Shadow Boxxer throws the gauntlet

By Ishmael Bayoh
He may not be that well known in the music industry in Sierra Leone, but Shadow Boxxer is one of the finest lyricists this country can boast of. He is versatile and stylish in the rap business. He swings his style from side to side while ensuring that he murders every beat.
Putting that to test, he and Supa Laj engaged in a rap battle - in its strictest terms - even though his target then was Kao Denero. The U.S based rapper who successfully delivers in the track ‘Hold On’ with the renowned American actor - Idris Elba, has thrown an open rap challenge.
He is his recent posts on his facebook wall “If there is any Salone MC u wanna see me battle ‘LIVE’ who would it be? By the way...I won't DECLINE ANY invitation from a ‘worthy’ opponent...but who would it be [?] and do you think they would accept the challenge?”
His previous challenger, Supa Laj has responded on his facebook wall thus: “Okkkk mi Famble dem. Dis Brudda Shadow is still talkin bout battling. Me. Me, Supa Laj, Livin Laj....Lajilla! Sylvester Salone. Conrad Murray. Da Lyrical Ambassador! He can’t be serious. I mean u aight but I killed u already! Lol. Ur still rapping from da Afterlife Man? Well u know Me. Here I am stepping back up 2 da plate 4 another Home Run!”
Many responses called for a battle with Supa Laj but few, including Jasper P. Sembie yearned for an all-out lyrical warfare between Shadow and Kao. Jasper, a US based entertainment and showbiz chronicler, was the initiator of the rap battle between Shadow and Supa Laj.
This is what he recommended: “I would wanna see Shadowwaf Boxer vs Kao Denero. Mostly because I think Kao is ducking you. I wouldn't say Supa Laj because the beef songs would suffice plus I would like some aggression & wordplay in plain ghetto KRIO as opposed to Supa Lajs American accent. Otherwise, if you were to battle Supa Laj, I'll put my money on Laj cuz I know he's a fan of the battle culture plus I've listened to Homeless - that was Ether”.
Jasper might be correct that Kao continues to duck Shadow whenever he disses him and Kao himself has on several occasions said he would not reply to Shadow to make him popular.
In his rating of the best emcees in Sierra Leone, Jasper attributed this to Shadow “Shadow is the only true rapper to ever come at Kao Denero. So if Kao thinks he is hard enough (which I know he is) now he definitely has a big problem to deal with -Shadow Boxxer except if of course, he chooses to avoid.
Jasper continued that the most remarkable thing about Shadow is his consistency from ‘Sunshine’ right down to ‘Seize e Mic’ and he extends his incredible wordplay and style in his cover of Movado’s ‘Fly Again’”.
On the flip side, he called on Shadow Boxxer to drop an album and asked what was he waiting for as he might just be the right person to rip the crown off Kao Denero’s head, but until he drops an album he is not in that position to ‘seize im mic.’