On Saturday night, Drake attended King of the Dot’s latest Battle Rap event, Blackout 3, in Toronto. The Young Money emcee co-hosted the night’s main event match-up between California’s Dizaster and Canada’s Arcane. Outside of Drake’s appearance, the night also included some controversy surrounding the main event and an intriguing new match-up announcement for Battle Rap fans. King of the Dot host Lush One spoke with HipHopDX about the event, Drake’s passion for Battle Rap and more on the KOTD title match. Battler Caustic also discussed his take on the controversy surrounding Blackout 3.
Lush One Discusses Drake’s Love For Battle Rap, Says He Considers KOTD The Greatest Battle League
According to Lush One, Drake’s appearance was one that he made because he has great appreciation for Battle Rap. Lush likened him to a “die-hard” fan.
“Drake is an active follower and supporter of the scene,” Lush told HipHopDX shortly after the event ended. “The type of conversations we have are very similar to the type of genuine curious and opinionated banter I exchange with the typical die-hard fans. It reminds me of sports fans discussing a game. He knows what’s up.”
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Lush went on to add that Drake has gone to great lengths to show his support for the King of the Dot movement.
“[Drake] even openly said on camera [that] he basically considers himself KOTD staff and that KOTD is the greatest league in the world. He clearly has hometown pride and is just a fan of emceeing and lyricism in general. It’s obvious in his music, but the extent at which he rocks with it is staggering,” Lush continued. “His manager Hush is the same way.”
Lush One Describes Dizaster’s Battle Against Arcane For KOTD’s Championship
Photograph by Tanya O Photo
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Of course, talk of the night also surrounded the main event battle. The title was on the line as Arcane challenged Dizaster for the King of the Dot championship. Dizaster earned the title after defeating Canibus in the much-discussed notebook battle. Diz later faced former champion Po Rich for the championship chain, which he won last year. Arcane earned his title shot after defeating opponents during last year’s Grand Prix tournament of battles. With Drake co-hosting, the match-up took place in what many are calling a controversial battle. It has been reported that Arcane won the match and KOTD chain but controversy surrounds the battle for other reasons.
Reports indicate that Dizaster printed and passed out copies of a conversation log between fellow battlers Caustic and Arcane. The contents of the chat indicate that Arcane purchased bars from Caustic for a crucial battle in the Grand Prix tournament. However, Dizaster acknowledged on Twitter that he was not favored by the crowd and that he was booed, something Lush confirmed.
“[Dizaster] seemed pretty upset after the battle but hopefully that subsides,” Lush said, when asked about the battle. “Diz takes his battle more serious than one can imagine and tends to react in an emotional manner when unfavorable outcomes occur. I do understand his frustration and at the same time I think he was happy that he exposed Arcane for stealing bars. That was [his] ultimate goal. I just know that he could have won that crowd over and really overcome the situation.”
Lush added more about the battle, explaining how he saw the match-up and the judge’s decision.
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“It was an effective angle but it became redundant and Arcane had a consistent, damn near flawless performance for three rounds. Even though Diz had the hardest hits of the battle, he was much more erratic.”
Caustic Talks About Ghostwriting, Dizaster & Blackout 3
Caustic also spoke exclusively with HipHopDX about the situation. While he was not at the event to witness it live, he talked about how he felt upon hearing the news that his name was brought up in the battle.
“From what I’m hearing, it seems like no one really believes Diz and [fans] dismissed his angle immediately. Whatever ‘information’ Diz thought he had wasn’t voluntarily given,” he explained. “Even if you stumbled upon this gold mine of supposed ammo, why would that be the only thing you rap about the entire battle?”
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Caustic went on to share a bit of his own frustration with the situation.
“I’ve sold verses to a few bigger name battle rappers and trust me, they are worth a lot more than you think. So the real tragedy here is someone fucking with my hustle.”
“If I found a way to get a drop on someone I was battling,” he continued, “I’d probably take it but I’d be damn sure it was accurate information first.”
When pressed about the accuracy of Dizaster’s allegations, Caustic did not confirm or deny. When asked if he was saying the information was not accurate, he replied, “I’m saying I’d make sure I utilized that kind of angle correctly whether it’s true or false. Personally, I won’t say it if it ain’t 100 percent.”
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Dizaster agreed to speak with HipHopDX about this battle but has not released a statement as of press time. He has posted Twitter messages about the event, saying that he is not mad.
King of the Dot Announces Charlie Clips Vs. Hollohan Battle In March
This wasn’t the only news that dropped this evening. King of the Dot also announced a match-up that Battle Rap fans can anticipate in 2013. Charlie Clips, a respected battler who has faced off on the Ultimate Rap League stage is now entering KOTD waters. His next opponent is a King of the Dot veteran, Hollohan. Their battle is currently scheduled for KOTD’s Vengeance event in March.
This weekend’s Drake appearance at a King of the Dot event was not his first. Drake has also supported the KOTD movement in the past, including an appearance co-hosting the battle between Dizaster and New York’s DNA. Other established emcees have also been a part of King of the Dot over the years. Madchild has battled on the KOTD stage and Raekwon has co-hosted as well.
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