Blaze Battle, Round 1

In BLAZE BATTLE, sixteen ambitious MCs assemble in an attempt to demonstrate their superior freestyle skills and gain respect in the rap game. First, local contests were held in New York, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and Orlando to determine who would compete in this final New York showdown--where the contestants are judged by an audience of industry reps and dye-in-the-wool hip-hop fans. KRS-1, Tony Touch, Doug E. Fresh, and more hip-hop pioneers make appearances in this thrilling competition that originally aired on HBO in 2000.