The Battle of the BeatMakers has been supporting talented Canadian producers for years and is considered the ultimate launching pad for producers in the country. This year, the event was hosted by Trixx, at The Opera House, where the 32 qualifying producers, guest judges JD Era, Statik Selektah and Skyzoo, and a packed house of supporters met to crown this year’s beat battle champion.
Guest judge and IceH20 emcee JD Era, who has witnessed the growth of the event since the beginning, said that it was an honour to be a part of this year’s battle.
“It gives up and coming producers some hope and gives them the opportunity to play their stuff for guys that are more established. To hear what’s coming up out of the city is always a pleasure,” he said.
DJs Mensa and P-Plus warmed up the crowd, before the first round, which featured the 32 chosen producers going beat for beat with their opponent, who had been randomly selected at the Beatz-Meets-Rhymes producer lottery the previous day.
Each battle started with both artists meeting on stage to partake in a coin toss, which would determine whose beat would bang first for the 45-second time allotted. Tension was dissolved with Trixx’s comedic antics and it was obvious the crowd just came to support. There was no room for egos on the stage as the beats spoke for themselves. With every beat banging, every head in the venue bobbed while each ear took in the track before the three guest judges held up their votes, determining who would move on to the next round. Some decisions were based on tiebreakers and even double tiebreakers, because the judges wanted to be sure that the best producers moved forward.
Between rounds, emcees Raz Fresco, Rich Kidd and Skyzoo each took a turn to perform for the audience, which was a mix of industry faces and hip-hop heads alike.
Producer Metcalfe, who was eliminated in the second round by Super Smash Bros., made a lasting impression on the audience. The new producer entered the event as his first ever battle and walked away with a lot, despite it not being the title. “I’ve never really played my stuff for a crowd and to see everyone loving it was the best feeling I’ve ever had,” he said.
One by one, round after round, two producers, Mr. Magic, last year’s Battle of the BeatMakers champion and 15-year-old WondaGurl eliminated all 30 producers to face each other in the finals.
In the three round finals, Magic released some heavy beats and showcased them with his animated style on stage, while quiet WondaGurl stood still and straight-faced while her beats played. The crowd went crazy, screaming out their favourite producer.
As the judges deliberated, they each took a turn to choose whom they thought deserved to win. JD Era chose Mr. Magic, while Skyzoo evened it out by choosing WondaGurl.
With a tied score, the decision belonged to Statik Selektah who titled WondaGurl the 2012 Battle of the BeatMakers champion, making her the youngest producer and second female to ever win the prize, the first being 2010’s champion Amsterdam-native Neenah.
After winning thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, which included a synthesizer signed by Just Blaze and the title of champion of this year’s Battle of the BeatMakers competition, the soft-spoken producer queen only had one thing to say about how she felt. “One word: great,” she said.
Photos By: Martika Gregory
