General
FlipTop 2025 So Far
We’re now halfway through 2025. Let’s take a look back at the last six months.
Anonymous Staff
July 04, 2025
That’s right. We’ve now reached the middle of 2025. There have been some setbacks, but nevertheless, these past six months have proven that FlipTop is here to stay. So, before we officially move forward, let’s take a quick journey back to see the highlights of the year so far. Firstly, a big thank you to all of the emcees and fans for keeping the league and the whole movement alive.
2025 is extra special because it’s also the 15th anniversary of FlipTop. There were two celebrations: one in Metro Manila and another in Cebu. The Metro Manila event took place at a club in Quezon City, and like the previous years, it had a private party setup where only emcees and close acquaintances attended. If you’ve seen the images online, it was indeed a fun and memorable night. The Visayas Division held a Grain Assault event at J-Cob’s (now known as Apollo Sports Bar) in Mandaue. Fans were welcome and they partied with their favorite artists while jamming to some good hip-hop music from DJs Eazy-Q, Kingslay, and Kokas. Everyone had a great time like in Metro Manila.
The first battle event of 2025 was Ahon 15 Day 3, which happened on March 29. It took place at a new venue: The Events Pavilion in Shaw. The lineup is a perfect mixture of veterans and up-and-comers, and each battle delivered. After the matches, Anygma announced the lineup of the Isabuhay 2025 Tournament, and fans got excited immediately. It has the potential to be as epic as or even exceed last year’s competition.
Second Sight 14 on the 26th of April was the second battle affair of the year. FlipTop returned to the amazing Metrotent Convention Center in Pasig, and all battles were for the first round of Isabuhay. While there was one matchup where an emcee choked, the rest of the bouts were back-and-forth, instant classic verbal brawls. Which first-round clash was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section.
The next events were Zoning 18 and 19, which took place on May 24 and May 31 respectively at TakeOver Lounge in Katipunan. For these affairs, FlipTop focused on the new generation of emcees. When the posters were released on social media, both lineups received a large amount of negative feedback. It was the usual complaints: no “old gods” and they see the competing rappers as “nobodies”. Still, Zoning 18 and 19 pushed through and ended up being memorable throughout. We had battle of the year candidates, stellar performances, and tons of surprises. The critics were silenced on these nights.
A month later, the league made its Cebu comeback with an epic hip-hop weekend. June 27 was the Rapollo Mindfields at Apollo Sports Bar. It had MC and DJ performances, an open mic, and six battles. The place was packed, and the energy was high all night. On June 28, the 15th edition of Gubat took place. Mariner’s Court was the venue once again, and eight battles happened here, including the first Isabuay quarterfinals match. Fans in attendance consider this as one of the best FlipTop events ever. For those who weren’t able to witness it live, watch out for the uplaods.
So what’s in store for the next six months. You just have to wait and see. One thing is for certain: there will be plenty more historic moments on the way. Enjoy the ride! The next event is Unibersikulo 13. You can check out our pre-event review here.
Sadly, 2025 battle rap also had sad moments. The first one is the sudden passing of beloved emcee Romano. Let us keep his legacy alive by continuously supporting his battles, music, and other projects. The impact that he made in the local hip-hop scene will never be forgotten. He’s truly a battle rap legend. Another sad news is the passing of Erlan aka Teddy Bars. You may have seen him in a few battles in Davao, making the crowd erupt in laughter, but aside from that, he was also a dedicated emcee and producer. Thank you for the memories, Romano and Erlan.
