The first rap battle in the Catalan language, with Valtonic on the jury

Barcelona hosted the first official competition for rap music in catalan language, free catalonia, Saturday afternoon at the Creation Factory fabra and coatsIn St. Andrew. The impromptu freestyle fight took place in Catalan with well-known personalities such as Majorcan Valtonic Jury and other musicians like Still Ill, Soen, Noult and Sarita who are popular in the rapper sector.

More than 70 freestyle artists came out to perform on stage in battles between four participants. A number that, according to Albert Alarcón, a member of the organization, “shows that there is an important group of people ready to rap in the Catalan language.” The organizers' intention, throughout 2024, is to: Get sponsors to create the Catalan Free League. “It will be a competition with qualifying stages throughout the Catalan territory and ending with a grand final,” said Alarcón.

Apart from watching the contestants live, the audience also enjoyed the concerts Musalien, Aradia and Acros. The competition is organized by the Associació Culture Llobregat Block Party (residents of La Fabra and Cotes), Gold Battle and the Raplegats group.

Social inclusion project

Saturday's fight represents the culmination of a path that began in 2021 with the first Improvisers meetings in Catalan. They gained further momentum when the Gold Battle competition and the Llobregat Block Party Cultural Association won the award 2022 Lewis Carolla Award for Best Idea For their joint project Periferia Gold Battle. The goal is Social inclusion Through rap music and urban culture To connect young people and promote the integration of females and the Catalan language.

Last year these different entities promoted Experimental tests of rap battles in Catalan In the Barcelona metropolitan area, but all within competitions in which the bulk of the performances were in Spanish. The proposal was a success, especially among young people, with more than 450 participants in rap music and 3,400 participants.