As we begin 2024, it’s time to contribute to our annual superlative lists, where fans get to vote on battle rap’s top contributors in 2023.
AllHipHop.com prominently features and celebrates battle rap and its artists throughout the year, not just when drama arises in the culture. We spotlight the scene, highlighting the talented wordsmiths, hardworking league owners and other valued contributors who all help drive the culture forward.
These lists articulate the unfiltered opinions of the culture’s most devoted fans and ignite fervent discussions within the battle rap community.
The categories are detailed below, with a link to the survey here and at the end of the page. The survey ends on January 14, so make sure you get your vote in while there’s still time!
Top Battle Rap Event of the Year
What cards stood out above all others over the last 12 months?
There’s a plethora of captivating events to choose from, with the leagues putting on plenty of entertaining cards. We can’t forget the culture uniting for KOTD’s celebration of fallen battle rap legend Pat Stay on the Stay Forever card.
Or The Riot, making history with three male Champion of the Year winners taking on their female counterparts on one card. Consider all the events iBattle has thrown this year or the URL Rookies and Sophomores showing out on their own card or RBE making The Blue Room a mainstay.
The fans have a tough job deciding which of these amazing events or the many others will take the No. 1 spot.
Fan Top Favorite/Preference Battle Rappers of the Year (Female and Male)
This co-ed list allows fans to pick the rappers whose performances they couldn’t get enough of. The lyricists they watched time and time again, had heated debates over and captured their attention all year.
There are plenty of names, male and female, to choose from.
Top Best Breakout Rappers of the Year
A whole slew of fresh faces exploded onto the scene in 2023, captivating audiences with their star potential.
Who are the five emerging talents forcing fans to sit up and take notice?
Top Most Impactful Moments, Happenings, or Movements of the Year
What was the culture talking about in 2023?
There was no shortage of memorable happenings in battle rap for fans to consider. Will C3 leaving the Chrome 23 tournament $25k richer make the cut? Or what about A. Ward bringing out the “Glock 40” for Aye Verb? How about The Trenches debut? Or URL settling its years-long lawsuit with Norbes?
Where will fans rank Gecchi Gotti’s 3rd round for Eazy The Block Captain or the resulting viral controversy that sent shockwaves through the battle rap community and beyond? Or will the Top. 6 of URL’s The Crucible Movement get a vote for their impactful year?
We are listening and can’t wait to hear what you, the fans, say.
Battle rap fans consume a range of diverse media, from Analysts, Reporters, Op-Editors/Vloggers, and Talk Shows. But who are the Top. 5 media personalities who have made enough noise to get the fan vote?
Choose carefully because this is one list that always causes controversy. People argue over the outcomes, but the fans get to determine who makes the list. In the past, we’ve noticed that people raise their game to make the cut, leaving the fans as overall winners.
Remember fans … you are all in control.
While many say it doesn’t count because it’s a popularity contest- that’s how metrics are run- by who the people say entertains them the most, and we are here for it.
Top Female Battle Rappers of the Year
Select the women who stole the spotlight and spent all year at the top of the game.
The women commanded so much attention in 2023 that they had many in their feelings at the prospect of a woman challenging for the COTY title. Despite it being a co-ed competition, men have won the coveted award since its inception, dominating the rankings with no woman ever being named in the Top. 10. However, the possibility of multiple women entering the discussion this year or evening winning shows the strength of the women’s competition this year.
And it’s not just the biggest names who shone brightly in 2023. Emerging stars, returning favorites and many talented women in between earned their stripes and were on their grind. Bars & Roses burst onto the scene, making an explosive start in their mission to spotlight female rappers. Fans celebrated the return of Queen of the Ring’s iconic boxing ring on a card stacked with the best of the old school and new.
Top Male Battle Rappers of the Year
Which five male battlers stood out from the crowd this year?
The competition in this category is stiff, with many in the running and the landscape shifting several times throughout the year. Some early frontrunners have faded while others kept pace and finished on a high.
Expect a tightly-fought race this year. Fans are championing some unexpected names for their consistently dominant performances. This list will be super competitive this year, so decide wisely.
Top Battle Rap Leagues of the Year (Small, Medium & Large)
Who are the leagues that kept you thoroughly entertained in 2023, delivering outstanding cards, platforming the most gifted rappers, developing talent and helping to push the culture forward at every level of the game?
Battle of The Year
Which battles of the last 12 months had you going back for more, over and over again?
Fans are spoilt for choice this year. There are so many outstanding battles and memorable performances to choose from that narrowing the list down to just five is no easy task. Rappers from all leagues, at every level, male and female alike, displayed their skills in clashes that shook buildings card after card.
From battles featuring Mount Rushmore candidates to breakout performances from rising stars, battle rap fans were immensely entertained in 2023.
This one won’t be easy, and we’re looking forward to hearing your Top. 5!
Haymaker of The Year
The best battle rappers expertly weave rhymes into knockout punches, scoring major points and bringing the roof down.
What are the haymakers that had you jumping out of your seat, punching the arm of the fan next to you or screaming at YouTube in 2023? There were men and women winding up and landing dazzling punches on every league, but which five make the list?
Freestyle of the Year
Something gone wrong in the middle of the battle? Annoying heckler interrupting the performance? Opponent talking through rounds?
In all of the above cases, or when a battle just can’t let something their opp said slide, a freestyle is the ideal response. The most skilled rappers deploy these off-the-dome strikes to neutralize an attack or capitalize on some unexpected disturbance.
2023 brought us some room-shaking freestyles, and we want to hear your favorites.
Body of the Year
Who are the rappers that lost so badly in 2023 that the culture has them getting bodied?
There were some eye-watering losses over the last 12 months, and some of your faves lost every round of a battle in stunning fashion.
Who has the biggest bodies of 2023?
Upset Win of the Year
Who came into 2024 with the most unlikely win of the past year?
2023 saw some highly surprising victories from rappers who surpassed expectations, upsetting the apple cart with a win over the odds-on favorite. Which underdogs are worthy of a place in the Top. 5?
