Retrovirals: iLL Cypher with Canibus, Big Pun, DMX, Mos Def, Mic Geronimo, & John Forte circa 97'

After the nostalgia set in from watching this video we here at ATG pose a question to you, what the hell happen to the Cypher battles? Once a staple of the of Hip Hop culture it has now faded away into the ether. It's been replaced with the likes of self-depreciating SMACK DVDs and a bunch of no-name pedestrians battling over who has the fattest mama (Thanks, but no thanks MTV). No longer are Hip Hop's top players testing each other skills head to head. Instead, their standing from the sidelines shouting from their camps.

Thankfully now, we have technology to preserve dope moments like these for anyone in the world who still gives a damn to see. Mos Def, who was arguably the winner of the cypher above, recently challenged some of today's top rappers to a Battle for New Orleans on Hot 97. Unfortunately it has seemed to fall on deaf ears but we can always hope.