They pack venues by way of words, blending bars, jokes, and insults to upstage their pen game foe. But backstage– outside their three 120-second rounds of feisty debates and incisive punchlines— they are comrades in arms. 

The rap battle scene came together and put up simple but thoughtful gesture to aid the victims of Typhoon Tino, putting battle-worn apparel and iconic mementos in hopes of raising proceeds meant for relief efforts. 

BATTLE EMCEES AUCTION OFF ITEMS
On November 3, a day after Typhoon Tino entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), FlipTop chief Alaric Yuson (aka Anygma) announced that a live hip-hop event in Cebu scheduled for November 7 had been called off.

FlipTop– Philippines’ first premiere (and the world’s most viewed) rap battle league– was supposed to hold a show that would’ve featured rap icons headlined by legends Gloc-9, Loonie, and Bambu de Pistola, but was cancelled in consideration of safety. 

For almost four days, Typhoon Tino ravaged major parts of Visayas and Palawan, with vast damage to a number of cities in Cebu whose flood control projects and infrastructure– like most affected areas within the region– simply did not stand a chance against the catastrophic impact.

On the heels of these circumstances, artists and battle rappers turned to social media to auction off personal mementos from iconic battles, most of which on the FlipTop stage. 

Katana, an undefeated battle emcee who’s set to compete in the finals of the league’s top-tier tournament ‘Isabuhay,’ was one of the first artists to put up a ‘bid for a cause’ post on his social media platform. 

He sold a hoodie which, according to him, he wore to his very first FlipTop event match. He reminded fans and would-be bidders to take the auction posts seriously, especially that proceeds had to be delivered urgently to the Cebuanos in need. 

Vitrum, himself an Isabuhay finalist in 2024, auctioned off the multi-pocket cargo jacket that he rocked as the “cultural swag wear” during his championship battle against eventual champ GL. 

Saint Ice, a comebacking battler known for his table-turning freestyle, put in a single package an entireIsabuhay semifinals outfit (hat, tee, hoodie), together with his handwritten script for the said battle.

M-Zhayt, a Dos-Por-Dos 2017 and Isabuhay 2020 champion, put on sale his championship cap during his Isabuhay gold medal match, pledging to give the proceeds directly to former Vice President Leni Robredo’s Angat Buhay foundation. 

Other artists who followed suit and put up battle-used items for bidding were Akt, Bagsik, 3rdy, Cripli, Batang Rebelde, Slockone, Pistolero, K-Ram, and Aubrey.

As of publishing, all the artists’ items on sale had official bids acknowledged by the artists in their respective posts’ comment sections. 

All attached photos and details courtesy: Nina Sandejas, FlipTop Battle League, Anygma, and the battle emcees mentioned via posts on their social media platforms