Hip hop, a cultural movement associated with rap music, began in the Philippines as early as the ‘90s, but it has garnered itself a less than admirable reputation with artists mislabeled as gangsters, riffraff and “wannabes.”

This is until a group of Filipino rappers and hip hop artists banded together in Manila to revolutionize the art and recreate the culture to become an effective medium for expression and advocacy.

FlipTop Philippines was born on Feb. 6, 2010, slowly carving out an authentically Filipino hip hop culture through its now-famous rap battles and tournaments. Its founder, Alaric Riam Yuson — more popularly known as “Anygma” — said the evolution of rap and its forms has prompted FlipTop to be an institution that facilitates the progress of culture. Anygma has been rapping since 2004.

Yet breaking the stereotype was not an easy task. Anygma told SunStar Cebu that convincing the hip hop community to adapt to changes was a great challenge during its founding days.

“Ang rap kasi evolved through time. Separate na siya from what’s familiar in movies na improvised style and may music or beat. Nowadays it’s acapella, kilala mo na ang kalaban mo. Written battles na siya and it makes way for more concentrated thought,” he said. (“Rap has evolved over time. It has now separated itself from the familiar style seen in movies, which often involved improvisation with music or a beat. Nowadays, it’s more focused on acapella battles, where you already know your opponent. It has become a written form of competition, and it makes way for more concentrated thought.”)

Growing fame

Conquering individual differences, FlipTop began to expand over the years. From 20 to 30 rappers or “emcees,” there are now over 200 participants all over the country.

“Skills and styles evolved. Yung mga bata pa watching FlipTop, mas hasa na sila sa techniques at nagdevelop sila ng kanilang sariling styles. Palawak ng palawak na talaga ang roster natin,” he said. (“Skills and styles have evolved. The young ones who watched FlipTop have become more skilled in techniques and have developed their own styles. Our roster of talents has truly expanded.”)

Famous FlipTop rappers have broken through mainstream music such as Abra, Loonie and many more artists.

While Anygma rejoices in the growing fame of Filipino hip hop, he admits being wary that large entertainment corporations may be reducing the art form into a commodity.

“In terms of acceptance, recognition, yes they help, but in actual overall appreciation and understanding of the culture and everything we fight for, I dare say, it has taken a step back. It becomes watered down and saturated,” he said.

He added that this also serves as a warning and a challenge for the hip hop community to stay true to its art.

Gubat 12

FlipTop entered Cebu around 2014 after years of attempting to break through the local community, which was resistant to FlipTop at first.

With the help of the local rap community, Rapollo, led by John Leo Ornopea, FlipTop began to hold events in the Queen City of the South.

“Gubat,” which means “war” in Bisaya, began to rally more Visayan

artists into the culture, and Cebu became the center for the Visayan division of FlipTop.

From Sept. 29 to 30, 2023, “Gubat 12” will be held at two separate venues: Mariners’ Court in Cebu City and the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.

“This year, it’s the first time we’re having the main events for two days. We’ve been doing this in Manila for a long time, but here in Cebu, the main event usually lasts for just one day. This time, we expect an all-out performance because it’s spread over two days,” said Anygma.

At least 32 emcees will be competing in a series of battles from all over the Visayas including Cebu, Samar, Leyte, Iloilo and others. Guests from Mindanao such as Dipolog and Surigao will also be gracing the two-day tournament.

Anygma hoped for the community’s support for the two events.

Future of hip hop

Anygma said the dream for the community is to see hip hop grow in the country and become more widely accepted, giving inspiration to those who find this art as their form of self-expression.

He said each artist has his own dream and FlipTop is there to help make those dreams a reality.

“Individually, I hope their dreams will be heard and recognized. Eventually, their art will become successful. For those who are full-time artists, they will achieve financial success through their music and hard work. I hope the appreciation for creators from all sides, from creators to consumers, continues to grow,” said Anygma.

As for FlipTop, their duty remains to continue pushing the art form forward.