Filipino hip hop

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The Philippines has the oldest hip hop scene in Southeast Asia, largely due to that nation's historical connections with the United States, the birthplace of hip hop. Filipino rap is heterogeneous, encompassing rap in languages such as Tagalog, Chavacano, and Ilocano, as well as English. The musical style has become as diverse as hip-hop music itself with such sub-genres as Kalye (Street), Masa (Commercial), Makabayang (Nationalistic/Politically Conscious), Gangsta, and underground rap. The Philippines is considered by many to have developed the first hip hop scene in all of Asia and the Pacific Islands. ^{[citation needed]}

Native Guns perform at the 2006 We The People festival in Los Angeles, CA

[edit] History

[edit] 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 Temptations, 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 Americans, 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.^[1]

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 scattared throughout that country such as Clark Air Base in Angeles City and Subic Bay Naval Base in Olongopo 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.^[2]

Groundbreaking hip hop films such as Wild Style (1983), Breakin (1984) and Krush Groove (1985) were also major influences; and as early as 1982 local breakdancing crews like "Whooze Co. International" (based in Angeles, Pampanga whose members were mostly from Clark Air Base), The Eclipse (whose former members included Francis Magalona, Darwin Tuason winner of TV show Dance 10 where Filipinos 1st glimpse breakdancing on Philippine tv & Glenn "Kico" Lelay also a member of Whooze Co. who is now with Federation Sounds New York City working with artist such as Sean Paul,T.O.K.,Nina Sky to name a few), Info-Clash Breakers and Ground Control (whose former 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 Metro Manila 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.

[edit] 1980s: Seeds of a movement, from the South Bronx to Metro Manila

The birth of Filipino hip hop music (commonly called Pinoy Rap and its emcees Rapistas) came in the early 1980s, with early records from Dyords Javier (Na Onseng Delight)^[3] 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. ^{[citation needed]} 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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 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.^[6]

More stars followed in Magalona's footsteps, including Pia Arroyo who's (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), Rapi Boys, and MC Lara, who released a self-titled album.

[edit] 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 Mixing Club-(DMC) 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.^[7]

Following the path set forth by their Bass Rhyme Posse 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 dialects (including Tagalog and Chavacano) along with English.^[8] 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.

The following year marked a turning point for Pinoy rap with the release of Francis M.'s second album, Rap Is Francis M (1992), which is highly regarded as one of the greatest Pinoy Rap albums. With tracks addressing the various cultural and social 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 conscious 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;^[9] as well as in the U.S.-based hip hop publication The Source (May 2004).

In 1994, going against the wave of radio-friendly rap tracks that dominated at the time, Death Threat 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 barrios entitled Gusto Kong Bumaet (I Want To Be Good).^[10]

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.^[11]

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.^[12] 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 successful rap groups, including Cebuano rappers The Anthill Mobb,Madd Poets and Bicolano rappers Salbakuta. The former, known for their complex and versatle 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 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).

[edit] Millennium and beyond: The New School

The first years of the 2000s witnessed Pinoy rap transform from being considered a novelty or fad into a full fledged phenomenon, rivaling even Pinoy rock's stronghold on popularity in the island nation. Rap artists such as Salbakuta, Pikaso, Krook and J.O.L.O., Mike Swift, Mobbstarr: DiCE & k9, Los Indios Bravos, 7 Shots of Wisdom, Mista Blaze, Nimbusnine, Krazykyle & the Rapskallion Familia, Kruzzada, and Carlos Agassi dominated the music charts with hits such as "S2pid Luv," "On Your Own," "The Answer," and "Anak Ni Luningning." In 2002, Carlo Maniquiz and Nick Tuason together with the assistance of FUBU's headquarters in New York City established FUBU Philippines clothing; opening up several chains of stores around the islands, and along with the King of Pinoy Rap himself Francis M., launched a compilation album of the same name later that year showcasing a basic who's who of local hip-hop talents.^[13]

In 2003, Death Threat member Gloc 9 (born Aries Pollisco) released his solo debut album entitled G9, scoring such hits as "Isang Araw", "Sikat Na Si Pepe" and "Jologs" among others; making his solo arrival known to the Philippine music industry the record was an instant hit. The album would be followed up by 2005's memoiric "Ako Si...Gloc 9", the rapid-tongued emcee's career has since been elevated to new heights and is considered to be one of the most acclaimed and popular rapistas within the genre today.^[14]

MOBBSTARR: DiCE & k9 The Cebuano Hip-Hop Group that made a phenomenal hit with song "Itsumo". The same group who won the 1st & 2nd annual Philippines HipHop Awards. The hip-hop royalty of the down south is still going on higher grounds.

February 19, 2005 served as a milestone for Philippine based Filipino rap as the first ever Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards were held hosted by Empire Entertainment, paying tribute to the pioneers of the genre along with celebrating Pinoy rap's new school.^[15]

[edit] Rap Rift: Tagalog vs. English Lyricists

The nationwide success of artists such as MOBBSTARR: Dice and K-9., Krook and J.O.L.O., Pikaso, 7 Shots and Sun Valley Crew who primarily use English lyrics in their tracks has given way to the on going divide between the two main types of rappers in the country: Tagalog and English. With tracks consisting of English lyrics such as On Your Own dominating the Philippine air waves, several Tagalog based emcees have felt a sort of bias in the Philippine music industry, favoring Pinoy hip hop artists who use English rather than MCs who choose to use Tagalog or other native Philippine languages in their rhymes. The conflict between the two sides became evident in several events such as the 2004 Black Eyed Peas concert in Manila in which local rapper Mike Swift's Tagalog-based track was cut short halfway through the song due to the unofficial "English Only" policy towards the BEP's opening acts being enforced by the event's organizers.^[16] Drawing the boundary line between the two styles of rappers, the popular rap act Salbakuta recorded the track, "Ayoko Ng Ganitong..." whose lyrics partly attacked such "English Only" Pinoy rap artists.

[edit] Junior Rapistas

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, Jamie "Baby" Magtuto 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 Jamie's motion picture debut of the same name released later that year.^[17]

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,^[18] and as a result has become one of the most popular mainstream rappers in that country.^[19] Other notable junior rapistas include Lil' Kix (Dongalo Wreckords),^[20] Xylk (Real Deal Productions)^[21] and the duo Kid Rappah (Dongalo Wreckords)^[22]

[edit] Other elements of hip hop

The art of MCing or rapping in Filipino hip hop is also represented in other forms such as battle rapping, or freestyling. Several annual contests such as the Fête de la Musique^[23] and the Blazin' Freestyle Battle 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 Rocky Rock, DJ Arbie Won, and DJ Sir Scratch among others. Philippine-based DJ crews such as The Megateam, Spindicate Posse and Samahang Ng Mga Turntabolista sa Pilipinas (S.T.P.) dominate DJing competitions such as the DMC Philippines. Artists representing other elements include b-boy crews like The Battle Krew (TBK), Tru Asiatik Tribe (TAT) and The Balikbayan Tribe (BBT), grapistas or graffiti crews such as SBA CRU, Elemento Syento Porsyento, UAT, Farm Friends Kolektib(FFK), and CIS, and beatboxers like Cool MC Norman B. of the Filipino rap group Bass Rhyme Posse.

[edit] Filipino American hip hop

[edit] Birth of a culture

United States hip hop shares a rich history and deep connection within the Filipino American community. Filipino American hip hop culture bases its long historical roots beginning in the Filipino, Latino and African-American neighborhoods along the West Coast, specifically in the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego. The movement that had been born in the south Bronx among Jamaican, 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 suiters, 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.^[24] Since the 1990 Census, Filipino Americans have made up the second largest Asian Pacific American group in the United States (after Chinese Americans),^[25] and 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 Electric Sounds, Ladda Sounds, Ultimate Creations, Sound City Productions, Kicks Company, Images, Non-Stop Boogie, The Legion of Boom, 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.^[26] 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 untimely 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; due to the fact that 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.^[27] 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.^[28] In 1980, DJ Nasty Nes (of Rap Attack fame) of Seattle launched the specialty show "Freshtracks" 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.^[29]

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, who's official West Coast contingent is known to consist of several Filipino American members.^[30] Kalifornia Noize Terrorists' Paul Sirate, better known as P-Kid^[31] 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 Caganot) 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.^[32] Now deceased, (Dream was murdered in 2000)^[33] he is considered by many to have been one of the greatest and most influential graf writers who's 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.^[34]

[edit] Rise of the turntablists: Built from scratch

By the 1990s, hip hop artists of Filipino descent (particularly turntablists like Q-Bert and the Invisibl Skratch Piklz)^[35] 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,^[36] as well as the inventions of the crab scratch, tweak scratch, strobing, and furthering the development of flare scratching.^[37] 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.^[38] Other notable DJs include DJ Kuttin Kandi 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; From Washington DC Area, DJ Enferno (2003 US DMC Champ/2003 1st Runner Up DMC World)(Trooperz Crew), DJ Geometrix (Trooperz Crew), and Dj Rhyme.

[edit] The "raptivists"

Filipino American 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, 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.^[39] 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 the Native Guns member Kiwi's album Writes of Passage: Portraits of a Son Rising have also been used in a hip hop course taught at San Francisco State University.

[edit] apl.de.ap

Perhaps one of the most successful mainstream Filipino American rappers is the Black Eyed Peas'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.

[edit] Left Coast Legacy

The future and legacy of Filipino American hip hop particularly on the West Coast is also represented in MCs such as the Bay Area's Al Beezy, Dl Da Arsun, Mak Gee and Nump who's track records together have included collaborations with West Coast hip hop pioneers such as E-40, The Federation, Daz Dillinger, JT the Bigga Figga, Dru Down, Yukmouth, C-Bo and The Delinquents among many others along with appearances on television shows such as "MTV's My Block: The Bay"; southern California's Lucky Tha Lootgetta, and Riccy Boy (half Filipino/Samoan). San Diego-based Gametight Inc. is a Filipino American owned record company which is home to many hip-hop artists such as Lucky Tha Lootgetta, as well as Tha' Frontliners, Big Wy, and Riccy Boy. Also representing the city of San Diego is the Filipino/Mexican record label South Psycho Cide Productions whose rap group, South Psycho Cide^[40] have landed nominations for Best New Hip-Hop Album in 2003 and 2005 for the San Diego Music Awards.^[41] E.A.R.T.H. (Everything Around Revolves Thru Hiphop) has been making a buzz in the I.E. Inland Empire since 2002. E.A.R.T.H. consists of Write Words (Filipino), NoE, Sinister XL and Double Negative. MistaMil is a multi-talented producer/songwriter/performer and CEO of his indie label L22 Records based in Southern California which comprises a mainly Fil-Am roster. Alongside Mistamil, is Los Angeles, CA born/Philippines based MC Mister RP who is scheduled to release his highly anticipated solo debut album "Fragments of Wisdom" worldwide in 2006, with notable guest appearances by international turntablists and emcees worldwide, Basic of Ab's (6 Hole Records), Sin (Soul Students/ABB Records), Soundtrakk (1st & 15 Crew), Poetree, and more. In Southern California you will find DJ Clueless (half Filipino/Salvadoreno) a DJ who mixes various music. Alongside DJ Clueless is Knife (half Filipino/Spaniard), a gangster rapper from East Los Angeles with a diverse musical style and satanic culture who has released his fourth album So Satan worldwide in 2006 by Adversary Ent. and Triumphant Recordings.

[edit] Pinoy Production: Chad Hugo

One of the most successful Filipino-American producers is Virginia Beach's Chad Hugo (born Charles "Chad" Hugo). One half of the popular music production and writing duo The Neptunes, Hugo has along with his production partner Pharrell Williams have laced chart topping hits for the music industry's elite such as Jay-Z, Nelly, Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg among others.^[42] Staying true to his Filipino roots he has also collaborated with many Fil-Am rappers such as The Black Eyed Peas' Apl.de.ap; making an appearance in Apl's music video for "The Apl Song".^[43]

[edit] The coming of Krump

Reminicent of the legendary Bay Area Filipino American b-boys and b-girls of the 1980s and 1990s, the new millennium has seen the recreation of that creativity in the arrival of a new generation of young Fil-Ams seeking to carve out a name and legacy for themselves in the books of hip hop through the West Coast art form of Krumping.^[44]

The dance form, originating in South-Central Los Angeles' predominately African-American communities in the early 1990s, has since branched out and quickly spread to L.A.'s surrounding Filipino and Latino neighborhoods giving its performers an alternative to the violence and harsh realities that surround their communities; and has been depicted in the David LaChapelle documentary Rize. The high visibility of Filipino Americans within southern California's Krumping community has already resulted in the formation of many Filipino Krumping Families such as Long Beach's Rice Track Family, founded by Rod "Hot Rod" Soriano.^[45] The members of RTF include the popular Solow, born Laurence Gojit, who is featured in the 2006 The Golden Series of Krump DVD.

[edit] National outlook

Although generally associated with the West Coast with groups like Blue Scholars and Native Guns, Filipino American hip hop is increasingly represented by artists in other regions, with East Coast performers such as Knowa Lazarus and the Q-York Senate hailing from Queens, New York, Midwestern groups such as Chicago's The PACIFICS & Jargon Dyonisis, as well as the South in TBB and Crew from Atlanta and Baby Booda from Mississippi and goes far even beyond America's next door border Canada, including Montreal's New Elementz, Dopey, Gangguro and Cola from Toronto is just one of the few rising Filipino hip hop artists in North America.

[edit] 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 during the 1990s.^[46]

[edit] Audio samples

• Download sample of Francis Magalona's "Mga Kababayan" from 1990's Yo!. The nationalistic track was the first hit single for Pinoy rap.
• Download sample of Pamilia Dimagiba's "Duelo" form their 1997 album Broke-N-Unsigned. The record marked the re-emergence of the conscious emcee in Pinoy rap.
• Download sample of the Pinoy rap supergroup Ghetto Doggs "My Enemy", released off the 1999 album Dear Critics. The rap group, composed of several smaller crews was an instrumental force in the Philippine rap boom of the 1990s.
• Download samples of one of the Death Threat's CD's, "Da Best of Death Threat".

[edit] See also

• List of Filipino hip hop artists

• "Hip-Hop 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

[edit] Notes and references

1. ^ Republic Act No. 9174. Republic of the Philippines (November 7, 2002). Retrieved on 2006-07-02.
2. ^ History of Pinoy Rap. Retrieved on 2006-07-02.
3. ^ Phil Music Registry. Retrieved on 2006-07-02. (Link appears to be broken as of last access, no relevant content is visible)
4. ^ Bass Rhyme Posse Bio. Geocities.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-02.
5. ^ Bass Rhyme Posse Facts. Geocities.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-02.
6. ^ Francis M.. Pinoyrap.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-02.
7. ^ http://www.kut5.com/kut5graphy.htm
8. ^ http://pinoyrap.com/artists/rapasia.html
9. ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0879307595
10. ^ http://www.kabayancentral.com/music/deatht.html
11. ^ http://pinoyrap.com/artists/pamilyad.html
12. ^ Caroustar of the Month (July 2004) Andrew E.. carouselpinoy.com. Retrieved on 2006-01-20.
13. ^ http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2004/oct/02/yehey/enter/20041002ent4.html
14. ^ Gloc-9’s Second Album Out. PhilMusic.com (2005-03-28). Retrieved on 2006-07-09.
15. ^ {{cite web On August 22, 2006, AMPON (Absolute Messages Personified Over Noise) dropped their first album compilation "Dekoding Rhythm" which was a different approach to hiphop music in the Philippines. It featured tracks produced by Mic, Caliph8, Skarm, Flexx and Chec. It had both tagalog and english tracks in it. |url = http://www.titikpilipino.com/news/index.php?aid=397&offset=0&expanded |title = 1st Philippine Annual Hip-hop Music Awards |author = Jay Frank de Jesus |work = Titik Pilipino |date = 2005-02-19 |accessdate = 2006-07-09 }}
16. ^ "Hakbang, Pilipinas!", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2004-06-12. Retrieved on 2006-07-09.
17. ^ Eh kasi bata at the Internet Movie Database
18. ^ Introducing Aikee, The New Kid Rapper. Titik Pilipino (2005-08-04). Retrieved on 2006-07-09.
19. ^ http://pinoyrap.com/artists/aikee.html
20. ^ http://pinoyrap.com/artists/lilkix.html
21. ^ http://pinoyrap.com/artists/xylk.html
22. ^ http://pinoyrap.com/kidrappah.html
23. ^ http://travelmax.statravel.co.uk/sisp/?fx=event&event_id=72939
24. ^ http://www.oovrag.com/essays/essay2003a-1.shtml
25. ^ http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/censr-17.pdf
26. ^ http://www.premiereartistsgroup.com/roster/d-styles.php
27. ^ http://sfbg.com/noise/01-01/fili.html
28. ^ http://www.discomusic.com/records-more/2030_0_2_0_C/
29. ^ Interview with West Coast Pioneer Nasty Nes. rapattacklives.com (May 6, 2005). Retrieved on 2005-12-25.
30. ^ Filipinos and Hip-Hop Culture. daveyd.com (June 12, 1997). Retrieved on 2005-12-25.
31. ^ P-Kid (listed under the category B-boys/girls) is the same person as Pikaso ("Mr. Sirate"), listed under the category Producers.
32. ^ http://www.dreamtdk.com/Media/almag.html
33. ^ http://www.dreamtdk.com/Media/revol.html
34. ^ http://dreamtdk.com/biography.html
35. ^ Mix Master Mike is the only member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz that is not of Filipino ancestry; born Michael Schwartz, he is Ashkenazi Jewish.
36. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/invisiblskratchpiklz/biography
37. ^ http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~tbeamish/djtaxonomy/scratching.html
38. ^ http://www.daveyd.com/FullArticles%5CarticleN270.asp
39. ^ D, Davey. "Bay Area rap artists build bridges across racial lines", Mercury News, May 30, 2003. (offline as of last access, see Google cache version
40. ^ http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/artist/sounds.cfm?artist_iid=1700&RequestTimeout=120
41. ^ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20051202-9999-1c02hiphop.html
42. ^ http://www.tv.com/chad-hugo/person/241968/summary.html
43. ^ http://www.chopblock.com/features/aplsong.cfm
44. ^ http://ltf121.chi.us.siteprotect.com/snapshot/D/1/2/42B5503104D1CE12/
45. ^ http://www.davidlachapelle.com/film/NY_times_mag.shtml
46. ^ http://www.poeticdream.com/gallery.php?gid=163

• "1st Annual Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards" titikpilipino.com February 19, 2005. Retrieved December 25, 2005
• "Tales of the Turntable: Filipino American DJs of the Bay Area" Hip Hop Slam February 25, 2002. Retrieved December 24, 2005.
• "Featured Promoter, Dancer, and all-around contributor to the Hip Hop Community" onecypher.com Retrieved December 25, 2005.
• "Filipino DJs of the Bay Area-Why Are They So Successful?" Rap Dot Com Magazine/July 1994 Reprinted and re-edited in October 1995 Retrieved December 24, 2005.
• "History of Pinoy Rap" pinoyrap.com Retrieved January 20, 2006.
• "Writing Is My Life-by Mike Dream" Retrieved December 25, 2005.

[edit] External links

Rydeen -- the very first to do the remake of Gloc-9's "Love Story Ko" beat supplied by Thugalog "Love Story Ko" - Rydeen

[edit] Interviews

• Knowa Lazarus/Q-York Senate interview on Latination
• Three Generations of the Rock Force Crew

[edit] Related

• Pinoy Gig Calendar