The Elements League (TEL) was an underground rap battle league that formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in the summer of 2007. Filmed, pre-written rap battles, posted to Youtube and shared to the Atlantic Canadian hip hop focused message board Halifamous.com, became an instant hit. Aspiring battlers used the message board to call out competitors and organize future events, eventually leading to iZrEAL Media Arts overseeing the production of what became a weekly event. Sometimes held in the Pit, a recessed parking lot at Morris and Lower Water in Halifax that served, for many years, as the city’s lone permission wall for graffiti writers, but mostly held after hours in a boxing gym provided by boxer Tyson Cave, the Elements League was raw, uncut battling—unsanctioned, underground, self-contained and frequently intoxicated.
As the battles grew in popularity and the live events were drawing as many as a few hundred spectators to each event, the videos posted to Youtube started to spread out from the region and soon other battle leagues formed, following TEL’s pre-written formula, including Grind Time, King of the Dot, and Don’t Flop. Within a few years written battling was a global phenomenon, and battlers around the world were squaring off with rehearsed bars for online audiences. It even led to a movie, Bodied (2017) that featured beloved TEL champion Pat Stay in a cameo role.
Of course, rap battling has a long history that significantly predates the rise of the Elements League in Halifax back in 2007, but the modern hip hop practice of filming pre-written battles, leveraging social media for views, and ranking battlers in a (loosely, in the case of TEL) organized league is an idea that can trace at least some of its roots to those wild Friday nights in a Nova Scotia boxing gym when TEL host iZrEAL would quiet the crowd and say, “Alright, it’s on you, fam.”
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The Elements League is an important part of Atlantic Canadian hip hop history and more work needs to be done to tell the story. For now, East of East has copies of all but two of the battles from the original Elements League, and all of the battles at the reunion events held in 2015 and 2018. Below you can find battle statistics, although the exact dates of most original TEL battles are unknown at this time.
The Elements League Rules
No catching feelings
Three two minute rounds with a 30 second grace period for a total time of 2:30. The clock will run full time.
No beats, no mics, it's a street battle
No extra points for freestyling, it is a written battle
No touching your opponent or interrupting
No fighting
No crew interference (and only 5 crew members in your corner)
The judges have final say
Absolutely no ties
No speaking for the dead
No racist shit (introduced after TEL 21)
Audience Rules
No stealing
No Fighting
Do not enter the ring
No talking or causing interruptions
Turn off cell phones
No touching battlers
Respect the premises
No video cameras
Date | Ep. | Battle | Winner | $$ | Venue | Host | Judges | Notes | Cops? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
06/15/2007 | TEL 00 | Casper vs Lex | Casper | 50 | Millwood High School | Tyrell Williams | Martin Finch, Knucklehead, White Mic | ||
TEL 01 | Casper vs. Quake | Casper | Graffiti Pit | Martin Finch | Loony Toonez, Trobiz, RS Smooth | Cops | |||
TEL 02 | Pat Stay vs. Critical | Pat Stay | 50 | Graffiti Pit | Tyrell Williams | L Deez, Joe Buck, KL | Rules introduced | ||
TEL 03 | Greedy vs Luke Skratch | Greedy | 50 | Fairview Junior High | iZrEAL | Martin Finch, Anonamyss, Flip Scripture | iZrEAL introduces introduces new rules, including No Catching Feelings | ||
TEL 04 | Ambition vs Hartigan | Ambition | 50 | Boxing Gym | Tyrell Williams | Dirt Raskal, Luc, Big Fela | |||
TEL 04 | Gduble vs Kimber | Kimber | n/a | Boxing Gym | Tyson Cave | Dirt Raskal, Dean, Tyson Cave | Impromptu freestyle battle | ||
TEL 05 | Casper vs Chronic | Casper | 50 | Boxing Gym | Tyrell Williams | Hermit, RS Smooth, DJ IV | Flip Scripoture starts acting as a co-host | ||
TEL 06 | Decipher vs Baseline | Baseline | 50 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | J.Assassin, Foff, Senile | iZrEAL introduces updated rules | ||
TEL 07 | So$a vs Kid Smallz | Kid Smallz | 100 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | DJ $, 902Kid, Markit, then Kiki Shepard style crowd vote after bonus round | Planned freestyle battle | ||
TEL 08 | Critical vs Luke Skratch | Luke Skratch | 100 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Joe Buck, Hermit, Luc | iZrEAL thanks Mimic for establishing the Elements League section on Halifamous | ||
TEL 09 | Gduble vs Slomo the Great | Gduble | 100 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Mimic, Drow, MandaJane | |||
TEL 10 | Pat Stay vs Miracle | Miracle | 100 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | JRDN, DJ IV, Hermit | Audience rules read for the first time, someone stole something from the gym | ||
TEL 11 | Decipher vs Baseline | Decipher | 100 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Hermit, DJ IV, J-Bru | |||
TEL 12 | Redrum vs Mosh | Mosh | 50 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Pat Rock, Hermit, Spesh K | Redrum left his money at home, Mosh battled him for charity. The "Redrum throws a bag of weed" episode. | ||
TEL 13 | Hartigan vs White | White | 50 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Pat Rock, Hermit, Spesh K | |||
TEL 14 | Demikz & Heartz vs Markit & Boy-ill | Markit & Boy-Ill | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | J-Bru, DJ IV, Alex from Soled Out Sneakers | First 2 on 2 Freestyle battle | |||
Demikz vs Redrum | Demikz | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | The first episode to be cut from the season, as referenced at the end of the Redrum Speaks video (TEL 11.3) | |||||
TEL 16 | Chronic vs Baseline | Chronic | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | DJ IV, L Deez, Hermit | First use of props - Baseline | |||
TEL 17 | Ambition vs Miss Meliss | Ambition | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Video removed. | ||||
TEL 18 | Pat Stay vs Jesse Ito | Pat Stay | 200 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Hermit, IV, Tyrell Williams | Wager was for $200 and a seafood platter from John's Lunch. | ||
Miracle vs Mosh | Miracle | Graffiti Pit | iZrEAL | Dirty D, Hermit, (third judge unknown) | No existing tag to indicate which episode, but likely 19 | Cops | |||
TEL 20 | S Class vs C Thru | S Class | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Unknown, Anonamyss, DJ IV | Introduction of Gillian Pardy as Ring Girl | |||
TEL 21 | Demikz vs Blacksmith | Demikz | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Dirt Razkal, Loonie Toonez, Hussels | This battle led to the institution of a new rule: No racist shit. | |||
TEL 22 | Decipher vs Maximus | Decipher | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Hussels, A Weezy, DJ IV | ||||
TEL 23 | Greedy vs Junior | Greedy | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Unknown, L Deez, Hussels | Cops | |||
TEL 24 | EMC vs Barbour | EMC | 100 | Pavilion | iZrEAL | Kiki Sheppard style audience vote | First beatbox battle. Police shut down the boxing gym for the week, so a fundraiser was held at the Pavilion. | ||
TEL 25 | Pat Stay vs Gduble | Pat Stay | 100 | Pavilion | iZrEAL | DJ IV, Hermit, KL | |||
TEL 26 | Decipher vs Lex | Decipher | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Dirt Raskal, Spesh K, Ghettosocks | First TEL back in the gym in a month, stricter rules to draw less heat. | |||
TEL 27 | Foff vs White | Foff | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Hussels, Spesh K, Ghettosocks | Dirt Raskal stepped down from judging due to knowing Foff. | |||
TEL 28 | Chronic vs Jesse Ito | Chronic | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | A Weezy, RS Smooth, L Deez | ||||
TEL 30 | Maximus vs Jese Ito | Maximus | 100 | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Chronic, Kid Smallz, iZrEAL | Retirement Battle | ||
TEL 31 | Al Boogie vs White | Al Boogie | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | Chronic, Kid Smallz, iZrEAL | ||||
TEL 32 | Critical vs 3F60 | Critical | Boxing Gym | iZrEAL | DJ IV, Knucklehead, Hermit | 3f60, formerly Steve Styles, says some sort of racist shit and is escorted to the door after Tyson makes it clear that there is a zero tolerance policy on racist shit. | |||
TEL 33 | Decipher vs Mosh | Decipher | Boxing Gym | Kid Smallz, iZrEAL | J-Bru, T Bone D, L Deez | ||||
TEL 34 | Pat Stay vs Chronic | Pat Stay | Graffiti Pit | iZrEAL | Littles the General, DJ IV, Hermit | Cops | |||
07/13/2015 | TEL2 01 | Lex vs Gduble | Gduble | Halifax Common | iZrEAL, Pat Stay | Dirt Raskal, Hermit, Tacktishun, KL, (fifth judge name unknown) | These battles sponsored by Muzik Over Matter Recordings, Unity Among Scotians (UAS), CDN Movement, Kush Team, Kasper K Photography. | ||
07/13/2015 | TEL2 02 | Casper vs Chronic | Casper | Halifax Common | iZrEAL, Pat Stay | Dirt Raskal, Hermit, Psyc the Prynce, Rellz, Unknown | |||
07/13/2015 | TEL2 03 | Miracle vs Foff | Miracle | Halifax Common | iZrEAL, Pat Stay | Dirt Raskal, Hermit, Tacktishun, Psyc the Prynce, Tyrell Williams | |||
10/04/2015 | TEL2 04 | Chris Crooks vs Donair Beast | Chris Crooks | Halifax Common | iZrEAL, Pat Stay | Psyc the Prynce, Foff, Miracle, Kid Smallz, Dirt Raskal | Chris Crooks (Demikz) freestyled all of his rounds | ||
10/04/2015 | TEL2 05 | Thr33sixty vs Komplic8ed | Komplic8ted | Halifax Common | iZrEAL | Miracle, Foff, Kid Smallz, Dirt Raskal, Psyc the Prynce | |||
10/04/2015 | TEL2 06 | Jim West vs TB | Jim West | Halifax Common | iZrEAL | L Deez, Knucklehead, KL, Hermit, (fifth judge name unknown) | |||
10/04/2015 | TEL2 07 | Critical vs Luke Skratch | Promo, no winner | Halifax Common | iZrEAL | This battle led to a massive brawl in the Commons. | |||
06/03/2018 | TELR 01 | Komplic8ted vs WrightTone | Komplic8ted | 100 | Titan's Gym | Kid Smallz, Pat Stay | Kid Smallz, Pat Stay | Rhyme & Punishment League Undercard: Jim West v White Boy/M Pulse v Wasp/Complex v Partially Psychotic | |
06/03/2018 | TELR 02 | Cavy vs. Demikz | Demikz | 100 | Titan's Gym | Kid Smallz, Pat Stay | Tanar Repchul, Tacktishun, Komplic8ted | Cavy vs Hickey G and Demikz vs Lex, but no Lex or Hickey G so Demikz & Cavy freestyle instead. | |
06/03/2018 | TELR 03 | J-Bru vs Gduble | Gduble | 100 | Titan's Gym | Kid Smallz, Pat Stay | Hermit, Dirt Rascal, (other judges names unknown) | Judges deadlocked so Pat Stay stepped in to declare Gdouble the winner. | |
09/30/2017 | HOP 17 | Pat Stay vs Gduble | Promo, no winner | Dartmouth Cove | Miracle | KOTD presents a Pat Stay vs. Gduble TEL rematch at Hopscotch 2017. |
The Elements League did not technically have a formal organizational structure, but organizers included, at various times:
iZrEAL
Tyson Cave
Tyrell Williams
DJ IV
Flip Scripture
Hermitofthewoods
L. Deez
Kasper K
Musik Over Matter
Unity Among Scotians (UAS)
CDN Movement
Kush Team
Camera Operators:
Andrew Abraham
Holt Zalupa
T. Dot
Our Dynasty Our Destiny
Liam Petite
Adam MacPherson
Shout out to Barbour's black eye, the unofficial mascot of the Elements League.
RIP PAT STAY
(1986-2022)
Elements League data compiled by East of East. Please do not reproduce without permission.