TNT: SWEET 16 & THE LEAGUE

[Vern Acular]

THE NEW TRIBUNE
Sweet 16 and the League

INTRO
RANKING THE FIFTEEN
THE LEAGUE
THE ELITE 8 +1
OUTRO


INTRO

ok, welcome back to another edition of TNT, the new tribune if you dont know what the abbreviation stands for, first i wan to say last week sweet 16 was a huge success, voting went well, and all but 2 of the projected 17 participants showed, in this weeks mag tha talent is breaking down all 15 verses and ranking them from top to bottom, thank him for that, i will, talk about the league, and talk of some issues around the league, this week will be a short mag considering there isn’t a lot to talk about, due to the weeks off for the league, so just sit back and enjoy




RANKING THE FIFTEEN
Rather than simply doing a top 10, since there were only 15 verses this week, I decided to rank them all. Enjoy. Peace - Talent

15. Harlequin - "War"
...why waste the time, he couldn't try, he was in pain...that's all i need to say.

14. Ill-Logic - "Beauty and the Beast"
...i can tell you right now, i know Nebzer didn't try...i've seen way better than this from him, and there were all the signs of a verse that didn't have any effort behind it...take for instance, the decent plot line was totally unexecuted via somewhat sloppy word choice and extremely simplistic flow, both signs of quick writing after debating what to write about before seeing his opponent not try...so really, this was an alright verse, but its not a measure of his talent, and i really hope he puts effort in this week against namix, because that could be a dope battle.

13. trap - "The Extinction Agenda"
...some of you, such as Desenuts, know that I am not a big fan of pieces based in personal experience if it gets in the way of quality writing...i feel that this was the ordeal that trap went through this week, and that that is the reason he is no longer in the tournament...trap has written great personal experience verses, but this one was not one of them...he allowed his emotions to take control, and suffered from sloppy and at times almost insincere wording, which made the emotion seem insincere as well...and he ended it with a suicide, which is never good, especially not when approached like trap chose to this week, the never-should-have-become-a-classic "my life sucks so i'll just kill myself" method.

12. DMeTRiUS - "Beef"
...so Biggie made a song called "What's Beef," which Mos Def turned into a song called "Beef," which was then remade to feature Talib Kweli also, making it a Black Star track, and now DMeTRiUS remakes it...what he did to my custom title was somewhat original, especially considering what i had said about him in last weeks mag, but this verse was not....not taking anything away from D, of course, because his flow worked well over the "Beef" beat, and his verse would have fit in fairly well with Mos Def's...the problem was simply that, he didn't say anything new really...he just reiterated what Mos had said...and that was the problem...pretty much the only problem...there's no point in really talking much more about this piece.

11. Formal Logic - "Graduation Day"
...maybe it's me, but i feel that if you are going to do a topic like drunk driving and high school, you should use imagery to set it off and give it a more original feel...originality was, truth be told, the main thing lacking from Formal's piece...it was fairly well written, though, as i previously stated, the imagery lacked a little, and the flow was smooth...the story even managed to put a somewhat original twist on the concept...though his attempt at irony didn't really hit me like it could have...still, it was by no means a bad verse, but Formal still has a little ways to go, assuming this is his best work, before he can compete with a guy like Omen.

10. Half N Half - "Wings - Heavenly Offering"
...i could be wrong, but i really think Half N Half was inspired by an old verse of mine this week...he had, a few weeks ago, commented on reading the verse at the RnR Archives, and his verse was a fairly similar concept...but that's not important...what is important is that Half really showed us what he has to offer...his style is both poetic and very lyrical at the same time...he manages to blend the smooth word choice and vivid descriptions with a well told story like a true storyteller, much more efficiently than the average RSTL-er...in my opinion, he took a strong stand against Sequel this week, and he made his case, and got a top 10 verse of the week.

9. Omen - "Watching the Paint Dry"
...although he admitted to not having any time because he was doing more important things in Bosnia, Omen still pulled off a top 10 verse, albeit much lower than he is used to...his verse this week was a topical, not a typical omen story, but i'm kind of glad that he chose to go the topical route...he delved into the well charted world of finding an identity, among other concepts...what he came out with is a mesh of incredible metaphors and some nice images, to go along with a solid-enough flow...sure there were numerous typos and some spots where the word choice could have been SLIGHTLY better, but for the most part, he held it down...hopefully he'll have more time this week.

[Vern Acular]

8. MC4Sight - "A Stigma's Lesson"
...character development is something i've always enjoyed...mastering the persona of a character is difficult though...in 4Sight's case, while i've seen better character development, he certainly executed well, way above average...he brought this slutty teen to life...he showed her life going downhill as desperation set in...he talked about how she became cheaper and cheaper, and at the same time mentioned that she never did it for the money, just for the glamour...my only wish is that he had used a little more imagery...however, this was very well done and a nice story...an appropriate AIDS twist as well, which most writers have no clue how to do.

7. Headless Verseman - "A Child Neglected"
...i can't remember the last time headless verseman was putting this much effort into the RSTL...seriously, he's going all out...he really pulled off a nice verse this week...his opening 4 lines were quoted from a prior piece by Prowlers head Dregs, and they started his verse off perfectly...he brought in the concept of a father-son cycle, with a twist, one that has actually intruiged me recently...and he really pulled off some very poetic writing, including a portion of verse that was ACTUALLY a poem, written by a character in the story...this, similar to his opponents, could have been higher with a slightly better ending, but the suicide approach is VERY hard to make original...still, i'm very impressed with Headless, and I honestly would not be too suprised if he advanced to the final four.

6. Anaphora - "The Two Red Doors"
...of all the verses this week in the tournament, i think people were most confused by Anaphora's...part of that was because he did not conclude his verse well enough, and kind of left the door open...but i believe, part of the problem was people not understanding what he was talking about...but i saw the contrast...i watched the man running through the doors, chasing only to find a horrible nightmare...he did this well, very well infact...his imagery was extremely well done, and he kept the pace quick to leave you in anticipation...as i have already mentioned, the only fault in this verse was his lack of a complete ending, however, aside from Truth, this was probably the most well written story of the week.

5. SeQueL - "The Blade's Opposite Ends"
...the most creative verse of the week was RnR's version of Kill Bill...SeQueL told the story of supposedly two samarai warriors, but he actually told the same story through the eyes of, as he puts it, the blade's opposite ends...he discusses the evil side of the warrior, looting and murdering, and the good side, helping out a girl in distress...his flow and word choice were very well done, and he brought it all together nicely at the end...it was just a very well done verse...not much more to say.

4. Namix - "The #1 Problem Solver"
...in probably the biggest upset of the round, namix actually managed to shut out trap...how did he do it? simple...by posting a GREAT verse...he showed his trademark creativity by writing about the concept of a "chip on the shoulder" as an advisor...he then gave several examples, and mixed in his creative punchlines throughout...he really picked a great topic for his style, because he talked about things like fights, which are perfect for punchlines...and he held up his end on flow, and the word choice was superb...it was just a VERY nice verse, that ALMOST was a spot higher.

3. Vern Acular - "Sore Loser"
...we all know Vern, no point in going over that...he got a no show from Vember, who i guess realized he would not be able to beat the great story that Vern dropped...and man, it was great...reminded me of vintage Vern...perhaps recently he's been digging deeper than just stories, but this was Vern Acular showing us all that he can still break out the Slick Rick-esque "let me tell you a story" deal, and kick ass...he told a story about a guy, assumedly in his late teens, falling in love with a younger girl, and all the reprocusions...what suprised me the most is that he never fell into the general cliche's, and that he, in a relatively short space, kept his story fairly detailed...it was just a very nice story that he executed well.

2. L-Dogg -
...only four times, in my memory, since i started writing the top ten verses, has a top two verse also been a losing verse...and considering that three of those times(trap, Richard Corey, Vern Acular), the victor was myself, and the other time, Vadik had lost to Vern, but I felt Vadik had a better verse, and ranked him higher than Vern...that leaves this occurance as the first time ever that the top two verses were from the same battle...which basically means that L-Dogg, had he been in any other battle, would have won...technicalities allowed both him and truth to advance, which is fortunate and at the same time a shame that Truth didn't vote...anyway, all that you know...L's verse, a topical based around outlooks on life, was VERY dope...as i said in my vote, his only noticable flaw was the use of the same rhyme scheme throughout the entire verse...however, his content was fresh and well written...he really pulled off a great verse, and its a shame he had to lose...still, you can't knock the #2 verse of the week.

1. Infinite Truth - "A Love Song"
...i don't write about love very often...why? because i like to be original, and i've really never found anything original about 99.9% of love verses, love poems, love songs, and romantic movies...but infinite truth pulled this off remarkably...one of the best tales of love, and the very nature of love, that i have read in a long time...it reminded me of something in a black and white silent movie...a couple of lovers dancing through life, yet there was something unsettling in the air...his vivid desciptions were what really brought this to life...he executed a more subtle form of repetition/variation than i'm used to seeing amongst amateur writers...but maybe that's because Infinite Truth is more than an amateur, he's got a flair for the theatrics...his mind is run by emotion, which is why he creates some of the most purely human verses in the RSTL...he understands his characters, and knows how to express himself...verse of the week? no doubt...i'm thinking right now, this is one of, if not THE, best RSTL verse i've read all year.

[Vern Acular]

THE LEAGUE

ok as you all know by now, the league is back and in full effect, almost 50 people signed in for the return of the league with many old heads returning such as, insane villian, awedishin, and tha talent, we have some pretty good matches this week, one which should be a classic if both show in Tekneek vs Insane Villian, there’s already shit talking, you know the usual, it’s the first AVS vs Elite match in the league, who will win, we’ll see after this week, but im happy with how things going, i have to defend my title for the 4th week in a row, can i break the record, maybe, maybe not, we’ll see, sign ins are already starting, and like i said there’s some good matches, although top 30 looks pretty iffy, basically everyone with a record is in the top 30, but that will change in due time, i know i mentioned a set of leagues in the past, and that is still possible, but myself and the other mods, are trying the league out, giving it a chance to redeem itself, one more time, if it seems to plummet in participation, then the ideas i expressed before about the other leagues may go into effect, until then, enjoy, keep posting, voting, etc, from what i see, the league isn’t going anywhere



THE ELITE 8 + 1

can you say wow, each match this week in the tourney looks pretty good, starting with sequel vs mc4sight, sequel is predicted to win, but mc4sight has been holding his best for last and is capable of an upset, but can he pull it off, sequel is on a mission, and looks unstoppable at this moment, im thinking it will be closer than everyone thinks but i still see sequel pulling it off, next we have omen vs headless verseman, HV told me himself that he’s hungry and this is the first time he’s every put more effort into the RSTL than the RBL, he wants to win and i think he can do it against a busy omen, although omen is categorized as one of the best ever with 4 titles under his belt, time is of the essence for him, and i dont think he can give it his all in this match, therefore, he may end up loosing this match, but who am i kidding omen is omen, but HV is hungry, this is a toss up, but im gonna say headless has this one, and then we have, ill logic vs namix, all i can say is namix is nice with it, i had a shadow of doubt before but as the weeks go by, i see he’s really a good writer, not much breakdown, all i can say is im going with namix, he’s my cinderella of the tourney, but WAIT!, ill-logic is nice with it too, one of the best when he tries, and he’s told me my prediction has motivated him to write for real this time, i dont know, it’ll be close, namix or ill logic, hmmm, ima say namix, my decision stands, but we’ll see, and last but not least, the 3 way from hell, myself, Vern Acular, vs Infinite Truth vs L-Dogg, all i can say is why me?, my verse is done, and L-dogg has already posted, we just await Infinite Truth, hopefully he shows, he better show, i cant make a prediction, all i can say may the best man win, and vote for me, lol, subliminal messages are great, vote vern, lol, ok naw, basically the Elite 8 has lived up to his hype, now lets see how hype the Final 4 can get when a possible Final Elite 4 is in the making, but my predictions, i only see 2 of us there out of 6...


OUTRO

well it’s been fun, the leagues under way we’re down to 9 in the tourney, next week is final 4, i have to defend my title, im a sexy beast, and blah, blah, blah, have a good night, hope you enjoyed the mag, another thanks to tha talent for the breakdowns, peaces

[MC4SiGHT]

this was an amazing mag vern and talant.....better the last weeks i think....and last weeks was incredible....

i'm really getting hyped for this match too......and i have a half day from school 2morrow so if takes me 8 hours to write the verse of my life.....well let's just say....yes i've been saving the best 4 last and i hope i can live up to it....

good luck to sequel and to everyone else....

this is going to be one hell of a week for this tourny...

1ne

[Nebz]

lol damn...14th...good shit

[Vice Roy]

I Can Almost Taste The Blood Of MC4Sight....

This Mag Surpasses Lasts Weeks.. Was Superb

[Awedishin]

word nice mag

[MC4SiGHT]

I Can Almost Taste The Blood Of MC4Sight....

be careful i drank bleach mixed with antifreeze this morning...it may make u sick

[Vern Acular]

but wouldn't that make you dead...

[XplicitConceptz]

I 100% disagree with ur choice to put Infinite at #1

pretty good mag other than that

[Noib Da Mutt]

good mag...

[LDogg The King]

# 2.. im glad it was truth who got #1... he deserved it..

this 3 way between vern truth an I should be dope..


thanks for all your effort talent an vern.. you guys should change that text for the top 9 an under.. its hard to read..

pz

[A.S.K]

good mag

gets better each time

[Vern Acular]

thanks you all

[Tha Talent]

fix the font in the second part of the top ten, it should be Trebuchet MS

[Khôi NguJin]

very nice y'all.

[MC4SiGHT]

i have a strong tolerance...