Abra. Instagram photo/@abraofficial
After his hiatus from the rap battle scene, hip-hop artist Abra will return to underground battle league FlipTop.
He confirmed this in his guesting on Inquirer ShowbizLive last Wednesday, April 11.
“Sumali po ako ng FlipTop tournament this year. Binubuhay ko ‘yung dugong battle emcee ko ngayon,” he said.
He had been away from the rap battle scene because he focused on some mainstream projects on movies and music.
“Focus muna ko sa music; gumawa din kami ng pelikula, ‘yung ‘Respeto,’ so medyo nag-veer away din ako medyo sa battling, so this year medyo babawi ako; saka maglalabas din ako ng dalawang music video at dalawang album,” he said.
As a lyrical poet, it is imperative for him to compose his own songs.
“Bilang emcee, parang hindi din fulfilling na galing sa ibang tao ‘yung katha mo kasi ikaw ang nagkukuwento ng buhay mo, sa perspective at pananaw mo bilang poet, kung paano mo ilathala ‘yung mga bara, kaya dapat galing sa’yo,” he said.
Abra, or Raymond Abracosa in real life, is among the pioneer battle emcees in FlipTop. It was when he released the hit “Gayuma” that catapulted him to mainstream fame. His style, unlike those who use explicit and derogatory language to elicit audience reaction, is lyrical and pointedly witty.
In 2013, he was awarded as “Best Musical Act” at the Globe Tatt Awards.
He has also collaborated with a number of seasoned artists like Ebe Dancel, Arci Muñoz, KZ Tandingan, Chito Miranda, Julie Ann San Jose and many others. /je