Barcelona is hosting the first ever freestyle competition in Catalan

A hip-hop beat plays, and a circle is formed around the rappers. DufferTall and imposing, he stares intently at his opponent:

“You have arrived very strong, I will take all the presenters to the park, you have arrived safely, you are driving a boat and it is natural that today I will be the one who brings the wind in my favor.”

The audience screams. In front of him may Young RoveloWhoever responds:

“I'm not rich, but I'm laughing at you today, you donkey. Take Ventolin, I'm suffocating. They'll take me to the hospital, but today I'll take you there because you're going there.” “It ends really badly.”

More screaming rhymes rise in tone. From the outside, Duffer and Young Rovelo might seem to lack in this regard. But no one gets angry here. that it Free battle,discipline Hip Hop Where the rapper or MC They improvise rhymes live.

The jury decides who moves on to the next round and who must withdraw. In our country, freestyle fights attract a very young and large audience that follows major state and international competitions, such as those organized by Red Bull s Gold battle. But until now, the circuit has been exclusively in Spanish. Fights in Catalan are still rare.

This is on Saturday at five o'clock in the evening factory Coats Barcelona, The first freestyle competition in Catalan from history, Free Catalonia. Promoters, award winners Carola Foundation 2022They want to create an arena in the Catalan language.

“We want to create a competition with different classifications throughout Catalonia and ending with a grand final,” he says. Albert Alarcón, one of the project promoters. It has been working for years using Hip Hop As a tool for social integration.

“In the long term, in the future, it could also be a very good tool for promoting the social use of the Catalan language, which often seems to be limited to administration and education.”

Where does the idea come from?

behind Free Catalonia There is experience and knowledge of the hip-hop scene. It is legitimate Llobregat Bloc Partyan association that works on social and community projects through urban arts, in alliance with Gold battleIt is a group from Barcelona that organizes freestyle competitions in Spain, Latin America, the United States and Japan.

For the circuit to be successful, it needs an audience, it needs sponsors, it needs Catalan-speaking rhymers who have always used the Spanish language to take a step forward.

Register for Free CataloniaIt is open to everyone and free of charge, and has been well received within the sector.

The jury of this first edition includes rappers Valtonic, still sick (Tears of blood) i.e Sarah Langreaunarrator of very famous competitions, e.g Gold battle And the Master Free Series.

One of the big challenges facing a free Catalonia is Women's participation. Confirmed participants included Marina Boufounder of the collective RappelgatesI Young Rovelothe young rapper he collaborated with Altite.

The free fight on Saturday can be watched live on the channel Twitch Gamesportselectronics.

Rapping in Catalan, also a short story

The history of rap music in the Catalan language is still short. In 1999, Desop “I recorded the song”I'm not Polish“, a statement of principles that made him a pioneer in the scene.

Old school bands like In Versarispaved the way in the early 2000s, and the scene grew and multiplied with names like Mr. Goss I Otter men.

In 2011, Pawn gang He widened the playing field by bringing Catalan into the trap and twisting the language in an unprecedented way.

In recent years, the scene has gained diversity and now includes figures such as rappers Santa saluthip-hop reference in Catalan, and artists such as Mush s LildamiThat crosses the line between hip-hop and pop.