A BATTLE is brewing on 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 go 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 first 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 second 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 can emerge victorious.
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.