battles, but I never thought that
I would actually be doing what I
love to watch as entertainment.
My family members would
encourage me to tryout for 106
& Park’s “Freestyle Fridays” —
but I declined — saying, “I’m
not a battle rapper!” It seems as
if it was fate when I was offered
to be a part of Memphis history.
AndtwonDadon: Really? So you
never wrote or even done a freestyle battle and jumped in it head
first and now your a beast? Is that
what you are saying?
Almenjoi: Yes, and don’t make
me blush. (Almenjoi laughs)
Honestly, I’ve always had it in
me, before [battling]. The verses
I wrote were always battle rap
style. I don’t know why, but I
love metaphors and punchlines
and I always have.
Yella Mane: I found out about
AC Dutch and IMBL through
my homie, Ari Hote. He was
with a group called Iron Mic
Coalition, out of Memphis. Ari
added me to the IMBL battle
page; I made a post asking who
I had to kill to get to the top. I
dropped some bars on the page
and the rest was history. What
AC is doing here in Memphis
— really, the whole state of
Tennessee — is epic. IMBL is
the premier battle league in
Tennessee. This league is helping
artists spread their brand in the
battle rap world as well as on the
local music scene. With interviews such as these taking place,
it shows IMBL is going global.
Memphis makes some noise.
AndtwonDadon: So rumor has
it that you two have a big battle
coming up. Yella, you will be battling QP and Almen, you will take
on Lady QP — I am assuming
that this is QP’s other half, right?
Yella Mane: I’m not sure. From
the looks, I think it was all just
an act — but if she is, it doesn’t
matter. I’m pretty confident that
Almen and I are going to handle
our business. This movement is
bigger than QP and Lady QP;
it’s more about Iron Mouth and
what we can do to secure IMBL
as a Top 5 battle league.
AndtwonDadon: How confident
in yourself are you? Would you
say: Classic, 3-0, 2-1? You know
I’m going to instigate s**t. Almen
you ready?
Almenjoi: It’s not a rumor, it’s
true. Lady QP wants to follow in
her childrens’ father’s footsteps
and wants to battle rap. That’s
cute. I never underestimate my
opponent, so I’m cooking up
for a 3-0; but a win is a win. I’m
delivering classics, off top. That’s
all I care about really. I want the
overall battle to be one that you
have to replay.
AndtwonDadon: This question is
for both of you. Being that this is
a really big battle, is the preparation process more involved?
Almenjoi: Yes, it is very intense,
for the fact that footage matters most with this battle for
me. I’m sure they have fans that
are going to watch whenever it
drops. The preparation process
is for more extensive because I
have nothing to study on my
opponent — no footage. I have
to be very precise in preparing
my craft.
Yella Mane: I prepare the same
every battle. I find my angles,
outline my points of emphasis
and the magic begins. At the
moment, I have two battles
before the QP battle and I’m
finishing up the second. I’ll be
starting QP by this week’s end.
AndtwonDadon: Now let me ask
you this: you know this battle is
going to open doors and get views
regardless because there is a name
attached, so who do you want
next? What chick do you think has
skill that you want to battle with
somewhat of a name!
Almenjoi: I want anyone with a
name, but Phara Funeral is on
my hit list. I think she is really
good and I match her performance. If I can do that, it would
be a great stepping stone and a
good look because I would show
you all a Tennessee classic.
Yella Mane: I’ve been in conversations with battle rappers such as
Hemi from NOBL, who’s making noise in the battle rap world
at the moment. As far as a wellknown name, I’d love to stand
toe-to-toe with Ah Di Boom,
B-Magic, Danny Myers or JC.
Those are a few I think could
further advance my career, coming off a QP battle
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