what you are saying and I can
see where many do agree with
what you are saying. I think
certain props and personals are
just uncalled for. I know there is
a saying of, “you gotta be built
for the game”. But at the end of
the day we all have real lives and
families to feed. I feel that certain
personals should be left out; do
you feel that contracts should be
laid down, regarding what one can
and cannot say, before a battler
accepts a battle?
Ray Stizzy: I think contracts
should be laid out for delivering
your material and taking the
battle seriously. When a battler
fails to take a battle seriously,
for example “Calicoe vs. DNA”,
it disrespects the league and
lets the fans down. That’s
more offensive than saying
something personal. Disrespect
is to be expected. You should
have a mutual respect for your
opponent, but I think anything
is fair game. If you don’t want
it to be said to you, don’t say it
yourself.
AndtwonDaDon: Have you
ever been in a battle where you
thought it might get violent? How
do you feel about performances
where your opponent is getting all
in your face?
Ray Stizzy: I was in a couple
battles where things could have
escalated. I battled C Dolla in
SupaNova, shoutout to him and
Maestro. It was in Virginia. C
Dolla is one of those type of
battlers that can be disrespectful.
In a previous battle, he showed
80
a pic of his opponent’s daughter.
I had a few bars about his father
who was deceased. I never did
anything like that before, so I
wasn’t sure how it would play
out. We have since become cool;
nothing got out of hand. I don’t
mind opponents getting in my
face. I come from Philly, where
we are known for our aggression
and in-your-face hostility. So
expect me to get in your face as
well. As long as it doesn’t get out
of hand where you touch me,
then we’re good. Performance is
key in battle rap. As I mentioned
earlier, bars are supposed to
be the focal point, but the
performance sells your bars.
are powerful. Born’s wordplay is
second-to-none, and his bars are
always crazy. Magic is a nameflip king, and his flow is perfect
for his punchline style. Lastly,
Heartless has been killing it for a
long time.
AndtwonDaDon: How would you
categorize your writing style?
AndtwonDaDon: Let’s talk about
Philly; you boys are making some
noise. Tell me briefly about this
movement.
Ray Stizzy: I am more of a
puncher. I feel as if my creativity
is my strength. I try to use a lot
of original references, such as
TV or movie bars. I like schemes
from time to time, but I feel as
if people overdo them — to the
point where they force things to
make sense. I try to stay away
from that, but schemes are dope
when done right.
AndtwonDaDon: Who would
you say is your favorite “puncher”
battle rapper, besides your self.
Ray Stizzy: There are a few
punchers that I think are on
a different level lyrically with
their pen games. Born, B Magic,
Heartless and Ty Law — hands
down, they are the best doing it.
I think Ty Law is one of the top
punchers, because his haymakers
AndtwonDaDon: See what
I’m talking about? You do your
homework.
Ray Stizzy: You have to. I think,
as a battler, you are first a fan of
the culture and the movement.
So you should be well versed
and knowledgeable about the
different styles and ins-and-outs
of battling.
Ray Stizzy: Philly is stronger
now than ever. I think we can
really make some waves in 2014
and beyond. We have a great
battle history. From “2 Raw for
the Streets”, we’ve had the Reed
Dollaz, the Reign Mans, the
Kabooms, etc. That era of the
DVDs was truly special. A lot
of battlers in today’s era took a
page out of Philly’s book. Philly
birthed styles and aggression,
as far as I’m concerned. We
could come up with something,
then someone somewhere else
will try to take the credit for it.
However, some Philly battlers
from back in those days might
not be able to transition as well.
The demand for most of them
to come back and kill s**t on
big stages is at an all-time high.