Front Lines Monthly Mag Vol. 2

**SmokaJoka** · November 20th, 2006, 03:15 PM

Front Lines Magazine Volume 2

Table Of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Text Championship Battle Reviews
3. Topical Championship Battle Reviews
4. Front Lines Power Rankings: Text
5. Front Lines Power Rankings: Topical
6. Special Interview: Philly®
7. Final Thoughts

Past Magazines:
Front Lines Monthly Mag Vol. 1

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**SmokaJoka** · December 5th, 2006, 03:31 AM

Introduction
Steady Rollin’....Keep Em Comin

So the new & improved Front Lines has been up and going for 10 weeks now and shows no signs of slowing...it is indeed a new breed and STYLE of battling. The ranks are filling up by the PAGE literally it shows how many battlers have come, gone, and still remain in the front lines as a text battlers and even topical battlers alike. I thoroughly enjoy watching each week to see who the contenders are and who will fill the championship shoes and who will defend their title successfully. However, the prestige of the titles will remain high....and my aim is to get as many people involved as possible. Battling in the Front Lines hones many skills it gives you a feeling of success to see a huge record under your name as well as the title in your sig to let people know you overcame MANY competitors to earn your title. So...in light of the titles prestige...there will be a few changes in the title matches....from now on...each title match will be worth different points....10 pts. for the win by KO...-10 for the loss by KO...5 pts. for the regular win...-5 for the regular loss...and if you no show a championship battle?? You can kiss all your fucking points goodbye if you give no notice of your absence. Still...the championship matches are put on hold so everyone can sit back and enjoy their December...whether it be because your working overtime to get some presents under that tree.....or just because you have your finals in school or college...you need time off...so I’m not going to pressure anyone to forcibly battle....so the new championship battles and rules alongside them will be administered on January, 1st 2007...which...just so happens to be on a Monday....weird. You all better have a good fucking holiday or I’ll come buttfuck your dog in your backyard and make your little sisters and brothers watch as I make some ugly fucking babies......merry Christmas fuckers....BUY A WII!!

**SmokaJoka** · December 5th, 2006, 03:32 AM

Text Championship Battle Reviews

Week 5: Cry vs. Philly®

Best championship battle up to this point in the Front Lines....textwise that is. Philly & Cry both came fierce, and of course at this point Cry is the defending champion. Both hit equally hard in verses though it seemed Philly came a lot more personal than Cry did in some parts of his verse. Wit was there both had nice concepts...what else can I say...they both showed why they were in this matchup all together. Obviously most of the voters felt the same way I did as I read it...both did dope, but Philly won for the most part just for having a harder hitting verse DEFINATELY a read to those of you who have a hard time grasping what battling is all about....read it...don’t bite it...losers. Still...there seemed to be something missing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on...either way...the new F.L. champ.
Winner - Philly®
Battle Rating: 7.5/10

Week 6: Philly® vs. Coherent.

A no show battle...one of the only shots at the title Coherent has gotten so far and it is blown most likely due to personal reasons...Philly came in and put up a few quotes of shit Coherent has been saying...posted an opening line as a punch...and the rest was a bunch of filler blahs...lucky for Coherent...my losing all your points if you no show rule hadn’t been established at this point....Philly retained the title by no show.
Winner - Philly®
Battle Rating: 1/10

Week 7: Philly® vs. dj...

If memory serves me correctly...this is the first title shot dj... has gotten since Week 1 of the F.L. championships...and judging by his verse...he has gotten much much better...so you get cool points for that. Now...on to the battle itself. Philly dropped a pretty good verse for the most part nothing in it was horrible and he stayed consistent all throughout so nothing much to bitch about from another persons perspective...however, dj... dropped good for the most part but some of his verse seemed like filler...while other parts actually had hard hitting punches..some of them were quite funny actually. Although Philly won by a landslide vote wise...dj proved he is a lot better than I remember him being Philly retains the title for having a much more consistent hitting verse than his opponent.
Winner - Philly®
Battle Rating: 6/10

Week 8: Philly® vs. Cry Rd. 2

One of the largest championship battles...and easiest to remember as well. Both of these competitors obviously wanted to top themselves from their last battle...and that they did. Bringing in at LEAST 30 voters from all over RB this is one of the most voted on if not then it is THE most voted battle in RB history. Philly had once again a little bit more consistency in his verse, but it wasnt as personal as the last one seemed...and Cry came with a few harder punches, but some filler/weak lines in his verse as well...I take back what I said...if you want to see the epitome of great battling...THIS is the one you need to check. Votes were up and down, both of these guys dropped some of the best I’ve seen from either....Philly won by about a 3 vote margin out of 30+...damn good read.
Winner - Philly®
Battle Rating: 8.5/10

**SmokaJoka** · December 5th, 2006, 03:32 AM

Topical Championship Battle Reviews

Week 5: Diverged vs. Xplict_Talent

A decent battle for the most part, however, voters seemed to have thought that both of these poets held back a lot of the talent they could’ve unleashed. Diverged seemed to have dropped a seemingly rushed verse for the topic (Every Halloween). Although Diverged does take a more poetic approach to topical battles only a true poet could’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. Xplict dropped a bit more better verse with a very nice take on the topic at hand and also had a very well structured and easy to read/flowing verse. Xplict took this battle and ran with it from the beginning to the end.
Winner - Xplict_Talent
Battle Rating: 5/10

Week 6: Xplict_Talent vs. Baron P. Mortuus Rd. 2

A much better battle than at least I anticpated. Giving the topical battlers more choices of topics to write to besides one seems to have helped out a bit. Xplict Talent came with a unique approach to the topic (I’am the leader of...) and judging from the last battle as well as this one. The defending champion proved he has multis and easy to read/flow verses down pat. Not only that, he came strong with emotion and a very nice vocabulary to boot, but he could’ve came with a much better finish than he did. Baron dropped nice once again showing he can be a dominate champion when he wants to be. By simply attacking all three topics given in a timely manner judging from his verses he took the battle just for having a unique story from each topic at hand. Definately one of best topical championship battles to hit the Front Lines to date...especially for both of these guys to drop better than their first go around..
Winner - Baron P. Mortuus
Battle Rating: 9/10

Week 7: Baron P. Mortuus vs. Thomas

Finally, Thomas gets his shot at the topical title...and proved he is very worthy indeed. Thomas...did however...seem to have rushed his verse a bit...but even with a rushed verse he tackled the championship title with a great hit....just imagine if he tried. Thomas came with a nice flow and a very unique approach to the topic of Nothing’s Left. He had emotion and definately a very well written verse. Sadly, Baron also came with a good approach...and an even better one. Attacking the topic Renditions of Reality, Baron had everything you could want in a nice topical verse. Metaphors, a great story, vocabulary, and just an overall good read. The voters spoke their voice, and gave props to both of these guys for dropping nice despite Thomas admitting his verse was a bit rushed....definately a good read STILL. Note: after this battle ended Baron said he would not be available for battle for the next week.
Winner - Baron P. Mortuus
Battle Rating: 7.5/10

Week 8: Xplict_Talent vs. Tim

These two have met before but in a triple threat matchup exactly a month before this battle occured. Sadly...the same outcome practically happened except it was Xplict who was not able to show. Tim dropped a two line no show....line. Xplict could’ve showed and made this one of the best topical battles to date...Tim takes the title that was up for grabs and generously defends it in weeks to come.
Winner - Tim
Battle Rating: 1/10

**SmokaJoka** · December 5th, 2006, 03:33 AM

Front Lines Power Rankings: Text
Who stayed and who left MY LIST...

Now this right here is a rather unique take on Front Lines from my point of view...these are the power rankings...much like in the N.F.L. I take the top 10 individuals from the Contendership rankings IN MY EYES...and rate them by my own rankings...soooooo...

10. $inister
One of the best FL battlers with a small record...and I believe he’s looking to fix that. $inister has cracked into the rankings just a few weeks ago and he’ll continue to climb up them until he finds a worthy opponent of his style. And to be completely honest...if he WERE more consistent he could easily be in the top 5 of my power rankings no doubt. Sinister comes to battles equipped with wit, punches galore, and a dick for you mom if you don’t like that...challenge this guy...and you have a small chance of winning.

9. Lokeye
This guy right here does not get nearly the amount of props he should...and the only reason he doesnt is because he hasnt had that one big battle that would boost him to the top. He has the right approach for the most part in battles despite he needs work on harsher personals and some brushing up on wit...if Lokeye were put into a battle that he actually had to try in you would see the best come out. He resides rather low in the contendership rankings but that is simply because he doesnt battle twice a day...expect him to breakout soon and start tearing FL in a rampage.

8. dj...
At first...I didnt like dj....he ducked people he thought he could lose too...and he wasnt that good. Till I read his last championship matchup...I changed my mind and he has now cracked into the top 10 Power Rankings...you can’t deny talent when you see it...this guy is one of the most versatile in the Front Lines getting title shots for both topical and text is quite a feat although he hasnt had the luxury of holding a title you can tell he said fuck it and he’s going to keep at it...I like that in a character...dj will wear gold one day...and I sense it may be sooner than some think.

7. lOOk$
Remains here at #7....mostly because this guy is always around to top of the rankings somehow. Although, I havent really seen him battling here recently...if he stays more consistent as a battler he isnt far from getting his title shot at all. Being in the top 10 of the overall contenders list this guy is smelling blood...and when he catches up on the scent...you can bet your ass he’ll give his all when it comes to a championship battle. Call him out...and you’ll most likely lose...he attacks with weapons of wit and wordplay.

6. B.Nesse
Lesbian or not...this chick will pull you dick off if you battle her. She earns my #6 spot...WHY? Because she is consistent and she’s stepping all over people to get to the top of that contenders list...and I see it happening by the next mag...you can bet that. She’s one of the Front Lines unfuckwitables...she comes with wit, and if she could come with more consistent amount of punches....she’d be ruler of this forum by now...watch out if you battle this chick...you’ll get a prison treatment.

5. Quest.
This guy has climb so quick up the rankings it’s really just sad...not too mention...he aint bad...at all. Quest comes with wit, personals, and he could honestly hit higher in my power rankings if I actually saw him battle more. But let me tell you the secret of why I like this guy....before the last mag...this guy had -15 points in the rankings...guess where he’s at now? #12 in the contenders list...WOW out of well over 50 people AND he didnt ask for his points to be restarted...that shows he digs himself out of holes. Quest is one of the best up and comers of the top of my head...and I see no slowing down at all with this guy...be on the lookout.

4. Wyte
Wyte...once again remains at #4...why?? Because I fucking said so you faggots. Wyte just had a title shot a few weeks ago, and he proved he can hang with most of the battlers in Front Lines...he takes on a personality much like Coherent with him being underrated and all, but do not underestimate this guy. If you do...you’ll lose...plain and simple. Although, I don’t understand why he has 3 aliases with the name Wyte in them...you should stick to one name...his primary name is what I prefer...that’s why you see it....Wyte is a consistent battler...he throws punches and kicks in his verses.

3. Coherent.
Although Coherent BLEW his shot at title a few weeks ago....he still remains my #3 guy in the Front Lines until someone else can prove otherwise. Coherent is definately one of the most overlooked FL battlers to come to RB to date. This guy can be just as dope as anyone you could possibly face...trust me on that....all he has to do is try. Coherent comes with wit in most parts of his verses and he is a very consistent battler when he does drop. Nobody has been able to top him in my eyes yet....and when they do....they’ll earn a spot in my top 10...till then...watch out for this buy...he’ll pull your nutsack off and make you suffocate on it like a plastic bag.

2. Cry
Cry may have dropped one spot in my power rankings, but that does NOT take away anything this guy can do. Cry is THE most active battler in the Front Lines and it is obviously shown just judging from his dope ass record...that being said...he is one of the very few on RB to cross the 100 win mark without having more than 10 losses....and trust me...there is only 4 people to do that...and one of them got banned for having various aliases by voting for himself to get there...so it is a feat in itself. Cry is a fierce competitor who tears his opponents limb from limb with belittling punches and harsh remarks within his verses that makes people like Born To Kill feel like he is 5 again....definately one of the greatest battlers to hit the Front Lines in quite awhile.

1. Philly®
Philly has very obviously proven that he can take on the Front Lines contenders from all areas and being a successful defender of his title (5x) he hasn’t lost it since he has won it. Therefore, he earns my #1 spot in the Front Lines Power Rankings. Being an active battler an up and comer in audio Philly looks to cover all landscapes and he also looks to achieve success in all of them. A very well rounded battler he attacks opponents with a barrage of personals, wit, and funny ass wordplay...watch yourself if you battle him...you’ll most likely lose.

**SmokaJoka** · December 5th, 2006, 03:33 AM

Front Lines Power Rankings: Topical
The New Addition of the F.L. Mag...

Now this right here is a rather unique take on Front Lines from my point of view...these are the power rankings...much like in the N.F.L. I take the top 10 individuals from the Contendership rankings IN MY EYES...and rate them by my own rankings...soooooo...

10. Diverged
Diverged is one of the most pure poets on RB that I can remember for awhile...as a matter of fact...Laureate would probably the only one that could answer my comment/question about that. Either way...Diverged got his shot for the title and when he lost...he soon disappeared....what happened you Japanese bastard...BATTLE MORE...climb the ranks...earn your shot...or you’ll get shot...foo.

9. CrosT Over
I’ve seen this guy drop...and if he actually battle a lot more he’d be sitting alongside Tim and Baron in the Power Rankings....he comes with a professional approach to most of his verses, but I’ve also seen some verses that made me bleh when I read them...don’t get me wrong...if you get this guy with the right topic you can expect to have a hard time beating him.

8. ~Clee~
Is this a chick or a dude?? If it’s a chick..than she is most likely hot...if you’re a dude...then sorry...=/...Either way...Clee comes with emotion in most verses, but sometimes it seems rather bland because you need work on imagery and a more legible verse...if you can get that down and battle a bit more you’d be dope as shit...until then...you’ll sit right here at #8 in my power rankings.

7. Dyl
Remains here at #7....mostly because this guy is always around to top of the rankings somehow. Although, I havent really seen him battling here recently...if he stays more consistent as a battler he isnt far from getting his title shot at all. WHAT HAPPENED DYL! You used to be a contender for the title and now you seem to have died off...I’m reviving this hoe to make sure he knows he needs to continue to bring freshness to the Front Lines...you could easily hit the top 3 of the power rankings if I saw you battle more.

6. Constance
Although most of his battles were no show...a couple were actuall wins. This guy has earned my #6 spot just for simply keeping topical battling alive with fresh drops on a consistent basis. Constance drops with emotion, but need better work with imagery and a bit more of a lock on the topics he writes about if he wishes to contend with the heavyweights of the topical arena...still....he could beat most of the Front Lines topical battlers without much of a problem....

5. dj...
Like I said in the text rankings...what can this guy not do? He is very versatile...and not too shabby in topical battling. I would love to see dj... try a bit harder...he seems to come with nice vocabulary and easy flowing and understandable verses, but what he lacks in most of his verses is the depth of the story/topic that he approaches...being one of the only people to earn a title shot in both categories of Front Lines is good enough to earn him the #5 spot in my Power Rankings...and if he keeps at it...he’ll climb up it easily.

4. Thomas
In his one and only title shot this guy almost won the belt with a half assed verse....if he would try he would’ve won and he’d still be champion right now I’m willing to bet. Thomas comes with a very unique approach to almost any topic that’s thrown at him, he drops tears with his verses, or he can show you the darkest abyss of his mind with raw imagery. You can bet your ass will be seeing more of this guy in the very near future.

3. Xplict_Talent
You know...I havent really seen this guy battling here recently, but without a doubt...Xplict is someone to behold when he drops his shit on you. Sitting at #2 right now on the contenders list Xplict has fought and won the title a few times and will continue the same until he has perfected his artwork. Xplict comes packing with verses that are very easy to read nice flowing, vocabulary is very well intact, and as for topic approach?? That’s the only thing he needs a tad more work on...after that....you can expect him to be one of the most dominate topical kats in the Front Lines...or even RB for that matter.

2. Tim
The only...and I repeat...ONLY reason Tim isn’t #1 is because he is not a consistent battler in the Front Lines...if this guy battled more and more in the Front Lines he would be sitting on top of the power rankings with a title on his shoulder...into which...technically he is right now. Tim is one of the best topical battlers this site has seen since Sureal & Phrantik...and that’s saying a lot my friends...you can definately expect this guy to make you feel like a little girl after your done crying over the dope ass emotional original shit he drops on you.

1. Baron P. Mortuus
The only reason I can remember this guy ever losing his topical title is because he couldn’t battle the next week...and he had to leave it up for grabs...Baron is one of the best topical battlers to come to the Front Lines in a very long time and I’m sure he is a great contender in other topical events. Baron drops with raw emotion and a very dope approach to almost any topic that is thrown at him....earning him my #1 spot in the Power Rankings as the most dominate champion in F.L. alongside Philly.

**SmokaJoka** · December 5th, 2006, 03:34 AM

Special Interview:
Most Dominate Text Champion In F.L.....Philly

SmokaJoka: alrighty...let me know when your ready
Philly®: shoot
SmokaJoka: How many rapbattle sites have you been on
Philly®: bout 3
SmokaJoka: ..how many years experience can you say you have under your belt...what is it...that got you spittin
Philly®: well i was alway's into music n i used to hang around cassidy and beanie alot b4 they blew up.. that kinda got me sparked
SmokaJoka: alright...next question
SmokaJoka: out of all the time you've been on RB....who runs the front lines better than me
Philly®: actually i've seen feeble give it a shot.. but every1's attempts were more of "taking" fl heads n puttin them in some sorta leauge... but i'd say u've done well keeping everything in fl and got people motivated with the whole champ match thing u got going
Philly®: and a prretty good up keep at that prop's man
SmokaJoka: alright...you say your hitting the audio scene after your next title defense
SmokaJoka: any tracks your working on now
Philly®: well now i've startin getting on mix dvds to get my face out there... you kno letting the people kno who i am so they can feel the need to check my tracks out.. but as more for your question i gotta few diss tracks that'll be up soon
SmokaJoka: anyone specific or are you saving that as a surprise
Philly®: well it's kinda local so i'd save the suprise
SmokaJoka: alright....if you were to line up the 5 best textcees on RB from any moment in time...who would they be and why
SmokaJoka: this also counts for topicalheads
Philly®: hmmmm
Philly®: in my honest opinion i'd have to say bounce, evolve, feeble, M~M, n i liked that dude Quo or w/e his name is
SmokaJoka: nice choice of people...ok...let's get a little less serious here
Philly®: ok
SmokaJoka: Eagles won today...you happy
Philly®: YAY!
Philly®: i didn't even kno, to caught up in other stuff
Philly®: =(
SmokaJoka: nah...they won...lol...Panthers once again blew a 4th quarter lead for the 5th time this season
SmokaJoka: so...what's your favorite sport
Philly®: football.. tough one
SmokaJoka: are you a Steelers fan...or an Eagles fan
Philly®: eagles.. i only root for them if philly loses.. kinda of a keep it in pennsylvania thing
SmokaJoka: hmm...ok..I'm going to ask you a series of true or false questions....you answer with a simple true or false
Philly®: ok
SmokaJoka: test question: Feeble Minded is a Jew
Philly®: false
SmokaJoka: alrighty...here we go
SmokaJoka: If $pit were to shit in a pit of clit....would a there be a pussy that has a big steamy pile of book of cliches
Philly®: true
SmokaJoka: Cry is really black...his pics are fake
Philly®: true
SmokaJoka: Smoka > E-To-Tha-T
Philly®: TRUE
SmokaJoka: Falcons > NFC South
Philly®: false
SmokaJoka: Opey stopped dropping audios because he dropped mashed potatoes on his mic while eating and rapping and ruined his shit
Philly®: T R U E!!
SmokaJoka: ok...last part of the ....interview..
SmokaJoka: Fill in the blank
Philly®: ok
SmokaJoka: If I (you) were a 4 year old viatnamese I would _______________
Philly®: run to america.. buy a rap forum, get marv to join then ban him
SmokaJoka: If I were Emerge...I'd have hoes that were ________________
Philly®: wrather plum in all the wrong places
SmokaJoka: If Emerge were Emerge...He'd have hoes that were ________________
Philly®: shemales
SmokaJoka: If Mariah were a few years older...I'd ____________________ then ___________ to her ___________ and _______________ all over her face
Philly®: break into her house 2am then tell her brother's are lesbian lovers to her face and smash penis juice fresh from the frdge all over her face
SmokaJoka: pretty vivid....
SmokaJoka: AND THAT IS IT!
Philly®: wo0t
SmokaJoka: enjoy this read you faggots or I'll come to your house and spill penis juice down your throats
Philly®: n that's werd
Philly®: hollerrrrrrr

**SmokaJoka** · December 5th, 2006, 03:34 AM

Final Thoughts

A long bumpy road...that’s life for you. Sometimes....a short road with potholes. Either way...I can remember back when I was in high school and let me tell you guys something...into which ...I’m sure anyone out of school with a job and having to support themselves will agree...you better fucking enjoy it. It’s really hard to believe how fast everything has gone by since I was in school...it doesnt even seem that long ago to be honest. I see it like this...I’ve already ate up 25% of my life....for all I know...possibly 89%...you never really know....I’m going by national statistic of life expectancy. So why do I bring this up? Everything seems so shitty lately....makes me seem to want to go back to the days of yore and enjoy the shit out of it. I just got fucking fired from my job right before Christmas I live in my own goddamn house and I have no idea what to do....I mean...let’s be clear...the area I live in isnt exactly ripe for the picking when it comes to GOOD jobs...I’m not shoveling or hammering shit...I want a goddamn computer job that pays more. Rap even sucks nowadays....when I turn on the TV I see the same shit different person...what happened to ACTUAL rappers...people who were diverse....people who spit poetry...not bump and grindery...beats suck the shittiest people are getting signed and sometimes when I see unique talent over the net or even in real life I wonder...why arent these the people I see on fucking MTV...VH1....or hear on XM....it’s gotten to the point to where the rap of the past (late 90s was a goldmine of good lyricists) is now what is considered underground?? It’s gotten so weak even battling seems weak...punches that suck are good punches that are uniquely good suck? Fuck off with that shit...give people props...just because it’s someone you don’t like or someone that you may think is bad....stop riding some guy because he has net friends. There hasnt been you BLOW UP emcee to hit RB in quite awhile..and it’s not just RB...it’s everywhere....rap is in a rut....and I’m hoping you guys can pull it out of that....keep doing what you do because the Front Lines is THE most active forum on RB....maybe if you continue your shit you’ll find the new trend that is actually...GOOD....