It was the power card of the era.
Resolution lived up to its name by resolving the ever burning questions that Hip-Hop fans in general and Battle Rap enthusiasts specifically have been asking for years:
Battle Rap’s elite gathered to see if Cassidy, probably their childhood favorite, could beat their colleague, Goodz.
Is Cassidy really the best battler ever and is his record really with an undefeated record?
Could Cassidy keep his spotless record if he were ever to step on a stage with killers known to eat industry rappers for dinner?
Did Half-A-Gallon Goodz, the Henny-drinking-style-on-them-hustler beat Cassidy in a battle back in the day at a Ruff Ryders’ video shoot?
Well, the answers flooded the gates after the last bout on URL’s last card unfolded before out eyes on Saturday, April 27th. No. Not now. We thought so, but nah. Probably.
READ MORE: Cassidy Returns To Battle Rap Vs. Goodz on SMACK/URLTV
Cassidy vs. Goodz on SMACK/URL’s Resolution Card on April 27th.
Cassidy who boasted a astounding 5001 and o record in battling all during promo for the epic contest, took his first “L” to a rapper that he repeated tried to son in interview after interview. And while it was Goodz’ shinning redemptive moment, it really was a victory for the culture- Emcees that desperately are on guard watching for imitators that slip in off the clout of gold records, major label marketing budgets and the buzz of yesteryear glory. The Bronx swag-animal stunted on the Philly lyrical miracle with a 3-0 (maybe 2-1 if you give The Hustler the first round).
Cassidy came off strong.
“Ok, I punch a lot. I’m telling u now, and that fake ass ice u got will not make the swelling go down!”
The crowd went bonkers. For many their king had returned (or finally came).
He hit them with the lines “before GPS, I was stuck in my waze,” and “Shots I’ll clap on 5th, like I shop at Saks.” But the bar that left everyone stuck and that clapped louder than any machete D.N.A. could have shoot was “I never lost a battle SMACK. I made battle rap popular, you got popular off battle rap”
READ MORE: Cassidy Returns to the Stage, But Remember When He Battled Freeway?
His first round proved that he was still a beast with those words. Punch after punch, he clearly prepared for the battle and knew the Battle Rap industry like a true ethnomusicologist might. [Ed. Note] And that should not be the question. Unlike many other rappers who decide to hop on this stage, it is clear that Cassidy (and Joe Budden despite both of their loses) love and are a part of the culture in an experiential way. Punch after punch, Cassidy exploded. Ironically, Cassidy did not craft rounds in a way that broke down Goodz. The braggadocious style that is probably in Cass’ dna did not have room for Goodz to really be the subject of his round. It was all about Cass.
Still, that was not enough. Henny-less cup-holding Goodz was calm, collected and eyes zoned in on his opponent. One angle that Goodz took during the battle was to unpacked Cassidy’s obsession with rapping- juxtaposing his obsession with getting money trapping (BARS Y’ALL).
A nail in the coffin line Goodz spit that encapsulated this sentiment was, “You think I give a f*ck about a gold album? N*gga, I went gold in the streets!” The crowd with their drug-dealing-talking selves went wild.
Cassidy also had a line that erupted the crowd.
He mentioned Goodz watching the infamous R. Kelly tape and then said something like the next little girl on Kelly’s tape is going to be Goodz’ daughter. Perhaps all is fair in love and war, but this may have crossed the line. Instead of people giving the Jaz face (made popular by the champion femcee when bars are just nasty), people moaned in disgust. This may have been too soon for the culture to accept, especially after the Tech 9’s death/child pornography/ sexual assault allegations hit the news. People held their breath knowing how Goodz gets about his daughter, but he did not snap and there was no repeat of what happened that other time he thought someone said something about his angel.
READ MORE: Goodz vs Jimz: Is This The Swag Battle Of The Year?
But there were some schemes that made people really take note. One in particular when he ran through all of the battle rap bloggers using “figurative language,” culminating with “I drop knowledge, he couldn’t drop gems.” Cass’ word-play is undeniable. Knowledge is the popular blogger from the hit Battle Rap media platform, HipHopIsReal.com and gems was in reference to the popular battler and blogger, Jimz.
Well, then why are you saying Cass lost? Funny you should ask rap-grasshopper.
Picture this… and this is probably for the entire battle… Cassidy is a champion fighter that no one can deny… has great form… technique is exquisite… but he is in the mirror battling. He is boxing himself, shadow-boxing maybe. Cassidy did not leave room in his “lyrical masterpiece” to include Goodz in his part of the battle. His focus was on being the best rappity rap rapper alive… and not the best battler of the night.
Another way to look at it is that he was intellectually masturbating with each round saying to himself that “Whose battle is this?” “What’s my name!” And not pleasing the folk who came to enjoy the show. He had no care whether or not he gave a good show, but rather was more concerned with defending a legacy that no one really wanted to take from him… they just wanted some humility, reality and respect for the culture.
To the contrary, Goodz did not talk that much during the promo season nor throughout the battle… but when he did… things like this fell out:
“How you get 100k for a battle, but can’t get 100k for a show?” SMACK on the side giggling making the bar hit harder.
“Since you were good with a Freeway, they keep giving you an EZ Pass.” Of course making note of one of his 2.5 battles on cam against then Roc-A-Fella flame-spitter Freeway, and how easy people have been on him in the culture.
Apparently, the URL team arranged for this battle to go last. Makes sense, since the battle was so anticipated- and no one really knew how Cassidy was going to do. The card was chock-full of amazing battles leading to this one.
Would we like to see Cassidy again? Absolutely. Him against Suge would be awesome to watch. Did he keep that undefeated crown? Is he the best to ever do it? Is he above any of the names that folk have been saying are their Mt. Rushmore of battle rap? -HELL NAH…
But we want to see him again.
