Two respected battle rap media companies released their collaborative mid-year rankings, totally and rightfully disrupting everyone’s top artists listing from 2021. With the introduction of some new phenomenons in the culture and less than five months left in the year, will battlers that have been occupying the top seeds for the last few years be moved aside for fresh blood?

On Wednesday, Aug. 3, Let’s Talk Battle Rap and Black Compass Media presented their 2022 Top 15 Power Rankings.

Tony Bro from Black Compass Media shared his thoughts about the ranking, and said, “In a year defined by underdogs, upsets, and controversy; this mid-year list captures the chaos of another great year in battle rap. The list is largely influenced by tournament victories and career-cementing performances. JC and Bill Collector stand out as Battle Raps Champions – winning 100k tournaments at URL and KOTD, respectively. “

“On the other side,” he continued. “Swamp and Sheed Happens, Nunn Nunn and Snakeyez represent the year of the underdog. Each of these guys defied expectations this year by betting on themselves and putting on consistent performances.”

“Reliable Veterans like Tay Roc, Danny Myers, Rosenberg Raw continued to take the up-and-coming battlers and legends alike – turning in solid performances at all stops in high-risk low reward situations,” he shared.

The list is as follows:

1. JC
2. Bill Collector
3. Tay Roc
4. Swamp
5. Eazy the Block Captain
6. Danny Myers
7. Charlie Clips
8. Ms Hustle
9. Rum Nitty
10. Fonz
11. A. Ward
12. Viixen the Assassin
13. Sheed Happens
14. Rosenburg Raw
15. Nunn Nunn

LTBR x Black Compass Media present our Mid year 2022 collaborated Power Rankings. 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/v2Y9YqoUAC

— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) August 3, 2022

Most notably missing is 3X COTY Geechi Gotti who has had a pretty rough year and Tsu Surf, who just has not battled.

JC, after the death of his mother and winning the latest Ultimate Madness, has leaped up to the #1 spot, dusting out so many that have counted him out over the years and lining him up for the long-awaited battles with Loaded Lux and Tsu Surf.

Bill Collector, another tournament winner and one of the original three behind the now-defunct Midnight Madness franchise, also is getting his just due. Always a fan favorite, demonstrating one of the culture’s most unorthodox styles, he is now getting his props as one of the best around.

Swamp, Sheed Happens, and Nunn Nunn are noted for getting busy this year— making people take note of their class and the hard work they have been putting in. Sheep Happens, the Crucible Alum from Maryland, actually just started battling and has found himself as a person to watch.

While Swamp and Nunn Nunn are re-establishing a footing in Carolina battle rap and living into the high expectation left on their doorsteps as emcees coming after vets T-Top and Brizz Rawsteen.

Two women also are on the list: Ms Hustle and Viixen the Assassin. Both considering their battles against each other and separately, they are pretty much the top Pitbulls in skirts for the genre. Just ask anyone: Smack, Debo, or Remy Ma.

“There’s a lot that could change before the end of the year and like all rankings in the subjective sport/art of battle rap, will certainly engender much debate,” Tony Bro. said. “But that’s the game, that’s what defines the culture. If history serves, by December battle rap fans will squint at their mid-year lists in awe of how the 2nd half turned out.”

On a recent appearance on the Breakfast Club, Rapper Kevin Gates defends his lyrics about having sexual fantasies about Beyoncé in his new freestyle “Super General.” He said he meant no disrespect to Jay-Z but he has always been dreaming about the former Destiny Child singer — even back when he was hustling in the streets.

He asked, surrounded by Angela Yee, Charlamagne tha God, and DJ Envy, “She is one of the most beautiful women in the world … I can’t be a fan?”

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“I’m sitting in a trap out around the monsters,” he reminisced. “Just looking at TV… saying ‘Man, I swear to God.’ When I said that, everybody feel like that. They just scared of saying it. I ain’t scared to say it.”

Both male hosts questioned the rapper about saying it to another man.

In his straight-up Gates way, he said, “I said ‘respectfully.’ I meant it with all due respect.”

“If somebody said that about your lady, your queen?” Envy probed, not anticipating the quick answer.

“You’re supposed to. That will feel good. You supposed to fantasize about what I got. Even your dreams every night, [you know] yeah, I’m punching [expletive] her living your dreams. I don’t want nothing that don’t nobody else want.”

In the song, around halfway through, he raps, “Ain’t no disrespect to Jigga, met through Nipsey, that’s my n####. Don’t know if they into swingin’, Beyoncé need to let me hit her.”

“Make her p##s all over this d##k, respectfully, her body shiver.”

He also brings up his desire to make love to Nicki Minaj, telling her she needs “Kevin, she still playing around with Kenneth.”

This is not the first song to ever name names, when it comes down to rappers and their celebrity crushes. Biggie’s “Just Playin’” (also known as “Dreams of F##kin’ An R&B Chick) also listed women and what the deceased rapper would or would not do with them.

Hall of Fame songwriter Diane Warren was taken to school by Beyoncé fans for questioning why the artist had more than twenty writers on one song on her new project. Very quickly, she felt what it feels like to be stung by the Beehive.

The writer behind hits for Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Babyface, Monica and Aerosmith (to name a few) tweeted, “How can there be 24 writers on a song?” adding, “This isn’t meant as shade, I’m just curious.”

This isn't meant as shade, I'm just curious

— Diane Warren (@Diane_Warren) August 1, 2022

The Dream, another noted songwriter and producer, was the first to respond with a stinging clap back, “You mean how’s does our (Black) culture have so many writers, well it started because we couldn’t afford certain things starting out, so we started sampling and it became an Artform, a major part of the Black Culture (hip hop) in America. Had that era not happen who knows. U good?

I didn't mean that as an attack or as disrespect. I didn't know this, thank U for making me aware of it. No need to be mean about it.

— Diane Warren (@Diane_Warren) August 1, 2022

Warren quickly apologized, feeling the heat from other bees buzzing around her Twitter post like a fully bloomed flower in the summer.

“I didn’t mean that as an attack or as disrespect. I didn’t know this, thank U for making me aware of it. No need to be mean about it,” she wrote.

QuestLove, the co-founder of The Roots crew and famed producer in his own right, tweeted, “In these post ‘Blurred Lines’ times you’re gonna see a lot of it. I actually applaud her giving people a seat at the table who otherwise woulda NEVER been considered otherwise. Like she didn’t ‘have to’ credit the ‘Show Me Love’ crew but just outta respect she did them a solid.”

The Hip-Hop ethnomusicologist referenced the original team that wrote and produced the Robin S 1990s hit that is heavily sampled in Beyoncé’s new song, “You Can’t Break My Soul.”

“I pray they win the Grammy just so all 400 participants can get shine they otherwise woulda never seen,” he continued.

I pray they win the Grammy just so all 400 participants can get shine they otherwise woulda never seen.

— ?st (@questlove) August 2, 2022

After getting schooled (and dragged) she returned to share with her followers, “Ok, it’s prob samples that add up the ammount of writers.”

One fan hit her with, “Probably? Girl, you knew the answer the whole time. Just say you wanted to be shady and go before Mariah pushes you out the way again.”

To that … she posted a silly emoji face.

😜

— Diane Warren (@Diane_Warren) August 1, 2022

Chile … you better leave Beyoncé alone … There are about three or four Destiny Child members no one can account for.

Rapper Mystikal, once known for having one of the most promising careers out of New Orleans, has found himself in yet another sexual assault case— this time allegations of looking someone up against their will, drug use compound the rape allegation.

Officials are saying, he will receive no preferential treatment just because he is famous.

 A representative from the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, Donovan Jackson, said his celebrity will not yield him any favors and the case inches towards a conviction.

“He didn’t show the victim any sympathy, and he won’t get any sympathy or special treatment,” Jackson declared. “He will be in general population and incarcerated like anyone else.”

According to arrest records, the rapper, whose real name is Michael Tyler, was arrested on Sunday, July 31 and now faces charges including first-degree rape, false imprisonment, domestic abuse battery (strangulation), simple robbery, and simple criminal damage to property. 

WBRZ reports an Ascension Parish judge determined the rapper will be held without a bond during a hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 2.

The former No Limit Soldier’s lawyer, Roy Maughan, said, “We’re extremely disappointed that the judge decided he needed to hold Mr. Tyler without bond.”

Details of the alleged sexual assault were listed in the “Shake it Fast” rapper’s arrest warrant.

It said the incident occurred on Saturday, July 30 at the artist’s Prairieville home.

Allegedly, Mystikal thought the woman stole $100 in cash from him, prompting him to punch, choke and pull the braids out of her hair. He then took her keys and cell phone and stopped her from leaving the premises.

The woman figured she would try and help Mystikal look for the money, hoping this would calm him down. However, while she was searching the place, she told law enforcement she found a “crystalline substance” in one of his drawers.

A later search determined not only did he have meth, a recreational drug that proves to be devilishly harmful to those who smoke it, in his home, but he also had Xanax, heroin, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia to partake in the consumption of the controlled substances. 

In addition to the beating, she reported that the rapper had extreme mood swings throughout the night, going from being angry over the money and becoming “very apologetic” for his actions.

When he said he was sorry, he then asked if he could “feel” her, pushing her on the bed and then raping her.

After the sexual assault, the report says he told her to CashApp him the money he believed she stole. While she was getting ready to pay him, he snatched the phone from her and typed $150 in the app, and sent himself the payment with a $50 bonus.

He gave her the phone and told her she could leave.

She says she jumped in her car, drove away, and contacted a friend who took her to the hospital where she reported the crime. She was given a sexual assault kit. Authorities found that her injuries were consistent with her description of the brutal attack.

This is not the first time he is accused of raping women. Two decades ago, he was convicted of sexual battery and was cleared in 2021 of a different rape and kidnapping allegation.

In 2003, he pleaded guilty to sexual battery and served six years in prison. Before being released in 2021, he spent 18 months in jail on a $3 million bond for that other rape case. This last case was dismissed but the circumstances around it have been sealed.

During his OVO Festival, an event that came to a close early after Drake was diagnosed with COVID, the chart-topping rapper introduced to the world the woman who inspired the famous line “KiKi … do you love me?” from his hit song “In My Feelings.”

Her name is Keisha Chante and she was, according to the Champagne Papi, his first girlfriend.

“This next person coming to the stage, I used to get in my mom’s car and I used to drive all the way to the west for this one right here, you feel me? So, I have to personally introduce her,” Drake announced while introducing her set. “This is my first girlfriend I ever had in my life. A real legend… somebody I love with all my heart. Make some noise for Keisha Chante.”

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After the performance, Keisha Chante took to Instagram to thank Drake.

She wrote, “I’ve never seen the city come together like that!! It was everything. A dream only @champagnepapi could make true. The most heartfelt and meaningful introduction I’ve ever had. Aubs I love u for life.”

She continued “performing songs I dropped in my teen years and hearing you sing all the words, made my soul so happy. Such a beautiful memory I will cherish forever. Toronto you have been riding for me since the very beginning and I am so grateful for the love.”

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A post shared by Keshia Chanté (@keshiachante)