THE BATTLE RAP STORY (SO FAR)
I discovered the dream of becoming a top-tier battle rapper around the age of 19 or 20. At the time, I’d just started releasing my own music and found myself going down a serious hip-hop rabbit hole with a friend, watching endless battles from URLTV, Don’t Flop, and King of the Dot on repeat.
Watching the likes of The Saurus, Illmaculate, Dizaster and Iron Solomon, I was hooked. I didn’t just admire it, wanted in. I wanted to see if my pen and performance could translate into the world of acapella battle rap.
My debut came on a small league in Warrington, England, founded by UK rapper Evila. He was building a platform for up-and-coming talent, and I reached out asking for an opportunity. He gave me one, which I am still thankful for to this day; and that’s where the story really begins.
I battled consistently and quickly climbed the ranks. My focus was always on intricate writing and tailoring every punch specifically to the person standing opposite me. A lot of battle rappers write material that could apply to anyone. I took pride in doing the opposite. Using every detail I could find about my opponent to craft something direct, personal, and impossible to recycle.
Within a couple of years, I earned a shot at the league championship against one of the fan favourites. It was my first real test at that level where I unfortunately fell short on a judges’ decision. A tough loss, but an important lesson.
At that point, my goal became clear: I wanted to battle for Don’t Flop, the UK powerhouse at the time. I watched almost every battle they dropped on YouTube and had my sights locked on standing in front of their crowd and camera.
I applied for a tryout and travelled to Brixton, London for my debut. I won. I impressed. And soon after, I was placed in an eight-man tournament for newcomers. After winning my quarter-final against one of the favourites, my inexperience caught up with me in the semi-final, where I fell short again.
A few more battles followed, but I began struggling with preparation and balancing work and life. I was taking matches on short notice during hectic periods, and if I’m honest, I was young and naive'; believing I could get by without fully committing. That mindset cost me. What once looked like promise started to turn into doubt. There were battles where I choked, stumbled, and lacked the killer instinct needed to win.
By 2017, after a couple of losses to opponents I knew I should have beaten, I stepped away. Not out of defeat, but more because I knew I wasn’t giving it everything. If I was going to do this, it had to be all in.
In 2019, the itch came back. I reached out to Premier Battles, a league making serious moves in the UK, owned by Bison Briggz and the legendary Shotty Horroh. I wanted to find out if that dream I had at 19 could still become reality and I decided to start from the very bottom again.
I entered a newcomer tournament called The Academy. I probably had more experience than most competitors, but I wanted sharpness. Frequency. Refinement. I wanted to eliminate excuses. Once again, I made the semi-finals, and once again, I fell short. Another missed opportunity with the prize being a chance to perform on a top-tier London stage.
After a few more mid-card battles during the COVID era, with smaller crowds and controlled venues, I genuinely questioned whether I should continue. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
Then came one last opportunity: the Premier Battles “Anarchy” Tournament. I told myself this would be my final run.
With nothing to lose and nearly a decade of unfinished ambition behind me, I won three battles in a row to reach the final. It was my first true heavyweight showdown, against the globe trotting Bobby Rex.
Everything was on the line: a UK title shot, £2,500 in prize money, and an invitation to battle on King of the Dot. One win would change everything.
And FINALLY, it did. I secured the victory and announced myself on a worldwide stage.
From there, the accolades followed. In 2021, I was presented as UK Champion after the reigning champion relinquished the belt when a title match between us couldn’t be arranged. I defended the title against an opponent who had previously knocked me out of a tournament, and then stepped into a Champion vs Champion clash against Real Deal, the reigning King of the Dot World Champion.
Later that year, I faced one of the UK’s finest in Tony D, packing out an iconic London venue and delivering one of the most replayed battles in current UK era.
Then, only a couple months later, came another Champion vs Champion call, this time in New York. I flew out to iBattle in Staten Island to face their reigning champion, Oppa, earning a “Performance of the Night” bonus in an electric matchup.
On top of back to back “UK Battler of the Year” awards in 2021 and 2022, as well as lifting the Premier Battles league winners trophy in 2023, I managed to keep hold of the UK title for 1,009 days before losing it in one of the most intense clashes on UK soil. Premier Battles Champion vs Don’t Flop Champion, winner takes all, in August 2024. On that night, I was edged out by a top-tier Gemin1 performance, bringing my reign to an end.
But the journey continued on.
Now firmly cemented as a staple of the UK scene, with enough experience and wins to officially be “Top-Tier”; I continued to compete in high calibre domestic and international matchups, sharing the stage with massive names such as The Saurus, Ark, Lu Castro, Frankie Phraser, Jaz the Rapper and Tay Roc, along with many more.
Alongside this, I was also asked to battle on what is personally, to me, the most decorated and famous Battle Rap event in the World; World Domination by King of The Dot. Based in Canada, I was given the call to fly out to Toronto and battle on their card, representing the UK in what is Battle Rap’s “Modern Day Olympics”. As a young, 19 year old watching this event on YouTube and aspiring to be at that very event when starting this journey, and seemingly being SO far away from it ever materialising a few years ago; to be on that stage was a huge accomplishment for me personally. And to share the stage with such a unique and talented competitor in Dunsh, from New York, and have such an amazing battle made the entire experience a privilege and honour to be a part of.
The persistence to never quit on something I wanted so badly has taken me around the world, doing what I love at the highest level; and will continue to do whilst I still have the fire to be one of the very best in the world.
Whether it’s career related, passion related, or even the smallest goal collecting dust on an ever-aging list; the one thing I always ensure people take away from this journey, which proved so important for me in this aspect, along with every aspect of my life:
It’s never too late.
Bizz x
