While 2016 might not have been the greatest year for battle rap it still was a good year nonetheless. There were plenty of battles this year that entertained and had fans going “ooouuuu!” Most of the battles mentioned in this article are from the major battle leagues seeing as those are the ones which get the most exposure and have most of the world’s top known battlers. Without further ado below are some of the best battles of 2016.
Big T Vs Danja Zone
This battle came out in October 2016 via Black Ice Cartel and was surprisingly good. Both rappers had hard-hitting bars that centered around violence, unsurprisingly. After all Big T is known for his gun sounds. This battle marked a return to form for Big T whose battles over the past months have underwhelmed. The delivery of both rappers was awesome and made for an entertaining battle from start to finish.
Bonnie Godiva vs Carter Deems
This is by far the most entertaining battle on this list for me. Carter came with the usual funny rhymes and basically approached the whole battle as a nervous, shy guy trying to ask out the sexy Bonnie. Bonnie on the other had came is as the aggressor, shutting down Carter’s advances. The entire dynamic was extremely funny with all 3 rounds being exceedingly entertaining.
Arsonal vs Cortez
I’ve never particularly been a fan of Cortez because I think he lacks a certain showmanship and charisma that many of his fellow battlers have in droves. Arsonal on the other hand is known for touching on subjects that are offensive and his delivery is spot-on. This was a particularly interesting KOTD battle because once again Arsonal showed why he’s one of the top battle rappers in the world. He bodied Cortez. On a side note if there’s one thing KOTD does better than most other leagues it’s their camera work and editing; it’s the best.
Ill Will vs Rum Nitty
This battle was featured on the biggest battle league; Smack/URL. It was damn near a classic battle which featured great lyricism and quotables from both rappers (Nitty more than Will). Nitty has had a wave of top notch battles lately and if he continues like this he’ll easily be named as one of if not the top battler in the world soon.
Gemin1 vs Take Note Tox
This battle came out via Don’t Flop and was a one rounder which was surprisingly filled with a crapload of punchlines and funny bars. The battlers had to stop several times in order to let the crowd laugh. Gemin1 is quickly becoming one of my personal favorite battle rappers. He knows how to balance serious, hard-hitting bars with funnier, light-hearted, lyrical bars.
