If You Try

If You Try

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Sharp Skills Comes Out on Top in 2011 Battle of The Beats!!!

Sharp Skills with family, friends, and supporters after the battle


"God did it again", said Sharp Skills to his wife with a big smile on his face after he was announced the winner of the 2011 Battle of the Beats at Cal State Long Beach on September 22nd. There were 14 emcees brave enough to step up to the challenge to lyrically assault one another until there was only one left standing. First round: Sharp got to work quickly on his opponent and didn't waste any time proving his lyrical caliber. After the completion of the first round, all the emcees who were to be eliminated were called up to the stage and Sharp was one of them. "Wait a minute, wait a minute, there has been a mistake", said Corion Lucas, the host of the battle, "Sharp Skills was not eliminated, there was a mix up", he asserted. Sharp took a deep sigh of relief and took his seat with the remaining survivors. Second round: Sharp dismantled his opponent and stated "You don't even know who I am in the Spirit, you not battling your average dude" to the challenger on the other microphone.
Tie breaker round: The judges decided to have Sharp Skills do a tie breaker match with another emcee who had the same score as him, the loser would be eliminated from the competition. Sharp did not do as strong in this round as he did in the one prior, but the judges saw fit to let him proceed to the next round. Third round: Sharp was back to himself and was able overcome his opponent by engaging the crowd. Sharp Skills would move on to the final round to battle Mayhem One. Final round: Mayhem One lets off a tirade of verbal assaults on the cool and collected Sharp Skills. Mayhem One scrunched his face as he used his extensive vocabulary violently to prove he was the champion and should be respected as such. Sharp did not appear to be fazed and started his rhyme with asking God for strength and then said "You are scaring me, you really need some therapy" and he made reference to other psychological disorders Mayhem One appeared to have as the crowd watched in delight. After the final round Corion Lucas announced that the crowd was going to be the judge. "Yall give it up for Mayhem One", said Lucas and the audience gave a strong round of applause. "Yall give it up for Sharp Skills" and the crowd erupted in a frenzy, especially Sharp's Antioch family who came out to support him in intimidating numbers. It was clear who the victor was. "Wait a minute, I'm hearing that the crowd wants another round to prove who the winner is" said Lucas as many in the crowd were holding up two fingers indicating their desire to see a second clash. Mayhem One got more aggressive and begin to release his lyrical prowess with extreme force, even saying Sharp had a misconception of God (Sharp had referenced God and his faith for much of the battle). Sharp told the crowd "Its time to take it home". A side came out of Sharp that many had not seen before in the battle as he marched right up to Mayhem One's face saying "I can show you how to be a man" confidently. It got a little heated when Sharp touched Mayhem One's wrist and Mayhem One said "Don't touch me, don't touch me". Sharp backed up, but continued to go even harder lyrically and when he knew he had finished the job, he turned to the crowd, who by this time were up on there feet encouraging him as he demolished his final opponent. "Our winner for the 2011 Battle of the Beats is Sharp Skills", said the host and the crowd erupted.
According to Sharp Skills, the highlight of the night was seeing his family in there and the fact that he was used to impact Cal State Long Beach for the Kingdom. "I thank God for this victory, I really could not have done it without Him, I mean that" was Sharp's response when asked how he felt about the winning during the post battle interview.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Sharp Skills Lands A Featured Article on "How To Write A Rap Song" In Response Magazine


Sharp Skills, is up to a lot these days. When he isn't performing, recording, or prepping for his upcoming album Anno Rebelio, he is writing featured articles for magazines. Namely, Response, an online and print magazine for Seattle Pacific University. In the insightful article, "How To Write A Rap Song", Sharp conveys his approach to creating his particular brand of art. This is Sharp's first featured article in a national magazine and he hopes it will be the first of many. "I am very thankful and honored for this opportunity and I hope it helps out an aspiring emcee" said Sharp Skills. To read the article, click here.