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Hip-hop was born in New York, but next month Brooklyn will host a lyrical showdown with a twist: Every punchline, metaphor and mic drop will be en español. On Friday, September 26, the Red Bull Batalla U.S. National Final takes over Brooklyn Steel for the first time in the competition’s 20-year history—and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Sixteen of the best freestyle MCs in the country, plucked from a season of intense qualifiers in cities like Chicago and Miami, will go head-to-head for the U.S. crown. The winner not only nabs bragging rights but will rep the Stars and Stripes at the Red Bull Batalla World Final in Chile next April, facing off against the planet’s fiercest Spanish-language freestylers.
Expect a high-octane night of improvised verses, clever disses and breakneck wordplay as competitors trade bars in 60-second bursts, with nothing but their wit and breath control to back them up. On the judging panel: freestyle veterans Freites (2024 U.S. finalist), Jay-Co (2007 World Final runner-up) and Tito Yang (the first Puerto Rican MC to hit a World Final stage). Holding court as hosts are Racso White Lion, founder of the Orlando-based Indigo Freestyle League, and Batalla insider Sayonara, with DJ Popeye spinning between rounds.
The roster is stacked: Reigning champ AdonysX returns to defend his title; Reverse, a two-time national champ, is back for another shot; Miami’s Sourius arrives as the season’s Cinderella story after starting as a reserve; and Denver’s Desnivela could make history as the first female U.S. champion. They’ll be joined by heavy hitters from Texas, Florida, New York and beyond.
The whole thing is part rap battle, part cultural celebration and part verbal gladiator match. The energy inside Brooklyn Steel—already legendary for its warehouse-size sound—should be electric, with a crowd ready to cheer (and groan) at every verbal uppercut.
In the days before the main event, the MCs will gather in NYC for the Red Bull Laboratorio, an invite-only training camp with top producers and industry coaches designed to sharpen their skills before stepping into the spotlight. Translation: No one’s coming in cold.
If you want to witness history (and maybe hear the next great freestyle line destined for the meme hall of fame), you can grab tickets at redbull.com/batallanyc.