[Round 1: XQZ]
Yâall hear me? (Yeah!)
I wanted to give up on this dream years ago, but what was Patrickâs line?
âDonât die at 25 and get buried when youâre 70.â
And I kept that in mind
I watched up-and-comers pass me by, always felt like Iâm a lap behind
But I learned itâs about how long you can hang on, not how fast you climb
And now Iâm here, on the event of the year
Man, this some shit that I canât describe
AlthoughâŠapparently if I got hit by a fuckinâ train, I wouldâve been here in probably half the time
Man, if I had known getting hit by a train is all it takes to get a chance to shinĐ”
Iâd have been on Blackout 5 with a concussion, internal bleeding, and a fractured spinĐ”
Path, my guy!
My guyâŠ
[Pathogenic]
I did have that
[XQZ]
You always start your battles by predicting what your opponentsâ verses will be
Like âYouâre gonna say Iâm a zookeeper, and I rap about guns, and that I earned my degree.
But if I can see the approach cominâ from miles away, it wonât work against me.â
Then the train looked into the camera like, âI took that personally.â
I said, listen, Jacob!
When I found out you were laid up in intensive care
I donated to the GoFundMe, I broke down and said a prayer
And to add an extra layer, Ohio just had this environmental scare
Which is the second time a train crashed and there was Pathogenic everywhere!
(*to Organik*) You gave me a dude that got hit by a train at a charity event! What the fuck, bro?
I said, talkinâ about, âEver since the accident, I just became so bitterâ
I havenât seen a smash hit from a train that hard since âHey, Soul Sisterâ
Bro, Vizual said trains are the least likely vehicle to get hurt by
I had to Google that
I found âForms of transportation ranked by yearly hospitalizationsâ, and I reviewed the stats
The only thing lower than trains were escalators
That is actually a proven fact
Which means, statistically, you probably wouldâve been fine if you had just kept it movinâ, Path
Hey, how are you from Calgary and couldnât see (C) Train?
Man, that shit launched him half a block
You know, for most people, the guard comes down, the lights flash
Itâs like an automatic stop
This dude blew right past the fuckinâ gate like he was watchinâ Travis Scott
And did a number on his organs like Johann Sebastian Bach
Path, you basically became Theo Fleury once this match was locked
Another dude from Calgary with a touching story that doesnât have a shot!
I said, you been a fan!
And Iâm sayinâ that as humble as possible
âCause every vet has that annoying up-and-comer that follows you
Quoting my lines in a bunch of tweets I wasnât responding to
Came to my league, kept asking all of us what we thought of you
You used to only do gun bars, now all of a sudden, heâs comical
I beat 100K Bill, and you got one from the hospital
Who the fuck are you talkinâ to?
They thought Iâd show this freshman any slack?
This a treasure map: they put X on it to be the end of Path!
And one more thingâŠ
I recently took a âGetting Hit by a Trainâ prevention class
They gave me a detailed list of instructions on what to do if youâre on a set of tracks
Step 1: stand literally anywhere except for thatâŠ
Time!
[Round 1: Pathogenic]
Hey, yâall - can yâall hear me?
Turn me up?
Can you hear me now?
This weekendâs for Pat, so make some noise!
(*The crowd starts cheering and whooping*)
Get loud!
(*The crowd responds by cheering louder*)
(*to XQZ*) Yeah, Iâm actually talking to you
You donât get to be the voice of the Chiâ just âcause youâre a shy speaker
Tellinâ âem I got hit by a train, on my way to the zooâŠI will deny neither
But that was an unmarked railway crossing where CP had no signs featured
So there was no âXâ present to warn me
And having no presence, XâŠthat wonât get me bodied this time either!
I took eight months, and returned in England like I never missed a step!
Won their best international performance and showed Iâm better than the rest
Pathogenic, at his Apex, like altitude sickness
And showinâ up outta thin air was only the catchinâ of my breath!
Now Iâm here, to commit to the School of Hard Knocks
And I will sign on, X: this my Letter of Intent
Iâll take it any direction to get you shipped out
Even an arrow - Iâd center it in X like the Federal Express!
Youâre lookinâ at the Mark of the Beast, bro
Itâs the Devil in the flesh!
And yâall want me to think logically?
Thereâs nothinâ left upstairs, Iâm right-brained
Iâll grab Lucille and make Steven Glenn like Steven Yeun
I said before, âItâs cominâ down to the wire like a tight raceâ
But this time in my hands, the bat might breakâŠlike Bane
Iâll stick a cross on him
To Hell witâ this shit
You know the other way of spelling âChristmasâ...
I put X in Christ place!
You are a dork!
This dweebâs on par with Urkel
You do web art and design
Youâre a part of the digital market circle
These punches are Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphae-
Theyâll make an artist turtle
And he ends up Donatello since the markings on his face and arms are purple!
For this bitch, even sparringâs hurtful like Patâs car commercial!
I struck a right, then struck a left
I got this clearâŠearlier than I should have
Like, 2-0 with his concussion tests
Skull and crossbones: Iâm ahead of X
And thatâs the flagship warning that heâs leaving witâ a sunken chest
Iâll torture-rack Steve and have somethinâ stretched
Mid-performance, put X above my head like when you see the drummer flex from behind his percussion set!
Iâm tryna be the fuckinâ best!
Forget âBreak a legâ
Iâll find a way to make his bones fold
And they gonâ have to rearrange XQZ
QXZ, ZQXâŠsound like theyâre speakinâ their own code
Theyâll forget you ever started this shit Stunning, SteveâŠ
And only remember that you left the ring Stone Cold
[Round 2: XQZ]
YupâŠgood round
So Jacob works at a zoo
Naw, that actually seems like a great life
His crew is âGutter Gorillasâ because they use gorilla emojis when they type
He has a tattoo of a gorilla on his back, so you canât see it in plain s-
(*Pathogenic points at his chest as a way of gently correcting XQZ*)
Oh, itâs not on your back? Itâs by your ribs?
Anything to keep him in a cage, right?
Nah, look, I know animals are your passion
You know, Iâm sure they get amazing treatment
He even has these obscure animal bars that he always finds a way to sneak in
Like, âThe bullets have such a long range, that when I aim and squeeze themâŠ
Itâs like the migration rituals of the Arctic tern from their native region during mating season.â
No one cares, bro
I mean, I understand we all exaggerate to get a punch to land
But him and his buddies plan their whole style around it just to up their brand
It fooled a couple fans
Itâs like when NFTs were goinâ for a hundred grand
âCause you sellinâ them this whole Gorilla image that was just a scam
And now I hear you donât even work there anymore?
Thereâs a shift in your focus
âCause youâd rather just rap about killing opponents and collect your disability bonus
Now youâre, like, one of the best writers in Canada, and hardly anyoneâs noticed
I mean, at least at the zoo, having the nicest pen will probably get you promoted
But I forgot! Itâs MrâŠ
âIf belief in the Father is all it took to protect people, the Popeâs whip wouldnât need bulletproof glassâ
I said, âDamn. Whatâd they do to you in Sunday school class?â
But my whole perspective on it changed once the dude crashed
âCause you know the Pope was watchinâ that like:
âLook at me and look at you.
If my whip needs bulletproof glass, that might be somethinâ you need to look into!â
Bro, youâve talked about killing the Pope in three battles now
[Pathogenic]
Have I?
[XQZ]
You have! Yeah, your last three
[Pathogenic]
(*exhales in disbelief*)
(*to Organik*) I probably earned that train accident
[XQZ]
Like, give the dude a fuckinâ break!
Iâm worried you might actually be capable of doinâ somethinâ
Youâve had a few concussions, Jake
They had to remove all the cardinals from his zoo because they knew it wasnât safe
[Pathogenic]
Thatâs so fire
[XQZ]
They had to remove all the cardinals from his zoo because they knew it wasnât safe
Only reason Bishop didnât come is heâd be shootinâ up the place!
Talkinâ âbout:
âDonât come to my hood. Itâs one that no religious leaderâs safe in.
The seed of Satan, spokesperson for the Philistines and pagans.â
And Iâm not a fan of Catholicism, but bro, you really seem to hate âem
Only went with âPathogenicâ âcause fuckinâ âKillah Priestâ was taken
Ay, I said, tell Mr. Zookeeper here that this isnât entertainment
I would love to see one of these Gorillas leave their cages
Like the fuck is Pathogenic gonna do? Iâve become immune
Leave his roof smokinâ like a new Pope is cominâ soon
The house that Pat built - youâd be lucky just to huff the fumes
Asbestos in the attic: Pathogenic in the Upper Room!
You might not be a believer, but heâs in need of a Savior
Thought âcause Iâve been around forever that this would be in your favor?
But things donât work out in this ring the way you see it in nature
Being the last of a dying breed doesnât mean Iâm in danger (endangered)
Round 2
[Round 2: Pathogenic]
Ya know, sometimes if the rhymeâs smokinâ
We forget to check the validity of the line spoken
You told The Saurus:
âIâll blow the whole field wide open like a cyclone in Wyomingâ
[XQZ]
Oh, GodâŠ
[Pathogenic]
Thatâs never fuckinâ happened before
[XQZ]
Really!?
[Pathogenic]
Look it up if you think Iâm jokinâ
[XQZ]
Huh - I learn somethinâ new every day
[Pathogenic]
He really misinterpreted âbrainstormingâ
Came up with a cyclone in his head and thought that shit was mind-blowing
Steven, Iâm positive you arenât a meteorologist
Man, what kind of upside-down weather world are you livinâ in?
Whatâs next?
Youâre so cold that weâll be shiverinâ like a blizzard in the Dominican?
(*chuckles*) Youâre an idiot
A knucklehead
And the punch got âem, stunned, bobbinâ
I thought maybe in the scrum, stomp him!
But I wore brand new Air Forces
And air forces already seem to be his one problem
Plus, if I did that, itâd knock the fronts off âem
Iâm tryinâ to keep these stock, X (StockX)
And Iâm not a fan of gum bottoms!
Sonâs droppinâ! Thatâs a sure bet!
Body blows have him holdinâ (hold in) his gut like a corset!
Fatigued!? Yeah, in Army fashion
Charlie Manson: X gonâ wind up on his forehead
Out cold, sleepinâ on a Jey The Nitewing floor bed!
Youâre George Brett witâ the pine tar
And this is the battle I guess it fits
âCause youâre tryinâ not to fly off the handle, but wanna swing
And my suggestion is: âGet a grip!â
And it can be semi after semi after se-
A whole convoy for Pathogenic
This time, I wonât just let Ontario forget Iâm sick!
This was a mismatch for you right when you accepted it
I have seen animals put on better shows, and they canât even SPEAK!
It led me, to believe youâre green with envy
Of a performance you wish you could see, like Queen with Freddie
I am the timestopper, the eye-popper!
Iâll leave Chicago Steve Buscemiâd!
Itâs like you thought I wouldnât be this ready!
You only got two styles, bro
Sarcastic humor or multi punches - not even both
You need some new and improved themes
âCause X is between two brands, when thatâs the collab that you need
And you never thought of that? Itâs odd
Wozniak and Jobs
The best product wouldâve come from combining those two Steves!
Oh, but Bill Collector-
Shut up, bro, I donât give a fuck who you beat
For me, it was a PY, GZ, mainstage
In three battles here, and all without the nervous form
So you think I give a shit if people say other battlers deserve this more!?
If you see it as a high-pressure system, I see it as a low-pressure system
And even if they mix, that just created the perfect storm
âŠthat wouldnât hit Wyoming!
[XQZ]
(*sarcastically*) I hate you
[Pathogenic]
Time!
[Round 3: XQZ]
Yeah, lookâŠ
Letâs go
I said, uhâŠ
You know, the way the, uh, unityâs come together for this event has been so amazing
And I feel like every battle deserves to end on some powerful, potent closing statement
But I just got tired of writing about you, Path
Like, I donât know what Iâm supposed to say
I mean, youâre so uninspiring, you put the âlow motivationâ in âlocomotive stationâ
Until I saw your battle with Syntex
Where you addressed the accident and gettinâ through the storm
He took off his hat and said, âThis isnât Path anymore. This is Jacob in my truest form.â
You were vulnerable, and we learned things about you we never knew before
For example, I didnât knowâŠthe hat was part of the uniform
All- every single-
You have one in every single battle in your catalog
Itâs like a magic wand
Slaps it on, pulls up witâ the hammers drawn
Itâs almost as if he goes back from Path to Jake once the cap is gone
But who am I to judge, you know?
We all have our own traditions
Thereâs plenty of people that are only in character when they have their hat onâŠ
You know, the Pope, for instance
That angle made us sympathize with all the pain that you survived
But weâre celebrating someone who represented never getting on stage with a disguise
So whatâs it say when you normally put so much fake shit in your rhymes
Before you say somethinâ real, you stop the battle to set your alias aside?
And this is the future for Canada?
They said, âFuck it. Weâll take him for the drive.â
This little road to the mainstage, they basically paved it for the guy
But Iâm leavinâ my signature in the concrete while he waits for it to dry
That means Iâm leavinâ hands on Path until my nameâs solidified!
I got this name in high school
You know, when dudes were cypherinâ outside of class
They called me âXQZâ âcause Iâd âexcuseâ myself from it when it was time to rap
I basically got my name âcause of performance anxiety, which is kinda trash
But over time, you just learn to be yourself from watching guys like Pat
Youâve been yourself for one round out of 50 your whole career, and youâre fine with that
Hereâs Path, hereâs Jacob
And you donât even seem to mind the gap
So I donât give a fuck if Iâm not known to have the best showmanship
âCause no matter what, Iâll still be XQâ the next culture shift
They ainât like how I rapped, I just told âem to get over it
Chappelle witâ the Abba-Zaba: the bars grew on âem the more I kept smokinâ shit!
But despite the angle, I donât blame you
You know, the whole worldâs a giant stage
And depending on the setting, we all have characters weâre trying to play
And if I went from XQZ back to Steve, you know exactly what I would say:
âItâs hard writing verses trying to kill you when Iâm just happy youâre alive todayâ
I said, King of the Dot was a dream for both of us before they even had a title chain
You were on your deathbed last year, and now youâre here
Look how life can change!
Iâm fuckinâ proud of you, Path!
âCause for all those nights you had to fight through pain
You never stopped âtil you finally reached this platformâŠlike a train!
Time!
[Round 3: Pathogenic]
Hey, uhâŠ
Hey, whatâs your team called?
[XQZ]
Which one?
[Pathogenic]
No, your team is Official Zoo Faculty
[XQZ]
Oh, yeah
I forgot to shout them out
Zoo Faculty in this bitch
[Pathogenic]
Why donât you look at them and try sharinâ a few facts?
If you get stuck, have your whole Faculty back you up
I dare you to do that
Youâre talkinâ to a guy who has exercised lions, drawn blood from tigers, and trimmed jaguar claws
You think I canât take care of some Zoo cats?
Iâm on a tear - this the new class!
You wanna compare styles? Mineâs doper
Wildlife poacher, Iâll make a mount off all your skulls
Get you and your friends ethered
Iâve put in more work than the rest of Zoo Faculty
Itâs only right I get promoted to Head Keeper!
This battle - it doesnât matter what youâve said either!
When you were six years old, that career wasnât all your hopes and dreams
If you look at our resumes, I got seven yearsâ experience
I donât know how they chose you over me
I helped raise bear cubs
Youâve watched the Chicago Cubs and Bears
Youâre the Official Zoo Faculty of Midwestern fuckinâ sporting teams
What do you gain by having them in your corner, Steve?
What, you tryna toughen your rhymes or somethinâ?
Youâre from Deerfield, a village that can brag about its crime reduction
The rest been in shootouts with cops
So many stories where they had ten sent (cent) to 12 that theyâre a dime a dozen!
And yâall still-
[XQZ]
Thatâs amazing, bro
[Pathogenic]
And yâall still think this guy is buzzinâ?
I think your whole image is frugal and cheap
And that is not a shot at your Jewish beliefs
Thatâs a shot at you
For surrounding yourself with badasses on your group and your team, when youâre soft and thin-skinned
Bro, you bruise like a peach!
Youâre not violent!
Thatâs all talk in the Windy City!
The only thing you ever shoot is the breeze!
I am the only one who has actually been Faculty at a Zoo in the scene!
The singular person your little irrelevant group is relevant to
Now, I might not work there anymore butâŠyou think I didnât keep the keys?
That I wouldnât be let in the zoo?
Iâll take yâall out one by one
You gonâ be be understaffed
Iâm not jealous of you!
Iâm makinâ Pirates of the Caribbean
By night, your Facultyâs turninâ to a skeleton crew!
Oh, Steve, Steve, SteveâŠ
To stop Pathogenic, you need help from Osmosis Jones, or the guidelines from the CDC
I kept hearing, âFlatten the curve. Flatten the curve.â
I came to break his nose!
All quarantine, I kept the hands squeaky-clean!
Just leave me be!
âCause the idea youâre above me, on some imaginary depth chart
This is where that all stops
You have some many opportunities every year
And every year, the ballâs dropped
It doesnât put you in a higher tier after
Itâs deer antlers
You growâŠto a pointâŠevery yearâŠthen fall off!
But itâs Stay Forever
So besides the typical battle talk, thereâs other stuff we have to mention
I wouldâve never wanted to be Pathogenic if it wasnât for Patâs impression
So if youâve got a drink and a glass, then get them
And raise them in a toast to the man, the Champ
And most importantly, the Dad, whose impact was legend
âCause battle rap can end up being a family for a lot of us
And heâd be proud to know weâd do anything for our family
And I think thatâs the lesson