After 13 years, Batas is hanging it up.
The Filipino rapper made his final appearance on the March 18 edition of Second Sight 11. FlipTop founder Anygma also made the announcement during the event, “Huling beses nyo na mapapanood si Batas sa battle rap o sa performances. Wala pa talagang nagreretiro sa buong kasaysayan ng FlipTop, pero ito na siguro yung isa sa pinakamalapit na pagretiro.”
[This is the last time you’ll get to watch Batas in battle rap or performances. No one has retired yet in the history of FlipTop, but this seems like the closest.]
The show also included a montage of Batas’ battle rap highlights. Anygma encouraged those in the audience to share their favorite moments on social media. “Give him his flowers,” Anygma said, as he acknowledged Batas’s contribution to the Filipino hip hop scene.
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Well-wishers poured over the weekend for the prolific and beloved battle rapper, who was said to be joining his family overseas.
In an appreciation post shared on March 23, Batas wrote, “Buong buhay na pasasalamat sa pagdiwang natin sa gabing to, at lalo sa mahigit isang dekada ng pagmamahal, pagmamalasakit, at pagaalaga sa amin, sa eksena, at sa buong kulturang to!!!”
[A lifetime of gratitude and celebration for this evening, especially in more than a decade of love, care, and concern for us, for our scene, and our entire culture!]
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Batas, whose real name is Mark Rodriguez, was among the first MCs to compete at FlipTop when the historic battle rap league made its debut in 2010. He became well-known for his formidable lyricism and sharp wordplay, and was described as one of the MCs to “introduced the Filipino fans to a more hard-hitting style of battling.”
He went on to bag two Isabuhay championships, sign under FlipTop’s independent label, UPRISING, and release his first solo LP, Ginoong Rodriguez, in 2021.
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Batas also formed two groups with his fellow FlipTop colleagues: Illustrado with Sayadd, Goriong Talas, and Apo Lerma; and Teknika Brutal with Apoc, DJ Arthug, and KMG.
