Secret Wars take Manhattan

posted up late last night (or early this AM) on The Volume

Two of the original elements of hip-hop were found alive and well this past week as the U.K.-based live-art battle Secret Wars hit Public Assembly in Brooklyn to throw down on Wednesday night. An elite team of U.K. bombers, competing in one of the events in a 10-day New York tour, took on the local talent in front of an enthusiastic crowd. This particular bout was complemented with performances by some of biggest rising stars in New York hip-hop, including Poe Picasso, AOK Collective members P.Casso, Homeboy Sandman, Print, 8thw1, Fresh Daily and U.K. import Reeps 1.

As the music resonated from the stage, the artists took to the walls for a 90-minute battle. The rules were kept simple: black paint on white walls only, no sketches, no pencils and teams working side-by-side. In the end, the judges and the crowd’s roar declared the U.K. team victorious. But the real winners were those who attended and were lucky enough to witness an intimate performance from both stages.

Check out our video, highlighting both the battle and the M.C.s. You can catch Secret Wars today during the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival in Empire–Fulton Ferry State Park; look out for another exclusive AOK Collective freestyle next week.

Thanks to Vixon for editing this up from both of our footage of the event and 2dopeboyz for picking up the video.