MC Battle
Inside Red Bull Mic Flex: Australia's New Freestyle Rap Series
Red Bull Mic Flex lands in Australia, putting the country’s best emerging MCs through chaotic freestyle challenges. Watch them battle over surprise beats on the Red Bull social channels.
What makes a great rapper? No matter the decade or the neighbourhood, the best to do it have always boasted a full set of ultra-sharp talents. It’s not just lyricism, it’s charisma. It’s not just speed, it’s stage presence.
So any good rap competition needs to test every rap skill, not just one. Enter Red Bull Mic Flex: a new series that brings together the country’s best new rappers and tasks them with a series of freestyle rap challenges, designed to show off their skills across a number of categories.
01
What is Red Bull Mic Flex?
Every installment of Red Bull Mic Flex sees Australia’s best emerging MCs go head-to-head across multiple short, high-energy freestyle battles. Some battles challenge MCs to prove their creativity and adaptability, others force them to flex their personality and performance ability.
For example? One battle might task MCs with weaving a verse on the fly that includes five random words, forcing them to link, say, ‘Parramatta’ with ‘gravel’ in coherent bars. Or MCs might need to freestyle over a surprise garage, reggaeton or techno beat they’re hearing for the first time.
Every challenge puts MCs under pressure to show off just how well they can freestyle. It pushes them to think quickly and creatively under pressure, and the whole concept is designed to feel chaotic and community driven.
At Red Bull Mic Flex, MCs have nothing but raw talent to rely on. And that makes for a very entertaining watch.
02
How does the Red Bull Mic Flex game work?
In each segment of Red Bull Mic Flex, two MCs go head-to-head in a series of challenges. These include:
- Alphabet Challenge: Create a verse using sequential letters of the alphabet.
- Story Mode: Create a verse in response to a specific scenario set by the host.
- Genre Drop: Using a plinko board to randomise results, MCs are given a genre to perform over.
- Random words: Create a verse using five randomly-assigned words.
- Random objects: Create a verse including five randomly-assigned objects.
03
Who is the Host and DJ of Red Bull Mic Flex?
Red Bull Mic Flex Australia is hosted by Mistah Cee, a DJ and tastemaker hailing from Sydney. Known for his high energy sets and seamless ability to blend hip-hop, house, R&B and global sounds, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and unrivalled technical skills to boot. Not to mention he’s built his career on knowing what’s good.
On the turntables is Irena Flywaves, a DJ and cultural curator. She’s supported everyone from Lil Kim to The Pharcyde at gigs, playing hip-hop sets that sample UK garage, Afro beats, disco funk and drum n bass. Outside of Red Bull Mic Flex, you can also catch her touring with Barkaa and running workshops to uplift the next generation of female and femme-identifying DJs.
Mistah Cee performs at Red Bull Mic Flex 2026 in Sydney
© Joel Tinker
Who are the MCs of Red Bull Mic Flex?
Every MC has been handpicked for their skill and proven performance energy.
- dxvndre: Dxvndre is an independent hip-hop artist and Samoan-heritage emcee based in Southwest Sydney, Australia. Known as "The Samoan Steve Austin," his music blends raw lyrical delivery with traditional "Golden Era" boom-bap influences and hard-hitting modern beats.
- Drizz: DRIZZZ is a 17-year-old Nigerian, London-born hip-hop artist based in Southwest Sydney, Australia. His music distinctively blends British drill roots with dark, visionary soundscapes and sharp storytelling.
- Elijah Yo: Elijah Yo is an Auckland-born Māori and Polynesian hip-hop artist, producer, and music video director based in Blacktown in Western Sydney, Australia. His music blends sharp storytelling with West Coast hip-hop, soul, and jazz-influenced boom-bap
- Mari.: Mari. is a Sydney-based vocalist, songwriter, rapper, and DJ. Widely recognised for her alternative, poetic style that seamlessly fuses RnB, Soul, Hip-Hop, and disco-funk. She is known for her dynamic live presence and versatile vocal looping.
- Isaac Puerile: Adlay wordplay and references to the train lines of Western Sydney are littered throughout the music of Isaac Puerile, who is building a reputation for wit with his sharp, savvy bars.
- Gabe Pickard: Gabe Pickard has been rapping since he was 14, which helps to explain why he’s so good at it. His sound draws from 90s hip-hop and grime while his lyrics hit hard with raw truths.
- MarkyDontMiss: He calls himself ‘the brown Shakespeare’, and there’s certainly plenty of poetry to the bars of MarkyDontMiss. The Sydney-based artist draws from his Indo-Fijian and South Asian heritage to weave bars full about culture, displacement, and identity.
- Jade Kenji: Jade Kenji is a Vietnamese-Australian artist hailing from Sydney's south west. Her melodies and poetic punchlines showcase her affinity for infectious flows and 90s nostalgia.
- Wiseguy: Sydney-based rapper Wiseguy is known for his dynamic flows, melodies and character. He is also one third of rap group GULLYBOY, alongside Benny Zen and Mog.Y.
- BVT: Beatboxer, producer, actor, voice over artist and rapper BVT certainly has no shortage of talent. In song, the Sydney based artist – real name Bernie Van Tiel – creates music that speaks to the experience of living as a queer person of colour.
04
Where can I watch Red Bull Mic Flex?
Mistah Cee performs at Red Bull Mic Flex 2026 in Sydney
© Joel Tinker
Drizzz, MRVZ, Mistah Cee, ILLP, Elijah Yo, Lamira at Red Bull Mic Flex 2026
© Joel Tinker
Mari, Mistah Cee, Elijah Yo performs at Red Bull Mic Flex 2026 in Sydney
© Joel Tinker
Mari, Elijah Yo performs at Red Bull Mic Flex 2026 in Sydney
© Joel Tinker