CEBU CITY, Philippines – A battle is brewing in the horizon at an off-the-cuff combat zone where only the fiercest bars, rhymes and the lyrical chutzpah can out-spit, out-flow and outmatch all others.
From Cebu’s growing hip-hop scene comes six local rappers who will battle it out for multiple cash prizes and a lucrative recording deal at OFF THE CHEST, a rap competition that gives a platform to rising talents and emerging voices in regional hip-hop.
Mandaue’s Cartel Studio, one of the city’s go-to hubs for great hip-hop music, will be hosting the 1st qualifier round on September 22. This already promises local hip-hop enthusiasts some of the most lyrically imaginative, emotive and fiery bars to come out of the Cebu rap scene.
The competition then moves on to Bacolod City at The Palms which will host the 2nd qualifier round on October 5.
Billed as a showcase of rap skill and pride, the grand finalists from the Cebu and Bacolod qualifiers will meet face-to-face for an all-out battle of ‘beats, bara, buga’ at Bacolod’s annual Masskara Festival on October 26 – where only one rapper will emerge victorious.
One-of-a-kind
OFF THE CHEST’s competition set-up is one-of-a-kind. Its innovative format focuses on the rappers’ lyrical skills and overall musicality, a refreshing change of pace compared to the arguably more well-known “Fliptop” rap battle format.
The competition takes inspiration from rap “cyphers” where a group of rappers perform together on a single track with each rapper having their own dedicated section in that performance.
This competition format presents a unique challenge to the contestants as they must flow to the beat of the track without sacrificing their narrative audacity nor their personal authenticity.
The team behind OFF THE CHEST has brought together some of the hottest names along with the pioneers of local hip-hop to cement it as a certified can’t-miss event for any self-respecting hip-hop aficionado.
Rappers representing Cebu are $ho, Daledo, and Tituz from Cartel Collective, DAP, Matriz, and B Wayne from BSK. While Rhon, RLVNT, and Psyke from Dopestarr and Kael, Slade, and Jerran from Boombapan will be representing Bacolod.
OFF THE CHEST
BRGR, awarded 2023’s producer of the year by Pills.ph and LOCAL PH, will be producing all the tracks that the contestants will be performing.
Bryan Ermac (a.k.a BMAC), known for his appearances in Spotify Kalye X, Sea Games and Ironman, will be the feature host for all OFF THE CHEST events.
The judges’ panel will also be comprised of locally renowned hip-hop pioneers who have paved the way for the culture of hip-hop to flourish in the regional scene. These include the likes of Mastamine, a popular emcee from Bacolod City, and Trestan Pacia, a renowned producer and manager in Cebu.
Since the 1980’s, local rap and hip hop started to grow in the Philippines with rap battles driving a strong resurgence of the genre in 2010.
The Visayas region recently become a hot bed for hip-hop events such as the aforementioned Spotify’s Kalye X in Cebu and Urban Gathering in Iloilo City.
Masskara Festival is also regarded as a venue for event goers to watch the country’s most popular stars and hottest acts appear on big stages all across Lacson Street in Bacolod City.
