Hollow da Don

Nigel Bennett (born January 28, 1984) is an American battle rapper, better known by his stage name, Hollow da Don

Life and career

Hollow da Don is one of the most prominent battle rappers of the 21st century, having been on 106 & Park's Freestyle Friday for seven weeks undefeated, earning a place in the program's Hall of Fame by 2006.^[1] In 2007, he put up a strong performance in the Houston division of Jumpoff's World Rap Championships, earning an MVP nomination with an 8-2 record.

Hollow's career took off with the birth of the new-gen battle rap leagues where MCs could blend their freestyle raps with written rhymes. Making his debut at NYC's Fight Klub in 2008, Hollow demolished the competition, winning ten straight battles before finally falling to New Jersey's Arsonal in a controversial matchup. At the same time, Hollow was tearing through the newly formed East Coast division of Grind Time and making trips out to the Fresh Coast and St. Louis to clash with their veterans. A student of the game, Hollow claimed that his knowledge of battle rap and its fans allowed him to succeed in any environment.

Hollow debuted on SMACK/URL against Chicago's Big T in 2010. Since 2013, he has been consistently rated one of the best battle rappers by battle rap fan communities.^[2][3]

More recently, Hollow da Don participated on SMACK/URL's 'Nome 3' vs Tsu Surf then he had a judged battle on Eminem's Total Slaughter^[4] battle rap league against Grammy Award-nominated rapper Joe Budden, whom he defeated by unanimous decision.^[5]

He competed against Loaded Lux in a highly anticipated and controversial UW Battle League event on January 26, 2014.^[6]

Hollow da Don faced Charlie Clips on May 9th, 2015 and most spectators and battle rap bloggers have hollow winning.

Hollow da Don faced Pat Stay, the previous KOTD champion, on Dec. 6th, 2015 in London. Fans were led to believe was going to be a traditional three round battle, only to discover at the last minute that it would be a one round battle instead. Although battle rap is highly subjective, many sources agree that Hollow's round against Pat Stay was one of his best, and that he won the match.

Hollow is going on to battle more in 2016, saying that the next round he spits in 2016 will leave his opponent "wondering if they even deserve to have a soul in their body." A rematch between Hollow Da Don and Pat Stay took place in May on KOTD's Massacre event.

References