100 BARS MAGAZINE 007 Mar/Apr 2014 | Page 79

Vader: State your name and where you’re from. Mr. Wavy: I’m Mr. Wavy, coming straight out of Brooklyn, New York. Bed Stuy — to be exact. I was born and raised in the Stuy; it’s in my blood. Brooklyn is in my heart and I’m definitely trying to put on for the NYC.   Vader: Coming from Brooklyn, you definitely have a reputation to uphold in battle rap. Is there any pressure to measure up to anyone else from Brooklyn? Mr. Wavy: Nah, there’s no pressure on me to measure up [to anyone]. I just make sure that I am original and that I “do me”. I’m trying to be the breath of fresh air to the battle culture; but on that same note, Brooklyn has produced some of the best: Biggie, Jay-Z, Fabolous, Maino — just to name a few.   Vader: How do you feel about battle rap, as a culture? Mr. Wavy: As far as the battle rap culture, I feel like it’s our last pure form of hip-hop where you can get both entertainment and bars. It’s an overall show for the hip-hop community. [Battle rap culture] definitely drives me to outshine my opponent when I step into the ring; it also challenges me to mold my craft and be creative. I tell you, it’s an adrenaline rush — for real. Vader: How did you get into battle rap? Mr. Wavy: The funny thing about that question is, I was never going to do it before, but a childhood friend of mine — by the name of Eclipse Da God — introduced me to this battle league going on in Brooklyn. At first I was like, “Nah. I’m good. I’ll pass.” But he and I had recorded tracks together and he was always saying that my style would be crazy if I jumped in the ring. I was like, “let me try it.” The rest is history.   Vader: A lot of battle rappers kind of just fall into doing this. How did your first battle go? Mr. Wavy: Bodybag! My first battle was with a challenger by the name of Young Xerxes; it was a 1-round battle on WeGoHardTV. If you haven’t witnessed that battle you have to add that one to your to-do list. That’s actually when I debuted my “you looking at me like, ‘me no like’” slogan. Excellent first battle, I would say; especially for just getting my feet wet.   Vader: I have seen that battle and I agree, you looked very comfortable on stage. I like that you take the silly approach in mr. wavy rising star your rounds sometimes. It’s good to be well-rounded and able to make the crowd laugh. How did your style evolve into what it is today? Mr. Wavy: I’ll say that my style evolved in the way that I craft my bars to get my point across; it’s way better [now]. Also, I studied myself to see what has wor