Music
Rappers Dizaster and Aczino face the most difficult freestyle battle
The two-time Red Bull Batalla World Champion, Aczino, and Lebanese-American rapping legend, Dizaster face Curveballs in unparalleled bilingual competition.
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Taking place in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, a historic undertaking in the world of freestyle rap took place this past Friday, April 22. The Prelude, hosted by GTX League, set up shop in the just-off freeway warehouse setting of the iconic LA Skate Park. Gathering both local fans and international travelers marked by numerous waving Mexican flags and apparel, an exclusive collection of rap enthusiasts congregated to witness a historic battle bridging cultures and languages together in the name of hip-hop with an innovative new bilingual competition.
As the day started, attendees were supplied with a healthy dose of California heat whether they were strolling in the outside area where they could indulge in food truck offerings or browse through some fire fashion options supplied by local designers and vendors. As they stepped inside the warehouse venue to seek refuge from the SoCal sun, the temperature inside was climbing as an array of heated duels between some of the best freestylers in the West Coast game took place. The match-ups were modeled in a pit-style, sans mic manner, enveloped by an active crowd of freestyle fans. The emcees delivered rhymes in a series of rounds consisting of an exciting format of acapella flows, providing an environment where the element of surprise from lyrical topics to beat rhythms were always at play. The match ups leading up to the highlight of the night took place in the order as follows:
- Reverse Live vs Don Marino
- Holmzie Da God vs Fate
- Chef Trez vs Saynt
- Big T vs Mack Myron
- Aye Verb vs Pass
- Geechi Gotti vs Kitchen Qleen
Dizaster x Aczino face off at Red Bull Batalla
© Also Chacon
As the sun set over the City of Angels, the crowd began to palpably turn their excitement towards the legendary main event of the night: a lyrical face-off between two respected and legendary champions of the art of freestyle: Mexican two-time Red Bull Batalla World Champion Aczino, and Lebanese-American Los Angeles-based rapper Dizaster. A first-time experience for both, the night would throw a curveball on their rap skills as their three round face-off came with a new twist: bilingual rounds that would test their lyrical wit and rhyme technique in a non-native language. Implementing a fresh take on what it means to be a true champion, the format would occur with the first cypher in English, the second in Spanish, and the third allowing for a bilingual fusion.
Before the respective legends took their place in the pit, organizers ensured spectators' safety by requesting their cooperation in maintaining safe distance from each other and also allotting appropriate space for the pit where the showdown would take place. As event preparation continued and spectators began to fill the graffitied skatepark to the brim with a diverse crowd, the two competitors began to prepare for what they both mentioned as “one of the most important, and possibly most difficult, battle in their career.”
Aczino exited and entered the venue in preparation, entourage decked out in support gear in company, as the crowd cheered and chanted every time the reigning Batalla champion was spotted outside of the green room. Dizaster spent some prep time greeting fans and even taking a moment to destress by showcasing his skillful soccer skills with a basketball. The DJ switches up the heavy hip hop classic rotations and starts spinning more Latin selections starting with Los Tucanes De Tijuana, sonically bridging the culture clash about to take place.
Aczino
© Aldo Chacon
The two competitors make a semi lap inside the venue, walking through the crowd as cheers ramp up, circulated by their adoring fans as they stand in the spotlight provided by a singular overhead light to allude to the pressuring amount reigning over them. A Mexican flag is raised and waved above them by a fan, as the rules are thrown down for the run of the night. CEO of GTX Battles and MC of the night, Lush One, sets the tone for the event, boldly highlighting the historic and symbolic nature of the match. “We’re knocking down borders, not only physical but metaphorical ones as well, through rap.”
Starting things off, the duo go head-to-head in the first English round. Dizaster flows with fiery ease as he displays why he reigns supreme stateside. His lyricism mixes between a witty flux of cultural jabs towards the Mexican Batalla champ, a moment of praise for Latinos in hip-hop dropping nods to the likes of Cypress Hill, and his aggressive dedication to his craft as more than rap, but an art. Aczino starts his highly-anticipated English debut with a forewarning comedic remark that he “didn’t really understand anything.” As the laughs softened to quiet additional noise, he led with “this is my first time in English, …speaking,” and continued his cypher by exploring a more lighthearted and comical approach referencing that his deliveries stem from finding words that rhyme from a Google translator. Post-duel, he shares the language tool assisted him a lot in preparation for the big match up. “I translated a few of my rhymes that have become legendary in the freestyle world, and some of them I had to start from scratch in English. I really enjoyed that process because there were a few ideas that came to me in English first and that was really interesting” shares the two-time Batalla champ.
Moving into the second round, the rappers settle into a more eased nature as they move into a table-turning, Spanish language round. Following suit of the first round, Dizaster steps up first as he shoots off a shy mumble rap, only to jump out and boldly exclaim, “Y’all thought I was gonna come out and speak some stupid sh*t like that?” The Lebanese-American’s promptly-learned Spanish was equally impressive to Aczino’s English delivery in the prior round. Utilizing cultural references like “Aztecs” and “Pancho Villa” displayed the rapper studied more than just language in preparation. Aczinos take? “It was much better than I think most people expected. I wasn’t expecting it but he really went after more difficult rhymes and it was very impressive.” As Aczino’s turn began, it was palpable how highly awaited his native language performance was, with old and new fans alike awaiting a chance to witness what has earned the Mexican freestyler one of the highest titles in the rap battle world, twice. He delivered a quite flawless delivery, fueled by witty responses to Dizasters’ cultural references and grounding his lyricism in the defense of his homeland and title as the crowd sensationally cheered nearly every bar he dropped. In a display of confidence, he even prompted spectators to get out their phones and record what was sure to be the destruction of his opponent, before finalizing his delivery of a title-defending performance.
The third round wrapped the night as Dizaster went for a mostly English language delivery with a steady hit of Latin culture references and Spanish language phrases. Aczino delivered the first half of his round in English, utilizing all his preparation work as he finalized with a skillful delivery of final remarks in a back and forth translation flow.
Dizaster
© Aldo Chacon
At the end of the rounds, one thing was clear: two sides of freestyle culture had more in common on the battlefield than expected. Both rappers took friendly jabs at the other's national culture, displaying an appreciative understanding and study of both language and culture, referencing to their love for their respective home lands, while also injecting moments of high appreciation for the other's reputation and identity in the game.
The significant event, which resulted with no declared winner, served as a testament to the overall mission of what it meant to be a true champion. As Dizaster mentioned in one of his deliveries, to even be willing to compete in such a difficult battle and take part in a mutual, cross-cultural experience in the name of hiphop was the true victory. Representative of this mission, both used moments of their freestyle spotlight to honor and highlight the significance of the battles driven pursuit like Dizaster spewing “Hip-Hop wouldn't be complete without Latinos,” and Aczino dropping “F*ck racism, it’s in diversity where we find beauty.”
Post-battle, Aczino shares the night served as another dream accomplished. Sharing a few final thoughts on the historic event he shares, “This was probably the hardest battle I’ve had to prepare for. I would love to be back again. It's kind of like that saying, one small step for man, one giant leap for humanity. That's what it represents to me. It's a step for my personal career, but it's a big leap for the culture of rap battles. I feel this will open up the path for more international battles, the inclusion of Latino rappers and the chance to inspire more people to step up to the mic.”
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