FlipTop Battle League is the first and largest professional rap battle conference in the Philippines, founded by Alaric Riam Yuson (known as Anygma) in 2010.The league promotes Pinoy hip hop. FlipTop is heavily influenced by the original rap battle leagues in the West founded in 2008 – Grind Time Now, King of the Dot and Don't Flop, which inspired the creation of FlipTop and other battle leagues around the world.
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| Credits to Google |
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| Anygma |
The First Filipino Rap Battle League, popularly called FlipTop or FlipTop Battles, is the Philippines' premier rap battle contest joined by underground and amateur rappers. FlipTop is sometimes described as a modern day Balagtasan, where two rappers are pitted against each other in a battle of a capella rap.
How does a Fliptop battle works?
Founded on 6 February 2010 by Anygma (Aric Yuson), FlipTop gained prominence through video-sharing site YouTube. As of November 2011, all videos uploaded on its official YouTube account "fliptopbattles" gained 107 million views and is the third most viewed and sixth most subscribed channel in the Philippines.
Though it has an English-language conference, the FlipTop Battles are popular for its use of Filipino in its lyrics. Though delivered in freestyle, lyrics are loosely structured and rhytmic.
FlipTop lyrics are commonly spiced with Filipino vulgar and cuss words since, like most rap battles in other countries, the common aim between competing FlipTop rappers is to debunk each other's notions through insults and expletives. As such, according to a blog entry on Filamfunk.blogspot.com, the FlipTop space “is not immune from homophobic, sexist, or racial punchlines.”
How does a Fliptop battle works?
- The contest consists of three rounds with a time limit for each contender set by the referee. Overtime is applied if the battle is a draw. The first turn is determined by a toss coin.
- Written or non-written lines are allowed. Both sides can also bring props for the event. Filipino language is the primary medium although other languages or dialects can be used.
- The winner is determined by the decision of the judges. The criteria for judging are the usage of words, audience impact, delivery, and rapping style.
- Aside from battle rap, the league has also had a beatbox battle competition, concerts, and seminars about hip hop culture commonly named as Mindfields.
Different battle format:
- Written - This format allows use of written lyrics along with freestyle and is now the standard format used in battles.
- Freestyle - At first the most common in all FlipTop tournaments, this format is now rarely done and has generally been replaced by the written format. Lyrics must be thought of during the battle.
- Old School - Is essentially the freestyle format but is accompanied with an instrumental, and is commonly used on tryouts.
Different variations:
- Dos por Dos - Tag-team freestyle rap contest. Emcee or Femcee. It can be Freestyle or Written.
- Five on Five - Five-member team freestyle rap contest. Emcee or Femcee. It can be Freestyle or Written.
- Femcee Battle - All-female rap battle. It can be Freestyle or Written.
- Intergender Battle - Male vs. Female battle.
- Royal Rumble - A rap battle consists of more than two emcees randomly attack or bash each other.
- Secret Battle - Same as the other battles but with limited audience. Sometimes it surprisingly appeared in the day of the tournament unannounced.
Common Battle Terminologies:
Bar: "Noun." In the context of rap, which may or may not be accompanied by music, loosely analogous to a poetic stanza or strophe (i.e. a grouped set of lines of determinable measure). Bars often are spoken of symbolically as a sort of wealth or stock possessed of oneself or another rapper.
Choke: "Verb." Run out of rapped lines prematurely either by forgetting prepared bars or failing to freestyle fluidly; arguably the single most incriminating misstep in rap delivery. Not to be confused with stumbling.
Multisyllable rhyme (Short form: multi): "Noun." Grouped phrases in which more than one syllable rhymes.
Performance: 1. "Noun." An act of staging or delivering a rap. 2. "Noun." The theatricality of a rap delivery, as separate from its rhetorical content or technical merit.
Personal: "Noun." A verbal attack highlighting details (often embarrassing) of an opponent's offstage life.
Promotional (also promo) battle: "Noun." A rap battle wherein opponents agree ahead of time to forgo formal judging. Battlers might pursue such an arrangement if they fear a loss would sully their record or if an opponent is sufficiently junior to them as to constitute a "step down" in their formal battling trajectory.
Prop: 1. "Noun.'' A physical accessory, including another person, used to assist execution of one's rap. Incriminating photos of an opponent, for example, would be a popular prop. 2. ''Noun.'' An accolade or point of praise cited in honor of another.
Punchline: ''Noun.'' A line delivered as the climax to a joke or series of setup bars.
Pussy: ''Noun.'' Offensive. One who displays weakness, fear, emotionaly and/or lack of character, as thought to be undesirable feminine traits.
Rebuttal: ''Noun.'' Bars delivered to counter an opponent's comment earlier in the same battle. Given the inability to foresee such comments, rebuttals are often delivered freestyle.
Setup: ''Noun.'' A series of bars executed as a lead-in to a verbal payoff, or punchline.
Wordplay. ''Noun.'' The witty exploitation of the meaning, ambiguities, sound, composition, rhyme pattern, and layered subtext of words and phrases.
Uses and gratifications theory is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. UGT is an audience-centered approach to understanding mass communication. It discusses how users deliberately choose media that will satisfy given needs and allow one to enhance knowledge, relaxation, social interactions/companionship, diversion, or escape. It also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their desires and needs to achieve gratification.
This theory of communication says a lot about how did Fliptop gained so many audiences. The choice of words they use in every battle is very appealing for the viewers. The audience are very much entertained when the emcees are throwing insults and personal banters.
References:
Choke: "Verb." Run out of rapped lines prematurely either by forgetting prepared bars or failing to freestyle fluidly; arguably the single most incriminating misstep in rap delivery. Not to be confused with stumbling.
Multisyllable rhyme (Short form: multi): "Noun." Grouped phrases in which more than one syllable rhymes.
Performance: 1. "Noun." An act of staging or delivering a rap. 2. "Noun." The theatricality of a rap delivery, as separate from its rhetorical content or technical merit.
Personal: "Noun." A verbal attack highlighting details (often embarrassing) of an opponent's offstage life.
Promotional (also promo) battle: "Noun." A rap battle wherein opponents agree ahead of time to forgo formal judging. Battlers might pursue such an arrangement if they fear a loss would sully their record or if an opponent is sufficiently junior to them as to constitute a "step down" in their formal battling trajectory.
Prop: 1. "Noun.'' A physical accessory, including another person, used to assist execution of one's rap. Incriminating photos of an opponent, for example, would be a popular prop. 2. ''Noun.'' An accolade or point of praise cited in honor of another.
Punchline: ''Noun.'' A line delivered as the climax to a joke or series of setup bars.
Pussy: ''Noun.'' Offensive. One who displays weakness, fear, emotionaly and/or lack of character, as thought to be undesirable feminine traits.
Rebuttal: ''Noun.'' Bars delivered to counter an opponent's comment earlier in the same battle. Given the inability to foresee such comments, rebuttals are often delivered freestyle.
Setup: ''Noun.'' A series of bars executed as a lead-in to a verbal payoff, or punchline.
Wordplay. ''Noun.'' The witty exploitation of the meaning, ambiguities, sound, composition, rhyme pattern, and layered subtext of words and phrases.
Uses and gratifications theory is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. UGT is an audience-centered approach to understanding mass communication. It discusses how users deliberately choose media that will satisfy given needs and allow one to enhance knowledge, relaxation, social interactions/companionship, diversion, or escape. It also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their desires and needs to achieve gratification.
This theory of communication says a lot about how did Fliptop gained so many audiences. The choice of words they use in every battle is very appealing for the viewers. The audience are very much entertained when the emcees are throwing insults and personal banters.
References:
http://battlerap.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_Rap_Dictionary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_and_gratifications_theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uses_and_gratifications_theory
