Living as a Legend: The RULE Edition - Lets Beef

**FAME** · #1 03-26-2013, 07:45 PM

This is the first (in hopefully a series) of interviews I shall be holding with LetsBeef Legends.

The Head Text Moderator, Grand Champion, Rookie of the year '09 and Hall Of Famer, @RULE, has been kind enough to give us insight on his personal life, hip hop and battle rap and many things LetsBeef related.

Here's what he had to say:

First off RULE, let's get to know you a little better, personally. It's common knowledge that you're one of the coffin dodgers of LetsBeef but how old actually are you?

LOL haha! Im 29m turning 30 this year.

How many grey hairs have you found sticking out of your cranium?

Actually none! Still got a full head of brown hair. Unless RED, looking like bobby charlton n shit LOL!

I'm assuming you meant 'unlike' and was referring to your even older brother, RED MYST?

haha yeah your gonna have to get used to my typos. my typing is getting disgraceful haha

LOL for someone who is one of the kings of text on this site and is writing/has written a book, don't you think that's a shocking admission?

Haha but unfortuntely is the truth. A terrible habit ive developed thanks to this place. haha

I'm guessing reading any Grizzy comment would certainly have an effect. Anyway, let's get back on track. What is is you currently do for a living?

Truck driving around europe. Delivering drugs. Yep, i am a legal drug dealer haha

Which nations do you cover on your route?

UK, france germany & spain. Belgium rarely too.

Have you ever been tempted to hunt down Lizman's sister whilst in Germany?

LOL! No-one gets to me that much on here haha.

I guess with age comes maturity, and you must be REALLY mature by now LOL. What would you say your most prized possession is?

LOL joker haha. To be honest i dont really have too many possessions beyond a healthy book, DVD & CD collection. Loads of money, nothing to spend it on tbh. so yeah no one thing really jumps out to me other than my media collection.

Speaking of media, it's well documented that, like myself, you're a HUGE Star Wars fan. Which is your favorite of the six movies made so far and what do you hope to see in the next trilogy?

Well thats kind of a sore subject. People kind of have me confused when it comes to Star Wars. Now i like the films dont get me wrong, but im a fan of the books, not really the movies. Theres over 120 novels written based after and before the movies, and all i hope is that the new movies wont disregard the has already been written, which they probably will. So im actually not really following the new SW movies or books. Im on a SW strike until i see where its heading haha.

I haven't actually read any of the books, if there's any based in the Old Republic era, I would definitely take a peep. Sticking to the subject of media, we all know that Shawshank Redemption is your favorite movie, but, what other movies do you love?

THE SHANK! haha umm... Green Mile is great... Rocky, Young Guns, Carandiru, Crash, Bourne Series, Pirates Of The Caribbean series etc. Too many to mention. Shawshank is definitely number one for me.
& there's 4 novels written in the old republic era haha

I have no idea what Carandiru is to be honest. Why is it the love 'The Shank' so much?
Why is it *YOU* love... LOL. I think I've also been conversing with Grizzy too much.

Just a great story. Greating acting, directing the whole thing. The novella it's based on is amazing too. Goes a bit deeper into the story than the movie does. Plus ive always been a sucker for prison movies.
& of course... Morgan Freeman. haha

I do agree that Morgan Freeman is a God (Bruce Almighty reference). Obviously, being a rapper, you like hip hop music. What other genres of music do you like and who are some of your favorite artists?

I like pretty much all genres. One of my favorite artists is Justin Timberlake, so i was pleased when he came back with the new album. Big Green Day fan too. Boyz II Men, and a massive Michael Jackson fan. But i like allsorts. even some classical music.

Admitting you're a JT fan on a rap battle website probably wasn't the smartest move LOL. You obviously love to read. Who are your favorite authors and what would you say is the greatest novel you have ever read?

JT FTW! lol. Favorite book ever is: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Definitely the best novel ive ever read. I dont have too many authors who i think are consistantly great. Christie is probably one of the rare ones to be consistantly great. Stephen King is great although ive only read about 4 of his novels. A couple people who dont get a lot of praise: Sean Stewart, Matt Stover, Ann Crispin... loads.
Cant go wrong with a bit of Robert Ludlum either.

Have you written a novel of your own?

I have three that are nearly complete in first draft form. I expect to have all finished by august, when i'll send them off to my editor to do his thing. Im hoping to have at least two release-ready by december.

Could you describe the plot lines for each using only one sentence? A hook, so to speak.

1. Star Wars x Legend Of Zelda + Lord Of The Rings.
2. A Dark Shawshank
3. Purgatory

They were hardly sentences, but you got the ideas across nonetheless lol. So you said you currently have a lot of money and nothing to spend it on. This says to me that you work quite hard and have done for some time. I'd like to know where it all started though. What was your first job?

I got my first job at 14 because we were struggling so i had to help out the household. Did a bunch of manual jobs for a while. Warehouse work mostly. I think my first ever job was at Mountstevens bakery. We used to get a wage and a pack of donuts haha.

Gotta love free donuts LOL. Now lets move on to things more rap and battle related. Obviously, everybody has their own opinions on the the G.O.A.T is. Who is it for you and why?
On who*

As in music makers?

Yeah, hip hop/rap artists...

2Pac. I know he's not the best lyrically, but his music is just timeless to me. He has that something that you just cant fabricate. A mixture of delivery and charisma i think. I'll be a Pac fan for life. even when im 90 and crippled i'll still love Pac. I been a fan since i was 14, and that was nearly 16 years ago haha. A few people hoover around my top 5 but Pac stands alone at the top.

Are there any songs of Pac's that you really relate to or maybe ones that touch you emotionally, whether that to be to inspire you, hype you up or cheer you up when you're feeling down?

Im not sure if theres a single song. Staring Thru My Rear View is kinda special but to be fair pretty much all his stuff means a lot to me.

Yeah theres really too many. Just took a look at my media player and i could name 50 easily. Pac was amazing.

It's evident that the 'game' has changed over the years. Is there anybody that's come out over the past few years that you're really feeling?

Honestly ive not really followed new music since damn-near 2005. The only (fairly) new guy i like is Ya Boy. West coast rapper who used to be affliated with The Game. Other than him theres no new guys im really feeling. And when i say new i mean that loosely. Ive probably only heard 2 Lil Wayne songs in my entire life. Maybe 3 Drake song. Theres a couple artists i follow a little bit, people like Chamillionaire, Obie Trice & Immortal Technique. Shit even Jin until be stated doing Christian rap.

But not really anyone else.

**FAME** · 03-26-2013, 07:45 PM

This is the first (in hopefully a series) of interviews I shall be holding with LetsBeef Legends.

The Head Text Moderator, Grand Champion, Rookie of the year '09 and Hall Of Famer, @RULE, has been kind enough to give us insight on his personal life, hip hop and battle rap and many things LetsBeef related.

Here's what he had to say:

First off RULE, let's get to know you a little better, personally. It's common knowledge that you're one of the coffin dodgers of LetsBeef but how old actually are you?

LOL haha! Im 29m turning 30 this year.

How many grey hairs have you found sticking out of your cranium?

Actually none! Still got a full head of brown hair. Unless RED, looking like bobby charlton n shit LOL!

I'm assuming you meant 'unlike' and was referring to your even older brother, RED MYST?

haha yeah your gonna have to get used to my typos. my typing is getting disgraceful haha

LOL for someone who is one of the kings of text on this site and is writing/has written a book, don't you think that's a shocking admission?

Haha but unfortuntely is the truth. A terrible habit ive developed thanks to this place. haha

I'm guessing reading any Grizzy comment would certainly have an effect. Anyway, let's get back on track. What is is you currently do for a living?

Truck driving around europe. Delivering drugs. Yep, i am a legal drug dealer haha

Which nations do you cover on your route?

UK, france germany & spain. Belgium rarely too.

Have you ever been tempted to hunt down Lizman's sister whilst in Germany?

LOL! No-one gets to me that much on here haha.

I guess with age comes maturity, and you must be REALLY mature by now LOL. What would you say your most prized possession is?

LOL joker haha. To be honest i dont really have too many possessions beyond a healthy book, DVD & CD collection. Loads of money, nothing to spend it on tbh. so yeah no one thing really jumps out to me other than my media collection.

Speaking of media, it's well documented that, like myself, you're a HUGE Star Wars fan. Which is your favorite of the six movies made so far and what do you hope to see in the next trilogy?

Well thats kind of a sore subject. People kind of have me confused when it comes to Star Wars. Now i like the films dont get me wrong, but im a fan of the books, not really the movies. Theres over 120 novels written based after and before the movies, and all i hope is that the new movies wont disregard the has already been written, which they probably will. So im actually not really following the new SW movies or books. Im on a SW strike until i see where its heading haha.

I haven't actually read any of the books, if there's any based in the Old Republic era, I would definitely take a peep. Sticking to the subject of media, we all know that Shawshank Redemption is your favorite movie, but, what other movies do you love?

THE SHANK! haha umm... Green Mile is great... Rocky, Young Guns, Carandiru, Crash, Bourne Series, Pirates Of The Caribbean series etc. Too many to mention. Shawshank is definitely number one for me.
& there's 4 novels written in the old republic era haha

I have no idea what Carandiru is to be honest. Why is it the love 'The Shank' so much?
Why is it *YOU* love... LOL. I think I've also been conversing with Grizzy too much.

Just a great story. Greating acting, directing the whole thing. The novella it's based on is amazing too. Goes a bit deeper into the story than the movie does. Plus ive always been a sucker for prison movies.
& of course... Morgan Freeman. haha

I do agree that Morgan Freeman is a God (Bruce Almighty reference). Obviously, being a rapper, you like hip hop music. What other genres of music do you like and who are some of your favorite artists?

I like pretty much all genres. One of my favorite artists is Justin Timberlake, so i was pleased when he came back with the new album. Big Green Day fan too. Boyz II Men, and a massive Michael Jackson fan. But i like allsorts. even some classical music.

Admitting you're a JT fan on a rap battle website probably wasn't the smartest move LOL. You obviously love to read. Who are your favorite authors and what would you say is the greatest novel you have ever read?

JT FTW! lol. Favorite book ever is: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Definitely the best novel ive ever read. I dont have too many authors who i think are consistantly great. Christie is probably one of the rare ones to be consistantly great. Stephen King is great although ive only read about 4 of his novels. A couple people who dont get a lot of praise: Sean Stewart, Matt Stover, Ann Crispin... loads.
Cant go wrong with a bit of Robert Ludlum either.

Have you written a novel of your own?

I have three that are nearly complete in first draft form. I expect to have all finished by august, when i'll send them off to my editor to do his thing. Im hoping to have at least two release-ready by december.

Could you describe the plot lines for each using only one sentence? A hook, so to speak.

1. Star Wars x Legend Of Zelda + Lord Of The Rings.
2. A Dark Shawshank
3. Purgatory

They were hardly sentences, but you got the ideas across nonetheless lol. So you said you currently have a lot of money and nothing to spend it on. This says to me that you work quite hard and have done for some time. I'd like to know where it all started though. What was your first job?

I got my first job at 14 because we were struggling so i had to help out the household. Did a bunch of manual jobs for a while. Warehouse work mostly. I think my first ever job was at Mountstevens bakery. We used to get a wage and a pack of donuts haha.

Gotta love free donuts LOL. Now lets move on to things more rap and battle related. Obviously, everybody has their own opinions on the the G.O.A.T is. Who is it for you and why?
On who*

As in music makers?

Yeah, hip hop/rap artists...

2Pac. I know he's not the best lyrically, but his music is just timeless to me. He has that something that you just cant fabricate. A mixture of delivery and charisma i think. I'll be a Pac fan for life. even when im 90 and crippled i'll still love Pac. I been a fan since i was 14, and that was nearly 16 years ago haha. A few people hoover around my top 5 but Pac stands alone at the top.

Are there any songs of Pac's that you really relate to or maybe ones that touch you emotionally, whether that to be to inspire you, hype you up or cheer you up when you're feeling down?

Im not sure if theres a single song. Staring Thru My Rear View is kinda special but to be fair pretty much all his stuff means a lot to me.

Yeah theres really too many. Just took a look at my media player and i could name 50 easily. Pac was amazing.

It's evident that the 'game' has changed over the years. Is there anybody that's come out over the past few years that you're really feeling?

Honestly ive not really followed new music since damn-near 2005. The only (fairly) new guy i like is Ya Boy. West coast rapper who used to be affliated with The Game. Other than him theres no new guys im really feeling. And when i say new i mean that loosely. Ive probably only heard 2 Lil Wayne songs in my entire life. Maybe 3 Drake song. Theres a couple artists i follow a little bit, people like Chamillionaire, Obie Trice & Immortal Technique. Shit even Jin until be stated doing Christian rap.

But not really anyone else.

**FAME** · #2 03-26-2013, 07:46 PM

Lets talk about battle rap. Who would you say is the best right now?

Man. Thats a difficult one. Everyone i start to think is going to break through seems to be stumbling lately. Ness Lee is my personal favorite, but im not sure he's the BEST as far as stature goes. I think Lux is the man to beat at the moment, but my personal opinion is that Ness Lee, Lou Pesci & Charlie Clipz are the best active.

What would be your dream matchup? It can even be a rematch if that's what you wanted to see.

Hmmm. Ness Lee Vs Charlie Clipz would be pretty epic. I'd love to see Serius Jones Vs Illmaculate too. Dumbfoundead Vs Conceited was the battle i wanted to see back when Grindtime was really popping. Dumbfoundead Vs Oshea would be jokes lol. Any two guys who are really lyrical would do me. Lyrically Ness Lee Vs Lux would be insane. Pat Stay Vs Calicoe would be tight. Serius Jones Vs Mook would be a great rematch, if only to see Jones put the final nail in that overrated dudes coffin.
Seriously i could come up with match-ups for days.

Have you ever thought about getting in the ring yourself/
?

I was very tempted for a long time in 2010 & 2011. Very tempted. But it was more out of curosity than desire. and soon that curosity dissappeared. Ive battled live locally in freestyle tournaments so the crowd thing wasnt much of an issue, but i would of liked to get a recorded battle or two done. I just didnt like the options available to me (Dont Flop) and there wasd the fact that i was writing for a few people that would of caused me a conflict of interests (aka i would of stopped getting paid lol).

Would you consider doing it now if the opportunity arose?

No i think that time has pasted for me. I think i would do well if i did jump in the ring, but i have no desire to do so. It would take alot to make me take the leap at this stage. Money mixed with an opponent i really hated, in a Bristol event is the only way i'd do it now. And even thats a maybe. I just have no interest in a hip hop career or hobby beyond the one i have here. Im never gonna be a recording artist, and im not in a position where i can spend my rare days off travelling the country (and eventually the world) to do a rap battle. With a wife and kids come restrictions if you wanna be a good husband and father. Blowing money on battling rather than them would be wrong. So yeah never say never but probably never haha.

Well, you DID say you have lots of money and nothing to spend it on... LOL. After the epic shenanigans of Canibus, do you see any other artists trying to jump in the ring any time soon?

Rainy days FAME rainy days haha. I think some artists will try but none will succeed. Battle rap and track making is just two different fields and unless you truly immerse yourself into battle rap you'll never be great at it. Every track maker who has battled so far sucked. Canibus was terrible, Mad Child was terrible, ENess was terrible. With Drake's attendance to the KOTD events though you have to wonder if he'd consider doing one with the right opponent and situation. But no i doubt anyone of merit will try and none will succeed anyway. imo!

Rebuttles/flips can really change a battle if done correctly and are a personal favorite aspect of battling to me. In your opinion, what is the greatest flip in battle rap history?

Dizaster's racial flip against A Class or Kid Twists also racial flip against Dumbfoundead were two that come to memory. Serius Jones against Charlie Clipz was simple but efffective.

What is your take on the whole 'jokes over bars - bars over jokes' argument?

Simply put, it depends on the audience. You have to play to your audience. I personal think bars are the more impressive to hear and difficult to master, but you get rare people like Uno Lavoz who are just hilarous. I prefer people like Dumbfoundead who mix both styles to have bars with jokes over everything else. But yeah me personally, i love bars. PLK baby!

I think it's about time we gave the readers what they came into this thread for and discuss all things LetsBeef related. First off, describe the community side of this place with three words...

Some Great People
SOME lol

I was looking for three descriptive words rather than a short statement... LOL

ok, lemme try... Talented, Creative & Insane.

That's better LOL. Who would you say that the all time greatest of the site is?

whats format we talking here?

We're both more involved in the text side of things so most of the question will be related to text battlers only...

Thats cool. Audio is all about Ticket anyways haha. Right the GOAT of texting... hmm. Personally i think it comes down to DaDDiO & reEFer. Ive recently been leaning towards Reef as the probably GOAT, but i think theres about 10 people with an even shout for the title. Since im on the spot i'll say reEFer but yeah you ask me tomorrow and my answer would probably be different.

Reef, DaD, UA, Jason, Celsius, Huey, Illy, Milk etc etc. Plenty of people worthy of the name.

You've been the face of LetsBeef for years now. Does this add any pressure on you to stay consistent with the level of bars you're putting out there?

Yeah i think thats a fair comment. LB definiately becomes less fun when you feel like you HAVE to drop great every time. That is my excuse from my multi accounts anyway haha. But yeah i do feel like ive been in a scope quite a lot for the last few years. When you become catagorised as a heavyweight you start to feel the burden of not being expected to lose to anyone not in the same catagory as yourself. Ive only lost 3 times on RULE / Revan since 2010. So yeah it is something im aware of when writing which is probably why a lot of heavyweights stop battling once they reach that level.

It has been said that you have 'fathered a style' on here and it is well documented that you have been a mentor to many. Out of all of your protege's, who do you feel has adapted your style of writing the most?

Oh i dont really know to be honest. I feel like its doing a diservice to them by saying any of them are tryna do ME. I feel like a lot of the guys ive helped have gone on to become very very good, but none really use that relentless style i use personally. dissizit is probably the closest to my style but i havent had that much of a effect on him i dont think. i kinda giude and advise rather than completely change a persons style to match my own.

Do you see any of the currently active textcees one day reaching that coveted Hall Of Fame status?

Definitely. I think quite a number will reach a status that would make them HOF candidates in the future. No question about it.

Care to drop some names?

GRizzEAT, AfterThought, Erupt, Phil Banks (definitely), Dissizit, Black Book, Molly, GOOD GRIEF... those guys off the top of my head. Mikey & RhetoriK are the older heads who i think still have time to make a HOF claim. There's plenty of people with great potential on this site. It just depends on who has the desire to do it. This site is different to everyone, and everyone uses it for a different purpose. If i had to put money on which of those names will be HOF bound in the next two years, i'd say Banks, Grizzy, AT & Diss.

Predicting Dissizit to have a claim at HOF in a couple of years time will probably seem like a bold statement to most. It's obvious you have a lot of faith in him. What would you say his strengths are as a text battler?

I think the hard skill to possess as a write is creativity. Things like flow and wording are things you can learn, but creativity is much harder to spark in someone and he has it. Anyone who has great concepts has the potential to become a great battler. whereas those who excell at flow and wording but with no potent content will be the ones who struggle the most to become great. Diss is one of the guys on here who has that creativity, Once he gets the other elements down he'll be whupping everyones ass. Mine included.

That's an interesting take on it and I won't disagree with you. Is there any other legend of the site who you haven't battle yet that you would love to make a return to throw some bars around?

I think a battle with iLLimit would be great, He's the kind of writer i like and i think would push me to bring my a-game. I'd like to smack MahVulus around just for the fun of it. There isnt really a person ive never battled who im overly eager to spar with. A few rematches i'd like maybe but no-one that im crazy to battle. Anyh heavyweight i having battled yet would be fine with me tho. Illy, Ask, War Tank, Lefty, etc etc. Any of them. But yeah Mahvy would get fucked up tbh lol. A crack at NawkOuts streak would be interesting too...

There has been no end to the complaints regarding voting on this site. Whether it be, uneducated or 'noob' votes, hate voting, swaying in the comments etc. Is there anything you would like to do to stop these complaints and 'fix' the voting if possible?

The system we have has its flaws, but is the best one possible imo. A few minor changes i would make would be to have a character limit on battle comments, so that way fv voters would stick out a mile. I think not allowing battlers to comment on there own battles (besides an expo) would be good too. and finally a sort of voting introduction message for new members would be great. Even if it were just a short pm about voting criteria etc etc.

I think a voting introduction message to new members is a great idea that should be pitched to Pugz. Pugz has also said there are changes coming to the voting system soon, so we will have to wait and see if it's for the better.
Who out of the track makers of the site could you see becoming successful in the industry?

I think Pronto Banks has a good commerical sound. Mani Mula too. Real Talk also would have a good shot if he applied himself to releasing some music. AfterThought is a monster. If i had a label i would sign him tbh.

Out of the current active members, both text and audio, who would you recommend take a leap into the live arena?

UA's style is MADE for live battling. I think he'd do very well if he made the leap. I'd say anyone with bars and the desire to do it should give it a go. Loads of people i think would do it well.

What is your personal opinion on the current LetsBeef staff members in terms of activity and going about their general duties?

I think they all do a great job. People seem to forget that we dont get paid to do this, we do it for the love of the community. I'd like to see a things run a bit smoother though. Things like the LBT/LBA titles, exclusive & Topical sections shouldnt be stagnant. Theres enough staff currently to get things popping in these department. As for the day by day issues the staff are well on top of them. The mod logs we have show this to us.

I do think the LBA/LBT side of things is a great idea but needs a complete overhaul. More excitement needs to be built around it and maybe a little more incentive like free exclusive for as long as you're the champion, emcee items etc. Somebody needs to take ownership of these things and get it popping. Is this something the staff are looking to amend?

Well im taking over the LBT championship. And you know me lol, im going to have it popping. Im thinking of incorperating the exclusive arena with the LBT contenders list. I have a few ideas floating around this weird head. The LBA is going to be ran fully by AT or Just C i think, i'd expect some movement on that front soon.

Are there any other changes you would make or features you would bring to the site if you could?

Loads. Most have been suggested already by someone on here at some point. Personally i think fixing the issues we have at the moment would be more prudent than adding new features.

Before we leave this conversation, is there anything you would like to address about the current state of LetsBeef?

Just to say that the site is open for someone to grab by the scruff of the neck. The Jason's, UA's, dare i say RULE's are all but gone from the battlefield now. Its time for the next king to come through and take the throne. And i have a feeling thats some might just go ahead and make themself famous. #REGULATORS.

LOL I do have one more question... Do you feel that doing this interview may have now given future battle opponents the upper hand against you with the amount of ammo we have uncovered?

Nah, most of this shit has been known for a while. Maybe the JT confession might give em sometihng to play with haha. But come'on its 2013. aint nobody fucking with RULE. #KING

Thank you for your time RULE.

Fuck you.

Well there we have it, a look into the mind of a LetsBeef Legend.

A big thank you to @RULE for taking the time out of his evening to grace us with his thoughts.

Be on the lookout for more to come.

**FAME** · 03-26-2013, 07:46 PM

Lets talk about battle rap. Who would you say is the best right now?

Man. Thats a difficult one. Everyone i start to think is going to break through seems to be stumbling lately. Ness Lee is my personal favorite, but im not sure he's the BEST as far as stature goes. I think Lux is the man to beat at the moment, but my personal opinion is that Ness Lee, Lou Pesci & Charlie Clipz are the best active.

What would be your dream matchup? It can even be a rematch if that's what you wanted to see.

Hmmm. Ness Lee Vs Charlie Clipz would be pretty epic. I'd love to see Serius Jones Vs Illmaculate too. Dumbfoundead Vs Conceited was the battle i wanted to see back when Grindtime was really popping. Dumbfoundead Vs Oshea would be jokes lol. Any two guys who are really lyrical would do me. Lyrically Ness Lee Vs Lux would be insane. Pat Stay Vs Calicoe would be tight. Serius Jones Vs Mook would be a great rematch, if only to see Jones put the final nail in that overrated dudes coffin.
Seriously i could come up with match-ups for days.

Have you ever thought about getting in the ring yourself/
?

I was very tempted for a long time in 2010 & 2011. Very tempted. But it was more out of curosity than desire. and soon that curosity dissappeared. Ive battled live locally in freestyle tournaments so the crowd thing wasnt much of an issue, but i would of liked to get a recorded battle or two done. I just didnt like the options available to me (Dont Flop) and there wasd the fact that i was writing for a few people that would of caused me a conflict of interests (aka i would of stopped getting paid lol).

Would you consider doing it now if the opportunity arose?

No i think that time has pasted for me. I think i would do well if i did jump in the ring, but i have no desire to do so. It would take alot to make me take the leap at this stage. Money mixed with an opponent i really hated, in a Bristol event is the only way i'd do it now. And even thats a maybe. I just have no interest in a hip hop career or hobby beyond the one i have here. Im never gonna be a recording artist, and im not in a position where i can spend my rare days off travelling the country (and eventually the world) to do a rap battle. With a wife and kids come restrictions if you wanna be a good husband and father. Blowing money on battling rather than them would be wrong. So yeah never say never but probably never haha.

Well, you DID say you have lots of money and nothing to spend it on... LOL. After the epic shenanigans of Canibus, do you see any other artists trying to jump in the ring any time soon?

Rainy days FAME rainy days haha. I think some artists will try but none will succeed. Battle rap and track making is just two different fields and unless you truly immerse yourself into battle rap you'll never be great at it. Every track maker who has battled so far sucked. Canibus was terrible, Mad Child was terrible, ENess was terrible. With Drake's attendance to the KOTD events though you have to wonder if he'd consider doing one with the right opponent and situation. But no i doubt anyone of merit will try and none will succeed anyway. imo!

Rebuttles/flips can really change a battle if done correctly and are a personal favorite aspect of battling to me. In your opinion, what is the greatest flip in battle rap history?

Dizaster's racial flip against A Class or Kid Twists also racial flip against Dumbfoundead were two that come to memory. Serius Jones against Charlie Clipz was simple but efffective.

What is your take on the whole 'jokes over bars - bars over jokes' argument?

Simply put, it depends on the audience. You have to play to your audience. I personal think bars are the more impressive to hear and difficult to master, but you get rare people like Uno Lavoz who are just hilarous. I prefer people like Dumbfoundead who mix both styles to have bars with jokes over everything else. But yeah me personally, i love bars. PLK baby!

I think it's about time we gave the readers what they came into this thread for and discuss all things LetsBeef related. First off, describe the community side of this place with three words...

Some Great People
SOME lol

I was looking for three descriptive words rather than a short statement... LOL

ok, lemme try... Talented, Creative & Insane.

That's better LOL. Who would you say that the all time greatest of the site is?

whats format we talking here?

We're both more involved in the text side of things so most of the question will be related to text battlers only...

Thats cool. Audio is all about Ticket anyways haha. Right the GOAT of texting... hmm. Personally i think it comes down to DaDDiO & reEFer. Ive recently been leaning towards Reef as the probably GOAT, but i think theres about 10 people with an even shout for the title. Since im on the spot i'll say reEFer but yeah you ask me tomorrow and my answer would probably be different.

Reef, DaD, UA, Jason, Celsius, Huey, Illy, Milk etc etc. Plenty of people worthy of the name.

You've been the face of LetsBeef for years now. Does this add any pressure on you to stay consistent with the level of bars you're putting out there?

Yeah i think thats a fair comment. LB definiately becomes less fun when you feel like you HAVE to drop great every time. That is my excuse from my multi accounts anyway haha. But yeah i do feel like ive been in a scope quite a lot for the last few years. When you become catagorised as a heavyweight you start to feel the burden of not being expected to lose to anyone not in the same catagory as yourself. Ive only lost 3 times on RULE / Revan since 2010. So yeah it is something im aware of when writing which is probably why a lot of heavyweights stop battling once they reach that level.

It has been said that you have 'fathered a style' on here and it is well documented that you have been a mentor to many. Out of all of your protege's, who do you feel has adapted your style of writing the most?

Oh i dont really know to be honest. I feel like its doing a diservice to them by saying any of them are tryna do ME. I feel like a lot of the guys ive helped have gone on to become very very good, but none really use that relentless style i use personally. dissizit is probably the closest to my style but i havent had that much of a effect on him i dont think. i kinda giude and advise rather than completely change a persons style to match my own.

Do you see any of the currently active textcees one day reaching that coveted Hall Of Fame status?

Definitely. I think quite a number will reach a status that would make them HOF candidates in the future. No question about it.

Care to drop some names?

GRizzEAT, AfterThought, Erupt, Phil Banks (definitely), Dissizit, Black Book, Molly, GOOD GRIEF... those guys off the top of my head. Mikey & RhetoriK are the older heads who i think still have time to make a HOF claim. There's plenty of people with great potential on this site. It just depends on who has the desire to do it. This site is different to everyone, and everyone uses it for a different purpose. If i had to put money on which of those names will be HOF bound in the next two years, i'd say Banks, Grizzy, AT & Diss.

Predicting Dissizit to have a claim at HOF in a couple of years time will probably seem like a bold statement to most. It's obvious you have a lot of faith in him. What would you say his strengths are as a text battler?

I think the hard skill to possess as a write is creativity. Things like flow and wording are things you can learn, but creativity is much harder to spark in someone and he has it. Anyone who has great concepts has the potential to become a great battler. whereas those who excell at flow and wording but with no potent content will be the ones who struggle the most to become great. Diss is one of the guys on here who has that creativity, Once he gets the other elements down he'll be whupping everyones ass. Mine included.

That's an interesting take on it and I won't disagree with you. Is there any other legend of the site who you haven't battle yet that you would love to make a return to throw some bars around?

I think a battle with iLLimit would be great, He's the kind of writer i like and i think would push me to bring my a-game. I'd like to smack MahVulus around just for the fun of it. There isnt really a person ive never battled who im overly eager to spar with. A few rematches i'd like maybe but no-one that im crazy to battle. Anyh heavyweight i having battled yet would be fine with me tho. Illy, Ask, War Tank, Lefty, etc etc. Any of them. But yeah Mahvy would get fucked up tbh lol. A crack at NawkOuts streak would be interesting too...

There has been no end to the complaints regarding voting on this site. Whether it be, uneducated or 'noob' votes, hate voting, swaying in the comments etc. Is there anything you would like to do to stop these complaints and 'fix' the voting if possible?

The system we have has its flaws, but is the best one possible imo. A few minor changes i would make would be to have a character limit on battle comments, so that way fv voters would stick out a mile. I think not allowing battlers to comment on there own battles (besides an expo) would be good too. and finally a sort of voting introduction message for new members would be great. Even if it were just a short pm about voting criteria etc etc.

I think a voting introduction message to new members is a great idea that should be pitched to Pugz. Pugz has also said there are changes coming to the voting system soon, so we will have to wait and see if it's for the better.
Who out of the track makers of the site could you see becoming successful in the industry?

I think Pronto Banks has a good commerical sound. Mani Mula too. Real Talk also would have a good shot if he applied himself to releasing some music. AfterThought is a monster. If i had a label i would sign him tbh.

Out of the current active members, both text and audio, who would you recommend take a leap into the live arena?

UA's style is MADE for live battling. I think he'd do very well if he made the leap. I'd say anyone with bars and the desire to do it should give it a go. Loads of people i think would do it well.

What is your personal opinion on the current LetsBeef staff members in terms of activity and going about their general duties?

I think they all do a great job. People seem to forget that we dont get paid to do this, we do it for the love of the community. I'd like to see a things run a bit smoother though. Things like the LBT/LBA titles, exclusive & Topical sections shouldnt be stagnant. Theres enough staff currently to get things popping in these department. As for the day by day issues the staff are well on top of them. The mod logs we have show this to us.

I do think the LBA/LBT side of things is a great idea but needs a complete overhaul. More excitement needs to be built around it and maybe a little more incentive like free exclusive for as long as you're the champion, emcee items etc. Somebody needs to take ownership of these things and get it popping. Is this something the staff are looking to amend?

Well im taking over the LBT championship. And you know me lol, im going to have it popping. Im thinking of incorperating the exclusive arena with the LBT contenders list. I have a few ideas floating around this weird head. The LBA is going to be ran fully by AT or Just C i think, i'd expect some movement on that front soon.

Are there any other changes you would make or features you would bring to the site if you could?

Loads. Most have been suggested already by someone on here at some point. Personally i think fixing the issues we have at the moment would be more prudent than adding new features.

Before we leave this conversation, is there anything you would like to address about the current state of LetsBeef?

Just to say that the site is open for someone to grab by the scruff of the neck. The Jason's, UA's, dare i say RULE's are all but gone from the battlefield now. Its time for the next king to come through and take the throne. And i have a feeling thats some might just go ahead and make themself famous. #REGULATORS.

LOL I do have one more question... Do you feel that doing this interview may have now given future battle opponents the upper hand against you with the amount of ammo we have uncovered?

Nah, most of this shit has been known for a while. Maybe the JT confession might give em sometihng to play with haha. But come'on its 2013. aint nobody fucking with RULE. #KING

Thank you for your time RULE.

Fuck you.

Well there we have it, a look into the mind of a LetsBeef Legend.

A big thank you to @RULE for taking the time out of his evening to grace us with his thoughts.

Be on the lookout for more to come.