Red Bull has recently caught up with Alaric Riam Yuson, more known as Anygma, the co-founder of the prominent hiphop battle league, Fliptop. The sudden rise of hiphop in the Philippines through this league has been nothing short of compelling. Though, full of misconceptions, it has truly set the bars high for the culture. Giving birth to various new names in the industry, creating significant following for the scene and its artists, Anygma's passion project has made its point. However, he specifies that though it arrived to mainstream consciousness quickly, it is still not in its full potential, the hiphop scene in the country. This is heavily due to the ill-informed and unsupportive corporate entities and organizations that can help progress the culture, but does otherwise.
“Believe it or not I’ve even had a motel chain and a condom company turn down our sponsorship proposals because we weren’t wholesome by their standards. In other words, unless the mainstream is willing to accept or at least be open-minded about hiphop in its entirety, it will not be easier to change the Philippine rap scene for the better by partnering with them.”
“FlipTop was able to achieve what none of these heavily funded, profit-oriented organizations would ever have the brains or balls of doing. We brought such a niche and frowned-upon culture to mainstream-like awareness with nothing more than a Facebook account, a YouTube account, and a lot of hard work," Anygma said.
It is more than just growing the market and earning for the three-man team of Fliptop, it is about imparting the true essence of hiphop and educating people about it. It is very inspiring to see how Anygma is firm about his beliefs about hiphop, and how passionate he is about the art form. Read more about his thoughts about Fliptop and the local hiphop scene here.
Source: Red Bull
Photos by Nina Sandejas
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