MC Battle
Jordi wins San Antonio Regional qualifier, kicks off Red Bull Batalla 2024
Find out how Jordi earned his spot, which other three MCs made it to the National Final and more.
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The time has come – the start of the 2024 season of Red Bull Batalla officially kicked off on Saturday, April 20 in the beloved Texan metropolis of San Antonio and, folks, the bar is high for the rest of the year. The kickoff helped four MCs graduate to this fall’s National Final, and crowned Jordi as the winner of the Regional Qualifier – a first of its kind in the city.
It was clear that the audience, hosts and judges, as well as a select few MCs who were handpicked out of record-setting hundreds of freestylers who applied this year had pent up passion and elated eagerness for the return of the season.
Magimbri and Boss at Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifiers in San Antonio
© Juan Valero / Red Bull Content Pool
Guiding the flow, and implementing the rules for the evening were hosts Rasco White Lion and Fluffy, whilst DJ Lobo selected the beats and songs that the seasoned MCs then slid their lines over. Everyone was locked in at the intimate venue of Paper Tiger as they used knife-sharp words and punchlines to fight for a spot at this year’s National Final, set to be held in Miami in October.
To kick off the evening, the Round of 16 was introduced by Texas veteran Cuban and New Mexico’s J Luna who came head to head, setting a fierce competitive tone with high energy that was carried and elevated with every following round. As all 16 MC’s were randomly paired and took the stage to prove their skill, the first phase continued to unfold with fascinating wit, focus and creativity with words to build off of like “herramienta,” “vaquero,” “televisión,” and “redes sociales” to help guide their freestyles.
VersoMC, Oner, Jordi and LinkOne made the new venue and Regional Qualifier city feel like home with their familiar faces and continued growth. The latter two showed expertise in ingenuity and camaraderie in their round. Simultaneously, newer faces like the endlessly composed Yenky One from the Dominican Republic, and Los Angeles’ Boss seeded intrigue and excitement for the next wave of MCs to come from the legendary freestyle battle’s playground.
Venue during the 2024 Red Bull Batalla Qualifier in San Antonio, TX
© Karlo Ramos / Red Bull Content Pool
After a strong start of thematic-led rounds followed by 4x4 freestyle rounds that served as a very spicy warm up, the 8 winning MCs from that round made it to the next phase.
Quarterfinals, as host Fluffy explained, included one-minute freestyles to which the opponent responded with 30 seconds. The newly introduced round to this phase elicited high energy back-and-forths that separated the good from the great, with the winning four MCs—Cuban, Yenky One, Jordi, and Boss—immediately earning a spot to National Final, where all the best of the Qualifiers will compete for a coveted spot in the international final lineup.
Jordi and LinkOne at Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifiers in San Antonio
© Juan Valero / Red Bull Content Pool
Semi finals then included smooth-flowing 40 seconds of freestyle per MC in which they brought forth some of the best punchlines of the night, which included “Te pienso ganar por todos esos freestylers que le robaste” from Cuban in the Yenky One matchup. Then, Jordi earned his spot in the final round in a tight round against Boss. The final, which included 3 rapid fire freestyle rounds, was a perfect followup with standouts like “Estas reciclando… al parecer en Reverse te convertiste” from Jordi which led to a funny wave of freestyle that centered their triumphs, or lack thereof, against the young 2023 Red Bull Batalla winner. Ultimately, it was clear that everyone gave their best, but a select four were ready for this year’s big leagues.
The San Antonio Regional Qualifier was an immaculate start to the season which will be followed by the New York Regional Qualifier in July. Keep an eye out for Jordi, Cuban, Yenky One, and Boss in Miami for the National Final as well. Needless to say, we’re just getting started.
Relive the San Antonio Qualifier event on the Red Bull Batalla YouTube:
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