100 BARS MAGAZINE 010 JUN/JULY 2014 | Page 55

Montez Love was a finalist in the Queen of the Ring’s No Holds Barred radio tournament. While he is new to battle rap, he has the hunger to make an impression. He is not only an up-and-coming battle rapper, but a talented artist. Montez Love is a true supporter of Queen of the Ring. Week after week, he came with bars and delivery and had a great battle with New Orleans’ Hemi. Montez Love didn’t take the W, but he did so well that he earned this interview to give us an insight of his love of battle rap. Dilly: Montez: You made it to the final battle of QOTR’s NHB Tournament. What was that like being that you’re still new to battle rap? Montez Love: Man, it was very challenging. I salute Hemi, because he came to battle me as if he was trying to get on URL — and I knew [he would do] that — so it made me test my pen. I wrote bars that I’ve never even considered writing. He definitely pushed me. It was definitely a great learning experience and I still have more work to do. on the league, you can dictate to yourself what the crowd likes by watching other battles. So yeah, it provides great insight. Also, you don’t want to say what’s been said before or what’s trending. Dilly: Do you feel like battling every week was like sparring? Did you feel any pressure each week? Montez Love: The first week I knew I would beat my opponent, but then it got down to where I was battling dope rappers, like T. Riley and Hemi, and I kind of did feel pressure, because I was the underdog each time. And yeah, it kind of was like sparring, because Riley is the homie, so it was like, write to kill, but still give him respect at the end of the day. Dilly: Do you feel that the tournament helped you perfect your craft a little more? Montez Love: I still have work to do. I think it actually helped me find my performance and my delivery; I got comfortable with how I delivered my bars. Dilly: As a supporter first, do you think that you have more insight on what are good or bad bars? Dilly: You’ve had 3 battles already. Did the tournament open any doors for your battle rap career? Montez Love: Definitely. Being a supporter first and spectating battles gives you an idea of what and what not to say. Depending Montez Love: Somewhat. It definitely got me a little notice. There were people hitting me up asking, “when are you getting in montez rising star the ring for real?” “When are you going to such-and- such league?” it’s great that people actually respect the talent. Dilly: You have battle coming up soon? Montez Love: August 24, 2014. Trap House NJ, versus Dubb MG. Dilly: This battle is on a higher platform than your last 3. Will we get the best Montez Love that we’ve seen yet? Montez Love: The best Montez Love — or, TezManian Devil — is yet to come. He comes every battle better than the last one