AllHipHop

GATTAS is Back and Proving that She Has No Real Heir to Her Throne

By: Kershaw St. JawnsonCategory: News

“Heir to The Throne” gave the world a classic battle from battle rap legend E-Hart and new titan First Lady Flamez and a classic body from YG! Read who won big and flopped the hardest!

The Ultimate Rap League presented the Queen of the Ring’s “Heir to the Throne” card this past Saturday, an all-female battle rap series similar to the brand’s “Rookies vs. Vets” card.

While truly the June 26 card, which competed with the Bow Wow and Soulja Boy Verzuz contest and the various parties lined up during the BET Awards and Experience weekend, it still managed to trend all evening. As it should have, the night was in a word “FUEGO.”

It was on fire, despite all of the battles originally scheduled not taking place.

When announced, the two battles that set the culture ablaze were 40 B.A.R.R.S. vs. Casey Jay and Ms. Hustle vs. Coffee Brown.  The ladies did not lack on the promo and each of these battles had storylines that made for salacious intrigue.

After being called by battle rap’s god-father, Smack White,  “The Face of Female Battle Rap,” the Twittersphere erupted with mob rage. For those outside of the culture, they have no idea who “Team 40” is, but it is a massive group of fans that flock to their queen 40 B.A.R.R.S. like the Beyhive to Beyoncé or the Navy to Rihanna. They were not here for it at all. For them, “The Face” is the woman that had been their queen for years— the woman that has the most viewed battles and fans, and who brings the most money to the culture. It is that simple for them.

But remember … This is “Heir to the Throne.” This ain’t “Who sitting up there?” RESPECTFULLY.

And so, Casey’s people believed that her hard-fought battles, that have sprinkled the last two years with victories, have edged her the spotlight. That battle was for those bragging rights and unfortunately did not happen because the cat-eyed Texas beauty was rushed to the hospital the day before the event for a priority surgery— one that could have cost her her life.

Understandably, the culture was disappointed but still acquiesced to the seriousness of the situation. May have sent their warm wishes (and so does ALLHIPHOP.com). Feel better Casey.

The Hustle and Coffee battle was also canceled because of medical reasons. A couple of weeks before the card, Hustle and her child were in an accident. While they walked away from the crash, there are some minor injuries sustained by the mother and daughter (physical and emotional) that are being tended to. Many believed did not extend the same grace to the Harlem rapper as they did to the UM3 Semifinalist. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQRP2url5XU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Because of her activity on social media and alleged past shenanigans, folk just thought she was scared, and that the accident was an answered prayer to give her more time.  

Those battles didn’t happen but 40 was there looking good. Coffee was there too and had an all-white after party which featured a cornucopia of tacos and strippers. And Ms. Hustle, who wasn’t there, was featured in the recently released Kay Slay track “Rolling 110 Deep.” Casey is also recuperating and successfully came through her operation.

E-HART VS. FIRST LADY FLAMEZ

The first battle of the night was E-Hart vs. First Lady Flamez. While some people called it a mirror-match, stylistically it was not. E-Hart’s attention to detail in her rhymes is measured and crockpot cooked. Flamez’s lyrics are equally meticulous but executed in like a fury of bullets from an automatic firearm. Hart is appropriately Bronx cool and Flamez is Blood hot. Hart understands the Art of War, and while Flamez is brilliant she is a scrapper … that moves from a space of immediate but calculated survival. What was similar maybe is the slender builds, complexions, glasses and that they don’t get dolled up like many of the other women. How they walk upon the scene and intimidate the greatest of emcees, but that is it. 

Hart is who she is — a solidified legend with more classics, wins, and debatables than loses— there is no one who can compare to this unicorn.

Flamez is in her own right extraordinary, a breath of fresh air, and a talent that has the potential to change the landscape of battle rap with her sharp mind and focused curation of her career. She is one of the best to ever do it … even though she did not win (on the first watch) this battle. Which is hard to say because this was such a great showing for both of them. The deference goes to Hart.

“Listen, watchin E Hart /Flamez back, so proud of these ladies…. SO PROUD. Also, how Flamez have two mirror matches against Ehart and JC, and E Hart and JC are nothing alike? Lmao. Flamez is here to stay.”

“That Ehart vs Lady Flamez battle was (fire emoji)”

“It’s all about pacing … E Hart has it mastered. Flamez can take a few pointers from this and progress. Hart cooking!”

SHOONEY DA RAPPER VS. VIIXEN THE ASSASSIN

The second battle of the night was between Shooney da Rapper and Viixen the Assassin.  

Viixen the Assassin came into the battle as the fan-favorite. Having one the Champion Woman of the Year (WOTY) title, few see her as anything other than the top girl in the culture. Her record during the pandemic has been solid: she beat DNA, had a debatable with Flamez, and lost to a really great Loso. However, those who have been fans of the culture for a minute understood that she could not take Shooney lightly.  After all, the two had tangled before and she forfeited the battle by leaving the stage in the middle of her round and Shooney is a beast.

In 2017, she was listed as one of the top rappers (of any gender) by The Source magazine. She also just slayed in her first battle, since returning from maternity leave.  

This was supposed to be one of those ones.

It was a good battle. It was good.

While Shooney’s bars were better, she stumbled under the Caffeine “lights and cameras” and the overwhelming energy and support the Midwest terror brings with her. Viixen’s bars were pretty good with her clearly winning the second round. But the performance, for someone focused on lyricism which the first battle gave a buffet of, seemed to be more important than the bars. The angles and the volume, the explosive choreography and a prepared rebuttal that didn’t all the way land actually took away from the presentation. Fans long for the Viixen that killed DNA, but she has not shown up since. 

But even with that, she won the battle. She won the battle because she was more prepared. She was easier to watch. She was more enjoyable to watch. She seemed more comfortable in the place that has become her home, URL’s Caffeine stage. Her bars were pretty good and occasionally impressive.  That is not a diss. When you are talking about the most elite female rappers in the industry, women who are known to write their rhymes and to toil to come up with genius-level material, one must judge them harder. She is the WOTY, so the same scrutiny that comes with the Geechis and Chilla Joneses has to be applied here. Her depth of content has to expand — even if other people bring up her race, she can’t keep talking about it. Even if others keep talking about her ass or her honor, she can’t keep talking about it. The DNA kill was 253 days ago … no one cares about it and people are gonna go back to it and maybe reassess some passes that were given.

The pen has to step up … because if Shooney did not stumble in the first, she might have beaten her 2-1 because her third was undeniable.

“For Shooney Da Rapper vs. Viixen The Assassin from 

@QOTRING

‘s #H2TT, I gave Viixen the battle. Shooney had some crazy material for sure, but I thought Viixen had a cleaner and more consistent performance. That said, they both had creative punches and angles for each other.”

“And bars like this are the reason I don’t think Shooney got BODIED.. “

https://twitter.com/QueenBrwnSgr/status/1409177712263061504?s=20

“Shooney 2nd was fireeeeee. She owned all the bs Viix was talkin bout n flamed , material fire”

“Vix Got That First Clear The Second Is Debateable I Feel Like Shooney Slighty Edged It And Shooney Got The Third Lol I Aint Mad At A Vix 2-1 Though”

https://twitter.com/WeedAndBattles/status/1409173523982176266?s=20

GATTAS vs. O’FFICIAL

Few people can stand in front of a Bardashian and say that they did not crumble. The holy trinity of female battle rap, Jaz the Rapper, Casey Jay and O’fficial, are a collection of tremendous talent. Each one of them specializes in something different and has been heralded for these attributes. Over the last five years, they have basically dominated every stage across the country — URL or QOTR.

That being said …

Gattas was not outside over the last five years. And her performance was the manifestation of the phrase, “I let y’all eat.”

That’s all anyone can say. She set the stage on fire in a way that reminds you of K Shine’s performance with the smart-aleck confidence of Tsu Surf and the playful lack of sportsmanship easily ascribed to a high school jock on the schoolyard, who beats up on the inferior just because she or he can. In this respect, she kinda reminds you of Ill Will.

However, it didn’t feel mean. It felt like something no one on Caffeine had experienced before (save maybe the Daylyt and Tay Roc battle—she embodied both of them). She was fantastic. 

She was so fantastic that it made O’fficial look even worse than we all know she is as a battler, unbelievably choking in every round. Gattas made the confident puncher look regular.  She made the Bardashian, who just two years ago celebrated making 40 B.A.R.R.S. quit in a two-on-two, seem like she was not all the way cooked. Made her look like she needed to go back to the drawing board. Or maybe Gattas proved to the new generation a notion that so many people have been saying for a very long time … the talent that people think is so top tier — simply is not.

This was a classic body. This was a legendary defeat. Gattas is back and every single person on Queen of the Ring should be afraid (be very afraid).

“Yeah, that caffeine stage a different animal.. no doubt… U see how comfortable gattas was though”

“Very very good point. Gattas would be comfortable ANYWHERE. I really really like admire her confidence. She is feeling herself wherever she is, whoever she in front of, she’s her number one fan and she ALWAYS been that way. I really f### with gattas”

“It was a sub-par event at best cant lie however a few things that I realised watching that battle 1. Official has fallen right off like all the way off 2. Get lady flames bigger plates she is actually too cold. 3. Gattas with the new competition is going to create classics”

Ending the night was URL’s announcement of the contestants in the upcoming “Ultimate Madness 4.” Unlike the last season, these guys are truly a part of the NewRL that so many people are talking about.  There will be no top tiers, no females, and no heavy purse prize at the end (returning to the $25K from the first two). However, what this UM4 does have is a fresh batch of talent that will hopefully be the names that we will be screaming for when the world opens up.