New York, the birthplace of hip hop and rap, finally saw the Red Bull Batalla happening in Brooklyn for the first time since the competition began.
It’s been a long 20 years for New Yorkers who wish to see these battles happen in real life rather than on TV, and Friday, Sept. 26, did not disappoint whatsoever. A total of 16 MCs rapped their lives away in a chance to join other finalists in Chile.
Not only was that number one spot at stake for these MCs, but they also had to deal with themes and props. Seeing all of the MCs freestyle and become animated and full of energy will definitely have you thinking if they consumed a Red Bull right before they got into their flow.
The show started at eight in the evening and ran until 12 a.m. A pre-show hosted by KGPonce and El Dilema interviewed some of the competitors before and during the breaks of the show.
They also had fantastic hosts on stage (Sayonara and Rasco White Lion) who constantly made sure that the crowd was hype and cheering their favorite MC on. At one point in the show, they all had their flags representing their origin, ranging from Argentina to the Dominican Republic.
They also brought on notable judges who are familiar with the Batalla and even participated in it at some point earlier on. Tito Yang was one of the judges and the first-ever Puerto Rican to make it to the World Final.
The hosts also announced the other judges, Jay-Co, an ‘07 World Final runner-up, and Freites, who was a U.S. national finalist for ‘24. They also performed towards the end of the show just before the biggest battle of the night.
While watching the competition, certain names kept the interest of audiences. For example, Desnivela was the only woman MC to make it to the Finals here in Brooklyn, NY, a feat that not many have accomplished. Though she was eliminated in her first battle, she still put up a good fight and proved why she was at the Batalla that night.
Another name that stayed in the mouths of the crowd was Oner, a Venezuelan from Florida and a ‘23 National Champion and made it to the ‘24 podium. He won the L.A. qualifier after being chosen as a last-minute substitute. This shocked everyone around the world, and continued to shock the crowd with his battle against New York native, Lil Panda RCK.
Representing all the Columbians in the crowd, Lil Panda RCK’s energy was through the roof during his battle. Although he lost against Oner, it was still an ecstatic show of skills from both young MCs.
With that win under Oner’s belt, his next battle would be very difficult, as he was going up against none other than Reverse, a Cuban MC from Florida.
Reverse not only won his battle with Oner, but then proceeded to win the U.S. national finals, sending him to the World Finals in Chile.
A remarkable way to celebrate its 20th anniversary here in New York. Between the battles, crowds gathered as the judges freestyled and got the crowd hyped for the final battle, which was between Reverse and Texas cup winner Jordi.
The night ended with Dominican artist Lismar, coming out and performing a mini set to close the night, a dream of hers that has come full circle.
“I feel very grateful because I used to be a spectator at the competition, and I watched Red Bull a lot and went to the competitions they held in the Dominican Republic. So I came here to sing and have that privilege. I feel like I’ve fulfilled a dream,” Lismar explained after her miniset.
An overall exciting event from the start of 16 down to the best of the best of that night. While fans wait for the World Final, the next National Final will take place in Colombia.
