Sixteen freestyle rappers battled it out in Miami this past weekend for the Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifier, testing their quick wits and killer lines for a chance to make it to the world stage and take home the title of best freestyler in the Spanish rap world.
Miami
Meet the Winner and Contestants of the Red Bull Batalla Miami Regional Qualifier (Part One)
Sixteen freestyle rappers battled it out in Miami this past weekend for the Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifier, testing their quick wits and killer lines for a chance to make it to the world stage and take home the title of best freestyler in the Spanish rap world.
Red Bull Brought The Knockturnal to Miami to Explore the World’s Largest Freestyle Competition – and it did not disappoint
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Attendees during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
We all know Red Bull gives you wings, but did you know that it can also help people spit out fire?
That was the case in Miami this weekend when the top Spanish-language lyricists from all over the country delivered some brutal and precise lines at the Red Bull Batalla Regional Qualifier.
Now celebrating its 16th year, the Red Bull Batalla boasts the largest freestyle competition in the world, and the talent that flocked to Miami for the Regional Qualifier had The Knockturnal questioning if we were at the National Final instead.
Sixteen rappers, freestylers, dancers, and artists all around compete in three different regional qualifiers–with the previous qualifiers taking place in Los Angeles in July and Houston in August–to test their quick-witted rhyming strengths and prove why they should advance to the National Final in Dallas in November. The winner of the National Final will test their chops with top MCs from all over the world in the Red Bull Batalla World Final, taking place in Bogotá, Colombia, on December 2.
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Sara Socas performs during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
Ahead of the Miami Qualifier, Red Bull welcomed several journalists from across the country to stay in the art mecca neighborhood of Wynwood in Miami. This year’s contestants stayed at the Arlo Wynwood, a hotel with killer views of Wynwood Walls murals, and a gorgeous rooftop pool complete with occasional guest DJ parties. With the surrounding area of Wynwood full of art, culture, and great food, and with the influx of murals, graffiti, dancing, and Spanish-speaking hip-hop heavyweights intersecting at every corner, the stage was certainly set for the world’s largest freestyle competition.
In between graffiti workshop classes and Asian-Latin fusion dinners, the stage was also certainly set at an unsurprising venue where often these subcultures intersect: a skatepark. That’s right: the Red Bull Batalla Miami Regional Qualifier was set right in the middle of a half-pipe ramp, letting the crowd there certainly match the energy of the contestants freestyling for the Red Bull red, yellow, and blue-colored Batalla trophy, featuring a recording mic.
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Apache performs during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
The weekend started with a graffiti workshop class at the Miami Art Society, which detailed how the Wynwood neighborhood came to be, artists works in the gallery, and how graffiti often intertwined with hip-hop and freestyling. This was then followed by a graffiti lesson by Entes, a Peruvian-born graffiti artist who not only enlisted in the help of Red Bull staff and reporters to ultimately make a freestyling avian he cheekily called “Rooster,” but also created a spot-on Red Bull logo just by using his naked eye.
The night concluded with an Asian-Latin fusion dinner at El Chinito, just down the block from both Arlo Wynwood and the Miami Art Society. The dinner consisted of mixed fusion dishes such as carnitas shumai and watermelon “tuna” pizza; and Red Bull-inspired drinks such as the Chinito Summer (Red Bull Red Edition– watermelon – Tanqueray Gin, Peach Schnapps, lime juice, and simple syrup) and Buru Loko (Red Bull Coconut Berry, Tequila Blanco, Peychaud’s Bitters), as well as the standard Red Bull Vodka.
Before the show started on Saturday evening, several emcees chatted about their upbringings and how they got into freestyle, as well as what they had on their minds ahead of the competition. The scene was set once the show began: Red Bull brought out the Secret Walls crew to enter a real-time live painting battle during the qualifier. Artists Ruth Burotte Tamfee (@rutamfi) and Marlon Pruz (@marlonpruz) battled it out against artists @chnkfondue and @zoegen, unveiling an emcee-inspired work of art.
Judges for the qualifier included MC Snow, Chester, and Sara Socas, with co-hosts Racso White Lion and Sonja La Makina
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Sourius competes against VNZ during Red Bull Batalla Miami Qualifiers at Skatebird in Miami, Florida on 26 of August, 2023 // Ian Witlen / Red Bull Content Pool
Leading the show and accompanied by DJ Cesar’s mixing abilities at the turntable. After the emcee was crowned the winner of the Miami Regional Qualifier–with a special guest appearance by El Misionero right before the final round–a Venezuelan rapper Apache gave the crowd a closing performance.
The fantastic weekend truly showcased the opportunity for young emcees to hone in their craft at the Red Bull Batalla and unite emcees from not only all over the country but around the world as young emcees in the United States make their way to the global stage.
Read our interviews with AdonysX, JD, and Crown here.
And our interview with Jay_Co “El Leon” and linked here.
A Conversation with Omar Apollo: Refreshing Summer Drinks and Artistic Inspiration
As the season of sunshine, beach waves, and traveling comes around the corner, one must be prepared for the inevitable drink of choice to elevate the summer season. The Knockturnal had the chance to sit down with the fantastic singer-songwriter and beloved musician Omar Apollo, to talk about his latest collaboration with Buchanan’s Scotch Whiskey, as well as dive into his artistic integrity, successes, touring, and fan experiences.
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Off Grid racing hospitality group by notable event producer Peter Klein partnered with SLS South Beach in Miami on exclusive programming that took place all weekend long at Hyde Beach celebrating Formula One weekend in Miami, May 5th – 7th, 2023.
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OFF GRID TO HOST WEEKEND ACTIVATION DURING FORMULA 1 MIAMI RACE WEEKEND WITH SLS SOUTH BEACH AND HYDE BEACH AND OFFICIAL ALFA ROMEO CLOSING NIGHT PARTY
Off Grid, an all new hospitality concept by event producer Peter Klein who is known for activating over F1 weekends, will debut during Miami’s upcoming Grand Prix as an exclusive programming lineup with luxury hotel and nightlife partners SLS South Beach and Hyde Beach Miami. SLS South Beach will transform into a race weekend hub, set to dominate programming with the Off Grid series of events and headlining DJ performances May 5th-7th, 2023. Exclusive OFF GRID parties at SLS South Beach over the three days to be headlined by Richard Orlinksi, Ruckus, DJ Cruz, and James Hype, with the Alfa Romeo Official Closing Night Party.