MC Battle
New York’s finest clash at Red Bull Batalla Qualifier: A recap of the ultimate freestyle battle.
The atmosphere at the Mercury Store in Brooklyn, NY, was nothing short of electric on Saturday, July 13, as the New York regional qualifier for Red Bull Batalla 2024 brought together the city’s most formidable freestyle rappers. As we near the end of the national selection process of the most competitive Spanish-language freestyle battle in the United States, the momentous night was filled with everything from high-energy battles to captivating guest performances from Éxodo Lirical and J Noa to, of course, some of the best bars we’ve heard all year.
The night was a showcase of raw talent and fierce competition. Fans packed the venue, eager to witness the drama unfold as 16 MCs fought for a coveted spot in the National Final at the first-ever Red Bull Batalla Qualifier event in New York City.
Ultimately, it was Adonys who was crowned champion of the big apple. The strong three runner-ups—Freites, Raiiden and Métricoh Flowster—proved themselves up to the task of representing their city and roots at the National Final as well. All four will make an appearance in Miami come October and face the other selected freestylers from across the country.
The winner of the New York Regional Qualifier, Adonys, will be a familiar face to fans of Red Bull Batalla as the Dominican MC has been a standout performer for the last few years. Throughout the night, Adonys showcased his lyrical prowess and stage presence. Despite the palpable hunger from his fellow MCs, it was Adonys’ strategic wordplay and poised yet confident and experienced delivery that paved the way for his victory.
Other notable participants included Lil Panda Rck, Kingkique, Zkart, 4ases, El Domi, Dest76, Klauss MDK, La Eminencia, Jayco El Leon, Vnz, Gibby, and Eckonn. Each brought their own flair to the stage, adding to the overall excitement for the night and future of the art form.
The Mercury Store provided the perfect backdrop, too. The intimate yet vibrant venue was packed with enthusiastic fans, creating a special atmosphere that was palpable from the moment the doors opened, only heightening as the night unfolded. Cheers, chants, and applause reverberated throughout the venue and fueled intense exchanges on stage. A perhaps most memorable moment was when Adonys and Raiiden came head to head in the Semifinals and people in attendance chanted “Batallon! Batallon!” loosely translating to great battle.
In that round, and others like it that led to tiebreakers (known as replicas), it was ultimately up to the judges to decide who would move on to the next round and, eventually, the next stage. This time, that duty was assigned to MCs Dilema, Snow Qlq, and new to the Red Bull Batalla family, J Noa - a Dominican rapper who has been deemed one to watch, recently earning a Latin Grammy nomination for Best rap/hip-hop song. The esteemed judging panel for the evening evaluated performances based on creativity, delivery and lyrical skill.
The latter was thrilling to watch throughout each phase, going from Octavos (which included themed freestyles with word prompts like “boat,” “resources,” “novels,” and “birthplace of hip-hop” followed by true freestyles), Cuartos (which included what we call 60/30 or 60 seconds of freestyle followed by a 30 second response from the opponent and vice versa), Semifinals (which were 40 seconds of freestyle back to back), and the Final round which brought Freites and Adonys to the ultimate battle field.
In Octavos, there were memorable standout punchlines like “you’re in airplane mode, your charge ran out,” from Freites in his round against Jayco El Leon and ambitious exchanges like “yo soy el recurso que necesita el movimiento,” from Eckonn, followed by “Tu único recurso es no volverte una leyenda,” from the winner of that round and eventual finalist Métricoh Flowster.
In that example and others from the likes of Zkart from New Jersey, the passion and desire for glory from new faces was ever present with punchlines like “you have experience, and I have the will to win.” But, as shown from Adonys’ win, it takes time and practice to become the best. The 28 year old Regional Champion alluded to that throughout the event with lines like “novelist, I kill you in every chapter,” or “you’re the face right now, I’m the face always,” against Raiiden.
The excitement is far from over as we look ahead to the next stages of the Red Bull Batalla 2024 competition. And it was clear in their exit plans, that it’s far from over when it comes to the fallen MCs as well. In fact, Raiiden made sure to say “don’t give up because dreams do come true; I’ve already achieved mine,” after he lost the Semifinal battle against Adonys.
The National Final will see the aforementioned four MCs face off against top competitors from other qualifying events, including AdonysX, Zazo Wan, and Nico B who qualified for the National Final from the 2023 Season, and the four qualifying MCs from the San Antonio Qualifier, including Jordi, Cuban, Yenky One and Boss.
The New York Qualifier demonstrated that the city’s freestyle rap scene is thriving with talent and creativity, and the stage is officially set for an inspiring continuation of the Red Bull Batalla 2024 season.
Watch the Red Bull Batalla New York Qualifier below.