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Let’s Take It Back: Zoning 14
Zoning 14 took place almost two years ago! Let’s revisit this historic event.
Dante Romero
May 29, 2024
It was the third post pandemic FlipTop event and second in Metro Manila. The 14th edition of Zoning took place on the 16th of July 2022 at Tiu Theater in Makati Central Square. We were still fresh from the pandemic era, which was why it felt so great coming to the venue and seeing all the fans in attendance. During the height of COVID, we all thought things would never go back to normal again. You could already feel the excitement of the crowd when Anygma stepped on stage for the introduction.
Seven battles were held here, two of which are for the first round of the 2022 Isabuhay. For the tournament matches, we saw Pistolero vs Plaridhel and Elbiz vs Zend Luke. Both are epic style clashes that highlight the strengths of each emcee. The tournament concluded at Ahon 13, where Pistolero was crowned the champion. Prince Rhyme vs Vitrum and CripLi vs K-Ram was a perfect mix of comedic and hard-hitting lines, with the four rappers delivering some of their most creative bars at the time. J-King vs Fukuda wasn’t just a bar fest, but also a showcase of impeccable delivery and stage presence. Hazky vs Mastafeat and Jonas vs SirDeo represented two types of comedy in battle rap. The Hazky and Mastafeat matchup featured traditional witty humor while Jonas vs SirDeo had that outlandish, unorthodox brand of comedy. Whatever your preference is, you have to admit that there were no dull moments in these two bouts.
Indeed, Zoning 14 was a buffet of battle rap styles. From technical to funny to heavy lyricism, they were all displayed on this event. As for the live audience, they were hyped all throughout. Tiu Theater was packed that night, despite the heavy rains, which just shows how passionate the fans are in supporting this art form. They reacted to every great line while honoring the “respect the emcees” message. Many were still worried that after Second Sight 10, we would be getting more lockdowns, but when Zoning 14 came along, it was safe to say that the bad times were over. Zoning 14 deserves to be called a historic event not only because of the amazing battles but also because of the overall positive atmosphere it produced.
FlipTop went on to have more memorable events in 2022 without the fear of getting shut down again and that’s thanks to the vaccines and the dedicated medical workers all over the world. To those who’ve attended, what were your favorite matches and moments here? Did you have a crazy story you want to tell? Feel free to share them in the comments section. The next Zoning event will take place this Saturday at the same venue. There will be eight battles, two of which are for the 2024 Isabuhay quarterfinals. Pre-sale tickets are still available so if you’re interested, send a PM to FlipTop’s official Facebook page. They also post information about partner stores where you can also buy tickets. Let’s continue supporting battle rap and of course, Philippine hip-hop!
