David Doster, better known as Kyd Slade, is an American MC and battle rapper from Hartford, Connecticut. Known for his gritty delivery and real-life stories about his time dealing drugs – also known as “Plug Talk” – he has put in consistent effort in the ring since starting his battle career in 2013 on the Connecticut-based battle league Heavii TV Headshotz. He later became a rising star on prominent New York-based battle leagues like iBattleTV and WeGoHardTV between 2015 and 2018. His performance on those leagues earned him an opportunity to battle on URL, where he made his league debut in a Proving Grounds battle against Cue Morgan in September 2018.
In 2020, WeGoHardTV & URL event organizer and host Troy Martin chose Kyd Slade as a Wild Card pick for the New York region in Season 1 of The Crucible, URL’s latest talent development program. Throughout the competition, Kyd Slade would go on to impress judges and battle analysts with his intensity, stage presence, and storytelling “Plug Talk” bars.
As he advanced through Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the Crucible, he also was selected to compete in the Ultimate Madness 4 tournament for $25,000. Despite being eliminated in the second round, he still proved himself to be a formidable competitor in his tournament battles against DG Da Paronta and fellow Crucible Phase 3 qualifier (and eventual UM4 runner-up) MVP.
On January 16, 2022, during Champion’s deliberation for battle rap’s 2021 Champion of the Year, Kyd Slade was named as one of the top six MCs in the Crucible who qualified for a Rookies vs. Vets battle. In terms of votes, according to the Champion of the Year survey, he was declared the winner of the competition, walking away with the grand prize of $10,000.
Below is a list of Kyd Slade’s battles:
2013
#1. Kyd Slade vs. Dada (6-30-2013)
2014
#2. Bangz vs. Kyd Slade (11-29-2014)
#3. Reala Realz vs. Kyd Slade (12-20-2014)
2015
#4. Tapedeck vs. Kyd Slade (2-15-2015)
#5. SrRoc JuHeard vs. Kyd Slade (4-25-2015)
#6. Kyd Slade vs. Haze Tha Gift (5-24-2015)
#7. Kyd Slade vs. Jerry Wess (6-28-2015)
#8. Kyd Slade vs. Young Steady (11-15-2015)
2016
#9. Kyd Slade vs. Jak Tripper (2-20-2016)
2017
#10. Flash Da Gator vs. Kyd Slade (2-18-2017)
#11. Verce vs. Kyd Slade (4-22-2017)
#12. Kyd Slade vs. Ru Bando & Jerry Wess (6-3-2017)
#13. Kyd Slade vs. Chris Mills (7-15-2017)
#14. Kyd Slade vs. Red Flag (8-26-2017)
#15. Kyd Slade vs. Dougy (11-4-2017)
2018
#16. Prez Mafia vs. Kyd Slade (2-17-2018)
#17. Eddy I. vs. Kyd Slade (7-29-2018)
#18. Kyd Slade vs. Cue Morgan (9-22-2018) [Vaulted]
#19. Uncle Flip vs. Kyd Slade (12-1-2018)
2019
#20. Kyd Slade vs. Bandit Montana (9-8-2019)
2020
#21. Kyd Slade vs. SG (2-9-2020)
#22. Kyd Slade vs. Funeral F.A.M.E. (8-22-2020)
#23. Kyd Slade vs. Jay Breed (10-10-2020)
2021
#24. Tykoon Khrist vs. Kyd Slade (2-7-2021)
#25. Kyd Slade vs. Johnie Alcatraz (4-3-2021)
#26. Casino vs. Kyd Slade (4-17-2021)
#27. Kyd Slade vs. DG Da Paronta (7-24-2021)
#28. MVP vs. Kyd Slade (8-7-2021)
#29. TP Sareal vs. Kyd Slade (9-24-2021)
2022
#30. Kyd Slade vs. Bad Newz (2-5-2022)
#31. Kyd Slade vs. 242 (2-12-2022)
#32. Real Name Brandon vs. Kyd Slade (3-5-2022)
#33. Kyd Slade vs. HNH Zeek (5-21-2022)
#34. Ryda vs. Kyd Slade (6-18-2022)
#35. Kyd Slade vs. Big T (8-21-2022)
#36. Snake Eyez vs. Kyd Slade (8-28-2022)^
#37. J Blakk vs. Kyd Slade (10-22-2022)
#38. Stumbles vs. Kyd Slade (11-6-2022)
#39. Tay Roc vs. Kyd Slade (12-11-2022)
2023
#40. Shotgun Suge vs. Kyd Slade (2-18-2023)
#41. Kyd Slade & Awthentic vs. Sheed Happens & Swervoo (6-10-2023)
#42. Cortez vs. Kyd Slade (10-15-2023)
#43. Rum Nitty vs. Kyd Slade (11-11-2023)
^The exact date for when this battle was filmed is unknown, so the date listed is based off when the battle was released online.