us, just fearful that they can be
replaced. There should be more
battles, more often now, because
there’s a wider variety of styles
and battlers. We shouldn’t be in
a battle rap drought, we should
be having an epidemic of events
and battles.
2. Do you remember when
50 Cent was battling other
mainstream artists on wax? He
comes from the era of battle
rap, but got discovered through
music. I understand that people
don’t want to lose to a new guy,
because if that happens, then
that means [that the newer] guys
can take spots easily. So their
mindset is to protect it, rather
than put their spot in jeopardy,
which is corny. At the end of the
day, battle rap will continue with
or without that particular battle.
Let’s just get back to the real era
of battle rap!
attention] is watering down the
culture [should look to some
of ] the battle rappers that they
love. They are watering down
the culture with subpar battles,
not writing full three rounds for
battles and so on and so forth.
Us coming into the game now
is actually helping the culture.
We’re coming with three full
rounds, new creative styles and
everything. Top Tier battle
rappers are actually watching
new rappers and trying to
reinvent [themselves] off of our
battles, but the fans don’t see
that because they want to be
blind, because they are fans of a
certain battle rapper.
What is your take on the popup leagues? Do you think they
hurt the game by taking marquee
battles away from more-established
leagues or is the competition
making for better cards?
3. No [the Top Tier does not
have the onus]. If the Top Tiers
never battle us guys, we will
still have opportunities to have
classic battles. You may rather
see “B Magic vs. Conceited”
because of their names, but a
better battle would be “B Magic
vs. Ty Law”, because of the
hunger and dedication that they
would bring to make the battle.
The pop-up leagues are needed
right now. They are [bettering]
the future cards, like the NOME
IVs, the Summer Madnesses and
future King of the Dot events.
Also, the pop-up leagues get
the whole culture riled up for
the main stage leagues. We need
pop-ups to lead, because there is
where the creativity comes in —
the grind, the footwork.
Some battle rap fans feel as if all of
the newfound attention that battle
rap has been receiving is watering
down the culture. Do you feel like
larger exposure is going to help or
hurt the culture in the long run?
What are some immediate changes
that battle rappers can/should
make to better the culture? The
same for the fans and supporters;
in your opinion, what are some
immediate changes that battle rap
fans can/should make to better the
culture?
I feel like the people that are
saying [that the newfound
12
1. What needs to be changed in
the culture is the diva attitude.
2. Fans need to start being more
unbiased, because they’re inside
of the Unbias Review being
very biased toward people that
deserved and lost respect. As
the newcomers are trying to
gain respect, [fans] shoot [the
newcomers] down before the
ball can even be shot. 3. More
opportunities and more events
from the main stages respecting
the lower leagues.
Mickey Factz
Battle Rapper / Event Host /
Recording Artist
In a recent HipHopDX interview
you stated that battle rap has been
dead for some time. Now, we
wouldn’t take this at face value.
You’ve been present in battle rap
as a host, supporter and battler in
recent times. What did you really
mean when you said that battle
rap was dead; what do you believe
is wrong with — or missing from
— the current battle rap culture?
When I said the phrase “battle
rap is dead” it was something
that I’d been saying for a long
time; for about a good year. Diehard fans of the sport feel the
shift — or maybe its just me. It