The 2021 Battle includes some of the top contenders from last year, and some new voices. Last year, we heard from four of the current competitors - Thunder, Ron-G, Buggz, and Silencer. The other eight (8) rappers included Elbbz, Deh Flippaz, Pun G, Vizion, Royston Warner, Shawndehrapper, the 2020 Stop the Violence Rap Battle winner, Dizzy and Dink Dawg. Unlike the 2020 Battle, we had no female rappers participating.
The twelve contenders had their first battle on Friday, April 30, 2021, via Facebook Live. Masa Pasa hosted the event and kept it flowing. The rappers battled as follows:
- Ron-G against Elbbz
- Thunder versus Deh Flippaz
- Pun G against Vizion
- Silencer versus Buggz
- Royston Warner against Shawndehrapper
- Dizzy versus Dink Dawg
- PNDRN (P-Nut Den Real Nut), a rapper from St. Croix, USVI
- Monéa, an artiste from the BVI;
- Celeb Press Da Button (PDB), a musical engineer from the BVI
Shawndehrapper vs. Royston Warner
Shawndehrapper was the first contestant to perform and his opening line was, "Who pick this line-up? Give me a challenge like Buggz, the next runner-up, can't give me old food and expect me to come up." Royston Warner received favorable comments from the judges, but his audio was somewhat unclear. The judges unanimously selected Shawndehrapper as the winner.
Ron-G vs. Elbbz
A sample of Elbbz's lyrics is "I got dollars, meen see change yet, make it rain, that's a figure of speech." Ron-G responded with a performance which exhibited his ability to flow in different ways. He rapped, "This the first round, and I'm going to run like an athlete, pack the heat, you're about to be a victim of lyrical mastery." Ron-G was selected by all the judges to move forward to the next round.
Dizzy vs. Dink Dawg
Dizzy came with lyrics, "From the birth as a young-un, I came from the bottom, driving to the top, I bout to win this competition." However, Dink Dawg came back with, "Heading to the top, ain't no one can stop me, your verse gotta sound real hard just to top me." The judges all agreed that Dink Dawg won the battle.
Silencer vs. Buggz
Silencer used a bug spray can as his prop and in a play on words against Buggz when he rapped, "you see in my house, bugs get sprayed." Buggz retorted with, "I don't class with mediocre characters, I is the big dog come to babysit amateurs, in this rap game, I'm considered a connoisseur." Two judges, PNDRN and PDB, selected Buggz, while Monéa was undecided. However, Buggz moved forward to the next round.
Pun G vs. Vizion
Vizion rapped "I respect the beat but I'm gonna commit a murder and make him rest in peace." He also added a bad of bread as a prop. Pun G gave us "You ain't even know about that mission, because you ain't a boss, you ain't ever see that vision," playing on Vizion's rap name. The three (3) judges selected Pun-G to move forward.
Thunder vs. Deh Flippaz
Deh Flippaz versus Thunder was the final battle. Thunder opened his performance with, "Ladies and gentlemen, hurry up and get settled in, bout to have a competition to see who's the best again, there should be no comparison cause I am a veteran, I'm filled with adrenalin." However, Deh Flippaz answered with, "you hearing the Thunder but no I haven't seen he, Duck Duck Goose, o man look he there in the beanie, you belong on the TV, cause you is a character, in this rap game, you's a amateur." The judges unanimously selected Deh Flippaz.
I want to commend all the rappers for the presentation, time, delivery, confidence, and courage. Take the comments from the judges and continue to hone your craft. The rappers will compete in the next round as follows:
- Shawndehrapper vs. Dink Dawg
- Deh Flippaz vs. Ron-G
- Pun G vs. Buggz
I would also like to show some appreciation for the team at the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports for their ingenuity and dedication to supporting youth development.
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