From A Fan's Perspective
From A Fan’s Perspective: Second Sight 8
Let’s go back in time once again. Second Sight 8 offered a glimmer of hope for FlipTop fans during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anonymous Battle Fan
March 18, 2024
It was the first FlipTop event during a very dark time. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I was worried about the future of the league. With the cancellation of live events and the closure of several businesses, the cynic in me was getting ready to hear the bad news about FlipTop shutting down. So when I saw the poster of a new event on their social media pages, I was ecstatic! The lockdown, and of course, the threat of the virus had me feeling miserable, so I needed an escape, hence my overjoyed reaction to the news of Second Sight 8. As for the lineup, if COVID never happened, I would definitely get a ticket!
How was the viewing experience of the first quarantine battle event for a fan? I admit it was a bit strange at first. I’ve been watching battles since 2010 and have attended a few live events, so seeing the “bubble” set up from my laptop still gave me a melancholic feeling. There was no crowd, and while you could still hear the reactions of other emcees in the video, I still missed the energy of my fellow fans. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I watched every battle as my way of supporting FlipTop and of course the emcees.
It was when I viewed the Second Sight 8 matches for the second time that I found a much deeper appreciation for the art of battle rap. Yes, I still missed the audience noise after every hard bar, but the closed-room atmosphere allowed us to pay more attention to the material of the rappers. I admit I used to be easily swayed by the crowd reaction, but the quarantine battles era taught me to further respect the various approaches to rapping. The distinct styles of these artists truly shined during this time, proving just how diverse FlipTop’s roster is. It was probably the absence of a huge crowd reaction that allowed us to focus on every single detail in each round. By the time the next event came in, I watched it with a brand-new perspective, something that I still have up to now.
Another special thing about Second Sight 8 was that it also gave the spotlight to the new generation of emcees. It was where we saw the “main stage” debuts of Illtimate, C-Quence, and Bagsik. Their performances were great and they remained active in the league, with their skills constantly evolving. More and more up-and-comers showed up in the following events and immediately made an impact. Despite initially not being able to experience a big event, they still showcased their remarkable pen game. Kudos to them all!
I, and I believe the rest of the fanbase, would like to once again thank the FlipTop staff and emcees for keeping us sane during the height of the pandemic. Each one of you provided us with a feeling of hope and also inspired us to keep fighting. Four years later, I’m excited to attend Second Sight 12 this Saturday in Makati. I hope to see you all there!
WATCH: Second Sight 8
