87
Bars/Wordplay 9
"Last time I was hear I ain't do to well, I brought the same deuce-deuce but it ain't have new shells, this time I bought a clip long as buju bell(?), and I brought a sledgehammer so I can nunu nellz." One of the most polarizing figures in battle rap E Ness has some best word play in the game. Although it can be overshadowed for his love-it-or-hate-it philly delivery that he’s most known for, Ness has bars that stand out in the recent eras of slow-it-downs, showtimes, and all the other theatrics that is overdone in battle rap to begin with, in which case Ness is straight rap no gimmicks and that’s a breath of fresh air.
Delivery/Performance 9
"Solomon how many swords you been swallowin, let me find out it's my name you been hollerin, cut off his oxygen, sugar ray robinson, allen iverson, cross him out his wally moccasins." Ness really does have one of the best deliveries in battle rap, as that Philly flow is deadly no matter if it does well on URL or not. In fact the only reason why Ness wasn’t himself that day vs DNA is because he went away from his patented delivery, only after listening to so many people tell him his style wouldn’t translate to the stage, honestly the biggest mistake he’s made in his career (worse than the cheesecake, worse). The facts are however is that if Ness brought his Iron Solomon performance to Webster Hall that day it would have been a much different result, as Solomon was great but there’s very few MCs who could stand in front of that flawless delivery. The only detriment to it is that he really can’t get away from it and still do well, evident in SM2 when he proved he lacked versatility.
Originality 9
"Watch your mouth I'll kill for my kids, and I ain't gotta rah rah ***** know what it is" Whether other Philly MCs had that flow before him is irrelevant, as he’s the one who put it on the main stage and went national with it, and now it’s to the point that every time you hear that delivery (Reed vs Chess) it’s Ness who always comes to mind.
Versatility/Jokes 9
"My bitches wouldn't look at you, probably throw a hook or two, when God made weirdos he threw the fucking book at you." Not the most versatile as he really gives you that one delivery and nothing more (credit for him for trying something new in SM2 but it didn’t work), yet he is very humorous and gets great crowd reaction because of it - all in all Ness can do more with his performance than most.
Freestyle/Rebuttals 7
Just not his style at all, besides the fact that he can flow for days. The reality is that he has so many rehearsed bars in his head he can always go to a new bag of rhymes whenever he chooses, yet it’s never completely off the top of the dome and the thought of a rebuttal never even crosses his mind.
Impact/Brand 8
"You think it's all gun talk, you think it's all birds, you think it's all metaphors, think it's all words, 2 major record deals working on my 3rd, I got a 9th wonder catalogue that ***** never heard." Ness name rings out but unfortunately he’s most known for that infamous walk to Juniors, either way he’s still widely respected in various battle rap formats, and that’s still the case even after another embarrassing moment with Diddy at SM2. Yet considering he’s re-found his momentum in the sport since Summer Madness, he’s in good standing to continue to build his legacy with more good performances in the years ahead.
Views/Numbers/Multiple Formats 9
"Push a couple buttons, keep the money comin I ain't chasin youngin round, that ***** 100 miles and runnin, you get it? that ***** Young Miles scared for the fact that I'm a fuckin werewolf out here, and I'm chewin' silver bullets, I advise you not to pull it, now them funny punchlines ain't gon' work here, will it?" E Ness has solid views with his highest battle at 2 mil with Solomon and another one over a mil with DNA, Otherwise the Making Da Band footage with Jae Millz has a few million views when you add the various clips altogether, no matter if Millz separated himself from Ness in that battle convincingly. Otherwise he’s basically battled everywhere at this point, with most of his footage in the low hundred thousands, which in fairness could be attributed to all of the off brand leagues he’s battled on.
No Stumbles/Chokes 8
"And I'll kill everybody on the Rookies - Vets roster.... hold up.... *flatline*.... " Although Ness has so many bars it seems like he could pick them out of a hat at any time, but sometimes he gets stuck in his verses when trying to stay on the script (Steams, Shotty Horror), and in fact it’s been happening more often lately and it takes away from his immaculate performance.
Stays Active/Consistency 10
"Match my intensity, I'm a different entity, and when they mention me, legendary, next century, beethoven grab the stick and write another symphony, I'm bout to life this ***** spirit like a ministry, make up your mind is you industry or in the street, they try to mimic me, but they can't cause I'm himothy, I leave your bald cap smoking like a chimney, instantly, the suicide squad's the new infantry." Ness is definitely active and minus a stumble or two he’s definitely consistent, omitting the DNA battle when he just wasn’t himself. Otherwise he’s a heavyweight boxer that doesn’t turn down any fights, and it wouldn’t be accurate to give him anything less than a perfect score in the category.
Bodybags 9
"Pullin on sour, about to smash this lil backstreet boy from out his trousers, wowzers, why they give me doogie howser, I'm a let the oozie holla at his medulla oblongata, tell andy milonakis, i'm shooting in his pockets like i'm shooting for the rockets, put two up in his noggin, knew I was a problem, the fuck he ain't train hard, you're so fucking wack that I ain't gotta play the race card." Although Ness has been on the other side of some bodybags that were legendary (Millz in particular), and even though he mostly edges debatables in classic performances (Solomon, Hollowman), he also has a decisive win vs Arsonal along with a lot more potential than most to catch a body in the near future.