The West is back. That was the statement GTX and WestWorld made when they presented Volume 1 of “The Lot”. This event series brings battle rap back to its rawest form: outside, in a private parking lot, no stage, no mics, and in the pit format. In addition, the event was powered by the team over at Ruin Your Day, so you already know the production quality of this event is pristine on VOD and will be fire when the edits hit YouTube. Many of these battles from the bottom of the card to the top embodied a west coast “Rookies vs. Vets” feel. The card featured Fate vs. Billy Boondocks, Da Kid Clutch vs. Kamakazi, Emerson Kennedy vs. Dre Vishiss, Real Name Brandon vs. Aktive, Saynt vs. JP Cali Smoov, Danny Myers vs. Foet Dev, and last but certainly not least, Dizaster vs. NXT. Let’s hop into it.

Starting off the card was Billy Boondocks vs. Fate. Billy Boondocks has been in the game for many, many years and it was great to see his seasoned pen clash with the newcomer and hard puncher Fate. Both rappers exceeded expectations and it really came down to style preference. Da Kid Clutch vs. Kamakazi was another one I’ve been looking forward to. Da Kid Clutch has been around the block and has battled everyone from Geechi Gotti, Danny Meyers and A Ward. Although he was going up against the heavy dose of experience, Kamakazi held his own with a solid performance. Real Name Brandon vs. Aktive was the battle of the bullies. Aktive exceeded expectations with that real street talk, but Real Name Brandon gave him the word right back. This was one of those hard street battles with a lot of replay value. Due to health reasons, we did not see Emerson Kennedy vs. Dre Vishiss go down, but GTX is planning a slew of events like this, so I’m confident we’ll see this one at the next event. Saynt Vs. JP Cali Smoov was the battle of the night in my books. Each round just seemed to get heavier and heavier with more technical rhyme schemes and grittier punches. This battle is one they will still be talking about at the end of the year when we recap 2023. Danny Myers vs. Foet Dev was another battle with high expectations. Despites slip ups in this battle, both rappers still brought a lot of substance for the fans to chew on. Lastly, Dizaster vs. NXT lived up to the hype. Dizaster leaned into some more funny angles that I felt was a homage to the late Pat Stay. NXT absolutely left earth and brought his A-game to arguably his biggest challenge in his career. I was extremely impressed by NXT and I’m super eager to what else he’s got in the tank.

GTX & WestWorld absolutely crushed what they set out to accomplish. With exception of one battle, each battle went off without a hitch. The performances were top notch. The vibes were on point. They really did put on for the west. Go give this event a watch before waiting for the free Youtube releases. You can order the full event in its entirety over at https://www.rapgrid.com/gtx-presents-the-lot-vod

*** I want to send my condolences to the friends/family of Ruin Your Day’s Ben Hammerton. He was always a solid dude whenever we met, and I know the scene will miss him dearly. His funeral was the same date as this event. RIP Ben Hammerton.***