OptimisticOctopus's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[CLAB- PsioNic vs JoeyKeys]

I don't think I've seen another MC with two verses so consistently good. PsioNic hits that one out of the park lyric-wise, bringing anything but cliches to the table. I also think some people mistake a deep-ass voice for monotone, which is unfortunate. Psi's rasp brings a lot of personality to his verses and you can't say he's off beat, and you can't say he doesn't have rythym.

Joey's technically sound, and maybe he has a bit more style, but his lines can't compare and nothing else about his verses really stand out to me.

He's good for sure, but PisoNic won this easily.

[CLAB - rezzy vs breaker]

Rez sounds consistently average in this one. His flow is solid, but aside from a few great lines, his lyricism was kinda weak. His second verse was definitely better, with some more standouts, but not enough to make up for his poor closing lines.

Rez's Steve Irwin joke was predictable and generic, and breaker jumped all over it, justifiably. Likewise, although he finished his second verse off with some clever metaphors he REALLY left himself open with the "King of Queens" line, which breaker acknowledges but then proceeds to turn down the opportunity--like he's above that.

And that's just what Rez did wrong. As for soundbreaker, with the exception of a few parts where he sounded the slightest bit sloppy, everything was perfect. He had comebacks for everything, plus superb lyrics in his own right. The "down under" line is a great double entendre, and the Futurama fan in me just has to love the Farnsworth bit.

Soundbreaker for the advance.

[CLAB - Future vs Senator]

Future was really good, experimented a bit with his style, and for the most part it payed off. But there were a few notable times when he seemed to stumble with the rythym. That might be the fault of the beat, but 1) I'm pretty sure he picked it, and 2) John didn't seem to have any problems with it.

Speaking of which, SJD had a really unique style rythym-wise and his apparent voice-over talents (if he's never tried being a VA, he should :P) don't hurt his delivery at ALL. Plus his second verse was homicidal. From how takes that one line about him and Future's girl and turns it into an epic poem, to the "actual gun, actual hand" line, Dean definitely deserves the past. Future put up a good fight, but SJD could've won with that verse alone.

[CLAB - AxTekk vs FatBeats]

I heard some mumbling/rushedness from both of these guys, so this one is kinda difficult to judge. I'm going with AxTekk just because I thought his flow was a bit better, he was a bit more creative stylistically, and for the "Michael Caine's sexually deviant grandson" bit. :P

[CLAB - Obsideo vs Raven]

This was really fucking awesome.

As much as I liked Raven here, it was like Batman when he tries to fight Supe. Bruce is incredible, in top physical form, a genius and master strategist. But Clark is superhuman. He's virtually invincible.

Raven had great flow and some seriously good lines. His closer was a standout, but it still couldn't compete. Imitating Obsideo was a nice touch and it got him some style points, but...

Obsideo has a unique vocal delivery, on-point rythym and definitely some of the best lyrics I've heard in this competition so far. Everything he said was either hilarious or illustrated really well. Like, as soon as I heard lines, vivid pictures would pop into my head instantly. Raven's just didn't have nearly as much bite or wit, and that's what made it.

Win goes to Obsideo, but I hope Raven goes on for a while.

[CLAB - Flip P vs TehSlap]

As much as I hate to say it, Slap's mic quality hurt him. Delivery is a part of it, and being grating isn't gonna win battles. Likewise, it was hard to hear what he was saying most of the time, as opposed to Flip, where I heard pretty much every word. His rythym was also pretty off like a lot of people said. Flip had great lyrics, good flow without settling into a single rhyme scheme, and just sounded better all around.

Flip wins.

Also, a trend I'm noticing is to compare every white rapper to Eminem. It isn't an original insult, and it doesn't really apply here (not that it usually does). Even if Flip did sound a little like him, that's a good thing. If you want to get into rapping you should at least listen to a few Em songs, he's rap history--so his influence is going to be pretty widespread.

[CLAB - Jakobe vs Klazik]

I can't respect anyone who discredits lyrics just because they're "big words". In hip-hop, words are ammunition, and you need all you can get. In addition, although I like the whispered delivery, Klazik's flow sounded really messy, and his comebacks were weak. The "rhyming dictionary" line, like I just said, comes off as insecure and defensive rather than biting or confident. Not to mention various generic mom insults.

Jakobe on the other hand sounds like he needs a new mike. Unless that's intentionally part of his style. His first verse is decent (still better than Klazik's), but in his second he really steps it up in terms of lyricism and flow and cements his victory.

He put it perfectly at the beginning of his second verse:

"...what?"

[CLAB - BSerious vs Scorch]

They were both really good, but I think Serious's second verse ruined his chances. It was fine flow wise, but there was very little punch to it. He had some good lines in his first, but Scorch wins in terms of consistency. I'm always inclined to go with style over raw technical talent, so Scorch comes out on top for really creative, entertaining lyrics and a better aesthetic.

[HypeTrak 2: The Wackness]

It seems a bit overproduced. All the effects are a bit much and kinda distract from your rapping. Especially since you have such a unique voice--that should be the main attraction.

[not in his nature]

This was pretty good. I kinda like the diminished vocals, puts more focus on the instrumentation. Although, it sounded a bit sloppy and at times it's like you aren't sure which melody you want to use. The last part of the song is really cool, though.