Filipino hip hop
Encyclopedia
Filipino hip-hop or Pinoy hip hop is hip-hop music performed by musicians of Filipino
descent, both in the Philippines
, and overseas, especially by Filipino-Americans. This article focuses first on Filipino hip-hop in the Philippines, and secondly on that in the USA.
The Philippines is known to have had the first hip-hop music scene in Asia
since the early 1980s, largely due to the country's historical connections with the United States
where hip-hop was originated. Rap music released in the Philippines has appeared in different languages or dialects such as Tagalog
, Chavacano
, Cebuano
, Ilocano and English
. In the Philippines, Francis M and Andrew E are cited as the most influential rappers in the country, being the first to release mainstream rap albums. In the USA, Apl.de.ap
of The Black Eyed Peas
and Chad Hugo
of The Neptunes
and N.E.R.D are cited as the most successful Filipino-Americans in the music industry.
, The Supremes
and The Jackson Five and later in the 1970s of Funk
, Soul
and Disco
music. Bands such as The Commodores, The Gap Band, James Brown
, Con Funk Shun
, The Bar-Kays and Earth, Wind and Fire among many others received heavy rotation on Manila airwaves. The future importation of hip hop culture and music, similar to the previous genres mentioned can be credited to the direct contact Filipinos received with both Americans
and Filipino American
s, or as they are commonly called balikbayans, stemming from the root words "balik" meaning to come back and "bayan" loosely translating into hometown or homeland.
The intimate relationship between hip-hop culture and the large Filipino American community along the United States
West Coast naturally resulted in the exportation of rap music back to the Philippines. Numerous cassette tapes, videos, books and magazines concerning hip hop issues and popular rap artists would be sent out by Filipinos to family members back in the islands.
The towns and barrios surrounding the numerous American military bases that were scattered throughout that country such as Clark Air Base
in Angeles City and Subic Bay Naval Base in Olongapo were among the earliest to be exposed to the culture; as contact with African-American, Filipino American and Latino
servicemen resulted in some of the earliest exposure the locals had to the new musical genre.
Groundbreaking hip hop films such as Wild Style
(1982), Breakin'
(1984) and Krush Groove
(1985) were also major influences; and as early as 1982 local breakdancing crews like the Angeles City
based Whooze Co. International, with members consisting primarily from Clark Air Base, The Eclipse (whose former members included Francis Magalona
, Dance 10's Darwin Tuason and current Federation Sounds' Glenn "Kico" Lelay), Info-Clash Breakers and Ground Control (members included Rap Master Fordy, later to be known as Andrew E. and Jay "Smooth" MC of Bass Rhyme Posse) became mainstays in local parks and malls in and around the Metro Manila area such as Glorietta
Mall, which was an early hotspot for breakers. Several mobile DJ crews of the era included such names as the Rock All Parties Crew which emerged onto the scene only to produce such future Pinoy rap pioneers as Andrew E. and Norman B.
(commonly called Pinoy Rap and its emcees Rapistas) came in the early 1980s, with early records from Dyords Javier (Na Onseng Delight) and Vincent Dafalong (Nunal), both records released in 1980. Early influences on the genre included American hip-hop icons Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang
, Kurtis Blow
, Run-D.M.C.
, Ice T
, KRS-ONE
& Boogie Down Productions
and Eric B. and Rakim among many others.
The genre developed an underground following in Metro Manila
during the 1980s. In late 1989, former DJ and breakdancer Andrew E., or, as he was then called, Rap Master Fordy, introduced two of his friends from the mobile DJ group Rock All Parties Crew, Norman B. and Andy "Luv" MD, to J "Smooth" MC, an acquaintance from Andrew's breakdancing days. The trio would go on to form the group Pine Rhyme (for Las Piñas City
, the area from which they hailed), later to be renamed the Bass Rhyme Posse. The pioneering act was Pinoy hip hop's first rap group and would release their self-titled debut album on VIVA Records
in 1991 which spawned the cult hits Let the Beat Flow, Buhay Estudyante (Student Life) and Juan T. becoming the genre's first rap group to release a record.
The genre soon entered the mainstream with Francis Magalona
's debut album, Yo!, which included the nationalistic hit "Mga Kababayan (My Countrymen)". Magalona (widely known by the aliases Francis M., The Man from Manila, and Master Rapper), a former breakdancer from The Eclipse crew who rapped in both English and Tagalog
, became an instant superstar
and the first rap icon in the Philippines as a result.
More stars followed in Magalona's footsteps, including Pia Arroyo whose (Loving You) duet track with Francis M. marked the first time a female had rapped on record in the country, Lady Diane (The First Lady of Rap), Andrew E.
(Humanap Ka Ng Pangit) (Look For Someone Ugly), Bass Rhyme Posse (The Bass Rhyme Posse), Denmark (I'm Markie D.!), Michael V. (Maganda Ang Piliin) (Pick Someone Pretty), Rapasia (Hoy! Tsismosa), Marcelo (Di Ka Ba Marunong Umayaw), M.C.M.C. aka The Triggerman (Ayoko Na Ng Panget) Rapi Boys, and MC Lara, who released a self-titled album.
Philippines which was one of the earliest platforms for Philippine DJ mixing battles. Early innovators of the style included DJs Carlo Yalo, Noel Macanaya, Rod "DVS" Torres and Omar Lacap among others.
Following the path set forth by their Bass Rhyme predecessors, the tri-lingual rap group Rapasia released their self-titled debut record in 1991, garnering the hit "Hoy! Tsismosa". One of the earliest Filipino hip hop groups to embrace such an abstract format, the album's lyrical content often contained a mixture of various Philippine languages (including Tagalog
and Chavacano) along with English. Rapasia's innovative style would later be built upon years later by other Pinoy rap groups such as Zamboanga
's Ghost 13. Rapasia's members included Martin "Bronx" Magalona, brother of Pinoy rap entrepreneur Francis Magalona.
MastaPlann was also another group that did all their music in English. The group had 3 deejays and 2 mcs. The mcs were known as Type (Johnny Luna) and Tracer One (Butch Velez brother of famous actor Vivian Velez). MastaPlann released 3 albums that went multi-platinum. Mastaplann is an all-Filipino Hip Hop group that was formed in 1992 in the Philippines, with original group members Butch Velez aka Tracer One, Johnny Luna aka Type Slickk, Disco Mix Competition DJs Sonny Abad, Noel Macanaya aka DJ MOD, Lopie Guzman aka DJ OUCH also of 89.1 DMZ-FM & RSL Sound & Lighting Company, and managed by Jesse Gonzales. Butch and Johnny were balikbayans from the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, CA, Sonny a balikbayan from Hercules, CA, near the San Francisco Bay Area and Noel and Lopie native Filipinos. In 1992, Mastaplann was signed by Universal Records, where they released two records; in 1993, their debut eponymous release, and in 1994, The Way of tha Plann. These albums eventually obtained platinum status and are still selling worldwide.
1992 marked a turning point for Pinoy rap with the release of Francis M.'s influential second album, Rap Is Francis M, which is highly regarded as one of the greatest Pinoy
Rap albums ever. Ushering in a socially-awoken wave not seen in the Philippine music industry since the heyday of Juan De La Cruz, Sampaguita and 1970s Pinoy rock
; Magalona's tracks dissected the various cultural, social & political problems that plagued his country such as drug addiction in "Mga Praining" (The Addicts), political corruption and instability in "Halalan" (Election) as well as the detrimental effects of a colonial mentality
to Filipino culture in "Tayo'y Mga Pinoy" (We Are Filipinos), the record's complexity and socially sentient message quickly earned it its classic status and became the standard by which future albums of the genre were to be compared to. Magalona's enduring contributions to the genre would later be recognized in the All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop (2003) published by Backbeat Books; as well as in the U.S.-based hip hop publication The Source (magazine)
(May 2004).
Another Filipino hip hop artist who achieved prominence during the 1990s is the formerly Los Angeles-based DJ Andrew E.
(born Andrew Espiritu), whose tracks "Humanap Ka Ng Panget" and "Makati Girl" (as done by Norman B. of Bass Rhyme Posse; was the first Pinoy rap track recorded to contain beatboxing) became monster hits in the Philippines, rivaling even Francis M.'s previously untouchable reign on top Pinoy rap's throne. Prior to landing a recording contract, the rapper had competed in various rap contests around the Philippines; the likes of which also produced Pinoy rap stars Michael V., Denmark and Martin "Bronx" Magalona. Andrew E.'s 1991 hit "Humanap Ka Ng Pangit" (Look For Someone Ugly) was the first to spawn a plethora of response records from other rappers in the country, such as Michael V.'s "Maganda Ang Piliin" (Pick Someone Pretty). The rapper's ability to combine unique storytelling with raunchy and humorous wordplay laced with catchy beats made Andrew the first of his kind in the genre. He then went on to release a movie entitled Andrew Ford Medina: Huwag Kang Gamol in 1991 which was the first film in the Philippines to include a full-on freestyle battle on screen. By the mid-1990s he had established his own record label, the controversial Dongalo Wreckords, as well as many successful rap groups, including Cebuano
rappers The Anthill Mobb, Madd Poets and Bicolano rappers Salbakuta. The former, known for their complex and versatile lyrical ability achieved fame with their debut album Ikatlong Mundo. In 1997, Andrew E. produced and hosted the first Pinoy rap television show, Rap 13. Other popular rap artists and groups included Razzamanazz, Cirkulo Pugantes, El Latino, Mastaplann, Verbal Sativa, Kulay, Legit Misfitz, Pariente, Urban Flow, Sun Valley Crew, and Mega Force Crew (*formerly known as Grand Assault Tribe).
1994 saw the emergence of another rap group, headed by a female balikbayan from New York. The group called 4 East Flava consisted of 3 homegrown rapistas - Von " Mack" Padua (Who was molded by Martin "the Bronxman" Magalona and now with the group Pinoy Republic), Bernard "P-Slick" Santiago and Paul "Shorty" Navarro- 2 DJs (Dj Edge and Dj Mec) and Jug "Honeyluv" Ramos, hailing from New York and was known as "the rose among the thorns." They brought out the hit "Check the Hood" (used for a shoe commercial) which was misunderstood as a diss towards MastaPlann.
The same year, going against the wave of radio-friendly rap tracks that dominated at the time, the group Death Threat
, founded by rappers Beware and Genezide, released the first Filipino gangsta rap
album which told tales of the daily lives and struggles impoverished Filipino youth faced growing up in the slums of Metro Manila's barrio
s entitled Gusto Kong Bumaet (I Want To Be Good).
In 1997, the underground Pinoy rap group Pamilia Dimagiba released their groundbreaking album Broke-N-Unsigned on Tenement Records, marking the re-emergence of the conscious emcee in Pinoy rap. A coalition of sorts, Pamilia Dimagiba composed itself of several underground Pinoy rappers and crews such as 8th Messenger, Shadowblyde, Spoon, Murder-1 of Khan's Assassins and Young Galaxy of Iron Triangle among others. The raw seven-track, politically minded album was a breath of fresh air at the time; as Pinoy rap during the era had taken a more hardcore, gangster persona. Known for their coarse lyrics, serious subject matter complemented by heavy beats fused within traditional Filipino folk music; the camp's records by the names of "Duelo", "Manila's Finest", "Reality Hurtz" and "Brainstorming" among others were largely in essence a throwback to the early, nationalistic Francis M. inspired days of the genre.
The widespread popularity of Pinoy rap in and around the islands has resulted in the spawning of a new breed of Pinoy emcees: Junior Rapistas. Far from being a new trend, Jaymie "Baby" Magtoto and her 1991 hit single "Eh! Kasi Bata" ('Cause I'm a Kid) was an early example of Pinoy kiddie rappers. The single was also included in the soundtrack for Jaymie's motion picture debut of the same name released later that year.
The 2000s saw the resurgence of grade school rappers in Filipino Hip Hop. 2005 was a breakthrough for kid rappers in the Philippines as Aikee, through the Madd World/Circulo Pugantes Camp released his debut Ang Bawat Bata (Every Child) on Alpha Music and at eleven years of age, became the youngest Filipino rapper to release a full rap album.
's traditional popularity amongst Filipino youth. Artists who are currently active and have released both rap albums and music videos in the Philippines since 2000 include: Andrew E, Razzamanazz, D-Coy, Denmark
, Francis M, Gloc-9
, Krook & J.O.L.O., DiCE and k9 aka Mobbstarr, Pikaso, Stilloz Pride, Ace Asero, and Thavawenyoz.
In 2000, the golden-era rap group Mastaplann released a third album through BMG Records, under the new sub-label, Francis M's Red Egg Records, entitled Mastaplann.com, a reference to their newly developed website. Additionally, the group scaled down their line-up to just Butch and Johnny, and then added Johnny Krush, another balikbayan from the San Francisco area. This album has already obtained gold status in the Philippines, and is also still selling. Currently, the group is based in the States where they still perform and make music. Mastaplann is currently working on their fourth album, yet to be titled, to be released under True Asiatik Productionz.
Since 2004, the Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards has been held annually in Metro Manila
. The show is reminiscent of The Source Awards in the US. Gloc-9
, considered to be the fastest rapper in the Philippines and former member of the rap group Death Threat, held the title for Best Rap Artist at the awards show for four consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008, achieving mainstream popularity and releasing successful commercial albums every other year. Like the American hip-hop industry, music videos have become an important trend (even containing small cameos from different Filipino rappers) and air on TV channels like MTV Philippines
and MYX
. Despite Metro Manila
's powerful position over the music industry, rap groups in the south have started to gain their own share of popularity, like DiCE and k9 aka Mobbstarr from Cebu City with their first hit single "Itsumo" in 2003, and Thavawenyoz from Davao City with their debut album "Hubag" in 2005. It also is not uncommon for Filipino-American artists to perform live, sell records, and win awards in the Philippines while living in the States, for example Pikaso from San Francisco, California
who won the Producer of the Year award in 2008. Zambo Top Dogz from Zamboanga City known for their chavacano rap "Noticias" and "Conversa Ta".
In 2002, Carlo Maniquiz and Nick Tuason, together with the assistance of FUBU
's headquarters in New York City
, established the FUBU Philippines clothing line, opening up several stores in the Philippines. In promotion of the new franchise, Francis M released a compilation album showcasing new local hip-hop talent as well as two volumes of Tha Rappublic of the Philippines series, which featured young unsigned Filipino rap artists that were discovered through the nationwide talent search of the same name (including groups Crazy as Pinoy, Kamandag ng Marikina, and the Stick Figgas). Francis M would also go on to form his own clothing line in 2006 called Francis Magalona Clothing Company (FMCC) which are sold at his own branches of stores called Three Stars & a Sun. "The F-Word" was an album Francis M was rumored to be working on in 2008 to follow his last album from 2000, but leukemia and other health problems interfered later that year.
The popularity of artists such as DiCE and k9 aka Mobbstarr, Pikaso, Audible, and Krook and J.O.L.O., who primarily use English lyrics in their tracks, has given way to the on-going divide between Tagalog lyricists and English lyricists. With English tracks dominating the air waves, several Tagalog-based emcees have felt a sort of bias in the Philippine music industry, which favors artists who use English rather than Filipino. The conflict over language became evident in the 2004 The Black Eyed Peas
concert in Manila in which rapper Mike Swift's Tagalog-based track was cut short halfway through the song due to the "English Only" policy enforced by the event's organizers towards Black Eyed Peas' opening acts.
Rap group Salbakuta, under Andrew E's Dongalo Wreckords, recorded the track Ayoko Ng Ganitong..., which contained lyrics partly attacking such "English Only" Pinoy rap artists.
In 2006, the group Stick Figgas, runners-up in Francis M's Rappublic of the Philippines talent search, released their debut album "Critical Condition" under joint-release with DiCE and k9's 6000 Goonz imprint and Francis M's Red Egg Records sub-label, which, amidst critical acclaim, sparked a resurgence and renascence of sorts in Tagalog rap. The Stick Figgas relied on clever punchlines, creative lyricism and intricate rhyme schemes, re-introducing a technical poignancy that has been absent in Tagalog rap since B.B. Clan's first album "Mabanges". This rap style has arguably inspired the current generation of Tagalog rappers to place much more emphasis on multi-syllable rhyme schemes, punchlines and metaphors than before.
In 2008, after the death of Francis Magalona, independent rap label and production emerges in the local rap scene such as Wika Records of D-coy and PR Records and Entertainment (as owned by Von Padua of Pinoy Republic), Pikaso's Hustlin Records, Longevity Records and Turbulence Records. Pinoy Hiphop fashion has also emerge such as PINOY REPUBLIC, TURF CLOTHING, BOSS BALITA and WIKA following the king's (Francis M.)clothing line FMCC.
In 2010 there are moder balagtasan called "Fliptopbattles" It is adapted from the rappers in the United States that was hit on youtube.The fliptopbattles is initiated in 2010 by Alaric "Anygma" Yuson[Host], Here there are two emcee on both side of Anygma showing there rapping skills on the judges and audience.it maybe by the way of Punchline,Freestyle Etc, .And by doing this it's helps to improve the hip hop in the Philippines.These are battlers emcee who famous on fliptop battle league.Dello (Evolution of rap),Loonie(King of Fliptop),Target(Mananabas),Blkd(Aktibista),Zaito(Aple De ap of the Phil.).
in Filipino hip hop is also represented in other forms such as battle rap
ping, or freestyling. Several annual contests such as the Fête de la Musique and the Blazin' Freestyle Battle and PR's "Rap Mania" are held annually within the Philippines specifically aimed at showcasing such talents; often drawing masses of undiscovered, amateur Pinoy rapistas.
Many other aspects of Filipino hip hop are embodied in other elements such as turntablism
, with DJs DJ Coki, DJ Kimozave, DJ Traxx, DJ Rocky Rock, DJ Josh F, DJ Arbie Won, DJ Frenz, DJ Mars Cupid, DJ NB and DJ Sir Scratch among others. Philippine-based DJ crews such as The Megateam (DJ MOD, DJ Sonny and DJ OUCH), Spindicate Posse and Samahang Ng Mga Turntabolista sa Pilipinas (S.T.P.), other prominent young producers like Salt&Light Music Entertainment (Under Salt&Light Productions) and defuncted RemixPunk Records, dominate DJing competitions such as the Disco Mix Club
Philippines.
Artists representing other elements include b-boy crews like The Battle Krew (TBK),Funk Roots Crew, Soulstice Crew, Air Grounds Crew, Tru Asiatik Tribe (TAT) and The Balikbayan Tribe (BBT), grapistas or graffiti
crews such as, SBA CRU, Pinoy Bomber Crew (PBC), Day Night Bombers (DNB), Katipunan Street Team (KST), CIS, Republika Barbaro Trese (THG) as well as beatboxers
like Christopher Oreo a.k.a. BoomBuster, Cool MC Norman B. of the Filipino rap group Bass Rhyme Posse.
, Latino American and African-American neighborhoods along the West Coast
, specifically in the Los Angeles
, San Francisco Bay Area
, and San Diego. The movement that had been born in the south Bronx among Jamaica
n, Puerto Rican and African American
youth in turn had its West Coast identity formed within the respective African-American, Filipino and Latino communities. Similar to the Filipino-American zoot suit
ers, be-boppers and ballroom dancers of previous generations, the dynamics within these respective communities would reincarnate itself once again in the form of hip hop. Since the 1990 Census, Filipino Americans have made up the second largest Asian Pacific American group in the United States (after Chinese Americans), and until 2000 were the largest Asian group in California. In West Coast hip hop, their role has been comparable to that of Puerto Rican artists on the East Coast, who were an integral part, along with African Americans, in the creation of the foundations of hip hop culture.
As early as the late 1970s, during hip hop
's infancy, pioneering mobile Bay Area
Filipino
mobile DJ crews such as Sound Explosion, Unlimited Sounds, Electric Sounds, Fusion, Ladda Sounds, Ultimate Creations, Sound City Productions, Kicks Company, Images, Non-Stop Boogie, Imperial Sounds, Unique Musique, Nite Life Sensations, Rok A Long and Sound Sequence among many others helped capitalize on the massive Filipino party scene by introducing the newly formed genre of music while spreading its popularity throughout South San Francisco and its surrounding areas through paid gigs on house/block parties, family gatherings, school pep rallies, weddings and church halls; primarily playing and mixing electro funk alongside Latin freestyle. Rival crews would often one-up each other by showcasing superior equipment and providing elaborate set-ups. Early mobile DJ stars included DJ Ren, (born Rene Anies) founder of one of the first Filipino American DJ crews Electric Sounds and DJ D-Styles, (born Dave Cuasito) who in 1987 established the mobile DJ crew Sound City Productions. In 1983, a real-estate agent by the name of Mark Bradford established Imagine, which began primarily as a showcase for Filipino DJ talent in and around the Bay Area and came to serve as the premier event for DJs until the founders' murder in 1991.The movement would reach its pinnacle in 1987, when more than one hundred mobile DJ crews would participate in all important DJ sound clashes and showcases. By the late 1980s, the mobile DJ movement had declined in popularity and had given way to the turntablist, largely due to the rise of Q-Bert and the innovation of scratching within the DJ community. The legacy of the mobile DJ would live on however; because many of the Bay Area turntablists that would go on to define the art in the 1990s such as Q-Bert himself, along with DJ Shortkut often had their beginnings in mobile DJ work. Also in New York City, early hip hop musician and Salsa legend Joe Bataan
(half Filipino and half African American) had one of the first rap hits, "Rap-O Clap-O," in 1979, released on his Salsoul
label. In 1986, DJ Nasty Nes (of Rap Attack fame) of Seattle launched the specialty show "Fresh Tracks" on Seattle's 1250 KFOX introducing the first ever hip-hop radio station on the West Coast. He would than later go on to serve as the DJ for pioneering Seattle rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot
.
In the 1980s, several legendary Filipino B-Boy groups such as the Renegade Rockers, Knuckleneck Tribe, Rock Force Crew, Daly City Breakers, Jughead Tribe and Concrete Rockers also emerged out of the bay area rivaling even the New York City
based Rock Steady Crew
, whose official West Coast contingent is known to consist of several Filipino American members. Kalifornia Noize Terrorists' Paul Sirate, better known as P-Kid emerged out of the Bay Area becoming one of the early premier breakdancers and later went on to MCing and producing, lacing tracks for the likes of the Bronx's Terror Squad
and L.A.'s Pharcyde. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, pioneering Filipina rapper Lani Luv (born Melanie Cagonot) became one of the early West Coast female MCs.
Several tagging crews such as Oakland's Those Damn Kids (TDK) were some of the originators of Graf Art on the West Coast. It was during this time in 1983 that TDK's King Dream (born Michael Francisco) surfaced out of the graf art world. Francisco utilized his pieces to celebrate, express and educate from his own Filipino American background in order to promote tolerance while simultaneously strengthening bonds with others from differing cultures, eventually achieving international recognition. Now deceased, (Dream was murdered in 2000) he is considered by many to have been one of the greatest and most influential graf writers whose work had been expressive of his urban environment while focusing on social issues concerning not only Filipino Americans, but also other people of color in America such as police brutality, racism, nationwide liberation and rebellion.
Although generally associated with the West Coast with individuals and groups such as Blue Scholars, and Native Guns, Filipino American Hip Hop is increasingly represented by Emcees in other regions, from East Coast performers such as Knowa Lazarus and the Q-York Senate hailing from Queens, New York, to Midwestern groups such as Chicago's The PACIFICS. Maryland's Gagong Rapper crew gained fame in the early 2000s by flooding the internet with their home-recordings and head the underground sub-label Sandamukal Records. L.A.'s Grupo ni Berdugo and Sunog Baga, under F.O.B Entertainment, has recently been making names for themselves, the latter being signed by Andrew E's Dongalo Wreckordz and opening up for Gloc-9
's L.A. show. Hailing from San Jose, California, Yung Rizzo of Fly High Records, is one of the hottest up and coming rappers from his region. Currently he is working on projects that include singles featuring mainstream artists The Jacka
from Mob Figaz
and Mistah F.A.B, as well as his first studio album, "Back of My Mind" which is planned for release in 2012.
Even further north of the American border in Canada, Filipino Hip hop has established an active scene, with the likes of Montreal's New Elementz, Vancouver's conscious rap-tandem The On Point Collective, the veteran emcee JAE SPILLZ, Filipino rapper ONE3D, and the Hip Hop power label Cashtown Records; home to a variety of artists including the underground Tagalog emcees Dos Armados.
descent (particularly turntablists
like Q-Bert and the Invisibl Skratch Piklz
) achieved prominence and came to dominate the DJ art form of scratching, introducing the world to a more innovative style of scratching utilizing a wide variety of new techniques, including the playing of actual melodies, as well as the inventions of the crab scratch, tweak scratch, strobing, and furthering the development of flare scratching. In 1996, the International Turntable Federation, which hosts the largest international turntablist competitions, was established by Alex Aquino. DJ Glaze of Long Beach's Foesum have together been staples in the West Coast gangster rap scene since the G-Funk
era of the 1990s. DJ Babu
(born Chris Oroc) has gained notoriety for his work with the turtablism group Beat Junkies
and the alternative hip hop act Dilated Peoples
. Many other notable DJ champions from other countries around the world such as Canada
, Australia
, Japan
and Germany
have also been of Filipino descent. Other notable DJs include DJ Kuttin Kandi and DJ ROLI RHO (1999 east coast regional DMC Champ/ 1999&2000 VIBE MUSIC SEMINAR CHAMPION of New York City's 5th Platoon, DJ Icy Ice of Los Angeles' KDAY
93.5 FM and DJ E-Man from Los Angeles' Power 106 FM, DJ Marlino aka "da5footafunk" from San Diego's XHITZ-FM
Z90.3; From the Washington DC Area, DJ Enferno (2003 US DMC Champ/2003 1st Runner Up DMC World) and DJ Geometrix of the Trooperz Crew, From Texas, DJ Manila Ice (2007 DMC US Finalist) and DJ Jester the Filipino Fist. Another long time contributor is music producer and Hawaii's 1st Hip Hop DJ Champion, Joseph Netherland, better known as, DJ ELITE of Elite Empire Entertainment, LLC. Two long time staples for entertainment in Sacramento, CA are DJ Eddie Edul and DJ Billy Lane.
hip hop also infuses influences from the native Philippine literary art of Balagtasan, or Filipino spoken word poetry; although most Filipino American rappers primarily use English or "Taglish
" in their lyrics, as opposed to their Philippine-counterparts. In the millennium, underground rap groups such as Blue Scholars
, Native Guns
(now defunct), and Kontrast have utilized this method in their styles, producing pure hip hop while promoting community activism and social consciousness through their lyrics, earning the title of "raptivists." Some groups, like San Jose, CA based Sons of Rebellion, also unify several communities through their music as they represent the Filipino American, African American, and Muslim experience. Lyrics from Sons of Rebellion have even been used as part of a nationwide high school curriculum, for the technology based high school SiaTech, and tracks from former Native Guns member Kiwi
's album Writes of Passage: Portraits of a Son Rising have also been used in a Filipino-American literature course taught at San Francisco State University
. Many socially conscious and community minded Filipino emcees often do benefit shows to help out the Filipino community locally and internationally. In February 2007, Filipino American emcees Kiwi, Kapatid X, Power Struggle, Praxis Roks, Blue Scholars, and Rhapsodistas joined forces with other Filipino American community artists to do a Stop the Killings benefit concert in San Francisco, CA to help raise awareness about the political climate in the Philippines. The Stop the Killings event utilized the power of hip hop to expose the numerous amount of killings done to innocent people in the Philippines. Blue Scholars and Kiwi went on to do a subsequent "Stop the Killings" tour, with shows happening in several major cities across the nation.
's apl.de.ap
, who has released songs such as "The Apl Song" (Elephunk) and "Bebot" (Monkey Business), which not only contained Filipino
(Tagalog) lyrics but also native Filipino musical elements. Pineda has also founded his own record label, Los Angeles
-based Jeepney Music, to help discover and promote Filipino hip-hop talent from both the United States
and the Philippines
.
. One half of the popular music production duo The Neptunes
, Hugo, with his production partner Pharrell, have laced chart topping hits for the likes of Jay-Z
, Nelly
, Gwen Stefani
and Snoop Dogg
among many others. He has also collaborated with The Black Eyed Peas' Apl.de.ap, making an appearance in Apl's music video for "The Apl Song".
stations in the Philippines
that played all kinds of R&B, Hip hop
& all types of Rap
music. These are two defunct radio stations such as Power 108 FM & BLAZIN' 105.9 FM. These were the radio stations that recognize the latest and the greatest Hip hop
genre. This was better known as Project: Hip hop
founded in 2002 by three high school friends namely DJ Caine, Satoshi & Quaizy Ileon. There are plans to revive the project either in another radio dial & if nothing else it can broadcast online like the defuncted RemixPunk FM (RPFM) of DJ Frenz et al.
In 2007, Wave 891 eliminated its pop jazz/easy listening format and switched to full hip hop and R&B in order to retain the Pinoy hip hop scene.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
descent, both in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and overseas, especially by Filipino-Americans. This article focuses first on Filipino hip-hop in the Philippines, and secondly on that in the USA.
The Philippines is known to have had the first hip-hop music scene in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
since the early 1980s, largely due to the country's historical connections with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where hip-hop was originated. Rap music released in the Philippines has appeared in different languages or dialects such as Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
, Chavacano
Chavacano language
Chavacano or Chabacano, sometimes referred to by linguists as Philippine Creole Spanish, is a Spanish-based creole language spoken in the Philippines...
, Cebuano
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
, Ilocano and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In the Philippines, Francis M and Andrew E are cited as the most influential rappers in the country, being the first to release mainstream rap albums. In the USA, Apl.de.ap
Apl.de.ap
Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. better known as apl.de.ap , is a Filipino-American rapper, record producer, and occasional drummer who is best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas.-Early life:Pineda was born in Belfast...
of The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
and Chad Hugo
Chad Hugo
Charles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...
of The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
and N.E.R.D are cited as the most successful Filipino-Americans in the music industry.
Origins: The roots of hip-hop in the Islands
The beginnings of hip-hop culture in the Philippines can be attributed to several main factors; the innate of them being the heavy influx of American musical styles in that country as reflected in the widespread popularity during the 1960s of Motown artists The TemptationsThe Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
and The Jackson Five and later in the 1970s of Funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and Disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music. Bands such as The Commodores, The Gap Band, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Con Funk Shun
Con Funk Shun
Con Funk Shun is an American R&B and funk band popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Influences include James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone.-History:...
, The Bar-Kays and Earth, Wind and Fire among many others received heavy rotation on Manila airwaves. The future importation of hip hop culture and music, similar to the previous genres mentioned can be credited to the direct contact Filipinos received with both Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Filipino American
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
s, or as they are commonly called balikbayans, stemming from the root words "balik" meaning to come back and "bayan" loosely translating into hometown or homeland.
The intimate relationship between hip-hop culture and the large Filipino American community along the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
West Coast naturally resulted in the exportation of rap music back to the Philippines. Numerous cassette tapes, videos, books and magazines concerning hip hop issues and popular rap artists would be sent out by Filipinos to family members back in the islands.
The towns and barrios surrounding the numerous American military bases that were scattered throughout that country such as Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
in Angeles City and Subic Bay Naval Base in Olongapo were among the earliest to be exposed to the culture; as contact with African-American, Filipino American and Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
servicemen resulted in some of the earliest exposure the locals had to the new musical genre.
Groundbreaking hip hop films such as Wild Style
Wild Style
Wild Style is a 1983 hip hop film produced by Charlie Ahearn. Released theatrically in 1983 by First Run Features and later re-released for home video by Rhino Home Video, it is regarded as the first hip hop motion picture...
(1982), Breakin'
Breakin'
Breakin', released as Breakdance: The Movie in some countries, is a 1984 breakdancing-themed film directed by Joel Silberg. The film setting was inspired by a German documentary entitled Breakin' and Enterin set in the Los Angeles multi-racial hip hop club Radiotron, based out of Macarthur Park in...
(1984) and Krush Groove
Krush Groove
Krush Groove is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz . This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons , portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut...
(1985) were also major influences; and as early as 1982 local breakdancing crews like the Angeles City
Angeles City
The City of Angeles , located within the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, is locally classified as a first-class, highly-urbanized city. Its name is derived from El Pueblo de los Ángeles in honor of its patron saints, Los Santos Ángeles de los Custodios , and the name of its founder, Don...
based Whooze Co. International, with members consisting primarily from Clark Air Base, The Eclipse (whose former members included Francis Magalona
Francis Magalona
Francis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream...
, Dance 10's Darwin Tuason and current Federation Sounds' Glenn "Kico" Lelay), Info-Clash Breakers and Ground Control (members included Rap Master Fordy, later to be known as Andrew E. and Jay "Smooth" MC of Bass Rhyme Posse) became mainstays in local parks and malls in and around the Metro Manila area such as Glorietta
Glorietta
Glorietta is a large shopping mall in the Ayala Center in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The mall is owned by the Zobel de Ayala family and its holding company, Ayala Corporation...
Mall, which was an early hotspot for breakers. Several mobile DJ crews of the era included such names as the Rock All Parties Crew which emerged onto the scene only to produce such future Pinoy rap pioneers as Andrew E. and Norman B.
1980s: Seeds of a movement, from the South Bronx to Metro Manila
The birth of Filipino hip hop musicHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
(commonly called Pinoy Rap and its emcees Rapistas) came in the early 1980s, with early records from Dyords Javier (Na Onseng Delight) and Vincent Dafalong (Nunal), both records released in 1980. Early influences on the genre included American hip-hop icons Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for their 1979 hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation....
, Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow
Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...
, Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
, Ice T
Ice T
Tracy Marrow , better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician and actor.He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school he served in the United States Army for four years...
, KRS-ONE
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
& Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
and Eric B. and Rakim among many others.
The genre developed an underground following in Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
during the 1980s. In late 1989, former DJ and breakdancer Andrew E., or, as he was then called, Rap Master Fordy, introduced two of his friends from the mobile DJ group Rock All Parties Crew, Norman B. and Andy "Luv" MD, to J "Smooth" MC, an acquaintance from Andrew's breakdancing days. The trio would go on to form the group Pine Rhyme (for Las Piñas City
Las Piñas City
The City of Las Piñas is a city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines...
, the area from which they hailed), later to be renamed the Bass Rhyme Posse. The pioneering act was Pinoy hip hop's first rap group and would release their self-titled debut album on VIVA Records
VIVA Records
VIVA Records is Philippine record label. It is subsidiary of VIVA Entertainment.- Artists & Album Releases :* 18 Greatest Hits ** Andrew E.** Basil Valdez ** Jun Pulistico...
in 1991 which spawned the cult hits Let the Beat Flow, Buhay Estudyante (Student Life) and Juan T. becoming the genre's first rap group to release a record.
The genre soon entered the mainstream with Francis Magalona
Francis Magalona
Francis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream...
's debut album, Yo!, which included the nationalistic hit "Mga Kababayan (My Countrymen)". Magalona (widely known by the aliases Francis M., The Man from Manila, and Master Rapper), a former breakdancer from The Eclipse crew who rapped in both English and Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
, became an instant superstar
Superstar
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
and the first rap icon in the Philippines as a result.
More stars followed in Magalona's footsteps, including Pia Arroyo whose (Loving You) duet track with Francis M. marked the first time a female had rapped on record in the country, Lady Diane (The First Lady of Rap), Andrew E.
Andrew E.
Andrew Espiritu , better known as Andrew E., is a popular Filipino Rap Artist, Record Producer, Dongalo Wreckords CEO, Fedex WSC Director, Dongalo Clothing President, and Movie actor. He is best known throughout the Philippines for 1990 debut hit single Humanap Ka Ng Panget...
(Humanap Ka Ng Pangit) (Look For Someone Ugly), Bass Rhyme Posse (The Bass Rhyme Posse), Denmark (I'm Markie D.!), Michael V. (Maganda Ang Piliin) (Pick Someone Pretty), Rapasia (Hoy! Tsismosa), Marcelo (Di Ka Ba Marunong Umayaw), M.C.M.C. aka The Triggerman (Ayoko Na Ng Panget) Rapi Boys, and MC Lara, who released a self-titled album.
1990s: The Golden Age
Known as the "Golden Age" of Pinoy Hip Hop, the 1990s marked the beginning of many rapid stylistic innovations beginning in 1991 with the establishment of the Disco Mix ClubDisco Mix Club
Disco Mix Club is a DJ remix service founded by Tony Prince which began as a radio show in 1981 on Radio Luxembourg in the UK. Prince helped popularise a new style of DJ mixes using the turntable as an instrument. DMC started operating as a remix service in 1983. They started producing remix...
Philippines which was one of the earliest platforms for Philippine DJ mixing battles. Early innovators of the style included DJs Carlo Yalo, Noel Macanaya, Rod "DVS" Torres and Omar Lacap among others.
Following the path set forth by their Bass Rhyme predecessors, the tri-lingual rap group Rapasia released their self-titled debut record in 1991, garnering the hit "Hoy! Tsismosa". One of the earliest Filipino hip hop groups to embrace such an abstract format, the album's lyrical content often contained a mixture of various Philippine languages (including Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
and Chavacano) along with English. Rapasia's innovative style would later be built upon years later by other Pinoy rap groups such as Zamboanga
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
's Ghost 13. Rapasia's members included Martin "Bronx" Magalona, brother of Pinoy rap entrepreneur Francis Magalona.
MastaPlann was also another group that did all their music in English. The group had 3 deejays and 2 mcs. The mcs were known as Type (Johnny Luna) and Tracer One (Butch Velez brother of famous actor Vivian Velez). MastaPlann released 3 albums that went multi-platinum. Mastaplann is an all-Filipino Hip Hop group that was formed in 1992 in the Philippines, with original group members Butch Velez aka Tracer One, Johnny Luna aka Type Slickk, Disco Mix Competition DJs Sonny Abad, Noel Macanaya aka DJ MOD, Lopie Guzman aka DJ OUCH also of 89.1 DMZ-FM & RSL Sound & Lighting Company, and managed by Jesse Gonzales. Butch and Johnny were balikbayans from the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, CA, Sonny a balikbayan from Hercules, CA, near the San Francisco Bay Area and Noel and Lopie native Filipinos. In 1992, Mastaplann was signed by Universal Records, where they released two records; in 1993, their debut eponymous release, and in 1994, The Way of tha Plann. These albums eventually obtained platinum status and are still selling worldwide.
1992 marked a turning point for Pinoy rap with the release of Francis M.'s influential second album, Rap Is Francis M, which is highly regarded as one of the greatest Pinoy
Pinoy
Pinoy is an informal demonym referring to the Filipino people in the Philippines and overseas Filipinos around the world. Filipinos usually refer to themselves as Pinoy or sometimes the feminine Pinay...
Rap albums ever. Ushering in a socially-awoken wave not seen in the Philippine music industry since the heyday of Juan De La Cruz, Sampaguita and 1970s Pinoy rock
Pinoy rock
Pinoy rock, or Filipino rock, is the brand of rock music produced in the Philippines or by Filipinos. It has become as diverse as the rock music genre itself, and bands adopting this style are now further classified under more specific genres or combinations of genres like alternative rock,...
; Magalona's tracks dissected the various cultural, social & political problems that plagued his country such as drug addiction in "Mga Praining" (The Addicts), political corruption and instability in "Halalan" (Election) as well as the detrimental effects of a colonial mentality
Colonial mentality
Colonial mentality is an area of study and a conceptual theory in Cultural anthropology that refers to institutionalized or systemic feelings of inferiority within some societies or people who have been subjected to colonialism, relative to the values of the foreign powers which had previously...
to Filipino culture in "Tayo'y Mga Pinoy" (We Are Filipinos), the record's complexity and socially sentient message quickly earned it its classic status and became the standard by which future albums of the genre were to be compared to. Magalona's enduring contributions to the genre would later be recognized in the All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop (2003) published by Backbeat Books; as well as in the U.S.-based hip hop publication The Source (magazine)
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
(May 2004).
Another Filipino hip hop artist who achieved prominence during the 1990s is the formerly Los Angeles-based DJ Andrew E.
Andrew E.
Andrew Espiritu , better known as Andrew E., is a popular Filipino Rap Artist, Record Producer, Dongalo Wreckords CEO, Fedex WSC Director, Dongalo Clothing President, and Movie actor. He is best known throughout the Philippines for 1990 debut hit single Humanap Ka Ng Panget...
(born Andrew Espiritu), whose tracks "Humanap Ka Ng Panget" and "Makati Girl" (as done by Norman B. of Bass Rhyme Posse; was the first Pinoy rap track recorded to contain beatboxing) became monster hits in the Philippines, rivaling even Francis M.'s previously untouchable reign on top Pinoy rap's throne. Prior to landing a recording contract, the rapper had competed in various rap contests around the Philippines; the likes of which also produced Pinoy rap stars Michael V., Denmark and Martin "Bronx" Magalona. Andrew E.'s 1991 hit "Humanap Ka Ng Pangit" (Look For Someone Ugly) was the first to spawn a plethora of response records from other rappers in the country, such as Michael V.'s "Maganda Ang Piliin" (Pick Someone Pretty). The rapper's ability to combine unique storytelling with raunchy and humorous wordplay laced with catchy beats made Andrew the first of his kind in the genre. He then went on to release a movie entitled Andrew Ford Medina: Huwag Kang Gamol in 1991 which was the first film in the Philippines to include a full-on freestyle battle on screen. By the mid-1990s he had established his own record label, the controversial Dongalo Wreckords, as well as many successful rap groups, including Cebuano
Cebuano people
The Cebuano people , are a Visayan ethnic group in Cebu and form the second largest cultural-linguistic group in the Philippines.-History:...
rappers The Anthill Mobb, Madd Poets and Bicolano rappers Salbakuta. The former, known for their complex and versatile lyrical ability achieved fame with their debut album Ikatlong Mundo. In 1997, Andrew E. produced and hosted the first Pinoy rap television show, Rap 13. Other popular rap artists and groups included Razzamanazz, Cirkulo Pugantes, El Latino, Mastaplann, Verbal Sativa, Kulay, Legit Misfitz, Pariente, Urban Flow, Sun Valley Crew, and Mega Force Crew (*formerly known as Grand Assault Tribe).
1994 saw the emergence of another rap group, headed by a female balikbayan from New York. The group called 4 East Flava consisted of 3 homegrown rapistas - Von " Mack" Padua (Who was molded by Martin "the Bronxman" Magalona and now with the group Pinoy Republic), Bernard "P-Slick" Santiago and Paul "Shorty" Navarro- 2 DJs (Dj Edge and Dj Mec) and Jug "Honeyluv" Ramos, hailing from New York and was known as "the rose among the thorns." They brought out the hit "Check the Hood" (used for a shoe commercial) which was misunderstood as a diss towards MastaPlann.
The same year, going against the wave of radio-friendly rap tracks that dominated at the time, the group Death Threat
Death Threat (hip hop musician)
Death Threat are pioneering gangsta rap artists in the Philippines composed of MCs O.G. Beware, olan, Hi-Jakkk, O-Dogg, Gloc-9, Konflick, Phat-L, Dyablo, Sir Scratch and Radical M.K. & the only English speaking artist in the group M.E.N.A.C.E...
, founded by rappers Beware and Genezide, released the first Filipino gangsta rap
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
album which told tales of the daily lives and struggles impoverished Filipino youth faced growing up in the slums of Metro Manila's barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s entitled Gusto Kong Bumaet (I Want To Be Good).
In 1997, the underground Pinoy rap group Pamilia Dimagiba released their groundbreaking album Broke-N-Unsigned on Tenement Records, marking the re-emergence of the conscious emcee in Pinoy rap. A coalition of sorts, Pamilia Dimagiba composed itself of several underground Pinoy rappers and crews such as 8th Messenger, Shadowblyde, Spoon, Murder-1 of Khan's Assassins and Young Galaxy of Iron Triangle among others. The raw seven-track, politically minded album was a breath of fresh air at the time; as Pinoy rap during the era had taken a more hardcore, gangster persona. Known for their coarse lyrics, serious subject matter complemented by heavy beats fused within traditional Filipino folk music; the camp's records by the names of "Duelo", "Manila's Finest", "Reality Hurtz" and "Brainstorming" among others were largely in essence a throwback to the early, nationalistic Francis M. inspired days of the genre.
The widespread popularity of Pinoy rap in and around the islands has resulted in the spawning of a new breed of Pinoy emcees: Junior Rapistas. Far from being a new trend, Jaymie "Baby" Magtoto and her 1991 hit single "Eh! Kasi Bata" ('Cause I'm a Kid) was an early example of Pinoy kiddie rappers. The single was also included in the soundtrack for Jaymie's motion picture debut of the same name released later that year.
The 2000s saw the resurgence of grade school rappers in Filipino Hip Hop. 2005 was a breakthrough for kid rappers in the Philippines as Aikee, through the Madd World/Circulo Pugantes Camp released his debut Ang Bawat Bata (Every Child) on Alpha Music and at eleven years of age, became the youngest Filipino rapper to release a full rap album.
2000s: Philippine Hip-Hop Today
In the new millennium, Filipino hip-hop rivalled Pinoy rockPinoy rock
Pinoy rock, or Filipino rock, is the brand of rock music produced in the Philippines or by Filipinos. It has become as diverse as the rock music genre itself, and bands adopting this style are now further classified under more specific genres or combinations of genres like alternative rock,...
's traditional popularity amongst Filipino youth. Artists who are currently active and have released both rap albums and music videos in the Philippines since 2000 include: Andrew E, Razzamanazz, D-Coy, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Francis M, Gloc-9
Gloc-9
Aristotle Pollisco , better known by his stage name Gloc-9, is an Awit Award-winning Filipino rapper. His fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of the most successful hip-hop artists in the Philippines...
, Krook & J.O.L.O., DiCE and k9 aka Mobbstarr, Pikaso, Stilloz Pride, Ace Asero, and Thavawenyoz.
In 2000, the golden-era rap group Mastaplann released a third album through BMG Records, under the new sub-label, Francis M's Red Egg Records, entitled Mastaplann.com, a reference to their newly developed website. Additionally, the group scaled down their line-up to just Butch and Johnny, and then added Johnny Krush, another balikbayan from the San Francisco area. This album has already obtained gold status in the Philippines, and is also still selling. Currently, the group is based in the States where they still perform and make music. Mastaplann is currently working on their fourth album, yet to be titled, to be released under True Asiatik Productionz.
Since 2004, the Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards has been held annually in Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
. The show is reminiscent of The Source Awards in the US. Gloc-9
Gloc-9
Aristotle Pollisco , better known by his stage name Gloc-9, is an Awit Award-winning Filipino rapper. His fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of the most successful hip-hop artists in the Philippines...
, considered to be the fastest rapper in the Philippines and former member of the rap group Death Threat, held the title for Best Rap Artist at the awards show for four consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008, achieving mainstream popularity and releasing successful commercial albums every other year. Like the American hip-hop industry, music videos have become an important trend (even containing small cameos from different Filipino rappers) and air on TV channels like MTV Philippines
MTV Philippines
MTV Philippines was a 24-hour music/entertainment television network owned by All Youth Channels, Inc., with a partnership with MTV Networks Asia Pacific...
and MYX
Myx
myx or MYX is the music channel of ABS-CBN brand and the #1 music channel in the Philippines. It is also a part of Studio 23's program line-up. In 2007, MYX North America was launched in the United States....
. Despite Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
's powerful position over the music industry, rap groups in the south have started to gain their own share of popularity, like DiCE and k9 aka Mobbstarr from Cebu City with their first hit single "Itsumo" in 2003, and Thavawenyoz from Davao City with their debut album "Hubag" in 2005. It also is not uncommon for Filipino-American artists to perform live, sell records, and win awards in the Philippines while living in the States, for example Pikaso from San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
who won the Producer of the Year award in 2008. Zambo Top Dogz from Zamboanga City known for their chavacano rap "Noticias" and "Conversa Ta".
In 2002, Carlo Maniquiz and Nick Tuason, together with the assistance of FUBU
FUBU
FUBU is a clothing company. It includes casual wear, sports wear, a suit collection, eyewear, belts, and shoes for the African-American community in the sense of economic investment but not to be exclusively worn by African Americans...
's headquarters in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, established the FUBU Philippines clothing line, opening up several stores in the Philippines. In promotion of the new franchise, Francis M released a compilation album showcasing new local hip-hop talent as well as two volumes of Tha Rappublic of the Philippines series, which featured young unsigned Filipino rap artists that were discovered through the nationwide talent search of the same name (including groups Crazy as Pinoy, Kamandag ng Marikina, and the Stick Figgas). Francis M would also go on to form his own clothing line in 2006 called Francis Magalona Clothing Company (FMCC) which are sold at his own branches of stores called Three Stars & a Sun. "The F-Word" was an album Francis M was rumored to be working on in 2008 to follow his last album from 2000, but leukemia and other health problems interfered later that year.
The popularity of artists such as DiCE and k9 aka Mobbstarr, Pikaso, Audible, and Krook and J.O.L.O., who primarily use English lyrics in their tracks, has given way to the on-going divide between Tagalog lyricists and English lyricists. With English tracks dominating the air waves, several Tagalog-based emcees have felt a sort of bias in the Philippine music industry, which favors artists who use English rather than Filipino. The conflict over language became evident in the 2004 The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
concert in Manila in which rapper Mike Swift's Tagalog-based track was cut short halfway through the song due to the "English Only" policy enforced by the event's organizers towards Black Eyed Peas' opening acts.
Rap group Salbakuta, under Andrew E's Dongalo Wreckords, recorded the track Ayoko Ng Ganitong..., which contained lyrics partly attacking such "English Only" Pinoy rap artists.
In 2006, the group Stick Figgas, runners-up in Francis M's Rappublic of the Philippines talent search, released their debut album "Critical Condition" under joint-release with DiCE and k9's 6000 Goonz imprint and Francis M's Red Egg Records sub-label, which, amidst critical acclaim, sparked a resurgence and renascence of sorts in Tagalog rap. The Stick Figgas relied on clever punchlines, creative lyricism and intricate rhyme schemes, re-introducing a technical poignancy that has been absent in Tagalog rap since B.B. Clan's first album "Mabanges". This rap style has arguably inspired the current generation of Tagalog rappers to place much more emphasis on multi-syllable rhyme schemes, punchlines and metaphors than before.
In 2008, after the death of Francis Magalona, independent rap label and production emerges in the local rap scene such as Wika Records of D-coy and PR Records and Entertainment (as owned by Von Padua of Pinoy Republic), Pikaso's Hustlin Records, Longevity Records and Turbulence Records. Pinoy Hiphop fashion has also emerge such as PINOY REPUBLIC, TURF CLOTHING, BOSS BALITA and WIKA following the king's (Francis M.)clothing line FMCC.
In 2010 there are moder balagtasan called "Fliptopbattles" It is adapted from the rappers in the United States that was hit on youtube.The fliptopbattles is initiated in 2010 by Alaric "Anygma" Yuson[Host], Here there are two emcee on both side of Anygma showing there rapping skills on the judges and audience.it maybe by the way of Punchline,Freestyle Etc, .And by doing this it's helps to improve the hip hop in the Philippines.These are battlers emcee who famous on fliptop battle league.Dello (Evolution of rap),Loonie(King of Fliptop),Target(Mananabas),Blkd(Aktibista),Zaito(Aple De ap of the Phil.).
Other elements of hip hop
The art of MCing or rappingRapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
in Filipino hip hop is also represented in other forms such as battle rap
Battle Rap
Battle rap is a type of rapping that includes a lot of braggadocio content "combined with put-downs, insults, and disses against real or imaginary opponents"...
ping, or freestyling. Several annual contests such as the Fête de la Musique and the Blazin' Freestyle Battle and PR's "Rap Mania" are held annually within the Philippines specifically aimed at showcasing such talents; often drawing masses of undiscovered, amateur Pinoy rapistas.
Many other aspects of Filipino hip hop are embodied in other elements such as turntablism
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
, with DJs DJ Coki, DJ Kimozave, DJ Traxx, DJ Rocky Rock, DJ Josh F, DJ Arbie Won, DJ Frenz, DJ Mars Cupid, DJ NB and DJ Sir Scratch among others. Philippine-based DJ crews such as The Megateam (DJ MOD, DJ Sonny and DJ OUCH), Spindicate Posse and Samahang Ng Mga Turntabolista sa Pilipinas (S.T.P.), other prominent young producers like Salt&Light Music Entertainment (Under Salt&Light Productions) and defuncted RemixPunk Records, dominate DJing competitions such as the Disco Mix Club
Disco Mix Club
Disco Mix Club is a DJ remix service founded by Tony Prince which began as a radio show in 1981 on Radio Luxembourg in the UK. Prince helped popularise a new style of DJ mixes using the turntable as an instrument. DMC started operating as a remix service in 1983. They started producing remix...
Philippines.
Artists representing other elements include b-boy crews like The Battle Krew (TBK),Funk Roots Crew, Soulstice Crew, Air Grounds Crew, Tru Asiatik Tribe (TAT) and The Balikbayan Tribe (BBT), grapistas or graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
crews such as, SBA CRU, Pinoy Bomber Crew (PBC), Day Night Bombers (DNB), Katipunan Street Team (KST), CIS, Republika Barbaro Trese (THG) as well as beatboxers
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
like Christopher Oreo a.k.a. BoomBuster, Cool MC Norman B. of the Filipino rap group Bass Rhyme Posse.
Birth of a culture
Filipino-American hip-hop culture bases its historical roots in the Filipino AmericanFilipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
, Latino American and African-American neighborhoods along the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, specifically in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, and San Diego. The movement that had been born in the south Bronx among Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n, Puerto Rican and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
youth in turn had its West Coast identity formed within the respective African-American, Filipino and Latino communities. Similar to the Filipino-American zoot suit
Zoot suit
A zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
ers, be-boppers and ballroom dancers of previous generations, the dynamics within these respective communities would reincarnate itself once again in the form of hip hop. Since the 1990 Census, Filipino Americans have made up the second largest Asian Pacific American group in the United States (after Chinese Americans), and until 2000 were the largest Asian group in California. In West Coast hip hop, their role has been comparable to that of Puerto Rican artists on the East Coast, who were an integral part, along with African Americans, in the creation of the foundations of hip hop culture.
As early as the late 1970s, during hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
's infancy, pioneering mobile Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
mobile DJ crews such as Sound Explosion, Unlimited Sounds, Electric Sounds, Fusion, Ladda Sounds, Ultimate Creations, Sound City Productions, Kicks Company, Images, Non-Stop Boogie, Imperial Sounds, Unique Musique, Nite Life Sensations, Rok A Long and Sound Sequence among many others helped capitalize on the massive Filipino party scene by introducing the newly formed genre of music while spreading its popularity throughout South San Francisco and its surrounding areas through paid gigs on house/block parties, family gatherings, school pep rallies, weddings and church halls; primarily playing and mixing electro funk alongside Latin freestyle. Rival crews would often one-up each other by showcasing superior equipment and providing elaborate set-ups. Early mobile DJ stars included DJ Ren, (born Rene Anies) founder of one of the first Filipino American DJ crews Electric Sounds and DJ D-Styles, (born Dave Cuasito) who in 1987 established the mobile DJ crew Sound City Productions. In 1983, a real-estate agent by the name of Mark Bradford established Imagine, which began primarily as a showcase for Filipino DJ talent in and around the Bay Area and came to serve as the premier event for DJs until the founders' murder in 1991.The movement would reach its pinnacle in 1987, when more than one hundred mobile DJ crews would participate in all important DJ sound clashes and showcases. By the late 1980s, the mobile DJ movement had declined in popularity and had given way to the turntablist, largely due to the rise of Q-Bert and the innovation of scratching within the DJ community. The legacy of the mobile DJ would live on however; because many of the Bay Area turntablists that would go on to define the art in the 1990s such as Q-Bert himself, along with DJ Shortkut often had their beginnings in mobile DJ work. Also in New York City, early hip hop musician and Salsa legend Joe Bataan
Joe Bataan
Joe Bataan is a Filipino-African American Latin R&B musician from New York.- Early life and career :...
(half Filipino and half African American) had one of the first rap hits, "Rap-O Clap-O," in 1979, released on his Salsoul
Salsoul Records
This article is about the record label. For SalSoul the Puerto Rican Salsa radio station see Cadena Salsoul.Salsoul Records was a New York City based record label founded by brothers Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre . Salsoul released about 300 disco 12-inch singles, and a string of...
label. In 1986, DJ Nasty Nes (of Rap Attack fame) of Seattle launched the specialty show "Fresh Tracks" on Seattle's 1250 KFOX introducing the first ever hip-hop radio station on the West Coast. He would than later go on to serve as the DJ for pioneering Seattle rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot
Sir Mix-a-Lot
Anthony Ray , better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot, is an emcee and producer based in Seattle, Washington. The founder of the Nastymix record label, he debuted in 1988 with Swass...
.
In the 1980s, several legendary Filipino B-Boy groups such as the Renegade Rockers, Knuckleneck Tribe, Rock Force Crew, Daly City Breakers, Jughead Tribe and Concrete Rockers also emerged out of the bay area rivaling even the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
based Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...
, whose official West Coast contingent is known to consist of several Filipino American members. Kalifornia Noize Terrorists' Paul Sirate, better known as P-Kid emerged out of the Bay Area becoming one of the early premier breakdancers and later went on to MCing and producing, lacing tracks for the likes of the Bronx's Terror Squad
Terror Squad (group)
Terror Squad is an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in The Bronx borough of New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's album Don Cartagena...
and L.A.'s Pharcyde. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, pioneering Filipina rapper Lani Luv (born Melanie Cagonot) became one of the early West Coast female MCs.
Several tagging crews such as Oakland's Those Damn Kids (TDK) were some of the originators of Graf Art on the West Coast. It was during this time in 1983 that TDK's King Dream (born Michael Francisco) surfaced out of the graf art world. Francisco utilized his pieces to celebrate, express and educate from his own Filipino American background in order to promote tolerance while simultaneously strengthening bonds with others from differing cultures, eventually achieving international recognition. Now deceased, (Dream was murdered in 2000) he is considered by many to have been one of the greatest and most influential graf writers whose work had been expressive of his urban environment while focusing on social issues concerning not only Filipino Americans, but also other people of color in America such as police brutality, racism, nationwide liberation and rebellion.
Although generally associated with the West Coast with individuals and groups such as Blue Scholars, and Native Guns, Filipino American Hip Hop is increasingly represented by Emcees in other regions, from East Coast performers such as Knowa Lazarus and the Q-York Senate hailing from Queens, New York, to Midwestern groups such as Chicago's The PACIFICS. Maryland's Gagong Rapper crew gained fame in the early 2000s by flooding the internet with their home-recordings and head the underground sub-label Sandamukal Records. L.A.'s Grupo ni Berdugo and Sunog Baga, under F.O.B Entertainment, has recently been making names for themselves, the latter being signed by Andrew E's Dongalo Wreckordz and opening up for Gloc-9
Gloc-9
Aristotle Pollisco , better known by his stage name Gloc-9, is an Awit Award-winning Filipino rapper. His fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of the most successful hip-hop artists in the Philippines...
's L.A. show. Hailing from San Jose, California, Yung Rizzo of Fly High Records, is one of the hottest up and coming rappers from his region. Currently he is working on projects that include singles featuring mainstream artists The Jacka
The Jacka
Dominic Newton, better known by his stage name The Jacka , is an American rapper from Richmond, California. The Jacka got his start in Pittsburg, California with his group, Mob Figaz, whose first album, C-Bo's Mob Figaz, was released in 1999. The Jacka also converted to Islam at a very young age...
from Mob Figaz
Mob Figaz
Mob Figaz is a hip hop group from the Bay Area, California, that was formed by C-Bo. The original members include The Jacka, Husalah, Rydah J. Klyde and Fed-X from Pittsburg, California, and AP.9, from Oakland....
and Mistah F.A.B, as well as his first studio album, "Back of My Mind" which is planned for release in 2012.
Even further north of the American border in Canada, Filipino Hip hop has established an active scene, with the likes of Montreal's New Elementz, Vancouver's conscious rap-tandem The On Point Collective, the veteran emcee JAE SPILLZ, Filipino rapper ONE3D, and the Hip Hop power label Cashtown Records; home to a variety of artists including the underground Tagalog emcees Dos Armados.
Rise of the turntablists: Built from scratch
By the 1990s, hip hop artists of FilipinoFilipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
descent (particularly turntablists
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
like Q-Bert and the Invisibl Skratch Piklz
Invisibl Skratch Piklz
The Invisibl Skratch Piklz were a group of Americans of Filipino Ancestry turntablists.The members of the group were originally hip-hop DJs, who were among the pioneers of the turntablism movement in the 1990s; turntablists create musical pieces by mixing samples from records, by using multiple...
) achieved prominence and came to dominate the DJ art form of scratching, introducing the world to a more innovative style of scratching utilizing a wide variety of new techniques, including the playing of actual melodies, as well as the inventions of the crab scratch, tweak scratch, strobing, and furthering the development of flare scratching. In 1996, the International Turntable Federation, which hosts the largest international turntablist competitions, was established by Alex Aquino. DJ Glaze of Long Beach's Foesum have together been staples in the West Coast gangster rap scene since the G-Funk
G-funk
G-funk, or Gangsta-funk, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that emerged from Westcoast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. G-funk incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of P-funk tunes, and a high-pitched...
era of the 1990s. DJ Babu
DJ Babu
DJ Babu is a Filipino-American DJ. One-third of the hip hop group Dilated Peoples , Babu is also a member of the Beat Junkies DJ crew, and together with rapper Defari forms the duo the Likwit Junkies. DJ Babu, Evidence and Pharoahe Monch also feature in the song H! Vltg3 on Linkin Park's...
(born Chris Oroc) has gained notoriety for his work with the turtablism group Beat Junkies
Beat Junkies
The World Famous Beat Junkies is a Hip hop crew of DJs specializing in Turntablism. Established in 1992 in Orange County, California by J-Rocc....
and the alternative hip hop act Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. The group achieved notability in the underground hip hop community, although they have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song "This Way," a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West and Xzibit...
. Many other notable DJ champions from other countries around the world such as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
have also been of Filipino descent. Other notable DJs include DJ Kuttin Kandi and DJ ROLI RHO (1999 east coast regional DMC Champ/ 1999&2000 VIBE MUSIC SEMINAR CHAMPION of New York City's 5th Platoon, DJ Icy Ice of Los Angeles' KDAY
KDAY
KDAY in Redondo Beach and KDEY in Ontario are a pair of synchrocasting radio stations based in South Los Angeles that airs an Classic hip-hop format aimed at African Americans in the 18-49 range. The station is owned by Magic Broadcasting, LLC and broadcasts at 93.5 MHz on the FM dial...
93.5 FM and DJ E-Man from Los Angeles' Power 106 FM, DJ Marlino aka "da5footafunk" from San Diego's XHITZ-FM
XHITZ-FM
XHITZ-FM is a Contemporary Hit Radio station in San Diego-Tijuana broadcasting on 90.3 MHz. The station is owned by Local Media of America and...
Z90.3; From the Washington DC Area, DJ Enferno (2003 US DMC Champ/2003 1st Runner Up DMC World) and DJ Geometrix of the Trooperz Crew, From Texas, DJ Manila Ice (2007 DMC US Finalist) and DJ Jester the Filipino Fist. Another long time contributor is music producer and Hawaii's 1st Hip Hop DJ Champion, Joseph Netherland, better known as, DJ ELITE of Elite Empire Entertainment, LLC. Two long time staples for entertainment in Sacramento, CA are DJ Eddie Edul and DJ Billy Lane.
The "raptivists"
Filipino AmericanFilipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
hip hop also infuses influences from the native Philippine literary art of Balagtasan, or Filipino spoken word poetry; although most Filipino American rappers primarily use English or "Taglish
Taglish
Taglish is a portmanteau of the words "Tagalog" and "English" which refers to the Philippine language Tagalog infused with American English terms. It is an example of code-switching....
" in their lyrics, as opposed to their Philippine-counterparts. In the millennium, underground rap groups such as Blue Scholars
Blue Scholars
Blue Scholars is a hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, created in 2002 while the members, DJ Sabzi and MC Geologic, were students at the University of Washington....
, Native Guns
Native Guns
Native Guns was an American rap group that consisted of two Filipino American MC's and a Chinese American DJ from California. Based in both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, the group consists of MCs Kiwi and Bambu, and DJ Phatrick...
(now defunct), and Kontrast have utilized this method in their styles, producing pure hip hop while promoting community activism and social consciousness through their lyrics, earning the title of "raptivists." Some groups, like San Jose, CA based Sons of Rebellion, also unify several communities through their music as they represent the Filipino American, African American, and Muslim experience. Lyrics from Sons of Rebellion have even been used as part of a nationwide high school curriculum, for the technology based high school SiaTech, and tracks from former Native Guns member Kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
's album Writes of Passage: Portraits of a Son Rising have also been used in a Filipino-American literature course taught at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
. Many socially conscious and community minded Filipino emcees often do benefit shows to help out the Filipino community locally and internationally. In February 2007, Filipino American emcees Kiwi, Kapatid X, Power Struggle, Praxis Roks, Blue Scholars, and Rhapsodistas joined forces with other Filipino American community artists to do a Stop the Killings benefit concert in San Francisco, CA to help raise awareness about the political climate in the Philippines. The Stop the Killings event utilized the power of hip hop to expose the numerous amount of killings done to innocent people in the Philippines. Blue Scholars and Kiwi went on to do a subsequent "Stop the Killings" tour, with shows happening in several major cities across the nation.
apl.de.ap (Allen Pineda Lindo)
Perhaps one of the most successful mainstream Filipino-American rappers is The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
's apl.de.ap
Apl.de.ap
Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. better known as apl.de.ap , is a Filipino-American rapper, record producer, and occasional drummer who is best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas.-Early life:Pineda was born in Belfast...
, who has released songs such as "The Apl Song" (Elephunk) and "Bebot" (Monkey Business), which not only contained Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
(Tagalog) lyrics but also native Filipino musical elements. Pineda has also founded his own record label, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based Jeepney Music, to help discover and promote Filipino hip-hop talent from both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Pinoy Production: Chad Hugo
One of the most successful Filipino-American producers is Virginia Beach's Chad HugoChad Hugo
Charles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...
. One half of the popular music production duo The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
, Hugo, with his production partner Pharrell, have laced chart topping hits for the likes of Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
among many others. He has also collaborated with The Black Eyed Peas' Apl.de.ap, making an appearance in Apl's music video for "The Apl Song".
Films
The 2000 documentary film Beats, Rhymes and Resistance: Pilipinos and Hip Hop in Los Angeles (produced and directed by Lakandiwa de Leon, Dawn Mabalon, and Jonathan Ramos) chronicles the development of hip hop culture among Filipino Americans in Southern California during the 1990s.Radio
There were two FMFM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
stations in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
that played all kinds of R&B, Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
& all types of Rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
music. These are two defunct radio stations such as Power 108 FM & BLAZIN' 105.9 FM. These were the radio stations that recognize the latest and the greatest Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
genre. This was better known as Project: Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
founded in 2002 by three high school friends namely DJ Caine, Satoshi & Quaizy Ileon. There are plans to revive the project either in another radio dial & if nothing else it can broadcast online like the defuncted RemixPunk FM (RPFM) of DJ Frenz et al.
In 2007, Wave 891 eliminated its pop jazz/easy listening format and switched to full hip hop and R&B in order to retain the Pinoy hip hop scene.
Music samples
See also
- List of Filipino hip hop artists
- and Critical Revolutionary Pedagogy: Blue Scholarship to Challenge 'The Miseducation of the Filipino'" by Michael Viola
- "Filipino American Hip-Hop and Class Consciousness: Renewing the Spirit of Carlos Bulosan" by Michael Viola
External links
- Filipino Rap - Hiphop Community
- Pinoyrap.com Informative Filipino hip-hop website
- Pinoyrap.Info 2011 - Informative Filipino hip-hop website
- Manila Times Article