Combatant Profile: Canibus' Dizaster
Ask any battle rap fan who the don of all circuits is and you’ll hear the name Dizaster. Hate him or love him, the Muslim rapper from L.A. who has drawn comparisons to Eminem has been hurting feelings across the globe for years now. He’s got a rabid way of rhyming, as if every gesticulation is a ferocious impulse, not a performance. He decapitated Swave Sevah and put DNA on the ropes (until that last round), but it was his battle against Canibus that made Dizaster an all-star.
At first, it seemed insurmountable. This is Canibus, the guy who went toe to toe with LL Cool J, who used to rip ciphers with Pun and DMX, who was considered by many to be the illest rapper breathing at one point. Diz was surely over his head. Yet, it was Canibus who was out of his element. He certainly sounded like a battle rapper in the booth, but when the cameras are on and the crowd is watching and all you have are some Men In Black shades to protect you from their stares, the sweat starts slowly trickling down your cheek.
Canibus learned that in the third round of his 2012 “KOTD Vendetta” battle against Dizaster. Everything was going smoothly—Diz fielded the usual “Arabic” jokes and Canibus had his unfortunate career shit on—until Dizaster honed in on the sling Canibus was wearing: “It makes sense that this motherfucker here has this stupid ass sling on/‘Cause he’s never been a good shoulder to lean on!”
30s
23m
45m
1h 25m
44m
1h 11m
1m