One Twisted Kid

My battle against 360 from KOTD’s World Domination 2 event dropped today. And if you don’t know, now you know … which is where the quote ends as far as white people are concerned.

Preparing for this event and now watching the battle back have sparked a whole other thought process in my head. About the current state of the battle scene, my role in it, and where I go from here. I wanted to write down these thoughts to collate them. Perhaps in a forum where I could garner some feedback, even. And then I remembered that I have a fucking blog!

First, an admission: I am by far my own harshest critic. No one else comes close. So I often feel sheepish and undeserving about the amount of praise that I get from fans. Especially when comparing myself to truly accomplished battlers like Solomon and TheSaurus, or the grittier rappers in leagues like URL, or the newer crop of KOTD talent like Pesci and Bender. I haven’t been fiercely competitive since the BOTB5/Globetrotters days, and that was honestly a different era of battling. The bar is astronomically higher now.

But I’ve come to realize that I play an important role for viewers of the battle scene. Tell me if this analysis is way off-base:

I am the most relatable character in battling. In a sea of larger than life personalities and wrestling-esque vendettas, I’m perhaps the one touchpoint of regular everyday-ness. Nerdy, but not so awkward as to make my performances unwatchable. Smart in a way that doesn’t go over heads. Earnest about presenting myself as myself, rather than a rap persona.

Fresco used to fill the same role, before he moved on to be the scrawny yet arrogant guy who writes fantastical gun bars. Which is amazing. But appeals to a slightly different audience. Soul Khan also had too much dramatic flair and showmanship to fit the bill. And rappers like Charron and Chedda Cheese are so unapologetic in their geekiness that it alienates the more hardcore fanbase. At the very least, I don’t try to be a geek.

I am far from the dopest rapper in any regard. But the average fan can see themselves in me (pause, unless the average fan is a woman… wait, no, still pause) and my verses have enough substance that they don’t need to feel bad about that.

Since I’m having a moment of honest self-assessment, I’ll drop my thoughts on how I did in the aforementioned 360 battle. Watching the video, I was disappointed in my performance. I was not as confident or comfortable as I would have liked, especially in the first round. There are a few lines I wish I wouldn’t have used.

That being said, the last half of the third verse is one of my most proud accomplishments in battling so far. I managed to drop “bars” without sounding completely corny or forced, something I’ve tried before with varying degrees of success (or varying degrees of failure, more accurately). And I incorporated last-minute material pretty smoothly. If I could make both those elements cornerstones of my approach in solo battles, while retaining some jokey moments and mixing in better lead-up schemes to make my big lines more impactful, then I could truly compete at the level where I’m often placed.

I don’t think I’m one of the best. Not even very close, in my opinion. But people who say so make me want to get better and earn that accolade. So thanks guys.