Arizona: The Key to Fresh Coast Expansion in Battle Rap

For a long time, California has been known as the home of West Coast battle rap.  Names such as, The Saurus, Franco, Dizaster and Dumbfoundead are prime examples of the sunshine state's talent pool.  Some of the best writers and freestylers in the world have come from Cali.

Through Grind Time, it became even more apparent as the term "Fresh Coast" was coined and rappers from all over the world traveled to partake in some of the biggest events in battle rap history.  Among its huge crowds, seasoned emcees and deep roots, its very hard to see any other state on the west messing with Cali's roster.

Being that the east coast, midwest and down south pull a lot of battle emcees from multiple states, this leaves you to wonder where the next big battle surge will emerge out west.  Seattle, Portland, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado have all contributed to the battle scene, but have yet to rival Cali's talent pool.  

Recently, a few trips to visit family have landed me in Phoenix.  While visiting last year, I was invited to a few battles that hosted performances by some promising emcees.  After closely watching their scene grow for a year, the mind starts to wonder ... could the west finally have a new hot spot?

Enter the Grand Canyon state, Arizona:

History Lesson

The more blogs I write, the more these battle "history lessons" seem to become my trademark.  Its only right that before I speak on the current state of AZ's battle scene, I take a small trip back to the past ...

From 2001-2008, Tucson, AZ hosted an event called Mic Fights!  The format was very scribble-jam esque and the competition was very formidable.  Around the time Mic Fights! 7 arrived on DVD, footage started being released on youtube.  This event pioneered the Arizona battle scene and provided hardcore battle fans with hours of entertainment.

Notable Emcees from Mic Fights! :

Nocando - The most known emcee on this list in the battle world.  From Scribble Jam and WRC to Grind Time and Red Bull Emsee, he's done it all.  This LA native and Project Blowdian made an appearance at (the final) Mic Fights 11 and was able to finish on top.

Speak - From his classic battle with Jin to his Butcher Battle hosted by DJ Vlad, Speak was always a dope freestyler.  By far his greatest feat, however, is writing Gucci Gucci for Kreayshawn.

Calliz (aka Mark Spitz) - One of the best freestyler's from the early 2000s that never received his well deserved shine.  "Fuck it, ima talk about his rolex - ima break that shit and make it a broke-lex/ any time that i take it its a stole-lex, and since your a BITCH that makes it a hoe-lex." - The video was deleted(?), but this was definitely one of my favorite lines of that entire time period.

Other Notables:

Roch

Meskaline
Oki

Calliz Vs. Christopha Tha Philisopha @ Mic Fights! 5

Reemergence of the Scene

A few years back, Grind Time attempted to start a division in AZ, based off the the success Keefe Write had managing artists through his Sand Trap battles, but due to a few mishaps and bad timing, only a couple battles came out, which resulted in a few emcees not getting the proper respect they were due for crazy win streaks and classic matches.  With the emergence of Voice Box battles in Tucson, the scene seems to be revitalized, as they are flying in outside talent to compete against some of the states best.  I have devised a list of 10 people to look out for while you are browsing the net for battle footage.  These emcees have been killing it for a while and its time they receive the proper shine they deserve.

Arizona's (tentative) Top 10

KONSHIS PILOT

The man's name has rung bells all around the west, from the Jungle to Grind Time West, but Konshis never had his chance to shine in a big event.  His talent is unquestionable; from lyricism and delivery to clever wordplay and creativity, Konshis Pilot has it all.  His versatile style would allow him to shine in ALL battle leagues.

Konshis Pilot vs KG the Poet

KG THE POET

KG has probably been the hardest working man in the AZ battle scene for the past few years.  As a result, he was able to slip through the cracks and get his name out before Grind Time's viewership took a serious plummet.  Battles with Mr. Biscuit, Konshis Pilot, Uno Lavoz and QP make him the states most viewed battle rapper.  Due to his slick street style and Detroit roots, KG would surely shine on the East Coast in URL's proving ground.

KG the Poet vs QP

NITTY

Nitty got his start in the Sand Trap battle league, but was a victim of bad timing and unreleased footage.  With wittiness, jokes, street content and punchlines, Nitty has it all.

Nitty vs Type Z

C-GUTTA

I've only had the opportunity to see him perform once, but Chicago native, C-Gutta is definitely a beast.  His most impressive attribute is the way he structures topics and delivers them with an unfamiliar twist.  After a few more battles, Gutta should be top 5 in the state.

C-Gutta vs J-Rich

KIDD W.I.T.E

Kidd W.I.T.E. and his brother, J-Frost made their imprint in the battle scene when they drove from AZ to ATL to compete in Grind Time Georgia.  After both put on impressive performances, they were unable to remain consistent due to the travel distance.  W.I.T.E's pen game is nasty, any true lyricist will pay homage to the man's notebook.

Kidd W.I.T.E. vs Gladiator

J-FROST

After Frost destroyed his first opponent on Grind TIme, he had a lot of battle fans screaming the phrase, "top tier."  His highly anticipated match with Florida's Jonny Storm fell through, and  Frost never really had a huge stage to shine on again.  On his A game, Frost is top 3 in the state.

J-Frost vs New Era

PHAL KILMER

In about a year's time, Phal Kilmer has done 10 battles on Voicebox, won the championship, and faced Jonny Storm.  Once he buckles down, improves his style and overall entertainment value & appeal, Phal wil go far.

Jonny Storm vs Phal Kilmer

T2 GOOD

T2 Good has battled on GTN since there was only one division.  He is definitely the OG of the current AZ battle scene.  He resurfaced in GT's DMV division and became the man to beat after a few great battles.  Now in AZ, he still feels as though he has something to prove.  T2 always had the shot to get big name matches, but something always happened that prevented him from reaching a top level opponent.  He has the skill set to be a beast and definitely had his superstar moments, but needs to get focused and re-attack the battle game with his best foot forward.

T2 Good vs Mendoza

EXO

EXO was arguably the best rapper on Sand Trap, but fell victim to bad timing like a lot of the other emcees on this list.  With a crisp style that was reminiscent of the Fight Klub glory days, he was sure to be a star in this battle generation.

EXO vs Nitty

FRANK WHITE

Frank White, originally from Chicago, has the ability to freestyle the whole battle or show up with a written and kill his opponents.  I was able to attend with battle with Ace Boogie (unreleased) in which he really impressed me.  With proper preparation, Frank White is up there with the rest of the top 10.

Sacc vs Frank White

Honorable Mention: Ace Boogie, Y-Not, DieVerse, Mossferatu (if he writes), Bandit, Ratchet, and Crookyd

*There was a very dope rapper in the Sand Trap that went by the name of "Beantown Bully" (aka Juss), but due to stealing a very large amount of bars (from well known battlers) and using them against opponents in battles for money, he was forced to leave the state.  He appeared in a GTNY battle vs C4 at March Madness, but was not granted an opportunity to battle again when news of his antics in Arizona had spread.  The controversy surrounding him played a huge role in a lot of Sand Traps' emcees inactivity in todays battle scene.

The Future

Arizona has enough dope emcees to make a serious push in the battle game, but there needs to be an overhaul.  The 10 emcees I have named (plus a few more) need to actively battle at major events and the scene has to be a little bit more diverse.  It seems as though a lot of street cats battled in Sand Trap and progressively became extinct during the transition from Grind Time to Voice Box.  Promoters from Mic Fights!, GT, VB and Sand Trap need to join forces and bring every emcee from the past and present together for a few major events and establish a true fan base in Phoenix, while making occasional trips back to Tucson.  Also, the overall production level needs to be raised; once AZ's top battlers start looking crisp, inactive emcees will want to battle again and an international crowd will start taking greater notice.

If I had the time, I would put all of this together myself, but due to a few projects (including a new league, EBA) my hands will be tied up.  In the meantime, these artists from AZ need to band together and make their way toward the midwest, east coast, Cali and Canada where they should attain the proper respect and views they deserve after so many years.

Take it from me: quality control and production can (and will) go VERY far.  AZ is not to be taken lightly - hopefully they can blossom and show the rest of the world theres more than just desert in Arizona.

August 31st is the biggest battle in Arizona history.  Check the video flyer:

- Drect