BATTLE REVIEWS: Arsonal The Rebel VS Aye Verb, Hollow Da Don VS Tsu Surf & DNA VS Chilla Jones

First off...
This review is from MY point of view. Meaning... If you feel differently it is ok with me. There are no right or wrongs in this, only opinions.
Now Lets get to it...

Arsonal Da Rebel (Newark, NJ)  -VS-  Aye Verb (St. Louis, MO):

1st Round on Arsonal...
He starts off with some dope shit, then chokes.. smh
(he plays it off tho) LOL and then goes crazy on Verb...
"....that magnum barrel spin 'round/ hollow tips, 6 rounds/ 
will violate him in 5 seconds like he the nigga trying to inbound>>>" 
Got the crowd going crazy <<<<#bARS
Aye Verb's 1st round is impressive...
He's mos def comfortable at home
Who Won Round 1?: Aye Verb #Verydebatable
Could go either way tho...

Arsonal is on point in Round 2
a barrage of Personal attacks.. the disrespectful Ars is so entertaining and hilarious!
Aye Verb's 2nd...
He says he killed O-Red... #fail! O-Red damn near bodied this man...
beside that, his 2nd was good... he's getting that Home Town love for regular bars though LOL
Who Won Round 2?: Arsonal Da Rebel #NoDebating

Arsonal is on his shit again in Round 3...disrespecting the entire city of St.Louis
Hitman and Yung Ill both take shots from Ars, but the low blow is given to Verb and his Mother> 
"....u was taught to ride a bike by a dyke/
thats the main reason you can't handle bars..."
#SOdisrespectful 
Arsonal went on a Loaded Lux type rant at the end of the round... 
Verb's 3rd trying to go the Loaded Lux route also....
nice try but...
Who Won Round 3?: Arsonal Da Rebel
Close round but Disrespect wins everytime LOL

Overall a very entertaining battle, but what is very telling to me is 2 things:
-Arsonal shows up for away games..
-Verb only shows up for home games..
Therefore Arsonal's Consistency will always make him better than Verb..

Decision: Arsonal Da Rebel 2-1

NOW......

Hollow Da Don (Queens, NY)  -VS-  Tsu Surf (Newark, NJ):

 So far, this has to be the Battle of the Year!
Every round was competitive, both emcees brought out a top notch performance & had the crowd going bananas throughout the battle.


Hollow Da Don rhymed 1st as Round 1 began and immediately went on the attack.
Surfs round 1 was amazing!
His energy level is on a million!
Who won rd. 1?: Tsu Surf #NoDebating
At first sight and more importantly listen... I was thinking: if surf keeps rhyming like this, he can not lose. Hollow's first round would have beaten most battlers easily but he ran into a "Tsunami" here.

Hollow's 2nd round was better than his 1st.
Surfs 2nd wasn't as good as his first but is still dope.
Who Won Round 2?: Hollow Da Don #debatble
Hollow edged this round..
The Chris Webber line and Detroit scheme won me over.
They both had bars and wit but hollow struck the 1st low blow of the battle with that personal attack.

Hollow' 3rd round was as amazing as Surfs 1st round! Wow! I'm impressed. He has gotten better in every round which is extremely hard to do.
Surf's 3rd round is good, but not as good as his prior two. He seems to be on a decline after that sensational 1st. Seems to me these emcees are going in opposite directions with momentum.
Who Won round 3?: Hollow Da Don #NoDebating!
Both emcees are obviously top tier battle rappers and both deserve a spot on Summer Madness 3 (the Wrestlemania event of the URL battle league). But Hollow the Don won this battle by the slightest of margins. 

Decision: Hollow Da Don Wins 2-1

Now...
Y'all take a look at the battle and Let the debate begin..


Also...

Dna (Queens, NY)  -Vs-  Chilla Jones (Boston, MA)
Dna wins 2-1
Chilla has bars on top of bars but!.. That's all he has. He has no stage presence, no rebuttals, no energy.. Only schemes.
Dna picked him apart in rounds 2 and 3.

See it and Judge it for yourself...

ALBUM REVIEW: YEEZUS - Kanye West and More...

Y do I love the Yeezus album?

Its simple, Kanye is interesting to me;
Musically and Lyrically.

On 1st listen, As the CD began.. I let go a huge UH OH! (As in: "WTF is this?)
The techno sounding beat to "On Sight" sounded weird at 1st (I eventually got used to it). This song is most definitely the weakest song on this 10 track album but I tolerate it because Kanye says enough interesting things for me to do so. U see, I know Kanye is not a wordsmith so I do not criticize him toughly, lyrically.

"Soon as I pull up and park the Benz/
We get this bitch shaking like Parkinson's/
Take my number and lock it in/
Indian hair, no moccasins/
It's too many hoes in this house of sin/
Real nigga back in the house again/
Black Timbs all on your couch again/
Black dick all in your spouse again/
And I know she like chocolate men/
She got more niggas off than Cochran, huh?"

...is all I expect from him and its entertaining.

"Black Skinhead" sounds like a retro tribal song and immediately invokes me to get my boogie on.
"I am God" is simply amazing, simply put. Ye' rides The beat perfectly and does what he does best which is cause an uproar with his far from delicate wordings.

("I just talked to Jesus, he said what up Yeezus/
i said: shit I'm chillin, trynto stack these millions/
i know he the most high...")

"New Slaves" sounds like a upbeat Negro Spiritual. He again shows he isn't scared to talk about this world seen through a black man's eyes regardless of his existence in a high tax bracket.
("Yall throwing contracts at me, yall know a nigga can't read...")

"Hold My liquor" features a hook by Chief Keef who's off beat flow is perfect for this beats deep bass line.
This is a Vintage Kanye track, as is "I'm in it". The former includes a reggae sample that fits the track perfectly.

"Blood on the leaves" perfectly samples Nina Simone's 'Strange Fruit' while "Guilt trip" is enjoyable as well. Another perfect reggae sample and Kid Cudi's singing on the hook makes this song completely dope.

"Send it up" is a party starter and Beenie Man's "Memories" sampled voice makes another reggae inspired appearance. It shows me that Ye' is willing to touch every genre and isn't afraid to let any and everybody into the party like he's the coolest 'bouncer' ever. LOL

"Bound2" is the perfect closing for this CD, another Vintage Kanye performance.


If this is Kanye's 'experimental' album then either he's found a formula that works or he can do no wrong musically (In my eyes). As a rapper myself, I DO NOT see myself rapping on most of these beats. They're too 'left field' for my taste but Yeezy makes it work almost flawlessly.

I would not by any means say this album is better than: "Born Sinner" or "Good Kid, Maad City" because those albums are completely different than Yeezus. J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar are wordsmiths and Kanye isn't. (But don't tell Ye that LOL)
I rate this album, not as just a Hip Hop album but a work of art.

Point is: I love this CD!
When I press play, I do not need the skip button... Only the rewind!
If it wasn't for the techno sounding 'On Sight', I would give this CD a 9.5!!
(Seriously Big Homie! #Insider)

Yeezus Grade = 9/10

Btw:

Nas - Life is Good = 10/10
(I can officially call this a #Classic <Nas at his best>

Wu Tang & D-Block - Wu Block = 8/10
(This flew under the radar last year, all these mc's brought their best rhymes to the table)

J.Cole - Born Sinner = 9/10
(Amazingly Constructed, Dope lyrics. Twice as good as his 1st album)

Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid Maad City= 9.5/10
(Kendrick is the young King of rap right now, this album will be talked about forever)

Wale - The Gifted=7/10
(Wale put together a solid album here but i do utilize the skip button a bunch of times on this)

ALBUM REVIEW: Magna Carta Holy Grail - Jay Z

Jay Z, is the best rapper alive in my opinion so I hold him to unbelievable standards when reviewing his works. One thing I can never do is compare his albums to anyone elses. I only compare Jay Z to Jay Z!

With that said, his new release "Magna Carta Holy Grail", while it has moments of greatness, falls short of what I expect from the self proclaimed "God MC".

I can make a case that this album can be ranked no higher than 8th compared to his prior work.
(Note: Jay Z says himself that he would rank this album 4th behind "Reasonable Doubt", "Blueprint" and "Black Album".)

I say those 3 are most definitely better but also "In My lifetime Vol 1", "Hard Knock life Vol. 2", "American Gangster" and "Blueprint 3" as well, while I put MCHG in the class of "Kingdom Come", and "Vol. 3". I say that because both these projects contain material I feel that are amazing, but also some songs that are sub par; meaning they all lack consistency.
(Ie. On Volume 3: Amazing: Dope Man, NYMP, Do it again, Come and get me, big pimpin. There's been a murder... Very Sub par: things that you do, pop 4 roc, s.carter)

This is no knock on Jay Z as it is common for us as hip hop fans to be tough graders when comparing certified classic material to new releases. I judge Jay on his consistency from track to track because he has such a huge catalog; And because of that we know exactly what we can expect from him. With that I also expect him to evolve in some way(s) which he did as he spoke more in-depth on his 5 percent beliefs. But besides that I heard the same braggadocio Jay-Z, rapping about what he has and what we don't. Maybe I expected the "Watch The Throne" Jay Z, where he opened up and actually rapped about the struggle and how it affects us. Or maybe I'm just tired of all "Money, Cars, Hoes" rap, but that's a different story on its own.

Again, this is MY opinion...
"You feel me? And if you don't like it then fine.." To quote Jay-Z himself. (Streets Is Watching off "In my lifetime Vol. 1")

MCHG has many high points: The opening track "Holy Grail" is an amazing song and the perfect intro to this CD. Track 2: "Picasso Baby" is one of the best songs on this Cd as it reminds me of a vintage Hova. The beat is dope and gets better it switches up toward the end... as he rhymes:
"I never stuck my c*ck into Foxes box but/
damn If I ain't open Pandora's box/
they tried to slander ya man on CNN and FOX...."
(Note: He's debuting the video for "Picasso Baby" on HBO 8/2 at 11pm)

The next song "Tom Ford" is dope as well and is a fan favorite, as it should be. Oceans, Jay Z Blue, FUTW, crown and Heaven round out the Amazing parts of the album.

Now to the sub par:
-"FuckWitMeYouKnowIgotIt" sounds more like Rick Ross' song.
-BBC is a little short of horrible. The beat is corny sounding and the hook is very, very weak.
-Part II (on the run) sounds forced; As if he wanted to squeeze his wife Beyonce on the album somehow, just chose one of her unfinished songs and added his lyrics quickly. LOL I do not enjoy this song 1 bit.
-His flow on LaFamilia is catchy but very awkward sounding. Also the "Lil Wayne dis" he started the song with was very weak as well. Like... C"mon Hova... That was very "Ghoulish" sounding. On BP3 you came at "the necks of your former Roc-A-Fellas signees hard and you come at Lil Wayne so softly? C'mon SUN!
-I can't get into Nickels and Dimes either... Even though lyrically he's bringing it, the beat and hook seems like something I've heard before. (Not my cup of tea)

I will say: "Versus", a interlude of sorts, should have been a full song. He needed that type of energy on this project.
But "Beach is Better" is the worst! It just sounds terrible to me .. Sorry!

Overall I like MCHG but I do skip a bunch of tracks as I play the album, which is something I'm not used to doing while playing Jay Z album through my speakers.


Ones' Rating:
Magna Carta Holy Grail = 7/10

Wondering how i would rate his other Albums?

Reasonable Doubt = 10/10 #Classic
In my Lifetime Vol.1 = 8/10
Vol. 2 ...Hard Knock Life = 9/10
S.Carter Vol.3 = 7/10
Dynasty La Familia = 6/10
Blueprint = 10/10 #Classic
Blueprint 2.1: The Gift & the Curse = 6/10
Kingdom Come = 7/10
Black Album = 10/10 #Classic
American Gangster = 9/10
Blueprint 3 = 8/10

Zimmerman = GUILTY!

I compiled a list of reasons why I think George "I killed Trayvon Martin In Cold Blood" Zimmerman" should have been found guilty.  In my opinion the investigation was flawed from the very beginning and the prosecution also 'dropped the ball' on many major points.

Here I go:
-The Obvious: He pursued/stalked/followed a person that was ultimately not a "suspect". He assumed he was up to no good but was dead wrong! The boy was just heading home from the store while talking on the phone with a friend. Trayvon wasn't wearing garb that suggested that he was a 1. Burglar (all black) 2. A Gang Member (no flags/bandana) etc. All he saw was a black teen that he "didn't know". That doesn't constitute suspicious activity, that is full blown PROFILING!

-He did not at anytime announce to Trayvon that he was Neighborhood watch or even a concerned resident. This could have easily calmed the situation... immediately! Even Police officer's are entitled to announce to "suspects": I'M A COP! Aren't they? Therefore Trayvon had no legal binding to not STAND HIS GROUND. The fact that he was being followed gave him the right under Florida's BS SYG law to properly defend himself "with no duty to flee" (As the law states). Or does that law not apply to Trayvon, a african american teenager who was doing nothing wrong?

-Zimmerman told different variations of his story. On one hand Trayvon jumped out of the bushes and attacked him, on another he just appeared in front of him (magically I suppose). On one hand Trayvon had his hand on the gun (while he held one hand on his mouth and the other covering Zim's nose.. How many hands did Trayvon have?) & during the reenactment he said he "felt" Trayvon saw the gun ("my shirt lifted up & I felt he saw it" he says"). Smh ... Just to name a couple huge inconsistencies.

-During the reenactment he says he went down toward "the T" to get an address for law enforcement.. A couple things prove that was not the reason for him going that way:

1st: how is he neighborhood watch captain and he doesn't know the name of the street he is on? Especially when there are only 3 streets in the entire complex?

2nd: to his immediate right there is a house with a visible address right there! Also may I point out that the cops with him at the scene failed to point that out or question him on that. When deciphering a Lie/Truth, all these things should "matter". Those that tend to tell the truth usually tell the entire truth unless they have something to hide.

3rd: on his 911 call he asked the operator "can u have the cop meet me by my car?" after he agreed to meet him at the "mailboxes". If the police was going to meet him at his car then why did he walk away from his car??? ...To follow, stalk, pursue and ultimately APPROACH Trayvon Martin, THAT'S WHY!

There and then is when Stand Your Ground should be enforced. Trayvon was in imminent danger for his life as this stranger followed him in his car, then got out and followed him on foot and approached him.

Trayvon Defending himself starts there and ended with George "I'm a Coward and one who Profiles young black men with a License to Carry a concealed weapon" Zimmerman pulling out his firearm and ending this young boy's life Unjustly!

I just wish the Jury of 6 women had seen through the Defendant's BS, the investigators mishaps & the prosecutions shortcomings and relied on Common Sense.

Only 2 people know exactly what happened that night of February 26th of 2012. One of them told a story that made little sense in many key areas of his statement and also was not challenged by investigators on those inconsistencies.  The other was murdered in cold blood & wasn't allowed to ever give his account of the events that occurred that horrible night.

And again just as its done before, Our Justice system has failed us all as in the cases of: 
Oscar Grant (shot in his back and murdered as he lay flat on his stomach, already subdued by police),

Jordan Davis (shot and killed because his music was too loud), 

Sean Bell (shot and killed on his Wedding Night while unarmed)

& Remarley Graham (shot and killed by cops while unarmed).

My question to you all is: How & When do we curb this revolving door of In-Justice? Or CAN we?
I believe it starts with how we treat our own as Parents, Neighbors and Human Beings.  I will not sit here and blame "black on black" crime for these atrocities, but i can not and will not turn a blind eye to it.
IT STARTS WITH US!

Peace....

Debut Post COMING SOON!!!

On this Blog of mine i will speak on anything and everything...
Music + Sports + Everything I like = My Life
til then check out my musical catalog... oh yeah! I rap too..

www.OneSlimBiggins.bandcamp.com