T.R, Overdose stood above the rest in first video

The first set of the Hennessy Cypher is in, with a number of rappers drawn from the game, to bring glory to mic.

On this one, a motley crew of 5 rappers were on it, comprising of Kel, Mr Mark’N, T.R, Godwon, and Overdose, who took turns to drop their knowledge in the video. Here’s a thorough breakdown of each rappers cypher, rated on a scale of 10.

FYI: A Cypher or Cipher is the act of freestyle rapping through acapella or on instrumental beats. The rap is ‘free of style’, and can be improvised or previously written.

Kel

Kel’s rustiness shows off as she struggles through her flow. Her time out of the game has been too long and taken its toll. With no depth to her craft, she digs into her current state of mind, with declarations about her veteran status and a comeback. Perhaps she in a bid to create a gender balance or diversity of sexes, the organizer had to throw in a female rapper. They made the wrong choice. A poor attempt at spitting from the dome.

Rating: 3/10

Mr Mark’N

Mr Mark’N continues his work through time as a rapper who knows his art. His voice remains his strongest forth as he went through his lines, used what he found around him for inspiration, shouting out Godwon for an intelligent moment. His cadence-control was spectacular, as he switched between diverse rhythms to deliver a strong one.

6/10

T.R (Terry Tha Rapman)

Rap veteran T.R was all that everyone could hope to be. Fierce and daunting Terry played along braggadocious lines, and whipped up some metaphors  and double entrendre to good effect. “You need to give a mad man space, before he stares deep in the eyes of a bad man’s face. “To hell with Instagram I’m going back to my space (My Space), I’m a huge fan of Star Trek, I like my Space”. As we have seen for all his career, he stands ahead of all the rest.

Rating: 8/10

Godwon

A great vocal confidence could not hide the lack of depth and watery lyrics. When you end your flow with “I want my money pronto each day, so I can ball and try to f*** with Tonto Dikeh. Godwon has been in this game for a long time, but that experience failed to turn up when he needed it badly. Very basic lines ruled his time on the mic, as he wrapped up what was a forgettable freestyle.

Rating: 3.5/10

Overdose

OD was saved as the last act for a reason. Without the assistance of a beat, he kept things Accapella in a bid to focus the attention on his lyrics. Straddling the line between rap and spoken word, OD came through with ‘I’m in a class of my own, special education’. He kept things matured and witty, and intensely personal.

Rating: 7/10