In a move that caught both hip-hop purists and P-Pop stans off guard, rap legend Loonie and SB19’s Pablo came together for a live reaction video on Loonie’s Break It Down series on YouTube. What could’ve been another routine battle rap analysis turned into something sharper: a cultural handshake between two artists from seemingly opposing spectrums. The internet held its breath. Would this spark another round of genre wars, or worse, another round of tired “real hip-hop” gatekeeping? Turns out, neither happened.
The one-hour and 55-minute episode revealed more than just technical breakdowns of battle rap techniques. Viewers witnessed Pablo holding his own in discussions about multisyllabic rhyme schemes, his knack for imagery during his writing sessions with SB19 and a punchline construction analysis towards his reaction of the battle he was watching, while Loonie openly appreciated the musicality P-Pop brings to the table and the detractors that wrote diss tracks shortly after Josh Cullen’s Hip-Hop Song of the Year Award at the Wish 107.5 Awards back in January.
Loonie remarked after Pablo dissected a complex flow switch. “As much as napaka-rap nerd ko, ang daming ‘di ko pa rin na-explore na artist e,” he says. “And nagulat ako na magaling [si Pablo] talaga mag-rap, magaling talaga mag-sulat.” The mutual respect was palpable — no forced compliments, just two professionals geeking out about craft. Loonie has spent decades earning his stripes, first as one-half of the rap duo with Ron Henley, then as a FlipTop battle rap titan, and more recently as the host breaking down rap’s technical layers.
Pablo, meanwhile, has been carving his own lane as SB19’s principal songwriter, blending P-Pop’s polish with rap’s raw edge. Pablo, at one point in the episode, brought up the challenge of responding via diss track saying “Dissback talaga sa lahat ng bumo-boka sa’min,” he says. “Kung gusto mo kaming subukan, papalag kami.” Their collaboration wasn’t about proving who belonged where. It was a masterclass in mutual respect, with both dissecting battle rap’s intricacies like two producers comparing sample techniques.
What’s real ‘hip-hop’?
Within hours, clips of their most insightful exchanges went viral across TikTok and Twitter. Shockra’s Nhumerus fired shots at hip-hop’s gatekeepers on Facebook, praising Pablo’s craft over so-called “real rappers,” writing: “Mas creative at mas solid pa ‘to sumulat at gumawa ng kanta kesa sa mga ‘’solid hip-hop’ daw sila.” FlipTop’s Cripli added to the discourse and called out commentators online who tried to tease Pablo by putting on the “poser” label, but the artists themselves stayed above the fray. That silence spoke volumes. This wasn’t about validation, it was about dismantling the idea that genres exist in walled gardens.
With P-Pop’s global rise and Pinoy hip-hop’s continued evolution, the collaboration serves as a case study in how genres can cross-pollinate without diluting their essence. And no, one YouTube episode won’t magically erase years of genre elitism. But when an O.G. like Loonie opens the door without pandering, and a global phenom like Pablo walks through without posturing, both artists have ultimately created a blueprint for future generations to see.
The comment section might still be a warzone, but the artists? They’re already past the barricades. For fans stuck in genre trenches, the message is clear: the future belongs to those who can appreciate both the craft in SB19’s “Dungka” and the storytelling in Loonie’s “Tao Lang” — without pretending one has to lose for the other to win.
