Oh yea. This battle is serious! Looking at the list, this battle is going to be epic at the LEAST! We have a very wide-ranging and varied group of Hip-Hop artists representing their brand this week and the rest is up to you! Enjoy the videos, but don’t forget to vote at the end!
Also, this time we decided to take a cue from our “producer battle” and allow the winner to continue into the next week. Don’t forget to vote on your favorite and support the artist of your choice!
CHAMPION: BIG SEAN -“GETCHA SOME”
The last Video Battle Winner was Big Sean and so he’s back. What is interesting is that Big Sean, a protégée of Kanye West beat another Kanye affiliate named Kid Cudi and a veteran named Busta Rhymes. Even stranger is that he beat Busta with a song called “Getcha Some” and Bussa Buss had a similarly titled song on one of his last CDs.
RICK ROSS & TRIPLE C’S – “ROAD KILL”
Truth is, Rick Ross has been able to deflect “hate” and criticism rather well by making quality music. So, on “Road Kill” he continues his viral video campaign with the other members of Triple C’s, Gunplay,Torch and Young Breed. The song displays a unexpected level of lyricism and finesse on a beat that sounds like it was really made for somebody with an East Coast background. Surprise: These guys are deceptively versatile. The video is called “Road Kill,” but it could have been called “Butcher Shop” for the images of raw meat in the back of some random eatery. The split screen is low brow, but effective in conveying that this is…raw Hip-Hop. Somehow, Consequence pops up in this Spiff TV-produced video. Check it out.
BIRDMAN – “WRITTEN ON HER” FEATURING JAY SEAN
On the low, Birdman is doing his thing. Jay-Z catches flack for his age, but like his East Coast brethren, Birdman continues to do it his way. This song, “Written On Her,” is less gangsta than “Stay Strapped,” but quite addictive. Glossy and well produced, the video exemplifies the “big tymer” lifestyle that Birdman has lived for as long as we’ve seen him in the rap game. Jay Sean looks to be the newest pop addition to the blossoming ranks of Cash Money. This is probably going to be a hit offline, but can this club-rap jam survive a battle?
STOP THE VIOLENCE MOVEMENT – “SELF DESTRUCTION”
We decided to go way off the path this week for our curveball – KRS-One and the Stop The Violence Movement. This song is about 20 years old and seems very relevant this year, considering what happened with Chris & Rihanna and the tragic death of Dolla. And surely we cannot forget our nation is at war in two countries. Nevertheless, this song had about all the megastars of the era (Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, Stetsasonic, MC Lyte and others) and rallied against violence in the Hip-Hop community. Check it out and see if it stands a chance against these thugs and swaggerific rappers!
VOTE!