Casual vs. Saafir "Battle Of The Bay" (Documentary)

The Bay Area radio program The Wake Up Show on KMEL, hosted by Sway and Tech, held hip-hop court when they invited Saafir and Casual up to the station to settle their differences in a freestyle, free-for-all battle. Casual, backed by the Hieroglyphics crew, and Saafir, surrounded by his posse the Hobo Junction, agreed to participate in the event that originally began in a local Bay Area nightclub earlier that month. Riddled with numerous personal attacks, and at times becoming so intense that some participants had to be restrained from fighting, the heated battle kept listeners glued to their radios for nearly an hour. After all was said and done, listeners who called in appeared to be divided down the middle as to who the winner was, but all agreed that the lyrical artillery was potent on both sides. - The Source, 1995. Casual recently uploaded a short film detailing the battle in its proper context, and offering interviews with those involved. The Battle of the Bay took place in mid-November, 1994. but with no clear winner announced, you'll have to decide for yourself! There are some highlights from the battle included in the article above + full lyrics on Genius. Props to Shomari Smith for producing this short film. Who do you got? Check it out below...

 You can also listen to the full audio via RandomRapRadio below...

Casual "Fear Itself" (Vibe Magazine, 2008)

Boasting about one-night stands with taken women, walking the streets armed, smacking up haters - these aren't the kinds of things you expect to hear from a member of Oakland underground crew Hieroglyphics. But they are talking points on Casual's 1994 Fear Itself, an impressive debut filled with aggressively slick lyricism that holds its own against -- and often trumps -- better-known Hiero albums like Souls Of Mischief's '93 'til Infinity (Jive, 1993). Hiero often wanted to prove how much smarter they were than other rappers -- Casual knows better. The smartest guy in the room never says so. - Vibe Magazine (August, 2008) For context, this article was released in 2008, because it was listed by Vibe as one of the 24 "Lost Rap Classics." Where do you rank Casual's Fear Itself - is it a lost classic? Either way, revisit the album below, with production from Domino, Del The Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Jay-Biz and features from A-Plus, Saafir, Del, and Pep Love.

Vibe Magazine's album review for Casual's Fear Itself...