Earlier this year it was announced that English Sony Music recording artist Shotty Horroh will make his long-awaited return to battle rap against a then mystery opponent. Speculations swirled amongst fans with names such as Loaded Lux and Murda Mook leading the prediction and the opponent has now been revealed as URL’s top gunner Tay Roc for the star-studded Saturday, September 7’s Apex event in Manchester, England.
Shotty’s last battle was against Charlie Clips in late-2015 in what ultimately proved to be a tough encounter for him. Shotty has left behind a legacy so far of highly-viewed battles against top tier opponents including Math Hoffa, Dizaster, Ness Lee, previous UK Champ Tony D, Daylyt, Pat Stay, Hitman Holla (the headliner of the Drake / OVO sponsored KOTD event), as well as the now infamous 11.7 million+ viewed battle against Arsonal, which is currently the second most viewed rap battle in the English language after Russia’s Oxxxymiron vs. Dizaster on KOTD.
Since leaving battle rap actively, Shotty has launched a highly successful music career collaborating with deadmau5, Kool G Rap, Royce da 5’9” and most recently Tory Lanez. He also picked up a unique four-album record deal with Sony Music, of which his first album “Salt of the Earth” was released late last year.
Tay Roc comes off the back of a big year but with debatable performances against Hitman Holla, Goodz and most recently a loss against Pat Stay, which also took place in England on URL’s first ever event outside the US. A disappointing year in 2018 by Tay Roc’s own lofty standards on the road outside of New York which saw him take some chances and changes has left some fans to question whether he is still the Number 1 battler in URLTV. But we don’t have to go too far back to be reminded of the superstar that Roc is who had the battle of the year performances year on year immediately proceeding, so expect a fully prepared and hungry Tay Roc in Manchester in September with a point to prove.
The event will take place in Manchester, England on Shotty Horroh’s own unique new league, Premier Battles. Shotty’s league is the world’s first and only team-based battle league and pits teams against each other in a soccer-style format with seasons, fixtures and a table, similar to England’s Premiership soccer league. This event entitled “Apex” will take a break from the regular team format and see the UK’s top battle rappers face off against some of URLTV’s current hottest performers including Nu Jerzey Twork, JC, Chef Trez, Mike P and more.
