Gucci Mane (Born 1980)

Vs.

Waka Flocka Flame (Born 1986)

Battle Brick Squad, begin! Inspired by the release of Gucci’s quite good new mixtape Trap Back, I revisited my thoughts on which of these two friends, compatriots, innovators, goobers, was truly the best rapper. For a while there it was Waka no doubt, but many forget that there was a point where Gucci was blowing him out of the water pretty heavy too. Plus, they teamed up to pretty great effect on Ferrari Boys. This ain’t as easy as it seems.

Radric “Gucci Mane” Davis unexpectedly snagged a slice of the hip hop zeitgeist for a period about two years ago, doing a strange impossible-to-pin-down highbrow lowbrow rap thing that was utterly unique. One of the first signees to his 1017 Brick Squad crew was excitable dread shaking pretty mofo Waka Flocka Flame, who once again surprised the rap game by being totally great despite mainly just yelling his name a lot. I love them both. But which do you love more? You know how this works. Choice Is Yours…

Twin Peaks (1990-1991) 30 Episodes [ABC]

Vs.

The Prisoner (1967-1968) 17 Episodes [ITV]

This week brings us the battle of the supposedly cult TV shows that are actually very well known and loved by everyone. Not that it’s a bad thing. It’s just true. Sorry. Twin Peaks in particular has become a huge cultural touchstone both for my generation and the one (half generation?) directly preceding it. For the slightly older folks it was, surprisingly, one of the most popular shows on television. For us, it’s been a cool-kid rediscovery type thing that gets talked about in hushed tones and exultations. Mainly because it is really good. Also because it is weird, but mostly, I hope, because its good.

Slightly more on the freaky deaky Sci-Fi side is Patrick McGoohan’s dystopic penny farthing mind bender The Prisoner, which originally aired in the late 60s to great acclaim and has since been canonized by a very devoted and intense group of fans. Telling the story of prisoner Number 6 and his travails the Village, The Prisoner is weird and scary and confusing and great. Both these shows have scary towns. Were weirdly popular. Have intense followings. Ended prematurely. Are awesome. But you know how this game works. Choice is yours…

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) 75 Episodes [SyFy]

Vs.

Lost (2004-2010) 121 Episodes [ABC]

First things first: both of these shows are fantastic, some of the best I’ve ever seen, and no one will convince me otherwise. Feel free to come at me in the comments section, but you just ain’t changing my mind on this one. But the question is, which one is better? Fuck that’s a hard question. Especially since these shows are actually very similar. Both are epic in scope, to say the least. Both feature large and evolving ensemble casts without a true and definitive central character. Both are ostensibly “genre” pieces – one Sci-Fi and one fantasy – but both deal in much larger cards as well, and are consistently praised (or derided) for being more about the characters than the plot machinations.

Both dabbled heavily in spiritual and religious concepts, and both had endings that were controversial. Both grabbed the zeitgeist by the throat and both have changed the landscape of modern television. I love’em both. I liked both endings a lot too! What’s wrong with me?? BSG might be considered to be the “better” show, or maybe the more mature one or something, but I don’t know if I’ve been as obsessed with something that I watched play out in real time on television more than Lost. I wish I could pick them both. But you can’t always get what you want. You know how the game works. Choice is Yours…

Gary Oldman (Born 1958)

Vs.

Ralph Fiennes (Born 1962)

Some actors are just born to play villains. Something about their face just screams evil: a spark of the eye, a crook in the mouth, or perhaps the particular angle of their brow. Undoubtedly two of the best, and certainly some of the most prolific in their evildoing are the two men above you.

Gary Oldman is often heralded as the most versatile of villainous performers. Just look at his work in The Professional, Dracula, True Romance, Hannibal, Air Force One, JFK, and more to see his amazing range. I’m personally a humongous fan of Jean-Baptiste Zorg, his fey cajun future-coiffed sneerer in Fifth Element.

But, that being said, perhaps none of Oldman’s creations are as viscerally frightening as Fiennes’ epically unsettling performance as Nazi Amon Göth in Schindler’s List. Of course he’s also has bad dude turns as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, as Hades in Clash of The Titans, as Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon, and one of my personal favorites, Harry in In Bruges. Both of these actors are indispensably great villains, but you know how this game works. Choice is yours…

NFL Blitz (1998) [Midway]

Vs.

NBA Hangtime (1997) [Midway]

The amount of hours that I spent playing both of these classic arcade titles (both of which were later ported to the N64) is literally disgusting. I love Goldeneye, don’t get me wrong, but these two games define my early multiplayer experiences more than that shooter ever will. I can still very precisely picture the playbook in Blitz (it was the same for every team), whether it be the short yardage Blizzard or the magical Hail Mary.

Hangtime (also known as NBA Jam, more or less) brought us things like big head mode, being ON FIRE, and 3-man rosters that I will never forget. But if you could only have one… what a choice. Do I want to sling it deep with Brett Favre, or make it rain with Reggie Miller? You know the rules, only one can survive. Choice is yours…

The Weeknd - House of Balloons (2011)

Vs.

Drake - Take Care (2011)

A battle of best friends! At least I think they’re best friends or something like that not? Being that we gave House of Balloons #2 on our Top 50 and Take Care #4 on our Top 10 Disappointments of 2011, I think my leaning is pretty clear. But that hasn’t stopped people from swooning all over Take Care. But what if you had to choose between it and The Weeknd’s debut to exist and possibly keep you warm at night… which would it be? Choice Is Yours…

Justice – Audio, Video, Disco (2011)

Vs.

M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (2011)

Two french titans let loose their long awaited follow-up records for their breakthrough albums this year. Both were met with mixed reviews (here are ours), and both sounded like they were built for an arena. I get the feeling that people either loved or hated one or the other (possibly both) and that there was no real middle ground. So where do you fall? Choice Is Yours…

Lil’ B (Brandon McCartney) // Born 1989

Vs.

Kool Keith (Keith Matthew Thornton) // Born in 1963

So I’m sure some of you may be thinking “How the hell is he gonna put a legend like Kool Keith against a dude with about 2 years of notoriety?” Well even in that short span, Lil’ B’s volume of work is staggering and he’s probably got as much good material (and bad material) to match with what Keith’s done over his career (good and bad). Plus when they’re both on, they’re fuckin’ O-N, and when they’re bad, they’re just really B-A-D.

Since I first heard Lil’ B many moons ago I always likened him to Kool Keith. They’re both weirdos of rap who march to the beat of their own drum. They both toiled in low-to-moderately successful groups (The Pack and Ultramagnetic MC’s respectivly) before going solo. They both could use some self-editing of the material they release. They both have what I’d call unorthodox flows. They worked with some of the freshest sounding beats and producers (Clams Casino vs. The Automator) of their respective decades. They both have cult like followings… well at least Keith did, not sure where it’s at these days (that’s coming from a devout former Kool Aid sipper). But most importantly, they both  helped breathe fresh air into Hip Hop at times when it really needed it. While Kool Keith never sparked a whole movement around him, he also didn’t have the luxury of being in his prime during the real cyber-age. But that said, his influence and work is undeniable. But what if only one could exist? Would you erase the entire notion of “Based” in favor of a stay at “Apartment 223?” Would you choose a BASEDGOD or a Half-Shark-Aligator-Half-Orthopedic Gynecologist? Choice is yours…

Only thing that’d keep this from being an interesting CIY is how much of our under-thirty fanbase is familiar with Kool Keith? *crosses fingers*

Larry David (Born 1947)

Vs.

Woody Allen (Born 1935)

It’s the question you never thought we’d dare to ask; the showdown we would never submit. Well, we’re doing it. Larry David vs.Woody Allen. The bellower vs. the schnook. Two comedic geniuses, one gave the world some of the greatest comedy films and artistic representations of New York City of all time, while the other gifted the world with two of the funniest television shows to date. As difficult as it is, my vote is for Larry David. But by all means, choice is yours…

The Long Halloween // Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

Vs.

Batman: Year One // Frank Miller & David Mazzuccheli

Aight comic book fans, time to choose. Arguably the two most influential modern Batman stories, head to head. Especially in the age where Batman has regrettably (yeah, I said it) become more of a movie hero than a comic one, these two works are both humongous touchstones for the style of Batman as he is known today. Though TLH is technically a sequel to Year One, they both have very different takes on The Dark Knight. One all about B-Man and the Commish, the other probably the best use of the Rogue’s Gallery as a whole. Two unique and fully realized art styles. Goddamn do I love both of these. But you know how this works. Choice is yours…