Old Gods vs New Gods? This is possibly a series of matches the FlipTop community wants to see very soon. The OG are being called out by rookies and newcomers, and it won’t take long until that happens. Previously, we’ve made a ranking of the 10 greatest emcees in the history of FlipTop Battle League. Now, let’s take a look at the 5 best New Generation battle rap emcees in the Philippines.
5. AKT (Nathaniel Nicole Nachor)
It’s not unusual for emcees to change their stage names in the midst of their career. We’ve witnessed Spade transition as Goriong Talas and now, there’s the once bullied and discriminated Nico, who turned his career around after changing his name to AKT (pronounced as Akata).
Many years ago, Nico was the laughingstock of the league. He was always on the sidelines, watching the best rappers hit the center stage. However, being ridiculed by some emcees marked Nico’s villain arc.
After changing his name to AKT, he instantly gained popularity for his unorthodox style as well as his call outs to Anygma. He started spitting bars and made headlines after numerous controversial battles that made him notorious in FlipTop. Back then, Nico was just a young innocent kid that wanted to be like the Loonies or the BLKDs. Then AKT was born, and now he’s a new beast among the new generation.
4. K-Ram (Mark Lacerna Pinaga)
Wits? Jokes? Multi? Bars? Rising star K-Ram, or Mark Lacerna Pinaga, is slowly being recognized as one of the most exciting and entertaining emcees in FlipTop today. In hindsight, his flow is similar to that of jokester Sinio.
K-Ram is a pure entertainer and is somehow a standard for stage presence. If only he’s given a chance to battle top-tier rappers, he’s definitely a champion in the making.
3. Ruffian
Rapper and songwriter Ruffian was dubbed as a super rookie in 2021, for all the good reasons.
His jawdropping technical flow and mind blowing punchlines always create a solid matchup every time he steps on the stage. Ruffian’a delivery is finals worthy, and everyone’s hoping he gets that Isabuhay championship soon.
2. Zaki (Zaki Sufyan)
Zaki has a similar technique with AKT and GL, but has made his own identity through the years.
Zaki has put the “Slant rhyme” scheme on the map, and perfectly utilizes rhyme schemes and quotable punchlines to his advantage. Delivery-wise, Zaki is already on another level. That being said, should we see a future match between Zaki and the number 1 name on this list?
1. GL (Gilbert Campo)
Right now, GL is the best emcee in the new generation of rappers. Although he’s already 31 years old, but GL just joined FlipTop a couple of years ago. Ask any current and old emcee in the league and they’ll say that GL is the biggest name in today’s game.
The Leyte-based rapper is already right up there with Loonie, BLKD, Tipsy D, Sak Maestro, and Apekz as the greatest lyricists in history. In addition, GL is a very dominant force that’s easily a favorite in any era.
