As a long-time follower of the sport known as battle rap, it’s not hard to imagine the future vision projected by the fervent believers coming to fruition. So with the biggest event in battle rap culture, Summer Madness 4, set to go down Sept. 28 at Irving Plaza, getting a chance to holla at one of the featured artists on the card and, arguably, one of the top 10 lyricists in hip-hop was a definite must. That said, here’s an abridged introduction to Aye Verb.
The year 2009 proved to be a critical point in the shaping of present day hip-hop, and Verb was one of its architects. YouTube and WorldStar Hip-Hop were the new vessels being utilized for battle MCs to showcase their competitive nature and skill level, putting to an end to the era of the DVD magazine format in which they previously existed. That growth spawned massive fanbases and even more debates. To the New York contingent of fans and MCs, largely viewed as the creme de la creme of both knowledge and skill set, new areas were rising with intentions of not building on what cats were doing here, but instead looking for acknowledgement of their expression as a viable option for those seeking entertainment and lyrics.
A crew in the Midwest, however, sought more respect. Verb, serving as de facto captain, led a crew of rappers to the battle hub, with intentions of battling New York’s finest. Although the showdown didn’t go as expected, Verb, in an impromptu contest, put together a show in the streets of Harlem, during the wee hours of the morning, that sent a ripple through hip-hop. The Midwest Movement was spawned.
The ice-cold bars combined with a relentless flow served notice that Verb is not one to be played with in a competitive format, but when a hefty dose of real life gets injected, the potential for a hot-run minimum, great-career maximum recording artist is revealed. On his ability to relate to the streets, Verb says, “Unlike a lot of the other ones, I seen a lot and done a lot. So when I start to spitting that real, that hits the hood in the heart. I’m just closin’ my eyes and replaying the scenes in my head.”
Because of recent events, material will unfortunately be at a premium. The forthcoming Summer Madness 4 isn’t what made the timing for our chat on point. Real life did that. In the world of hip-hop, we group cats together in terms of region; thus, the Midwest Movement is dubbed. The backhanded compliment illustrates exactly what their fight is about, an identity. For Verb, his native city of St. Louis is at the center of the world for something that’s bigger than hip-hop.
The coverage has died down, but the Mike Brown saga is ongoing in Missouri. And while he’s hopeful that a peaceful accord can soon be reached, the past and present points to a bleak future.
Explains Verb, “The things they do to us here, we didn’t know was not cool until we saw it on CNN. That was just how it was. We’re used to it. But for this to happen to someone of the younger generation, it’s going to be problems. These kids are wild and have no guidance. For them, they feel like they can die for something. They don’t care about living or dying.”
They care about what they’re going to eat for the next two days. But when you have the things that the world aren’t seeing―the tear-gassing of women and children, the firing of rubber bullets, cops telling people things like ‘I will kill you tonight,’ seeing the National Guard, all that happening, and now the people are angry and tired. It’s not just here, ’cause now we see people all over the country saying we can’t keep letting these cops ride on how they treat us.”
As a man with children, Verb offers a semblance of hope. “This is my home. I was born and raised in St. Louis. I ain’t lived nowhere else. This is my city, and I don’t want to see it go up. But if this man Darren Wilson don’t burn, it’s going. That’s just that.”
I’m gone. Holla next week. Till then, enjoy the nightlife.
