- Jared Chesnut - BlazeRadio DJ/Operations Manager
redc@uab.edu
Before we get to the "tale of the tape", perhaps its best to fill you in on what kind of showdown we've got here.
Birmingham Big Battle is a 1v1, winner stays on competition between some of the best local artists and bands. Each week, the champion takes on a new challenger, with the winner decided via voting from our listeners on Twitter (@blazeradio, in case you were wondering). Voting runs through to the next Wednesday, where we'll announce the champ on that week's show.
This week, we've got a tag battle in the works, as challengers Shaheed & DJ Supreme try to take the belt from inaugural champion Callie Wilson.
Representing Birmingham record label Communicating Vessels, Shaheed & DJ Supreme arrive as one of the more established acts in the Birmingham hip hop scene and beyond, recently finishing up a tour of Europe with Jurassic 5 and collaborating with the likes of Raekwon from Wu Tang Clan and Comm Vess labelmates The Green Seed. Their game is something that trades in consistently on point beats and brilliant rhymes, as shown on "Champions of Truth", a track from their most recent album "Knowledge, Rhythm, and Understanding" that features J5's very own Akil the MC. Without question, the duo have the potential to make their presence felt as the "Cerebral Assassins" of Birmingham music for a long time to come.
Standing in the other corner is the champ, 19 year old Callie Wilson. Already getting out in the Birmingham scene, playing venues across town like Saturn and the Nick and getting airplay from Birmingham Mountain Radio, Wilson is on a rapidly ascending trajectory. After an entrance in our very own Welcome Concert contest that saw a huge last minute comeback fall just short, Wilson returned to the fray to best Birmingham muse Love Moor in the first edition of Birmingham Big Battle. As proven on single "Night Vision", which features fellow Birmingham artist and Welcome Concert opener Kenny Loften, she's got the potential to stick around for a while.
You've seen the competitors, now's the time to let us know: Who deserves the belt? Who moves on to next week? Who is going to, as the saying goes, GET READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE? Follow us on Twitter @blazeradio and get your votes in now, cause polls close Wednesday!
