98
Bars/Wordplay 9
“He be on the low, dodgin imprisonment, hoping it gets better playing chris webber trying to forget about that time-out in michigan” Hollow has one of the best pens in battle rap from the standpoint that he’s a balance of everything yet he’s never less than fire. Weaving in & out of complex word play to rhyme schemes more simple yet equally as hard hitting, Hollow understands that too much of the same thing gets redundant and takes away from the overall performance. With that in mind he's a technician with his bars without trying to do too much, instead often doing more with less while the audience hangs on every word. While he's not necessarily Lux or even Mook in this category, he makes no less of impact and the evidence is on the scorecards, as regardless of any Win/Loss record Hollow has had many lyrical moments that battle rap fans will forever remember.
Delivery/Performance 10
"So what, I'm clean from lean? Like I said in London, you was itching and scratching like it was Breaking Bad, I was thinking one hit and he gone, that's Baby Bash, your best bars in the last round was trying to play my 'stache, Ha-haaa! Jada laugh....Pat Stay, I haven't heard a comment that dumb since Stacey Dash" Easily the best performance in battle rap, even if there are other 10s in the category. Hollow is the prototype for every battle MC on how to rap your bars at an opponent while performing for a crowd, putting on a show that is unparalleled anywhere else in the genre of rap. Nobody looks more effortless on stage than Hollow, aside from maybe Mook, Hitman, & Calicoe whereas those artists stay within their comfort zones and are fully rehearsed, while Hollow is unpredictable to the point that not even he knows what he's going to say. Meanwhile other artists such as Charlie Clips & Dizaster have equally as high of a ceiling in their own performances, yet the fact of the matter is that their moments are neither as consistent or clean, while Hollow lives up to his potential every time… and yes that includes his Surf & Joe Budden performances as well, specifically the latter as he separated himself convincingly from Joe with his cadence more than anything.
Originality 10
"Y'all wanna hear one of Surf's bars? 'Soon as I pull out, that chopper go dummy like Kimmy in that full house' Yeah, that was hot, that was hot, but my *****... you watch Full House?! Aye, that's cool, cause I do too, so damn your hammer, or damn your nana, since you live with Uncle Joey (Budden), I'm running in that full house like Danny Tanner" In the DVD era there was nobody that reminded you of Hollow, as is the case with today's top tier and the new talent as shown in the PGs. You don't get to his status by being a carbon copy of anyone else, therefore in addition to his other qualities Hollow has always separated himself from his peers on behalf of being an original.
Versatility/Jokes 10
"Swear to God we wasn't in Detroit and you said Joe Budden's pussy and everything he write is trash, you swear to God you ain't say everything he write is trash? See this why I don't like these battle rappin ***** with they lying ass, hold up *moves to the back* I'ma do the battle standing over here, cause God bout to strike his ass" Without a doubt the most versatile in battle rap not only because he has multiple bags to choose from, [which should be noted as a complete rarity in the sport despite the obvious advantages that come with it], but mainly on behalf of the quality behind each and every style he chooses. With that in mind not only is Hollow top tier with his pen and delivery, but he's also potentially the most humorous in battle rap, which coincides with his ability to improvise which in turn makes him the most dynamic battle rapper alive.
Freestyle/Rebuttals 10
"This ***** say I get the same treatment Jesus got, I'm the God MC ***** I'm Jesus pops, you talk about you gon make my breathing stop, Kings Highway where I'm gon leave his top.... he talking bout scary movies but this a scary movie bitch, but I'm a flip it with razor scripts, I got a Scream face that fits Jason's fist but it's a Wes Craven script, or this could be your Final Destination, you can die from vital expressions or spinal seperations" Another category where Hollow reigns supreme amongst all his contemporaries, as while he's already a part of an exclusive group of rappers (including ALL MCs, battle rap or otherwise) who can freestyle in the first place, he ultimately separates himself from those other rare talents with a level of efficiency that's unmatched. While Clips and Dizaster have both demonstrated an incredible calling for divine intervention, they’ve both come back to earth too many times to be considered GOD MC’s (although they’ve looked the part before, their stumbles have proven they must be human after all), though in comparison Hollow has never once looked bad during a freestyle - not once - and to date it remains his greatest superpower out of all his bag of tricks.
Impact/Brand 10
“Worry about the bars and don't worry what I got on, but if you is worried, LOMClothing.Com” Hollow has arguably been the biggest battle rapper in the world for a minute now, and although it’s only on rare occasions he makes that claim himself, his supporters do that for him and in doing so they have a legitimate case. While Mook was undeniably the first MC to get national attention for battle rap (and even that may be generous in regards to Smack DVD fame), Hollow surpassed him in popularity during Mook’s long hiatus, and as it stands today Mook is more comparable to Kobe while Hollow is DaDon James. Meanwhile Drake (the biggest rap star in the world) co signs Hollow heavily and watches his performances from the balcony, while Mook had to literally beg Diddy to not leave halfway through his performance at Webster Hall. Furthermore Hollow’s clothing line LOM Clothing is undeniably the biggest fashion line in battle rap, with shirts seen at every single battle event around the globe, a testament to not only the quality of the clothing but the demand of the most coveted battle rapper in the world. [It’s imperative to note that other Battle MCs do NOT have this same success with marketing their brand, and that’s evident not only within the numbers but what can also be easily seen with the human eye, more evidence below....]
Views/Numbers/Multiple Formats 10
"See them “sike I lied” t-shirts y'all bought outside? my man printed...I seen all the money that fam missing....your whole slogan... you gotta pay me some damn chicken, boy you do bad business!" Millions of views every time he steps out, and most of the time that’s in spite of bootlegs and pay-per-views that inevitably take away from the actual number. More significantly however is that Hollow has done this on every format worth mentioning, from Fight Klub to Grind Time to King of the Dot to the Ultimate Rap League, Hollow has brought his talent all around the world and has did his numbers every single time. Of course he also performed in front of a sold out audience at Total Slaughter, and his best performance may have been for UW during his title bout with Loaded Lux, yet the bottom line is no matter where he performs he’s the headliner and deservingly so. In fact if you go back far enough Hollow was also undefeated on 106&Park, perhaps a trivial statistic today yet all the same just a further reminder that Hollow is not the product of anyone else’s credibility, yet instead he's an empire that he built himself.
No Stumbles/Chokes 10
"And just cause it was GrindTime I didn’t stumble out, or come up here with the 'I-I-I got you, duh-duh-duh' mumble mouth, Sonic the Hedgehog game if I get hit on this stage, rounds keep coming out" What’s so crazy is that while Hollow’s already separated himself in at least 5 of the above categories already, if there’s one category that he absolutely has no competition it’s right here. Everyone from Lux to Diz has stumbled and choked, and in fact it’s become a downright epidemic with newcomers stumbling through more rounds than they get through clean. The reality though is that one of many reasons battle rap is so difficult is because there's no do overs, and unlike multiple takes in the studio they have to go all the way through their rounds in one, a challenge that 99% of recording artists would struggle and stumble through. Thus it’s practically a miracle that Hollow has never even stumbled, particularly because of his unorthodox style with so little predictability, a vast deviation from another legend unscathed in Mook who doesn’t improvise yet to his credit doesn't stumble either. As Hollow tells it he simply over prepares, and beyond that he’s such a natural that he unprecedentedly puts freestyles in the middle of his writtens, a triumph that the best MCs of all time should pay homage to.
Stays Active/Consistency 9
"Wait, Goodz lets not get it misconstrued, this ain't the BX versue QU, this is unnnnhhh versus 000000hhhh! This is yayyyyy!!!! Versus b0000000!!! This Hollow Dininon in the spot Queens represent, versus youuuuuu" Although Hollow was on a murder spree from roughly 2008 to 2012 (relax on the 1 min rd Fight Klubs and think about it with perspective), he’s for good reason decided to be far more selective with his battles, strategically taking 1 to 2 battles a year and no more despite his overwhelming demand. While it’s completely understanding and admittedly intelligent not to oversaturate his brand, if we're to compare it to the NBA or any other competitive league (which for multiple reasons would be perfectly acceptable to do), it would still be advantageous to the sport to see it’s most transcendent talent as much as possible. For example whether it’s Curry vs Wiggins, Curry vs Jennings, or even Curry vs Michael Carter Williams, the people still want to pay money to see it, even if matchups vs Westbrook, Paul, & Kyrie are all the more enticing. Nonetheless battle rap currently seems to more closely reflect boxing (a dying sport in comparison), whereas Hollow has only taken bouts against very particular competition in respects to his career, at one point going from Surf to Lux to Budden which to his credit is a trajectory his contemporaries can't relate to.
Bodybags 10
"He's always on the net I must say he's a geek y'all, his mom bring the plate by the computer and he eats hard, he dissing me 'Hollow switched the date he's a retard,' mentioned my name so much his grease stains on the H of his keyboard" Although it’s probably been a minute since Hollow put somebody in a bodybag per se, (that is if punking Budden in front of the entire industry doesn't count, and if his 1 rd in London doesn't qualify either), yet what can't at all be disputed is that he was once on the right side of one of the most infamous body bags in history. All 3 rds vs Big T were reminiscent of Tyson vs Spinks, though beyond a runaway victory it was also the first of its kind in a new era, as the performance was so immaculate that nobody including Smack wanted it to end. While the DVD had spawned previous bodybags beforehand, this was the first on URLTV where the term bodybag would truly become a part of the imprint of battle rap itself, and to date may be the first battle that comes to mind when people talk about a 3-0 TKO. Previously however it should be noted that Hollow ran through GrindTime with ease, with Jay Focus and Philly Swain being the most reflective of a bodybag, taking place around the same time as an off brand battle with Amzilla that was nothing less than a bodybag as well.
