Loaded Lux has a long history as a battle rapper, and his legacy transcends the current wave of battle rap popularity. Loaded Lux was putting words together since his youth and battled some of the biggest names in Harlem before battle raps were recorded on film.
In 2012 he shot back to popularity after going up against one of the biggest up and comers, Calicoe. Many had Lux winning the battle 3-0 even with his heart stopping choke in the first round. This remains to be one of the most important battles in history. Not only because a legend came back to take out a new comer, but simply because Lux brought us some of the most intricate word schemes we’d seen in a while. This battle changed battle rap. Other battle rappers are mimicking Loaded Lux’s style to this day.
Fast forward to 2014, and after the soaring popularity of Loaded Lux reached its peak, it was time for him to go against one of the other highly praised battle rappers of our time, Hollow Da Don. Hollow is a gifted wordsmith himself and has the ability to come up with complex rebuttals on the spot.
To me, this battle was much closer than Loaded Lux vs Calicoe. It all comes down to the third round for me. I had Lux winning this battle 2-1, with Hollow Da Don winning the first round.
The majority of people may side with Hollow Da Don because he had a more electrified performance, which is a plausible argument. But I also feel like people aren’t giving Loaded Lux the credit he deserves when it comes to the lyrics he constructs. There’s a reason why Lux is praised, and even refereed to as a battle rap god. Its the way he puts words together. No battle rapper puts their lyrics together quite like Lux, so lets look at some examples of just how great a word mechanic he is.
Look at this, another future know-it-all with no answers
Past catches up to him present day, look ‘nana we got another kid with a gift just found out that there’s no Santa
I give you a start in imagination
Then I pick you a part/apart like a talent agent
Is LOM in the trap partying or in the rap partisan?
Y’all should have been had an audience on noggin with all Barney’s friends
I mean all you niggas sing, you might look like monsters on screen but you’re Backyardigans
But nothing I write can hit you harder than life
Especially one weak for demons
But you say you straight in the state of the Saints
We gone see if it’s new or leaning (new Oleans)Promethazine, codeine ,morphine, it doesn’t motivate
The exposure makes you doze not awake, These are opiates
The doses traits of the properties of the poppy seed that the dopers take
So are you sober nigga
Cause you said you stopped drinking lean in October
Well that isn’t a surprise
Hollow you picked the month where in the end every individual lies
I mean you can dress it up how you picture it in your mind but when Hollow wean (halloween) off it, he gone always be a nigga in disguise
These are just some of the best examples I found that highlight the incredible rhyme patterns of Loaded Lux, all full of double entendres. If any of these examples are difficult to understand due to not knowing the references then please leave comments below for explanations, I don’t expect everyone to get them.
But back to my point, there’s hardly any battle rapper out there that structures their lines like Lux. The most common punchline rappers use a 1.2.3 punch method that’s both predictable and tiresome after a while. Also, set-ups to the punchline tend to be weak from most other rappers, but Lux’s bars are so well structured that the build up to the double entendres are just as important as the sting itself.
If you read Lux’s lyrics next to Hollow’s on Rap Genius then it becomes incredibly difficult to say Hollow Da Don won. Sure, a battle is more than just lyrics. Performance is also a huge part of it, and this is why it’s easy to give the win to Hollow when watching the battle. But I listen to bars first.
Loaded Lux deserves recognition for how gifted he is with his craft, and just because he may or may not have lost a battle, it doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate his contributions to battle rap and Hip-Hop.
If you’re unfamiliar with Loaded Lux, then his battle with Calicoe is a great starting point. I also recommend Loaded Lux vs Midwest Miles.
Do you disagree with the article? Be sure to have your say in the comments below.