Rap battle ends in violent beating


By TIM EBERLY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 05/13/08

Justin Sebring won the rap battle fair and square and took his $200 in winnings up to his apartment.

But somebody in the crowd didn't like that ending.



A man came up to his Marietta Street apartment and banged on his door, saying that he wanted Sebring to battle him.

Sebring, 29, said that recognized the man from the crowd of about 35 people that had just watched him beat his roommate in the freestyle rap contest May 2 on the apartment complex's basketball court.

Sebring, an aspiring rapper from Texas, turned the man down. Not liking the answer, the man brandished a pistol — it might have been fake — which sparked a brawl between the two men, according to an Atlanta police report.

Sebring might have a way with words, but he lost this battle, nearly getting knocked unconscious by three blows to the head with the pistol.

The man took $231 from Sebring and fled.

Sebring said he needed eight staples to close the wounds on his head.

Sebring's roommate, 19-year-old Reuben Gillium, had it nearly as bad. Not only did he lose the battle to Sebring, but he got arrested on charges of obstructing justice and simple battery after slapping the hand of a police officer, according to the police report.

i hope someone doesnt make this out to be hip hops fault...

ThaCat said:

Lol.....nothing 2 do with Hip-hop. Just a dumbass.

ThaCat said:

U know they will...lol
[Edited 5/13/08 7:41am]

MC's with some sense about them can win or lose a rhyme fight without resorting to blows.

But as Amanda Diva said, everybody wants to be an MC these days, till they realize that rhymin' don't always pay.

It's not hip-hop's "fault," but it's become a refuge for the untalented and hard-headed.

Hip-hop needs an MC Entrance Exam or something to weed out the knuckleheads, criminals and mushmouths that pass for rappers these days.

End of slightly off-topic rant.

namepeace said:

I feel you 110%!

Throughout my years at the org that would have been me..But, i'll chill on the subject of low class criminals with no skills tonight.

murph said:

ThaCat said:

The reason Graycap23 posted it...

I hope they do. Every little bit helps in trying to kill it. Hell, if someone's toilet backs up, they need to blame it on shit hop.