This story is facts mixed with some fiction for added affect. #TheDons!! Posted on: 2015-11-19 20:13:26

Two different styles of writing, two different takes on the topic. One was well written and read very easily...creative use of the topic. The other provided some really good imagery and told a good story. Very close but one edged this after two reads. Good luck to both. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-21 09:01:37

Topic: "Secret Agent" Submission Deadline: Nov 19, 2015 @11:59 PM Eastern (GMT -4) Votes/Round closes at Nov 21, 2015 @11:59 PM Eastern (GMT -4) Good luck fellas! Posted on: 2015-11-15 04:21:10

This should be a good battle. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-17 19:29:16

Wreckingcrew Posted on: 2015-11-20 10:24:38

One had a different spin on the topic which was an interesting take. Thought his 1st verse was the strongest & most interesting, slow tailed off from there, ending seemed rushed. Other took a more direct approach to the topic. I felt the story was def there but a little simple, tho some parts really flowed nice. Comes down to preference , Good shit and congrats to the champ. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-20 14:01:37

I went with the one that was more engaging. Props to both. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-20 15:54:46

great read from both . different aproaches made for good entertainment . one took a nice angle on it and had some nice metas and a good story . other had a bit of fact and fiction mixed in together , nicely set the scene by being desciptive as well . for me its a toss up , would not be surprised if this ends 55/45 . congrats to whoever wins . fv v nh Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-20 19:28:50

My vote on this battle disappeared for some reason; revoting at NOBLE's request. Not gonna re-expo since he said I didn't need to. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-20 20:26:05

NOBLE changed his mind, so here's the old expo back: I normally stay off of Row's battles (at his request), but 2FUEL linked this in my FVC thread. Row: Your rhyming was good, if imperfect. I felt that your multi-wording was awkward, especially near the end. The take on the meaning of "agent" was interesting, if not extremely creative. Leaving the plot unfinished was both creative and gimmicky. Overall, it flowed well, but could have been more creative or polished. 2FUEL: Your rhyme schemes weren't as lengthy or extended as Row's, but your back-to-back short schemes flowed well. I didn't expect that ending twist at all; I had assumed that "Vladimir" was a generic stock Russian. I don't know if you depicted Putin's life accurately, but I'll pretend that you did. The twist's deadpan delivery, separate from the man content, worked well. Overall, this verse's execution was mediocre, but the concept was great. I enjoyed one slightly more. Fair's in. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-20 20:28:30

This was a hard battle to vote on. I liked both of the stories and they both had great creativity involved. Ones was smoother as the rhyming was better and some of the schemes with more syllables. The other I felt had a slightly better story line/ imagery. Both did a good job telling their own twists on the topical. Going w/ the one I enjoyed more here. Fairs dropped Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-20 20:39:13

Very close battle enjoyed this here Loser had more flow etc but the winner took me a bit more with their approach. But both dropped very thought provoking verses I just felt the winners take on the subject hit me more Like I said a good close battle Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-21 11:00:16

Since this is effectively the Final, as the other semi-finalists no-showed, we will extend the voting period for another day or two for it to garner more votes before closing. Posted on: 2015-11-21 20:28:21

good topical here.. row i enjoyed the different take on 'agent' it was more out of the box thinking on the word... felt your flow and rhthym in the beginning of the piece was better than towards the end where the bar became too wordy and flow was lost, it was a few lines so it didnt really hurt you too much, but consistency wouldve helped you even more so.. story wise, i like the narrative and plot.. pretty thorough, diary like... 2fuel, also enjoyed the read, a bit more traditional approach to the agent topic.. what i didnt like to much was the inconsistency in flow of the bars, due to the placement of the multis and end rhymes.. im sure it was intentional, but when i read rap, i want a certain rhythm in the writing..and a few times the timing of the bars felt off because of the muties.. as far as subject matter, fairly entertained, with that my vote is based on who i enjoyed and wanted to know more of the story.. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-22 14:07:11

Honestly enjoyed both.. imo it's pretty close and is pretty clear it comes down to personal preference. I personally, believe ones topic was more vivid and creative. good shit from both. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-22 16:28:41

this was cool. its like two scenes in the same movie somehow. anyway, im going with the more descriptive attempt..fair vote Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-23 05:54:40

Damn... seriously hard decision to make... both had a really great verse and stuck to the topic extremely well. I felt like my choice had a better approach to setting the scene and keeping the topic relevant throughout. Really hard choice here, great job you two, always a pleasure. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-23 08:55:37

Great topical battle. I like both and this is fairly close. I appreciate the double entendre concept of taking "agent" to mean a chemical agent as well as the expected definition, which provided a bit of a twist. I also like the finisher of self sacrifice for the masses. Both narratives were good, but I do feel one was stronger with rhyming and staying focused on painting the picture of the secret agents life. I also appreciate the historical reference of a real Russian secret agent turned world renowned political leader. I think one edged this with the consistency of both his narrative and use of interesting vocabulary in his rhyming. This close and could go either way, so RESPECT 2 both. FV in. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-23 12:06:32

So I've read this 5 times now and while I'm typing this I'm still on the fence. These pieces were so evenly matched it's hard to pick a winner. From pretty much every critical analysis they're tied up: vocabulary, structure, imagery, emotions, readability / flow, etc. I honestly just have to go with who I felt touched on the topic of a "Secret Agent" better, while both had poems that were engaging and refreshing to see on here, there was one that slightly stood above and if I had to say something negative about my loser, I'd want a little bit more background on the protagonist instead of just finding him in his current situation. Anyways, like I said these were both great pieces, thanks for the reads fellas. Fair's in as always. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-23 12:52:55

Deleted Non-Expo vote, this is a Final. Let's explain our thought process people. Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-23 13:04:10

this was really close and amazing battle from both ends... both had creative approach pretty hard to decide.. so i'm going with one that imo was ah lil more better fairs in no hate Posted on: 2015-11-23 21:33:46

Leaving this open for votes for one last day. Posted on: 2015-11-23 21:43:44

Great reads from both, to me one was more in depth and could feel him express the topic a lot more. Posted on: 2015-11-23 21:59:40

This was really really a close battle and one of the best pieces I've ever read . the W'er was consistent with his flow and good in openers but towards the content he tripped . creative thinking though . it was completely different approach to the topic but the material was very well relevant . L'er had his moments but he was off in rhymes at some points and most of his feed didn't flow well . dope from both . Posted on: 2015-11-24 07:34:14

This was a very good topical battle, and a close one at that. Both took different approaches to the secret agent topic, and although one of the contestants took an approach that would be expected by most people, his bad grammar and spelling mistakes made the piece very sloppy and hard to understand. The other contestant had , in some areas, too many words in between lines but was more unique on his approach which ultimately made my vote. Posted on: 2015-11-24 10:53:54

This was a good battle, and I feel that illokwent explained it best, One of you guys was just more outside the box, and had better grammar as well. Posted on: 2015-11-24 13:28:04

Interesting read from both. Row: you took a more creative way on the topic and the story was like a live movie with an unfinished ending which was dramatic and I like that. 2FUEL: you went with a more safe approach on the topic and reading about the guys story was kinda cool. Overall I thought ones presentation decided my vote, good battle!! Posted on: 2015-11-24 14:22:54

Both of you two brought some fire and related well to the topic, but I kind of agree with matthue regarding the sloppiness. Poetical pieces have to be presentable and free of spelling mistakes. All that aside this was a good battle. Posted on: 2015-11-24 16:07:49

I was going to vote, but I'm not touching this shit. The last 4 votes in a row are from brand new accounts that have done nothing but happen to have exclusive and show up to vote in the topical finals as their first and only action? i have no idea what's going on, but I'm pretty sure it's some bullshit. I'm not touching this battle unless someone can give me a good reason it looks this way. Peace. Posted on: 2015-11-24 19:44:22

Coming a poetry background, I loved the creativity! And grammar was exquisite. I call tell there was a lot of thought put into it from his word choice. The other had great flow and paid a lot of attention to syllables. However there were too many grammar mistakes. It didn't seem like there was much effort put into it. Great match! I strongly side with creativity. Posted on: 2015-11-24 19:45:33

Nice battle one took it with a pretty interesting angle that I don't think most people would think so nice creativity here, the other was flowin nice, usin real life examples which was pretty cool but probably took a more familiar path, both almost used a timeline type style which was an interesting approach, nice battle here Voted: Yes (Hidden)
Posted on: 2015-11-25 07:51:02

Oops I wouldn't have known about the bad rating if I wasn't notified in my inbox. That was an accident. It was supposed to be 9-10. Hehe Posted on: 2015-11-25 12:22:20

Removed questionable votes from people who only registered yesterday and who's first and only action was to vote on this battle. Posted on: 2015-11-25 16:06:59

GS fellas. Posted on: 2015-11-30 14:58:54