The Greatest Filipino Rap Battle Yet: Dello and Target vs. Loonie and Datu

Sunugan 2010, which was a rap battle event held in the Philippines featured famous Filipino emcees who had made a name of themselves from Fliptop –the most popular organizer of rap battles in Manila. If you haven’t heard of Fliptop yet, read the article Fliptop: the New Filipino Rap Battle League.

While previous Fliptop matches shown in Youtube are entertaining, Sunugan 2010 is like the equivalent of a Pay-per-view event in the world of the new hip hop. Loonie, Datu, Dello, and Target are four rap veterans who have proven to Fliptop fans that they have the skills that it takes to dominate the game. If you’re not familiar with them, check out: Review of Filipino Rappers from Fliptop. Each of these four emcees have a fanbase that’s still growing, and seeing them in a battle together makes this tag-team match the greatest rap battle in the history of Filipino rap battle league yet. Hundreds of thousands of fans had been wanting to see a Loonie vs. Dello match because apprently, they’re considered the best ones.

The annoying host of the event was probably the worst part, but overall, it’s an epic match that fans will never forget. If you don’t understand Tagalog, I’d suggest you skip the video below, or get a Filipino friend with you to translate it, but if you do, I’m sure you’re going to be entertained.

Here’s my review of their match:

1st Round-

As Dello starts the battle off, he shows a calm and collected poise that makes the audience feel a cool vibe. Dello’s forte is his delivery; the way he spits his punch lines are effective because of the witty tone he uses to deliver it. Target, on the other hand, is loud and fast, yet like Dello, his tone is also comedic. Both Dello and Target used more punch lines that target the duo instead of individual bashing.

In the other corner, Datu starts it off with his typical hardcore attacks, but in this game, it just feels like his performance isn’t as great as his match against Cameltoe (Check here: The Filipino Rap Battle League to see that match). As soon as Loonie grabs the microphone, the aggression still goes on. His flow is relentless, and his punch line about the “one breast in the middle” (in Tagalog) is one of his hardest yet, but none of their lines really punished Dello and Target. Their performance sounds more rehearsed, especially in the end of the round when Datu tries to finish his part. It made them look somewhat predictable.