Queen of the Ring hosted their first annual “Prom Night,” and what a time was had.
Held in a ballroom, with all the aesthetics of an actual high school prom, the event was an opportunity for battle rap’s elite to step out in the most elevated style. Fans were able to sit down and dine at ballroom tables. Tuxedos, suits, button-downs, gowns, cocktail dresses, and high heels were the attire for the night.
The colors were purple, black, and gold, accented by balloons and a dancefloor where at the end of the night the fans and all the battlers did the Electric Slide.
Babs Bunny’s dream child, the event featured five major battles and tapped some of the culture’s most talented emcees all to do one-rounders.
The celebrity judges included rap goddesses Rah Digga, Remy Ma, and Sara Kana.
Don Ladyii went up against Lu Castro, with judges giving the “W” to a glammed-up Queens native. #DaddysHome
Jakkboy and Lady Flames vs. Phara Funeral and Swamp were next. People thought the fact that Jakkboy and Flames are a couple, would have more chemistry than PF and the South Carolinian. The truth of the matter, they did not. The devil and his flame took a little longer to get hot. Jakk was rapping with low energy, but his queen held him down (to be fair, it was said the Goonie wasn’t feeling well). However, Phara’s star power and Swamp’s unprecedented cool had the crowd jumping out of their shapewear and hard-bottom shoes. They would have been hard to beat for anyone on the card.
The battle of the night was between the two couples: Shooney da Rapper and Fettucine 20 vs. Tay Roc and Lady Caution.
This was a blood bath with two juxtaposing styles displaying what passion, creativity, lyricism, and talent look like. In a culture where so many people are rewarded for being mediocre, both teams took the assignment seriously and rapped like they wanted to be contenders for the battle of the year.
(It is not lost on the writer that Shooneral as two on two battlers, with or without each other, are just electrifying whenever they get on stage).
Tay Roc and Lady Caution represented Gun Titles’ energy with their teeth out and guns blazing. If their intention was to invoke lyrical terrorism, with the Face of URL steering the ship and the Gatekeeper providing the anchor, then mission accomplished. The two were strong, aggressive, and entrancing to watch.
On the flip side, Shooney and Fetti brought the entertainment level to an all-time high, poking fun at themselves just as much as they were poking at the many angles used on the Cave Gang couple. This couple, who actually won the battle, allowed the audience to peek into the joy they must have as a pair in their home. At points, it was intense, and sexy, and displayed that the two were skilled emcees. At other times, they simply made the crowd laugh and fall in love with them.
If Roc and Caution are the Wolverine and Storm of the culture, Shooney and Fetti are the Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnaz. Sure, you will get the X-Men reference … the two are out of their world, mutant-like powerful when they activate and tap into that sweet spot that they did at the prom. But don’t sleep on the Luci and Dezi comparison. That couple, as husband and wife, owned Desilu Studios, the company that “created pop cultural touchstones like I Love Lucy, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek,” and managed to excel in their own careers. That is kinda what they do as investors in “We Go Hard” and how great they are when they pop out as artists.
The last battle of the night (Tori Doe did not show up, so her battle against Twork … who was dipped for prom … did not happen), was 40 B.A.R.R.S. vs. Fonz.
The battle was not the strongest as 40 choked in all of her rounds. Fonz, the Landlord, won by default.
This event will only get better. We are looking forward to next year and will be in the building again.
