2013 has been a huge year for Battle Rap, and Smack/URL is largely responsible for the many historical moments that took place.  The first ever and probably the most highly anticipated rematch in URL history went down when Math Hoffa faced J. Dose, and the result was incredibly positive for Hip-Hop culture as a whole.  

Ms. Hustle and Jaz The Rapper, two of QOTR's finest, battled it out in a classic match on Summer Madness 3 for the top spot and title of "1st Lady," while the likes of Ill Will, B Magic, and Tay Roc, among others, had a stellar battle year.  

Smack also managed to accomplish the difficult feat of having a huge commercial entity support the movement on national television.  Getting the support of of a company as big as BET was a huge achievement that the battle culture has fought for since its genesis.  Together, Smack/URL and BET were able to take the talents of the URL and combine them with BET's 106 & Park Freestyle Friday and create the epic Ultimate Freestyle Friday battles. 

Aside from the great moments, there were some bumps in the road as well.  The Armageddon battle event scheduled for the end of 2012 was unfortunately cancelled due to conflicts with Webster Hall and The Gramercy Theater, but luckily the battles were performed at a later date and the negatives flipped into positives.  Everyone is well aware of what occurred at Summer Madness 3, but Smack/URL is continuing to push forward past the negatives and focus on expanding the brand and contributing to the history of Battle Rap.

While the "Top Tier" battlers have continued to raise their stock and gain more support from their many fans, the emergence of loads of fresh faces and new talent has been highlighted by the presence of Smack/URL's "Proving Grounds."  

Norbes, aka "the guy who works for the guy, who works for the guy, who works for the guy, who gets the dutches," has put in a great amount of work towards finding the future of Battle Rap and has helped to shine the spotlight on talented MCs such as Sno, KG The Poet, Mr Wavy, Ahdi Boom, Prez Mafia, HA Double, and many others.  In fact, some of the best battles of 2013 have taken place on the Proving Grounds, as many of the Battle Rap newcomers are extremely hungry and eager to put their best efforts forward in order to gain respect and earn the title of "Top Tier."

There have been a ton of Smack/URL battles that took place this year, and since the year is coming to its end, it's only right that we compile a list of what we felt are the best battles of 2013.  The list includes any battle uploaded in 2013, so long as it isn't a URL Vault battle.  Even though a few of the battles on the list took place at the end of 2012, they weren't released to the public until 2013, so they are eligible for the list.  We've included Proving Ground and UFF battles as well.  

If you disagree with the placement of certain battles, that is perfectly fine.  We encourage Battle Rap fans from all corners of the world to join in on the debate of which they feel are the best Smack/URL battles of 2013. 

Certain battles were given higher rankings due to their significance in the history of Battle Rap, how anticipated they were, or just based off of the general performance and bars of each MC.  The list is unbiased in terms of favoritism and went with more of a Smack White, "Bars Over Names" approach.

There are still a few battles that have yet to be released from the Smack/URL Born Legacy event and they will be added to the list accordingly once they are released.  If you disagree with the order by all means feel free to comment and share your order, or contact Battle Rap journalist Michael Hughes on Twitter at @hughes1128 and share your thoughts on which you feel are the best Smack/URL battles of 2013.

Check out the list above and let us know your thoughts.