10 Philippine Showbiz Today
Special Feature
November 8 - 21, 2018
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
Pinoy Rap is alive and well
T
he phenomenon of
FlipTop has recently
grown by leaps and
bounds in the Philippines. It is very
popular in almost every part of the
country where there is access to
the Internet and importantly where
there is a culture of collectivism,
like in the air-conditioned confines
of a computer shop.
In freestyle rap, hurling an
insult back at your opponent is
called a “flip.” FlipTop held the
first Filipino Rap Battle League
back in February 6, 2010 at
Quantum Cafe in Makati City
where popular Pinoy rappers or
MCs like Cameltoe, Datu, Fuego
and Protege entertained the
audience with their verbal skills
onstage.
FlipTop is an events and artist
managing organization that was
founded by Alaric Riam Yuson who
also goes by the name Anygma.
FlipTop members include BLKD
a.k.a. Allen Enriquez, Boy Pick-
Up a.k.a. Ogie Alcasid, Smugglaz
a.k.a. Bryan Lao, Abra a.k.a.
Raymond Mikael and Loonie
a.k.a. Marlon Peroramae. Today
FlipTop has divisions in the
National Capital Region (NCR),
Calabarzon, Central Luzon, the
Visayas and Mindanao where rap
battle events are held at least once
a year.
It is easy for anyone who
isn’t familiar with hip hop and
alternative rap to acknowledge
FlipTop as the modern-day
version of Balagtasan mainly
because of two elements present:
verbal jousts and the seeming
rhyme and meter when rappers,
emcees or MCs drop their bars
and verses.
Some Pinoy MCs even
consider themselves as being
a “makata”—not just the usual
“mambeberso”
who
writes
poetry for a hobby, but someone
approaching the much respected
rank of poet laureate.
A “makata” is familiar with the
rules when it comes to rhyme and
meter. At least, with the basics of
Filipino poetry like the first rank
tugmaang karaniwan or general
rhyme, rhyme schemes and
caesura. In Filipino poetry, words
that end with the same vowel do
not necessarily rhyme. Glottal
stress matters the most.
in the
Philippines
There are liberal rules set
in hip hop rap called internal
and off-beat rhymes. There is a
style called multisyllabic rhyme
which the popular American hip
hop artist Eminem uses. In the rap, BLKD a.k.a. Allen Enriquez
is bringing the poetry of protest
into his brand of rap. For BLKD,
wordplay comes effortlessly. After
all he is a writer first and rapper
second, stitching words into hip
Philippines it is popularly known
as “multi” and many Pinoy MCs
are already skilled in using the
style of rap.
Though battle rap is a
verbal joust, it is far from being
considered as the modern version
of the Balagtasan. Literary critic
Virgilio Almario stressed that
Balagtasan poets are “expected to
entertain their audience with bits
of humor, with witticisms, with the
spice of sarcasm, and moreover,
with theatrics like stage actors in
dramatic presentations.”
BLKD (pronounced Balakid)
said that “through both feature
the nuances of poetry, there is
a distinction between
their sensitivities. They
belong to different
historical and cultural
channels and we have
to recognize these
attributes.”
People might not
know him or if they
bumped into him on
the street they wouldn’t
think he is one of the
reigning
champions
of FlipTop rap battles
with an avid following worthy
of rock stars. From the trash-
talking battle ground of freestyle hop beats to weave his political
messages to the masses.
“Sa pagaaral ng college
sa U.P. naging student ako ng
Community Development. At iyon
na mismo yung kurso namin yung
pagunawa doon sa kalagayan ng
kaunlaran ng isang bayan o isang
lipunan. Nakapunta ako sa mga
communities, sa picket lines at
iba pa. At dahil doon namulat ako
sa katotohanan ng underground,”
said BLKD.
When he is not busy at work
you will find BLKD furiously
battling it out in FlipTop and as
an active player of the local rap
subculture, it is a scene he wants
to see flourish and thrive.
“Hip hop as a culture ay kalat
naman siya sa Pilipinas particularly
sa urban poor communities at sa
kabataan. Pero sa
mainstream kaunti
lang ang naririnig
natin actually ng
produkto ng local
hip hop scene. So
ang mga signed
artists and nakikita
o naririnig natin
kadalasan.
Pero
marami ang hip hop
artists sa Pilipinas
at marami rin mga
by Jose K. Lirios
PST Manila Correspondent
gawang pieces na hindi naririnig
ng masa,” said BLKD.
Rap music is said to have a
bad reputation and many critics
say it is the music of juvenile
gangs and urban hoodlums. What
are the MCs of FlipTop and BLKD
doing so that this negative image
of hip hop culture will change?
“Kami at kasama yung mga
kagrupo ko sa Bahay Kultura ng
Kalye, inuugat naming yung hip
hop bilang kultura ng oppressed o
mga inaapi sa lipunan natin. Ang
origin naman talaga ng hip hop
music and culture ay sa mga New
York Projects kung saan ang mga
minorities doon ay nakagawa sila
ng musika at kultura na tinawag
nilang hip hop. At ang rinarap ng
mga unang rapper ay ang mga
nakikita nila sa kanilang paligid
at ito ang tinatawag na conscious
rap. So basically pag-describe ng
kahirapan, struggle at iba pa,”
explained BLKD.
“Sobra inspiring ngayon
ang eksena lalo na sa tulong ng
internet at madali na maglabas
ng saloobin at mga inahing kahit
mula sa margins ng society. Dito
rin sa Pilipinas sa tingin ko ganoon
rin ang nangyayari pero hindi lang
ka-accessible ang pag-record o
pagpalabas ng mga na-record na
kanta o rap kaya hindi tayo ganoon
ka-aware. Pero definitely for better
or for worse kapag lumalala ang
krisis sa lipunan lumalabas ang
ganitong matatalim na hip hop,”
said BLKD.
“Yung isang rap persa
na pinamagatan kong Bente
inattempt ko ito na maikewnto
yung cycle of poverty sa lipunan
natin. Nag highlight ako ng
mga characters mula sa ibat-
ibang sectors ng lipunan tulad
ng magsasaka, manggagawa,
worker sa service sector, tsuper at
urban poor na nagiging kriminal.
Inattempt ko na ma-discuss doon
yung paikot-ikot na kahirapan sa
bansa natin at saan ka nagmula
naghanap buhay,” said BLKD.
Through his writings and
rap music, BLKD hopes to spark
genuine awareness and change
through sharp words that take
harsh realities and tell it like it is, a
message he wants to come across
loud and clear to his young Pinoy
hip hop fans. ●