Category: Features

UPDATE: What we want to see at World Domination 5

WDs-Abadon

*June 25: This post has been updated with some words from Mos Prob. Scroll to the bottom for them if you’ve already read the rest.*

As KOTD starts booking battles for August’s World Domination 5 in Toronto, we figured we’d toss out a few quick ideas about what we’d like to see at the event. This will be the third time KOTD Toronto throws battles on a big stage and we’re hoping after the audio and crowd control problems of WD4 and the no-shows of BO4 that they’ve learned some lessons and this time will be the charm.

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[UPDATE] Total Slaughter: The end of battle rap as we know it?

The Rapocalypse
The Rapocalypse

[UPDATE - July 14, 2024]

We wanted to showcase this article from May 4 again because of how prophetic it was in places. Total Slaughter happened and by now you probably know it wasn’t pretty. We were in the building for the event so didn’t go through the same frustration that people who ordered the PPV did. But there were other frustrations we did experience.

We’ve been busy writing for BattleRap.com and HipHopDX lately so please excuse the slowness on TOBB. We’re putting out more content than we usually do, you just have to go looking for it.

Everything you missed at Total Slaughter
Live from Total Slaughter Part 1 & Part 2
Everything you need to know before Total Slaughter
10 notorious Hollow Da Don bars

Also, don’t miss this HipHopDX recap of the event written by the legendary Jay Balfour.

And now, our satirical predictions for Total Slaughter from two months ago.

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Pat Stay to step down as KOTD champion?

Pat Stay at Blackout 4. Photo by Zach MacPhoto.
Pat Stay at Blackout 4. Photo by Zach MacPhoto

In a recent interview with Body Count Radio, Charron dropped a bombshell when asked if he was going to battle Pat Stay:

“That’s what everyone wants including the staff. The staff definitely wants to set up me versus Pat Stay and I think it should happen for the Canadian scene and all the work I’ve put in for it. But the thing about Pat Stay is that when he got the title - it’s no secret that he said he wants to choose his opponents strategically - so that’s why he picked Dizaster. And at this point there’s really no one else in line for the title …

The staff knows it has to happen, Pat Stay knows it has to happen, but battling someone like me for him is lose/lose. Pat Stay is a smart dude and he knows that. His whole persona is based on his image of being a tough guy, and if he beats me it’s just like ‘It’s Charron, of course you punked him’ but if he loses it tarnishes his tough guy image …

Honestly, the title match isn’t going to go to anyone else so I predict that he’s going to relinquish the chain and I’ll probably have to battle Clips for the title or something.”

That’s one hell of a prediction.

Let’s unpack a couple of the claims Charron makes.

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Battle rap by the numbers

Changing tides via Google Trends
Changing tides via Google Trends

Battle rap is a numbers game. But now that it’s rare for battles to be judged, there aren’t any official win-loss records competitors can compare. So battlers (and leagues) chase different statistics: views, followers and fans. We at T.O. Battle Blog have dug into the facts and figures to see who’s really winning.

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Rape in rap and Nihal’s Jump Off jump-in

Nihal
Nihal jumps in to a battle

Every so often, battle rap goes viral. It could come in the form of a naked Crip, a crying opponent, a pulled gun, a punched face or, quite simply, a really good battle. Leagues have become increasingly savvy with the way they push these battles out, giving the videos titles meant to pique the interest of even the most casual of Internet trawlers, as they jostle for space to be THAT distraction.

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What ever happened to Pass vs Osa?

Screen shot 2025-05-04 at 7.05.07 PMThe best battles are often the ones that could’ve been but never happened. They always live up to their potential in our imaginations, never getting bogged down by the disappointments that sometimes come with reality.

Pass vs Osa, which was scheduled to go down at KOTD’s World Domination 4 event, is one of those battles.

It was among the most anticipated battles for many forum posters, and for us too, since we’d been calling for this matchup for ages.

Amidst the craziness of WD4, we interviewed Pass and Osa over the phone about the cancellation and Lush One (who booked the battle) at the event. We were so busy with other content that this piece fell to the wayside, but with Pass addressing some of the behind-the-scenes static with KOTD in his DNA battle we figured it was a good time to open up the TOBB vault.

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