Virus Syndicate x Dope D.O.D ‘Battle Royal’ (Music Video)

“After The Swarm we needed a fresh challenge. We always team up with producers but we rarely find rappers who are in our lane. We wanted a clash, but there wasn’t an obvious choice. We found out about these crazy guys who were putting out the sickest shit we’d heard in years and when we listened to them we knew they would be worthy adversaries.” – Virus Syndicate

‘Battle Royal’ is about confrontation and collaboration, a studio outing with the feel of a real sound-clash. In one corner: Virus Syndicate. Fresh from a 40-date tour of the European continent and collaboration with Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs, Virus have re-defined how to build bone-crushing electronics for the modern arena. In the other corner: Dutch hip hop collective Dope D.O.D. an outfit worthy of supporting Wu-Tang, while selling out headline shows across Europe and entering into the official Polish charts at #24 with their primal take on sharp lyricism.

“We hadn’t heard of Virus Syndicate before… We were familiar with the UK rap scene, mainly the grime sound, but Manchester was pretty new to us as far as the artists that represent it. Once we heard their tracks we were immediately drawn to their flow and we knew this would make for a great clash of styles, their UK sound clashing with our dark boom bap.” – Dope D.O.D.

An emphatic four-track EP of doom, ‘Battle Royal’ finds Virus Syndicate going head-to-head with Dope D.O.D. with no holds barred. The two collectives smashing together across an extended player that becomes something unforgettable: A supergroup collaboration that leaves you with a dark and twisted feeling in your gut as each track assaults your senses with razor-sharp wit, grinding notes of twisted bass and superheavyweight beats.

Released via Virus Syndicate’s own Midication imprint – part of EY3 Media, the group’s ever-expanding empire – ‘Battle Royal’ is feral and visceral, this is what music would sound like if Chuck Palahniuk changed careers; intense, furious, but deeply, darkly amusing – a satisfying piece that laughs in the face of the world even as it tears out its bleeding black heart. Don’t just take our word for it though; listen to the ‘Battle Royal’ EP and judge for yourselves. Could this be the biggest rap battle of the year?