled 32 lines, the bare minimum (as NYCSPITZ and Frank found out). But don't sell it short. breathless showed his natural rhyme style and told a story that won over the viewers, while symetrik went with the more poetic approach that I don't think got fair assessments.

Mr. J beats patrown 5-0
Mr. J has the smoothest style around, and he breezed through patrown, who simply overreached on a week when he knew he didn't have enough time to showcase his full abilities. The topic was "Wind," which was the point of my "breezed through" reference. It was a pun. But then I realized you probably don't remember what someone else's topic was.

Just Write beats Objective 6-0
Just Write is steady mobbing, rewriting a nursery rhyme into a fleshed-out story with great smoothness. It was original more than creative, if that makes sense. Objective clearly didn't throw himself into this week, which is a shame.

Certain beats Vividlyvague 5-0
My verse felt good coming off the bat, so I knew Vividlyvague would have to write a great verse to compete. He wrote a few great sections but ultimately wasn't consistent enough or mechanically tight enough to win.

NYCSPITZ and Frank are disqualified for brevity
There's a minimum line limit in this league, and while the decision could be debated, let this be a lesson learned.

Lexicon wins via Storyteller no-show
Lexicon has a really interesting style that shows itself in short bursts and free association. I haven't read much by him, but his brief showing this week was really interesting, loaded with word play and introspection on hip hop. I think he will be a real force in this league if he sticks around.

PancakeBrah wins via Improvise no-show
PancakeBrah knew Gamble couldn't compete, so I can't blame him for his interesting but clearly self-gratifying verse. He went for turns of phrase, complex rhymes and deeply referential content. Reading it was like listening to Sonic Youth's past 20 years. But that's cool because Sonic Youth is still cool for the most part. You just get the feeling that there could be more, that a writer this talented can do more. I know he can.

Innovator wins via Scripter no-show
There wasn't much to see here, as Innovator threw up a quick 16 lines just to get the win because Scripter was banned for fucking with Allen Knight. Don't fuck with Allen Knight.




POWER INDEX by Certain

Every week, I will rank the top 10 competitors in the league. These rankings will not be official or have any bearing on anything aside from my rankings. The goal will be to measure who is doing best in the league (excluding myself). You will not always agree, and I encourage you to post your own rankings. These are not verse of the week rankings, to be clear. They often won't line up with results or even necessarily with my own votes. So deal with it and enjoy them for what they are.

10. Lexicon (1-1)
He seems like a likely riser with a really great writing style, but I need to see more than 16 lines.

9. Adonis (2-1)
His writing style is unique and doesn't always flow seamlessly, but he has a really creative mind.

8. King Ra. (1-2)
No one has faced tougher competition: PancakeBrah, Objective and Zenland.

7. Vividlyvague (3-1)
Some mountains are too high for anyone to climb. But his style is really fresh in a realm that embraces different styles.

6. Frank (2-2)
I'm not underestimating him, but he has only dropped one full verse in four weeks.

5. PancakeBrah (1-1)
He still hasn't shown this league what he can do, but he may be the best topical writer on this site.

4. Zenland (2-2)
He's had a few tough breaks, but I think he really found his writing approach last week in a tough win vs. King Ra.

3. Mr. J (3-1)
His effort level is way up from the Writing Challenge League, which is cool because he's so smooth it's ridiculous.

2. Vulgar (2-0)
He's back, and if he sticks around, he has to be one of the two or three favorites for the title.

1. Just Write (3-0)
His verse wasn't particularly inspiring, but it was another good example of what makes him such a good storyteller.


Week 5 by Mike Wrecka





This upcoming week I have selected different colored boxes as the topics. Im not sure but I could say with 90 percent certainty that this has never been done before. I am innovative, yay! No but seriously I think these topics will work on so many levels and expect a lot of great verses to be inspired by my genius. What do you think Pancakebrah?


Predictions by Pancakebrah

I personally enjoy this week's topics. I've seen a few comments disparaging the topics but they lend themselves to open interpretation. It's on the writer to make an effective and affecting verse while tying in the broadness. Me and breathless have gray and I've gone through literal, metaphoric, and physical ideas running down the right tact to take. With that openness in mind I'm going to predict this week's matches purely on my opinion of the writers and not their ability to match a topic. I assume each writer will find their lane with their topic and write to their fullest. All predictions assume both writers show.

Certain (4-0) vs. Mr. J (3-1)

Weird champ match. This is a good league but there seems to be a subculture of relatively unrecognized writers who are cultivating their own zeitgeist within the bars and seclusion. I check out the predictions/discussion topic every week and there seems to be this unique equilibrium of familiarity completely separate from the generally recognized hierarchy of the rest of the Netcees. I think this Championship Match reflects that; two writers most of Discussion, NBL, and the general populous wouldn't recognize. With that said this should be a good read but one sided in my opinion, almost entirely due to personal preference. That's what this section is all about; Pancake. And everyone else, I guess. I think Certain is one of the better writers on this site. I say that because I'm trying to tone down my hyperbole. He's not Black, Vulgar, Bwdarthboy, Oats, etc. He is, though, among the next tier with Split Eight, Genocide, Wise, and a few others I'm forgetting. We have relatively similar styles although I notice a couple strikingly different characteristics here and there. Mr. J is prolific but somehow nebulous. I've read half a dozen verses by him but have a hard time really coming away from one of his verses influenced. I can't exactly put my thumb on it. My gut instinct is that he needs to put a bit more personality and personal experience in his verses, no matter the format and context. I've read a few verses of his were he does indeed touch on personal subjects, but it almost always seems to be rote and stilted. I always come away from his writtens respecting his technical ability, but it's all a bit dry. I'm a sucker for emotion, empathy, and personality in verses. Someone without my biases may appreciate Mr. J's approach more, and deservedly so. He's talented. For my money, though, I'd go with Certain.
Certain 60/40

Just Write (3-0) vs. Vividlyvague (3-1)

Just Write has a penchant for strong conceptualization. I'm not overly familiar with his writing but the last two weeks he's impressed me with the routes he decided to take with topics. His storytelling is good. Not top tier, but an asset. The aspect of his writing that leaves me wanting is execution. He can pick his concepts and direction damn near as well as anyone in the league but his actual writing is solid if unspectacular. That may sound damning but an eye for concepts is hard to teach and in my estimation more than half the battle. When I read his pieces I'm surprised by his direction but underwhelmed by the words typed. I think writing out of his comfort zone and completely switching his style a few times to find a groove would benefit him immensely. It's hard to do but with his eye for ideas he would benefit from it. VividlyVague is Oats, and henceforth I'll refer to him as Oats because his new name is gay. Oats is a writer's writer. I can honestly say that there hasn't been an Oats verse on this site that I've read that I didn't enjoy. That was a double negative. Fuck you. He has strong wording and technique but his strengths are the ability to tell stories with a message that don't come off as tired and his incisive and positive determinations on life that ooze with genuine personal conviction. This should be an enjoyable read but Oats is a certified pillar.
Oats 70/30

Zenland (2-2) vs. YDK (2-2) *Pancake Pick O' the Week

Zenland's submissions in this league have been a personal favorite of mine, the two that I've read. He has great readability. His rhyming mechanics, flow, and rhythm are all among the best in the league. The only problem he has is his own complexity in terms of concepts and idea execution. I don't fancy myself as someone who interprets vague verses well as I usually focus on technical ability and I enjoy bluntness, and Zenland definitely enjoys his vagueness. I would enjoy reading something a bit more straightforward with less allusions and symbolism from him, letting his preternatural ability of rhythm speak for itself without the reader having to reread his lines for meaning. Sometimes less is more. YDK is inconsistent. I initially disliked him but that was Discussion related. He's a poet, apparently, but I enjoy his less poetic verses. That's not entirely true, I guess. Everything he writes is in poetic form, I guess I enjoy when he tries less. His metaphors in my opinion are weak. His imagery, though, can be strong when he's on his game, and much like Zenland his rhythm is a strong suit. He doesn't focus on rhymes and as such they aren't a strong suit. YDK has grown on me slightly as a writer but if both him Zen drop their best or drop their average I have Zen taking it. This could be the most interesting, if not highest quality, battle of the week.
Zenland 65/35

Frank (2-2) vs. Innovator (2-2)

Frank is a great troll, to the point that it undermines his writing. He's the Aero of topicals with a more subversive yet truthful nature in his trolling tactics, with an equal level of skill. He has a truly unique style; he relies heavily on formatting and keeps a rhyme scheme longer than all of the other top tier writers. His strength is within that penchant for monotonous rhyming. He'll start off with your attention, suffer through a slightly forced rhyme, then tie in content while bringing a unique rhyme in the same monotony, and he comes out that much better for it. He has a strength for dialogue and his writer's voice is among the best on the site. He's mercurial, though. Not in that he'll drop below his expected level of return but that he'll either show out or not show at all. Innovator is solid. I think he has the essential ideas to be a respected topical writer but needs to find a true strength. Everything is solid but nothing stands out. He can hold his own and has definite lines where possible innovation shows through, but nothing truly stands out. He seems like a mid-tier topical/open mic writer who's satisfied. I would suggest for him to try and go out of his comfort zone more than anyone else in this league. Strike out and try to find a niche, a new voice, or some sort of dynamic. You can stay where you are or you can try. You might fail, or you might endeavor on a path that you, and maybe the voters, will enjoy.
Frank 80/20

Vulgar (2-0) vs. Lexicon (1-1)

If we were to boil down the Open Mic to regular writers, Vulgar and Black are 1/1/1A/1A. One, maybe two, writers may be better in terms of true skill, but in terms of regular contributors they are the standard, yet diametrically opposed. Vulgar's style is his own, but it's not entirely of whole clothe. He simply does what he does better than anyone else. There are negatives you could say about his writing style, but this is nitpicking at it's finest. When he's on he's the best writer in this league currently (if Black was signed in there would be an argument) and any critique leveled to him is laughable if such a standard would be applied to the other writers in the league. I'm almost completely unfamiliar with Lexicon or any of his possible aliases. His verse last week is the only basis I have for an opinion. If that's a true indication of his skill, his mechanics and rhymes are strong. He has a strong sense of punctuation and knows what he's doing. I didn't think his approach to his topic was original; in fact I thought it was tired. This is an extremely small sample size, though, and I'd put more weight on the strength of his mechanics than a possible off week in conceptualization. Either way, Vulgar is a tough draw for anyone.
Vulgar 75/25

PancakeBrah (1-1) vs. breathless (1-2)

Good luck. I think I'm writing about

King Ra. (1-2) vs. symetrik (0-1)

Clash of styles. King Ra has a weird sense in terms of concepts and ideas, to me. Some people enjoy it thoroughly and I think I'm in the minority. Regardless, I can respect a sound grasp of fundamentals. He has random strikes of inspiration where his content and mechanics match to create unique and moving imagery. If he could let go of his preconceptions and focus on ideology instead of specificity while synching his sometimes strong technical nature he can be a force. I think he puts himself into a niche. He can garner votes in the regular battle but his specificity and obvious tendencies may prevent him from being a serious contender. I have only read one verse from symetrik, his no show verse last week, but I see signs of a writer I could enjoy. Again, my perceptions and critique of him come from one verse so it may not apply in the future. From what I've read, though, he has a strong sense of the human condition with a great voice. He could use some sharpening in terms of wording and structure, but if he puts in the effort I think he can be good to great. The use of 'cuz' multiple times in his last verse gives me pause but he combats that with great wording and personal affectation that I, with bias, enjoy in heaps. This should be interesting. I think symetrik pulls the slight upset here.
Symetrik 55/45

Split Eight (0-1) vs. Lucifer (0-0) Battle of the Week

Clash of styles, to a higher degree. Lucifer is Genocide, henceforth referred to as Geno for brevity. Although one wonders if typing all that out negates the space saved by typing Geno instead of Lucifer. Definitely not now. Anyways. Geno is the most honed in writer on the site. The first time few times I read his verses I thought he the best writer on the site. Not take anything away from Geno, but he's not. He's right the fuck in the very fucking good tier. His mechanics are the most dialed in on the site; when you click a Geno open mic you know for a fact the rhymes, flow, and rhythm are going to be top notch. He does tend to favor a particular tone in his Open Mics which might work against him in this league where versatility and topicality is key. If he can adjust his content to match his mechanics he's a threat to win the whole thing. His wording is beyond crisp, it's just a matter of applying it to different subjects. I'd be interested to see a positive submission from him with the same eye for mechanics. Split's Open Mics are personal favorite of mine although he has a higher level or variance. Everything he writes he means but sometimes it misses me. Not in terms of concepts but in terms of point and why. When he's on, though, he can write some of the best lines in the forum. He's usually vague and metaphoric, sometimes to a fault, but I don't fault him for it, if that makes sense. His skill for rhyming his underrated. He almost always puts content first but in his verses you'll find random bursts of creative rhyming that is distinctly him. He has to straddle the thin line of depth and try-hard but when he finds that equilibrium he's one of the best writers on the site. This is almost impossible to call. If Split grabs the right concept and straddles that line with the technical proficiency I know he has I think he can take it. If both drop to their mean (math interpretation) then Geno takes it easily. I think both are going to show out. I hate to have to predict this, but I'll take the minor upset. I hope both put their full effort forth. Regardless, this is the Battle of the Week and I look forward to reading it. Show out.
Split 51/49

Dominate (0-0) vs. TYSON (0-0)

Wildcard. I have never seen Dom drop a topical but he's among the best writers on the site in terms of battling. Tyson is low-mid tier topical. It's a coin flip.
Dom 60/40

Good luck to everyone this week. I look forward to reading.



And now introducing CC aka known as Certains Corner

CERTAIN'S CORNER

The name "Art of Writing League" is misleading. As we see week in, week out, topical battles often are more about creativity and content than anything else. This is a world dominated by the creative more than the eloquent.

This week's topics are a perfect example. Every battle is based on a rectangle of color, with nothing but the open interpretation of that color guiding the writers. But we as voters will judge each verse by how that color was applied and how well the writers conveyed the emotions and significances of the color.

I first joined a topical league in 2001, probably within a year and a half of entering the textcee community. In the 12 years since, I've had at least 150 topical battles with at least 150 topics and 150 different approaches. It doesn't get old to me. It's why I like this stuff: The formulation of a plan is more fun than the execution most of the time. It requires an open mind and an understanding of both your audience and your topic.

With colors, that should leave a lot open for interpretation. But maybe I can stir some creative juices with a few of the standout concepts from this league so far:

Just Write on "Water" in Week 4
I could have pulled all three of Just Write's league verses for this column, but this is the one that stood out for its concept. "Water" is a wildly open-ended topic, but he made the smart decision of getting very, very specific. Leaving things ambiguous allows for misinterpretation and a lack of thematic consistency. Just Write wrote the story of Jack and Jill, providing a deep back history from scratch while effectively centering the story on the pursuit of water that killed Jill and injured Jack. The nursery rhyme was a familiar vantage point for all voters, and it showed with a 6-0 shutout.

Objective on Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" in Week 3
In the context of famous paintings week, the key was to deepen the meaning of your painting with your approach. No one did this as well as Objective, who took the humble town from his incredibly famous painting and created a specific piece of folklore about it, telling the story about a demon child from the town who haunted it at night. Objective is not a better pure writer than his opponent, King Ra., making his approach even more important. He set the tone and conveyed a new meaning to "The Starry Night," and the voters rewarded him with a 6-3 victory.

Vulgar on "Winners never quit, and quitters never win" in Week 2
This match with NYCSPITZ was the best battle of the league thus far, and Vulgar came out on top for exactly one reason: He approached the topic more directly. That's not knocking his execution at all, but the way he came at the topic was fascinating. He didn't abandon the very Vulgar-like themes of anti-government sentiments and religious overtones, embracing his own writing nature while telling a very direct story about a man approached by God and Satan while he contemplates suicide. The topic was addressed head-on, with our character realizing that he simply can't give up even amid dire straights. That very original idea, coupled with a nice twist at the end and some excellent, lucid storytelling gave him a 7-5 win.

All three of those verses featured original and unique storytelling to add depth to their topics. They created new contexts for well-known topics (or, in Just Write's case, the nursery rhyme). But there is no perfect way to approach a topic.

I usually come up with at least five ideas before settling on one. The ease of execution is an important factor for me. Last week, with the topic "Fire," I considered telling the story of a boy who becomes an obsessed pyro and eventually burns down the only thing that matters to the girl he loves. I was compelled by that story line, but I didn't think I could execute it in 48 lines, so I scratched it. Instead, I went with a different damaged boy, a man setting fire to his disturbed past of abuse.

Topical leagues draw criticism from some freewriters because they force us to write about things we wouldn't otherwise write about. But I think these characters and topics and themes allow us to transfer ourselves into new stories and thoughts while challenging us as writers and thinkers. These leagues have changed my approach to writing in general, given me a more open mind. Sometimes, you have to write a verse about a single-mother dragon.


Records
Compiled by Mike Wrecka

SIGNED IN

Certain 4-0
Vividlyvague - 3-1
Mr. J - 3-1
patrown - 2-2
YDK - 2-2
Frank - 2-2
Zenland 2-2
Mike Wrecka 1-3
King Ra. 1-2
Just Write 3-0
Objective 2-1
Lexicon 1-1
Split Eight 0-1
Lucifer 0-1
Scripter 1-3
breathless 1-2
Innovator 2-2
Pancakebrah 1-1
Vulgar 1-0
Dominate 0-0
Tyson 0-0

SIGNED OUT

Dove Dozer (1-0)
UNFUKWITTABLE (0-1)
Witty (0-1)
namesake (0-1)
Defy Gravity (0-1)
Nigma 0-1
Clutter Buck 1-1
Plot (0-1)
Aesthetic 1-1
Rawn MD - 1-1
Pinot Grij 0-1
Atheist 0-2
dead man - 1-1
Fig 0-2




Interview with King Ra. with Mike Wrecka

We got King Ra. aka King Keith here for a AOWL interview. I requested an interesting person. So What up Keith, hows it going and what makes you interesting man?

What's good, Wrecka. I'm just chill'n text'n my lady & soaking up knowledge. And dude, did you just take a jab at me? Lol. I swear the way you put all that together is like, "I requested an interesting person and ended up with this fucker." Fuck you and your thought tho'. <3 I'm interesting because I'm mysterious. Nuff said.


Good stuff. Ok hopefully after this interview you will be a little less of a mysterious figure. I am going to ask the tough questions right here. Lets start off with this one, you were the person running the AOWL last season. Explain to the readers why I am doing a better job than you were?

LMFAOOO. Stop play'n.... really though, I give you and Certain props on what y'all have done and for continuing the legacy I started. Let's be real, my mags were legendary and Frank was beating everyone with 10 different aliases. Had a much deeper, competitive roster, too. But you guys are doing the damn thing though.



Lmao you know I was just messing with you dude. The job you did last season is a big inspiration for what im doing here. Ok so with that being said, serious question that has been bugging me and im sure a few others. What happened to you last year that made you go AWOL on the AOWL?

I see what you did there. *wink* All love, homie. What happened last year was life. Everything just crashed down all at once and I pretty much had to deal with it. Family, finances, work- damn near almost ended up homeless. I had no more access to the internet which is why I disappeared without a word. I mentioned it in the last mag I did I believe, of the possibility that I may have some issues ahead. Big ups to Adonis though for the save, I think he took control of everything. And my apologies to everyone for the let down. But shit happens.


yes it certainly does. Well we are thrilled to have you back and you are a big part of what we are doing here. So ya, much respect dude. OK quick fire time. Where are you from? What kind of car do you drive? What CD you listening to right now? damn I dated myself people don't listen to CDs anymore do they. Well what you playing on the Ipod?

Born and raised in Dade County (Miami). I don't have my own vehicle. And believe it or not, I don't own an Ipod. Matter of fact, I'm not a fan of the Apple genre. Highly overrated to me. I do still bump CD's. I'm on that Black Hippy movement heavy. Kendrick, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock.


Good stuff. OK enough about you. What do you think of our first title match taking place this week?

It should be a good one. Certain is a pretty damn good writer and Mr. J seems to be coming up the ladder under the radar. I believe Certain will take it by a good margin though.


cool cool. Ok that's gonna be all for today homie. Any last words and shout outs? And thanks for your time and contributions in advance. 1

Preciate the opportunity. Shout out to you & Certain for putting together a smoothly run operation and shout out to every participant in the league. We still running shit. Holler.






Ok im shot thanks again to Certain , pancakebrah and King ra. again. pz.