From A Fan's Perspective
From A Fan’s Perspective: Ahon 3
Was Ahon 3 an epic event? Let this fan share their story.
Anonymous Battle Fan
December 11, 2023
It was the 10th of December 2011. FlipTop is already a household name and more and more emcees are stepping up in the battle scene. It was the start of our Christmas break so me and four of my classmates decided to finally attend our very first event: Ahon 3. All five of us are solid Loonie fans so just seeing his name on the poster twice was enough for us to buy presale tickets. Ahon 3 was the first Ahon to be held at San Juan Gym. Seeing the huge venue plus the huge crowd already made us feel like we were part of hip-hop history. So how were the battles? Let’s talk about our favorites!
Even his naysayers would agree that Ahon 3 was Loonie’s night. He won twice against some serious competition, namely BLKD and Dello. Not only did Loonie go all out with his multisyllabic rhymes but he also dropped tons of witty lines, clever references, and brutal haymakers. Every bar was extra venomous because of his intense delivery and stage presence. We all witnessed a true emcee at work! Of course, we still give BLKD and Dello their props. Dello was still entertaining and impressive throughout while BLKD learned a lot from that experience.
Tipsy D was just starting in battle rap at that time so our expectations were low on his battle with Gin. After finishing his rounds, we officially became fans of him. It was a one-sided affair but it was still worth it because we saw the rise of one of the league’s top emcees. We couldn’t help but react loudly to Tipsy D’s intricate schemes and creative angles. B.I.L.L.Y. (who eventually became known as Prosecutor Billy) vs Singleshot is certainly the most underrated matchup for us. It was an early example of quality technical lyricism with sparks of the leftfield style.
Ahon 3 is also memorable because it’s the last Ahon to have English Conference battles. Josh G vs Durante and Sincity vs JedLi were overlooked classics. Both battles featured back-and-forth action, with each emcee displaying their respective strengths. If we had to choose one rapper who truly stood out, then that would be Josh G. We feel that he was the one who brought the “total package”. He delivered a perfect mix of pure lyricism and comedy and he arguably had the most polished delivery amongst the English Conference lineup.
As rock fans, we will always be thankful for the musical performances in Ahon 3. It was a treat watching Caliph8, Red-I, Pasta Groove, Fred, and Sloj create hip-hop beats in the most inventive fashion. We were left in awe by the harmony between MPCs, turntables, and a guitar. It was there that we realized that hip-hop is more than just a drum machine and a microphone. We were so amazed by the production that we forgot to take videos of it.
WATCH: Ahon 3
Yes, Ahon 3 will forever be etched in our memories. It was our first event and it certainly wasn’t our last. We became much bigger fans of both battle rap and the hip-hop culture as a whole because of it. Thank you to the FlipTop staff, the battle emcees, and the musical performers for giving us an unforgettable show. Fast forward to the present, we can’t wait for Ahon 14. To those who have bought tickets like us, we’ll see you all there!
