Joell Ortiz-Battle Cry

There is no other form of music as obsessed with being #1 as rap. Grown from the seed of competition, rap's history is a timeline of challenges and rivalries, stars coming and going, with careers that only lasted as long as they remained the best. Almost all rappers have their introduction that challenges the standing pyramid of rappers both dead and alive. It's hard to even reach the bottom of the pyramid, much less attempt to scale its lofty heights. With the internet allowing every rapper from Anycity, World able reach an almost boundless audience, rappers need to have their intro be something fierce, something memorable.

A presence on the mixtape scene for years, Joell Ortiz's introduction to the larger world is "Battle Cry." Ortiz sticks to the basics: no chorus, no hook, and other than a brief setup, nothing more than a expansive beat by Just Blaze and lyrics. Ortiz needs nothing more and raps for a lyrical marathon-almost four and a half minutes. One minute spitting funny punchlines like

          From now on I'm a bully, I'ma pick the fight

     Let them pick you up off the ground when I chip your bike

     You'll become a lil' memory, gigabyte

     Me and these beats got married, I'm Mr. Right

     Lil' man, you spit aight

     I'm on fire, you got a lil' buzz, Miller Lite

to then going after the collective them, every other rapper out there, Ortiz knows that the beat has your ear and he plans to tell you why he should be considered the best out. Whether you're a casual listener or Joell's competition, it's hard not to be impressed with both the rapper's wordplay, flow, and swagger, the three crucial ingredients to any rapper. To the casual listener it just sounds good, to the hip hop head the lyrics   hold the fire of a thousand suns. With a little something for everyone, Joell has what it takes to be your favorite rapper's favorite rapper and that undeniable quality to have your clueless cousin nodding to this one. He proves this with his last few lines,

          My worst rhyme's thirty times rougher than your hardest bars ever

     I could front like a car fender

     Cause everything I'm on DJ's pull up, like the bartenders

     New York, I'm the answer to your prayers

     Head nod music, leave the dancin over there

     Project shit, ain't no mansion over here

     Just murder on the strings, Charles Manson on the snare

     I'm hungry, the game's like a food court

     I just gave y'all a loose hundred, Newports

and then lets the beat ride. Nothing more needed.

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Joell Ortiz Battle Cry (feat. Just Blaze) [Explicit]