[Lebron Jereurghmy]

saw a post the other day on fb where jaz the rapper basically said that people are overusing the word "classic" in battle rap- that time determines what classic is and there is no way to say a battle is classic when it comes out

that may be true, might not, I'm not sure how I feel but I've definitely called battles classic that have just come out. its hard for me to see how much time you need to make a battle be classic. for example, does it have to be pre-2010s to be classic? have there been classic battles in the past couple years is it based just on views or is it in terms of the narrative, context, , and relevance of a battle that makes it classic?

for example: cassidy vs freeway is undeniably a classic battle, but is cassidy vs dizaster? in my eyes, yes because of the importance it had to the culture, not necessarily due to the content.




what are your guys take on this?

A classic battle is a highly respected, highly touted battle between 2 battlers that both put on career showings. It doesn't have to, but it invariably sends both stocks nuclear, and the battle gets referenced either through quoting lines from that battle in other battles, or in using that battle as an angle in another battle.

Time is necessary for a classic, but less time than in the past, because due to new fans and their recency bias, any battle that can stay in the imagination of the core fans of battle rap for more than a year is significant nowadays.

Some universally accepted examples of modern classics (in order to prove my definition) are:

Tsu Surf vs Big T
JC vs Chilla Jones
Aye Verb vs Hitman Holla
Dizaster vs DNA (nobody give me shit, you nerds know you loved it when it came out)
Charlie Clips vs Tay Roc II

[Rapsin]

1. Grudge matches that turned out well
2. Debatable matches that launched/raised the stock of the battler/s significantly.

Clips vs. Roc II for example, boosted Roc's stock so much that if a new fan watches that battle, Clips calling Roc mid-tier doesn't make sense. This was also a grudge rematch.

But agreed it's being thrown around too much, time is essential. IF Dizaster ever battles Hollow or Lux and does MUCH better than the Solomon battle, the Diz/Solomon won't really be a classic anymore.

[Lebron Jereurghmy]

Originally Posted by mulatto mutant

A classic battle is a highly respected, highly touted battle between 2 battlers that both put on career showings. It doesn't have to, but it invariably sends both stocks nuclear, and the battle gets referenced either through quoting lines from that battle in other battles, or in using that battle as an angle in another battle.

Time is necessary for a classic, but less time than in the past, because due to new fans and their recency bias, any battle that can stay in the imagination of the core fans of battle rap for more than a year is significant nowadays.

Some universally accepted examples of modern classics (in order to prove my definition) are:

Tsu Surf vs Big T
JC vs Chilla Jones
Aye Verb vs Hitman Holla
Dizaster vs DNA (nobody give me shit, you nerds know you loved it when it came out)
Charlie Clips vs Tay Roc II

whats more classic tho clips roc I or II?

[Rapsin]

Originally Posted by Lebron Jereurghmy

whats more classic tho clips roc I or II?

edit: fuck it post it here.

Can a bodybag be considered a classic?

Clips vs. Rex/Roc?
Shine vs. Verb?
DNA vs. Ness?

All of those are battle in which one person shook the crowd with a very dope performance, but can they be considered classics if only one person did exceptional?

[Rapsin]

actually fuck this go back to the other thread.

/close pls

[Schwarzer_Negger]

yeh totally. But obviously it just means the 3 rounds need to be extra crazy to make up for the 3 that weren't

[culturedboy]

there was one classic in 2015, and it was bigg k vs ill will

this is because it was 3 straight rounds with absolutely no slip-ups

you're able to debate the outcome over and over

and it's replayable and doesn't get old quickly, it ages well

no other battle in 2015 has fit that criteria but the only other thing close to qualifying for a "classic" contention is DNA & K-Shine vs Syahboy and John John The Holocaust Denier because it set off a resurgence of cohesive 2v2 teams leading to a full URL mainstage event

[culturedboy]

maybe dna and k-shine vs verb and hitman tho that shit was FLAMES and hit a mil quickest i ever seen

[Lebron Jereurghmy]

Originally Posted by culturedboy

maybe dna and k-shine vs verb and hitman tho that shit was FLAMES and hit a mil quickest i ever seen

plus having those big url names do a two on two for a small league like dont flop and to have that kind of exposure def looks like classic material to me although its not my favorite battle fr

[Lebron Jereurghmy]

Originally Posted by Rapsin

edit: fuck it post it here.

Can a bodybag be considered a classic?

Clips vs. Rex/Roc?
Shine vs. Verb?
DNA vs. Ness?

All of those are battle in which one person shook the crowd with a very dope performance, but can they be considered classics if only one person did exceptional?

I think a bodybag defo can be a classic- look at lux and cal or hollow and big t, even the cassidy v freeway battle was in some ways a body esp when it first came out- some might even argue mook vs solomon was a classic

[AdarOne]

jesus. this again.

[Shadowposter]

Diz vs Cassidy is soooo far from a classic haha. That was trash

[youdontwannabethatguy]

If i've rewatched it more than 10 times it's a classic to me , but i've rewatched a loooot of battles so should probably disregard that logic

[JustJ123]

Jaz is right. The defintion of classic implies what shes saying it does.

We can still generally assume a battle will fall under that category early on in its life. But still, an amazing battle can be over shadowed and become tarnished then revisionist history will have people say its no longer a classic even though it seemed it would be one.

Its stupid and over used and used far too early.

[MrMumbles905]

You have the new classic which is the right after the battle it was amazing two battlers both did amazing and really blew up the night. Those are those twitter right after the event we seen a classic match.
Then there's classics that were so good they will stand the test of time of a great battle.
And then there's the classic because it meant allot culturally to battle rap.

[rogermellie]

This discussion has happened too much and is always fairly boring and a bit pointless. I think the one thing we can ALL agree on, is that the word has lost a lot of significance and none of us actually expect a classic battle based on people tweeting that it is.

[Ryuha]

Originally Posted by MrMumbles905

You have the new classic which is the right after the battle it was amazing two battlers both did amazing and really blew up the night. Those are those twitter right after the event we seen a classic match.
Then there's classics that were so good they will stand the test of time of a great battle.
And then there's the classic because it meant allot culturally to battle rap.

no such thing as a 'new classic'....you can't value the opinions of people who are 'gassed'
off the novelty of a 'good-to-great' performance. This is exactly what Jaz is talking
about...any half way decent/enjoyable battle gets called a classic...

The concept of a classic implies that it is inherently a rarefied thing. Smack
be callin battles classics before they even happen...

*Diz Vs DNA is no classic...not even a good battle

[Lebron Jereurghmy]

Originally Posted by Shadow

Diz vs Cassidy is soooo far from a classic haha. That was trash

I agree it was trash but in terms of its place in battle rap historicalz I think it's classic in an infamous kinda way

[MrMumbles905]

Originally Posted by Ryuha

no such thing as a 'new classic'....you can't value the opinions of people who are 'gassed'
off the novelty of a 'good-to-great' performance. This is exactly what Jaz is talking
about...any half way decent/enjoyable battle gets called a classic...

The concept of a classic implies that it is inherently a rarefied thing. Smack
be callin battles classics before they even happen...

*Diz Vs DNA is no classic...not even a good battle

Here's why that's wrong. To many people declare Diz vs DNA a classic. I personally don't love the battle but classic is determined by general consensus

[TheFinalWord]

Re play value over time
Points in favour of either battler taking the W or at least no body bags
Remaining discussion worthy over time
Great content

[Rtongsta]

the only "classics" since 2014 to me are

lux vs hollow
cee major vs soul
dna/shine vs hitman/verb
conceited vs dumb

all grudge matches or big surprises, with lots of replay value