On Loaded Lux, God-Tier and celebrating hip-hop masterpieces

There it was, again.

About a year ago, I heard that freestyle. Loaded Lux, long considered the greatest battle rapper of all time, had set off a chain reaction. And there it was again.

There was the reminder, of why those of us who are battle rap fans treasure him, and his mind, and ability, and him, in that rarest of moments, elevating one of our community to immortality.

I didn’t realize, fully, what I was hearing and seeing at that time. I had to listen three more times to catch all of it. I listened every day for about a week. In all of my battle rap and social networks, I debated where this particular piece of art ranked, all time. And then, one of my bros, posted it again this week, and took me back to how I felt, when I first heard, and watched.

“I was in the areas….”

I watched it all, all over again, and realized now, that Loaded Lux had given us a masterpiece. He had constructed a roughly seven minute opus, fully realized, excellent and visceral.

Every masterpiece has background, and context. This work was no different. There were many layers here, each worked into the architecture of Lux’s work.

Battle rap, both its gladiators and fans, are an odd and mercurial community. Love and hate and abandonment and worship all appear to be roughly the same with this family. It could be the nature of the art produced, and how we as a family engage that art, and our artists.

Battle rappers are required to produce a singular piece of art, every time they perform. They will never be able to perform, monetize or commodify that work again. No other hip-hop artists share this stress, or fate.

They must perform this piece of work in front of a, typically, raucous crowd, with an opponent, usually just as skilled, prepared to challenge them for three rounds. They are expected to keep their material relevant and entertaining, and their skills sharp. There is little money, and less general notoriety for battle rappers. There are a scant few who have registered with the “general public” and gained a modicum of fame. Hitman Holla and Conceited fall into this category, as do Charlie Clips and Tsu Surf. Arsonal, Nu Jersey Twork, Dizaster, Murda Mook and Aye Verb are others.

Then there is Loaded Lux.

If battle rap were to have a Mount Rushmore, his would be the first image carved into it, amidst great debate and rancor, then agreement, because…battle rap. He was one of the first greats, and remains one of the few greats that battle rappers of every era wish to test themselves against. He battles infrequently, adding layers to his mystique, and is often mentioned as a potential opponent when a battle rapper goes on a perceived winning streak (note: battle rap is not judged, and so there are no true win-loss records).

There was some upheaval just prior to the freestyle. JC, a veteran battle rapper had gone on a tear, and was calling for a match with Lux. The community was largely supporting his bid. Aye Verb, who had been calling for a match with Lux for several years, resumed his taunting and name calling. Lux did not respond, and it seemed, would not be goaded.

Understand, there is agreement about very few things in battle rap. The rarified air of who represents the true elite, the Jordan/James, the “God-Tier”, bears very little disagreement. You have Lux in that hall, and Mook and Verb, who have both tarnished their statues with questionable performances. Lux too, faced criticism after a subpar performance against Murda Mook, and a debatable with Arsonal.

Loaded Lux, his legacy, his standing, were under siege. There were barbarians at his proverbial gate. He had stepped away from battle rap to record music and tour. While away from the battle rap community, his willingness, ability, and motivation were all in question.

But, the freestyle.

“They got you believing you better than what you are….”

There was no doubt that Lux had heard it. All of it. All of the challenges offered. I listened and watched, and realized that he had fashioned a response to JC. He spent the better part of 3 minutes, the same average time of a battle round, reminding JC that he was not his peer, and not fit to challenge him. He ascended in those full seven minutes. He layered each bar with meaning, demonstrating to battle rappers who typically rhyme acapella, that he was God-Tier in both that setting, and over a beat. He built a seven minute manifesto, and never once uttered the names of those he deemed unworthy.

His approach to riding the beat was graceful. His cadence, diverse, ever changing, elevating, powerful. The full freestyle felt as if it were delivered by three unique versions of Loaded Lux. He made each line three dimensional.

Here, was an artist who had observed in his studio, mixed his colors, and set about going to work to make something lasting, and for his detractors and competitors, irrefutable. He had crafted a testament to his greatness.

Loaded Lux, with this freestyle, went about the business of asserting his greatness, again. He gave us a gift, and elevated all of battle rap with him, in just those seven minutes.

In battle rap, we don’t often think of rounds, or battle or performances as masterpieces, and we should. One of ours, perhaps our greatest ever, showed true greatness over that freestyle. He demonstrated the potential for near perfection that a member of our community can produce when ready and motivated.

I am hoping for more, and very soon.

I recommend the Loaded Lux freestyle to anyone who enjoys bearing witness to excellence, and aspires to it. I recommend it to all of the battle rap community, as a reminder of why we treasure him.

I recommend it to Aye Verb, his next opponent, as a reminder of what he is truly up against.

I use it to remind myself of the power of hip-hop, and the many skins it comes in, and how breathtakingly beautiful the art form can be.

Oh, and I have Lux 2–1 over Verb.