Dove Ink Beat Battle Round 4

Saturday night in Columbus saw the final preliminary battle in local label Dove Ink’s Beat Battle series at Skully’s. This series has presented a variety of hip-hop producers from around the Midwest showcasing their wares along with quality hip-hop performances, and number 4 was no exception. For the uninitiated, these beat battles start with each producer playing two beats per round and then the crowd and a panel of four judges vote for their favorite. The rounds of competition play out like a basketball tournament, resulting in a final battle for the championship. Performances are often placed between rounds to maintain excitement. On Saturday, there were also artists painting on stage and in the back patio (a large mural on the backs of CDs for the new Illogic/Eyamme mix CD on Dove Ink).

These beat battles are a curious thing. Though it is obvious that there are great amounts of effort and skill involved in crafting these concoctions, it often comes down to the feeling in the room when the beat drops (or gains momentum). Hosts Eyamme and Ginsu presided over the festivities ably and kept the focus on the beats. The first two rounds had some exciting matchups that could have made for solid semi-final battles, like the Kanye-invoking soul-sampling of Chosen versus the hyper club beats of Skelz or the funky horns of Kenny Kim against the synth jams of Detroit Beautiful Club. After a varied display of beats, close calls, and comical on-stage posturing, the field of 15 was whittled down to a final four of Chosen (Columbus), K81 (Columbus?), Kenny Kim (Columbus), and Phat Burner (Cleveland).

In the first semi-final, Phat Burner edged out K81 in a close one by virtue of some skillful club tracks. The second match of the round appeared (to me) to have been won by Kenny Kim due to his serviceable joints and Chosen’s continued reliance on sped-up soul and a second beat with no actual BEAT. However, the judges appeared to have been let down by both competitors and demanded another beat from each. While Chosen stuck to a tried-and-true soul track, Kenny Kim stuck his neck out there with a Western-flavored track on the cheesy side that fared none too well, setting up a final between Phat Burner and Chosen. In the final, Chosen continued his more-and-more-boring presentation of Kanye 101. On the other hand, Phat Burner’s first beat came out of the gates with a crash, but didn’t follow up the lightning with any thunder, leaving some doubt in the air. But after a Chosen track that “chipmunked” “Day By Day,” Phat Burner’s joint started with a bluesy organ, then BANGED into oblivion, leaving no doubt as to the winner.

In a night of instrumental beats, the vocal and turntable performances held their own. After the first round, the hip-hop duo of Othello (MC, Portland) and DJ Manwell? (DJ, Columbus) took the stage. The combination of Othello’s energetic, Common-esque flows and Manny’s mindbending turntablism made for an entertaining set and kept the crowd’s attention. After the second round, Brooklyn by way of Ghana MC Blitz The Ambassador (with Columbus native DJ Sleepyhead on the tables) kept things moving. His stories of personal triumph and hip-hop lessons were enthusiastically placed, as he encouraged the crowd for more energy. Unfortunately, a large portion of the crowd seemed to take a break during his set, but he kept soldiering on. Also, Chicago’s DJ Once A Month performed well as the host DJ for the night, providing a bunch of solid hip-hop to get things started and a set of club hits to wrap things up.

Overall, the night was hours of hip-hop fun for a bargain price. The result of the four Beat Battles in the series is four finalists for the May 26th Finale: Phat Burner, Josh Becker, TGP, and the Rhythm Section. That event, to be held at Skully’s as well, will also serve as the CD release party for The World Is Ours by Ill Poetic (Cincinnati, Dove Ink), so it will be quite the to-do.