The Unconventional Poets Society
by Angie V. Garcia on August 11, 2010
Flip Top at Freedom Bar
The multihued fluorescent lights sporadically dart across the dim surroundings of Freedom Bar. It’s a Tuesday night: bar goers knock back a few bottles of beer as they nod their heads in sync to the constant beats in the background, while bartenders wipe the tables clean and carry on their nightshift duties.
It may seem like the typical bar setting, but this is not what the night in Freedom Bar thrives upon. They are all witnesses to a group of young male musicians onstage, expressing their own take of artistry.
After they decide to call it a show, they sit together and continue with their business. It has all the elements to a male barkada’s bonding session: howls of laughter, constant chatter, and a good supply of cigarettes and beer. If you’re already familiar with FlipTop’s YouTube videos, rappers like Cameltoe and NothingElse can be seen amongst the bunch. Anygma, the creator and referee of FlipTop, is easy to spot with his signature Oakland Athletics cap.
Fast-paced beats and freestyle rap are their forte— they are the embodiment of FlipTop, a hip-hop youth movement that’s rapidly becoming an underground sensation.
FlipTop is known to be the first bilingual rap battle league in the Philippines. In a battle, the skills of two chosen emcees are put to the test— they must diss each other in a freestyle manner, incorporating witty insults and rhythmic eloquence. The judges, who are chosen by Anygma, ultimately decide who wins.
Compared to the mainstream rap artists commercially shown in radio and TV, FlipTop flourishes as a medium for local emcees to display their skills and gain exposure, both in a local and international scope. With the new media era we currently live in, it has given people a bona fide glimpse of local hip-hop culture.
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