This post about FlipTop’s culminating event “The FlipTop Festival” was written on February 13, 2020, and published to their official website on February 11, 2022.
The full recap can be found in the FlipTop website.
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Honestly, I was surprised to see that they published my article after all, I was never notified about it. I thought that my lengthy fanboying over Loonie and his surprise performance at the finale was deemed to cringy to publish LMAO. While the man does deserve all the flowers for the legacy he created, his contributions in catapulting FlipTop into being the #1 most viewed battle rap league in the world, and simply because we were all so happy that he was finally out of prison, if I were to write that article again, I would’ve made that section much shorter out of respect to the other emcees who’ve put in the same amount of work (even more). That festival was a gathering of everyone that has made the modern hip-hop and battle rap culture what it is today; there were no main characters that day.
Another thing I would’ve done differently today is I would cut Anygma some slack over the organizational shortcomings that I criticized; or at least add some context on why they happened. Half a year after the festival, Aric talked about what really happened behind the scenes on Apoc’s “Likod ng Likha” podcast. Hearing about how much of a logistical nightmare it was to set up, the bullshit he had to deal with from sponsors and venue providers, and the massive financial blow that FlipTop took just to make it happen, I’m just happy it didn’t get cancelled. I’m happy it ended up being as enjoyable as it was. Heck, I’m happy that we even still have FlipTop today, and that the community is still full of passionate supporters and battle emcees. Knowing what Aric had to go through certainly fuels my disdain for all the scumbags who’ve defamed him as some kind of exploiter in the scene when he’s given his whole being to the culture all these 14 years. I know none of you clowns will ever have the heart or the balls to make the same level of sacrifices for the love of the game. Nor do I expect you to, I’d be surprised if y’all actually had that much commitment and integrity in you.
There’s a side of me today that wonders if making this event happen was really the right thing to do. Aric’s testimony of his experience has convinced me that such a goal is simply too lofty for our grassroots community, and the capitalist world simply will not let us get a win. But when I remember how we all came together for that brief moment in time, how everyone in the scene had a place to celebrate and contribute, and how it all happened thanks to Aric commanding that level of respect within the culture and literally putting his neck on the line, nostalgic feelings well up inside me and I go back to thinking that maybe it was worth it. And if Aric thinks all his blood, sweat and tears were worth it just for that one moment of solidarity and sticking it to the establishment, then the FlipTop Festival is your victory, man.
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