SUAB’s Face-2-Face Battle Rap Showdown did not fall short of its name. On Friday, students took to the mic to see who had the best bars.

The competition consisted of five rounds in total. Round one was self introductions, round two was “Rep Yo City,” round three was “Let’s Talk About Mamas,” round four was “Follow Their Lead,” and the championship round was a freestyle. The winner was determined by the audience.

The first round was between rappers MVP Mike and Archie Marz.

MVP Mike came in hot, repping his hometown of Salisbury, North Carolina. Archie Marz had a few clever lines of his own, but it was not enough to take down his opponent. MVP Mike took round one.

Archie Marz, who is really junior marketing student Marcellus Christopher Northington-Winston, spoke about how he felt prior to entering the competition and then after his elimination.

“Full transparency, I felt so confident,” Marz said. “I was excited, but as the event played out, I was more aware of the structure of the event. It didn’t seem like anyone was taking it very seriously. In the grand scheme of things though, I had fun.”

Students were quickly engaged in the battle after the first round, and many of them already knew who they were rooting for.

“When MVP [Mike] said, ‘We always tip our waiters,’ and threw money at Archie [Marz], it reminded me of Let it Shine,” said Davion Huggins, senior atmospheric science and meteorology student. 

Round two was between rappers JDubb and D-Money. JDubb was named the winner, but that was not the last time we would see D-Money.

After round two, there was a redemption round for the losers of the first two rounds. D-Money took on Archie Marz. The crowd erupted after D-Money came with a verse that said, “How am I not your pops, but I’m making you my son?” This secured him the win, allowing him to re-enter the competition.

Round three, the “Let’s Talk About Mamas” round, got a little intense, as you were not supposed to talk about your opponent’s mother, but instead brag about your own. 

However, the rule was not followed, and things got a little personal between contestants D-Money and OTR Qwan. Despite the breaking of the rule, D-Money got the most crowd reaction and was deemed the winner of the round.

Next for round four was MVP Mike vs. JDubb. The winner was quickly determined when JDubb started reading lyrics from his phone, quickly echoing the auditorium with “boos”. This sets up MVP Mike and D-Money for the championship round.

The freestyle round was the only round that gave the contestants a beat to rap over. Initially, it was hard to tell who won the round, as the crowd noise was almost the same for both MVP Mike and D-Money. 

The hosts had to ask the audience to make noise for their respective rappers about four times before the crowd broke out into “MVP” chants. MVP Mike was crowned the winner of the Face-2-Face Showdown.

MVP Mike, who is really junior economics student Michael Cartwright, talked about what this accomplishment meant to him.

“I feel like I’ve gained another milestone as far as my artistry and my rap career,” said Cartwright. “I’ve been writing since I was 14 and rapping for about five years now. This was new for me, but something I knew I was capable of doing.”

1891 Hot 10, N.C. A&T’s student-created record label, awarded MVP Mike with a free performance slot at one of their events, a free t-shirt, and one free hour of studio time