What up. So I finally got the chance to check out the cyphers from the BET Hip Hop Awards last week. To say this was a good one would be an understatement, but there were still a couple of cringe-worthy moments. Here's a mini synopsis of the lines that stood out, the best bars of each cypher, and my humble opinion on these budding (and bloomed) emcees. Click the red links to see the videos on the BET blog.
Belly: I’ll take ya tiki torches and force em in every orifice
Cyhi the Prynce: Imagine Prynce worrying about where his ex at/With a fur coat in a sauna I wouldn’t sweat that
Fat Joe: One called Nikki and she sippin on Remy
Honorary Bars: Cyhi the Prynce
My pen game been on ball point, I’m Ving Rhames/ The ghostwriter, Nicholas Cage, I’m in flames/ I been trained to kill rappers, I’m insane/ Might as well slit yo wrist vein/ Either way it’s gon be blood everywhere, I’m rich gang/ And the Kappas ain’t the only ones who flip caine
Overall Notes:
-Belly’s cypher was pretty short. It was straight and touched on important topics, but eh
-Cyhi should have gone last. His whole cypher was laced from top to bottom with punchlines
-Fat Joe should not have been in the cypher at all. I understand he was the star in the cypher, but he didn’t need to end it. Killed the whole vibe.
Tokyo Jetz: Got alotta dead friends, keep a lil uzie
Leikeli47: She just tryna hide shit like a courtesy flush
Kash Doll: On my Nu Nu shit, like my name is Rashaad
Rapsody: I’m MJ, Kobe, KD, Bron in one, while yall talking Lavar balls
Honorary Bars: Rapsody
Reflect on what’s the bigger picture/ Servicing my ego or empowering sisters/ So I’m screaming black girls rock/ Shoutout to Cardi B, M.A., and Minaj/ (Missed these names) respect to all yall/ Take the olive branch, don’t take my kindness for a weakness though/ Better to be my friend than my enemy, they all know/ Screamin go jam rock/ Fuck best female, I’m comin for the top slot/ Of your top 5, top 2 niggas grabbin they crotch
Overall Notes:
-Leikeli47 was ok, but the verse was boring to me. And the singing entrance, unnecessary
-Kash Doll lost some of her words under the beat, and sounded nervous; but she was second best
-I like Tokyo Jetz voice and flow, but the cypher itself was boring
-LMAO!!!! Rapsody said “I’m better than all yall”. I felt that!
-Besides that, I love that Rapsody shouted out other female MC’s. Also, there were references EVERYWHERE. Finally, she rode the beat well with the breaks and shit
Ski Mask: Even if she hot I’m gonna drop her like potato/ (Prego??) Catch her like the sauce
from a tomato and The way that I’m gettin bread, like I’mma jar of mayo.
Zoey Dollaz: After this, ya girl mouth bout to be dumb like donald trump/ Cuz I’m on this screen spittin harder than donald duck
Ball Greezy: Keep it street like Jeezy, label like Weezy/ Talk more shit that Trick Daddy and Yeezy
Denzel Curry: Bullets so hot leave ya homies chest hair permed/ I used to be on the block like H&R
Honorary Bars: Denzel Curry
You still hubcapped off a niggas rims/ Put some green on ya head like I play the sims/ (IDK) cuz I never been a flashy nigga/ You see the world in black and white like a ashy nigga
Overall Notes:
Ball Greezy opened his cypher with a bunch of comparisons. Great.
Zoey Dollaz dropped wisdom in his whole verse and then hit us with the sheesh. Lol.
Ski came in with a bored flow. He started spittin quick and you can’t understand some of it. But, I liked it and I didn’t expect to. Can’t lie. Lol.
Cozz: Now watch when I drop (???), they probably gon drop they pendant/ I’m off the chain
Kody Shane: Put the faucet on my neck and let it rinse/ I’m ballin, ain’t no defense
Ali Tomineek: Maxine with the way that I rhyme, I’m reclaiming my time
JID: They don’t want beef, them boys vegan/ Gimme the
ring, them boys teethin
Honorary Bars: JID
Run ya diamonds, if you resist, then empty the clip/ I’m like a scientist, a black Don Imus, that boy crazy/ Jack ole ladies, smack yo baby (trails off)
Overall:
-Cozz was cool. I think he has some clever lines and was a good choice to open
-Ali is the hot 16 sprite winner, so he’s unknown. He represented very well. Too short though.
-Kody Shane’s verse was not interesting, but her voice stood out. She just fell off at the end.
-JID’s voice is higher than I expected. He switched up on the his flow keeps the momentum going and the humor at the end makes it more authentic, ya know.
Lil Simz: I kill shit I kill shit, when shits killed, I’m ghost
Axel Leon: (???) said kill it on BET/ Like don’t be human, be an alien, be E.T.
Mysonne: How you show em all the diamonds, never give em no jewels?
T Grizzly: I was locked up with something this long strapped to my leg
6lack: Damn that boy got the flow of a hundred guns/ She say baby you a savage, I say 21 21 and also Hiphoped over the beat, hopscotched over the streets
Honorary Bars: 6lack
Watched enough cyphers to know I needed gun bars/ Something bout an AR and how that thang is dumb tall/ I’mma take it, I’mma swing it like a pendulum dawg/ And your toupe ain’t safe, so ya better run dawg
Overall Notes:
-Little Simz is British! I shoulda known when it said Little instead of Lil (lol). Good cypher.
-Axel is a unique voice in this cypher. He was entertaining
-Mysonne had a good cypher and dropped a lot of wisdom in it
-T Grizzly…. Just….sssshhhh. He stopped going because he know he had nothin...
-6lack stayed true to his style with laid back bars, even while dropping aggressive lines. Good story about growth. He almost looks bored it was so simple, but I also know rappers are actors
Honorary Bars:
-Intensities heightened, tensions are risin'/ Trump, when it comes to giving a shit, you're stingy as I am/ Except when it comes to having the balls to go against me, you hide 'em/ Cuz you don't got the fuckin nuts like an empty asylum
-Fuck walkin' on egg shells, I came to stomp
-From his endorsement of Bannon, support for the Klansmen/Tiki torches in hand
for the soldier that’s black and/ Comes home from Iraq and is still told to go back to Africa
-'He's gonna get rid of all immigrants!'/’He's gonna build that thang up taller than this!'
Overall:
There are no honorary bars for this one. The whole cypher needs to exist as it does. No beat. All the breaks in between. The aggression. I love how he said “That’s not disrespecting the military”. You can hear him breathing crazy because that’s how it comes out when you’re speaking passionately. I think that it was off putting because it wasn’t a verse on a beat, because of how he came at it so aggressively, or because of the direct statements. But this is who Eminem is. He hit every topic that everyone else hit. But he just said what they stopped short of saying. Blunt and to the damn point. This cypher to me, was spoken word and gospel. A speech if you will. People just don’t know what to do with that. Props to Em.
P.S. My friend just proved an interesting theory. We listened to all these out of order and we listened to the last one with Tee-Grizzley in it. He showed no interest at all until Tee came on and to me, that was one of the worst cyphers in the history of the show. lol. Some niggas just like gun shit. That's cool. I like bars. It's a cypher. Brings bars, not bullets guys.