Saturday August 11th will be a monumental day for battle rap. “Summer Madness 7” will take place in Las Vegas, courtesy of SMACK/URLTV. “Summer Madness” is widely regarded as the biggest event of the year in the battle culture. This year’s card has drawn a great deal of hype and fans all over the country are hoping that it can live up to its name. The Demo Tape has several battle rap fanatics on the roster, including myself Hitman Brando. Joining me in the festivities is T-Taj, Sway Roc and Twan Da Teflon Don. Here’s our preview and predictions for Summer Madness 7.
DNA (Queens, NY) vs. Nu Jerzey Twork (Trenton, NJ)
This matchup is the epitome of veteran versus newcomer. DNA is is one of the most well-known battle rappers in the culture. He’s faced most of the big names and has even beaten some of the them. Nu Jerzey Twork is one of the game’s rising stars. His unorthodox flow and delivery make him one of the most exciting battlers to watch. Neither of these guys thinks the other really brings all that much to the table, but with all of the talking and theatrics that’s been going on the past few weeks they both will need to bring their A-game.
Brandon: Twork 2-1
Taji: Twork 2-1
Sway: Twork 2-1
Twan: Twork 2-1
Shotgun Suge (Newark, NJ) vs. Geechi Gotti (Compton, CA)
Let’s go ahead and call it. This is going to be one of the most electric battles on the card. Shotgun Suge has been battle rapping for many years and he has been elevated to one of the most prominent names in the culture. As of late, Suge has served as the test for a lot of the up-and-coming battlers, from Ave to Glueazy, to Mike P. Next up for him is Geechi Gotti. Geechi is hungry and it shows whenever he takes the stage. But this is easily the biggest battle of his career to-date and it’s taking place on the culture’s biggest stage. It’ll be interesting to see how Geechi responds to getting pocket checked.
Brandon: Geechi 2-1
Taji: Geechi 2-1
Sway: Suge 2-1
Twan: Geechi 2-1
Math Hoffa (Brooklyn, NY) vs. Ave (Norfolk, VA)
Yet another matchup of veteran versus newcomer — Math Hoffa vs. Ave. Math is considered by many to be a battle rap legend of sorts. Ave came up in the Proving Grounds and is now regarded as one of the most skilled battlers in the culture today. Math recently got 3-0’d by T-Top, and Ave has every intention set on doing the same. Math, being the big name that he is, has the ability to shift the crowd though. The first round will be crucial for him, if he wants any chance of taking down Ave. Ave’s creativity has proven to be too much for a lot of battlers, so we’ll see if the veteran can take those punches and dish them back out.
Brandon: Ave 3-0
Taji: Ave 3-0
Sway: Ave 3-0
Twan: Ave 2-1
Iron Solomon (New York, NY) vs. JC (Pontiac, MI)
This battle was originally slated to be Iron Solomon vs. Tsu Surf. But due to some legal issues, that battle won’t be happening. Many fans were upset about Surf no longer being on SM7, as he’s a battle rap legend. However, JC is a very fitting replacement, and it may make for an even better battle since he wasn’t originally supposed to be on the card. JC has one of the best pens in the game right now. Iron Solomon presents him with a very stiff test though, with his wit and clever wordplay. Two self-motivated veterans going up against each other sounds like a fire battle to me.
Brandon: JC 2-1
Taji: Iron 2-1
Sway: JC 2-1
Twan: JC 2-1
Ill Will (Pontiac, MI) vs. O-Red (Newark, NJ)
This is a battle that hasn’t received as much hype as the rest of them, but we’re hoping that they can surprise us and put on a show. O-Red, out of Newark, New Jersey, is a crafty veteran. He has a really good pen and is often forgotten when talking about the best battlers from Jersey. His recent return to the URL, with solid performances against Ave, Brizz Rawsteen and Cortez, has prompted his appearance on the SM7 card. Ill Will appears to be humbled to be on stage with O-Red, but it could also just be a ploy to psyche the veteran out (it’s definitely sarcastic). Ill Will has put forth some really good performances, but there have also been times where he’s been missing something. He’ll need his best in Vegas on Saturday night.
Brandon: O-Red 2-1
Taji: Ill Will 2-1
Sway: O-Red 2-1
Twan: O-Red 2-1, debatable 3-0
T-Rex (Harlem, NY) vs. Reed Dollaz (Philadelphia, PA)
I can, with great confidence, tell you that this will be one of the most entertaining battles of the evening. T-Rex and Reed Dollaz simply do not like one another. If you watch their face-off, it’s not hard at all to see why. In fact, we may even see these two dudes come to blows live on PPV like a prize fight. There is the long-standing debate over who won when Rex and Reed battled earlier in their careers (no video footage has surfaced). Well now we can finally settle the debates once and for all on the Summer Madness stage. Both battlers are past their prime, but best believe they’re putting their all into this one.
Brandon: Reed 2-1
Taji: Rex 2-1
Sway: Reed 3-0
Twan: Reed 3-0
Hitman Holla (St. Louis, MO) vs. Tay Roc (Baltimore, MD)
It’s safe to say that this battle is the main event of the evening. This matchup has been highly-anticipated for years and it’s finally coming to fruition. Hitman Holla and Tay Roc are two of the most well-respected names in battle rap. Hitman’s impact on the culture cannot be measured in figures. He is arguably the game’s best performer, as his stage presence is unrivaled. Having ventured off to Wild N’ Out, Hitman will especially have to show and prove at SM7. He’s taking on the head honcho of URL right now, so to speak. Tay Roc is Smack’s top guy and he has earned his place on the big stage. The “Gun Bar King” is locked and loaded, ready for this battle. Expect a lot of remixes and light bars in this one.
Brandon: Roc 2-1
Taji: Roc 2-1
Sway: Roc 2-1, debatable 3-0
Twan: Roc 2-1
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