BLKD (read as ‘balakid,’ a Filipino word that roughly translates to “obstacle”) is a Filipino rapper and battle emcee from the Philippines.

BLKD rose to fame in the Filipino hip-hop freestyle league Fliptop as a serious battle emcee that would utilize deep Filipino words, as well as adopting an activist persona in his battling. BLKD’s style is a stark contrast to other Fliptop emcees before him that utilize comedy in their rap.

Aside from hip-hop, BLKD is also involved in activism, and often performs in large protest actions organized by Filipino left-wing activists. He has set up a grassroots hip-hop group named “Tanghalang Bayan ng Kulturang Kalye (TABAKK, or Nation’s Stage for Street Culture),” which aims to bridge the gap between his academic vision to make people aware of how rich rap culture is, and his “street side” vision to make his fellow rappers aware of how much they can still learn and adapt in their art.

He released his debut album in 2015 titled, “Gatilyo,” the Filipino word for a gun trigger, which was produced by Filipino producer DJ Umph.