100 BARS MAGAZINE 009 MAY/JUN 2014 | Page 64

Laughs), but thankfully my perception has long been changed. Tycoon Tax: Yeah, I know. I go back forth from NYC to T-Dot, so I know what they be sayin’! I love it though; it’s unique. London, England got similar slang actually. Salute to them! (Tycoon laughs) of myself against Rum Nitty. Salute to him for that; he’s a real humble n***a. Novie Blendz: That’s what’s up. I liked that battle too; both of you gents did your thing. I also like that two-on-two with you & Luciano vs.Yung Casper & KP. That was a good battle as well. Novie Blendz: Yes! Definitely! #Salute to all unique slang! Going back to you mentioning building friendships with other battlers; most people say that those type of friendships prevent good matchups. From your perspective as a battler do you agree or disagree with that statement? Tycoon Tax: Yeah, that battle is mad slept on we had bars. Tycoon Tax: To a certain extent. Some of these n***as say they’re friends, but only see each other at events. But it all depends on the person. Like, I know for a fact we never gon’ see “Clips vs. DNA”, Arsonal vs Surf ” or “Daylyt vs. Dizaster”. But “Mook vs. Lux” is going down and they’ve been homies from the same hood, so it all depends. Tycoon Tax: To be completely honest, we didn’t start writing until a week and a half before the battle. It was crunch time and with the both of us under pressure, it brought the best out of us I think. That’s why I say the battle was mad slept on. I feel like that was the best bars both of us wrote in a while. Novie Blendz: Those are valid points that you’ve raised. Which battle of yours thus far would you say was the best? Like, you looked at yourself in the mirror afterward and you were like, “Mah dude, you went in!” or where you’ve ever walked off the stage with the “I’m the Man” theme song playing in your head? (Novie laughs) Tycoon Tax: I’ve got to say that me versus Kaliente was a good look, but I was very proud 64 Novie Blendz: Well hopefully now everyone will wake up to it. There were a lot of great lines in that battle. What was the creative process like behind the two-ontwo? Novie Blendz: If you didn’t just make that confession, I would’ve assumed y’all took a while to write that material. #Salute for that. Tycoon Tax: Thanks for that. Novie Blendz: No doubt! You versus Shotgun Suge went down out in Cali; how was that overall experience? Tycoon Tax: I felt like the crowd wasn’t f**king with me too crazy, but I did my thing. I think I got that 3-0 going into the battle; I thought every bar I had was a haymaker. In the third, the crowd was rockin’ with me crazy, but on camera, my first and second should look deadly. I got nothing wack in there, for real. Novie Blendz: Well maybe now you just became a favorite with that crowd. How did you feel about Suge as an opponent? Tycoon Tax: Hopefully, because I loved Cali. As far as Suge — I’m just disappointed he choked every round because I wanted to have a classic or at least an aggressive battle, but it wasn’t what I or the fans were expecting at all. Novie Blendz: Definitely not. From my years of watching battling I’ve come to realize that chokes are a domino effect of destruction. It doesn’t just affect the choker; it affects all parties involved. Tycoon Tax: Yeah, that can ruin a battle — especially if the other dude brought his best material. Novie Blendz: Yup! It’s unfortunate when it happens though. But on to some fun stuff; what are your Top 5 favorite rap albums From when you were growing up? Tycoon Tax: That’s easy: 1. “Marshall Mathers LP”; 2. “Get Rich or Die Trying”; 3. “Hunger for More”; 4. “Lord Willin’” and 5. “Word of Mouf ”.