STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

The rise and rise of Al James

By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto

WHEN Filipino rapper and songwriter Al James was tapped by the world’s largest fast-food chain restaurant to remix his song “Pahinga” for a summer dessert advertisement, he said it was unexpected and overwhelming.

“Nung una nga inisip ‘ko kung tatanggapin ‘ko ba ‘to (At first, I thought if I should accept it),” Al told SoundStrip in a recent interview. Since he was still an underground artist at that time and has only released that song on Soundcloud, he thought that being in the mainstream was part of his evolution as an artist.

So, he accepted the fast-food gig, and due to requests from his fans, he later released his songs on music streaming platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.

Eventually, “it gained a lot of traction,” and that was the start of his rise to fame as a “rockstar” in the local hip-hop scene. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he is also physically gifted with a towering, imposing frame which pretty much reinforces his image.

A different take can also sing affectionate songs),” he added.

SHARING his songwriting process, Al said he wrote “Atin-Atin Lang ” while waiting in line to get his first Covid-19 vaccine shot. During his 4-hour wait, he was able to finish writing the verses of the song before even getting his jab.

Before getting vaccinated, he had a plan to try to write there to kill some time. Since then, the song is just stored on his phone’s notes as he still couldn’t record in a studio because of the lockdown.

Al admitted that the lockdown affected his songwriting process, and there was a period when he went through writer’s block. During this time, he found it hard to get inspiration to create and write a song, so he just focused on his family and his health.

Apart from Flow G, Al James has also collaborated with other artists, such as Zack Tabudlo and Lola Amour, artists that are not necessarily of the same genre.

He also said that when he listens to the songs produced through collabs, “parang ibang Al James (it’s like a different Al James).”

Al said collaborations also allow him to explore and transcend other genres, dissolve barriers, expand his followers and stay relevant.

“Hindi na sarado yung tenga nila sa isang genre,” he said, as the fans of Lola Amour and Ben&Ben sang along during his sets in multiartist music festivals, even as there are those who thank him for the inspiration.

“Magkaibang mundo talaga pero nakakatuwa kasi nagiging bridge yung music sa ibang genre, kaya kapag may music fest, makikita mo yung unity ng mga tao (It’s really a different world but it’s good to see music becoming a bridge to other genres that’s why in music fests, you’ll see the unity among the people),” he said.

Growing anticipation

WEEKS prior to the release of “Atin-Atin Lang,” the song’s demo version was already leaked online and created a buzz after it was said to be circulated on TikTok by an unidentified person.

T. Anthony C. Cabangon

Lourdes M. Fernandez

Aldwin M. Tolosa

Jt Nisay

Edwin P. Sallan

Eduardo A. Davad

Niggel Figueroa

Anabelle O. Flores

Tony M. Maghirang, Rick Olivares, Patrick Miguel

Jill Tan Radovan

Reine Juvierre Alberto

John Eiron R. Francisco

Photographers :

Bernard P. Testa

Nonie Reyes

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Comeback of the year

WITH a handful yet successful songs on his sleeves, such as “Pa-Umaga,” “PSG,” and “Ngayong Gabi,” every time Al releases a new song, it’s celebrated as the “comeback of the year” by the local hip-hop community.

The numbers don’t lie. Al’s phenomenal success is very evident in his impressive 431 million lifetime YouTube views, 380 million alltime streams on Spotify, and 3.9 million social media followers to date.

As if those numbers aren’t enough, Al understands that there’s also strength in joining forces with other successful artists. His latest release, “Atin-Atin Lang ” is in fact, a collaboration with Flow G.

The song is about having quality time with your special someone, Al revealed. When you’re both happy and creating beautiful memories together, you forget the need to share it with other people, specifically on social media, where it feels mandatory to share every moment in one’s life, he added.

“Pang atin-atin lang. I-cherish natin yung time natin, walang distractions (It’s just for us. We should cherish our time together, no distractions),” AJ enthused in explaining the song’s message.

Veering a little from his usual sound, which he describes as “pang-gabi,” in “Atin-Atin Lang,” the sound is lighter and “malambing (affectionate),” but retains his trademark deep bass tone, sense of intimacy, and slow yet strong energy to give balance.

Sharing a glimpse of an artist’s world, he said there’s a lot pressure from fans to the point that even his personal life is affected. Such distractions can cause an artist to think too much and lose focus on his craft.

Whenever he’s pressured by his fans to release songs, he takes it on a positive note. For him, it’s like a wake-up call from all the distractions and pressure, “Parang may nagpapaalala na ‘Hoy! May nag-aabang pa sa’yo’ (It’s like a reminder that ‘Hey! Someone is still anticipating for you’),” he said.

Instead, Al challenges himself to veer away from the usual things he’s comfortable with to give something different to his audience. “Dito sa song na ‘to nabalik yung spark sa pagsulat kasi siguro yun din yung kailangan ‘ko, yung magveer away muna ako sa dark na theme (This song ignited the spark to write again because maybe it’s what I needed, to veer away from dark themes),” he said.

On collaboration

HE also thought of collaborating with other artists, this time from the hip-hop scene, and Flow G was the first person who came to his mind.

“Narinig ‘ko siya while listening to the blank verse. Naisip ‘ko na parang si Flow G yung bagay dito ah (I heard him while listening to the blank verse. I thought Flow G would be fit for this.),” he said.

“Bukod sa naririnig natin ngayon na Flow G na maangas, kaya rin niya yung malalambing na songs (Apart from the proud Flow G we hear today, he

At first, Al James found it “frustrating” as the song loses its “surprise factor.”

“Ang tagal mong niluto at minarinate mo talaga tapos out of nowhere lumabas na lang bigla (You cooked it for so long and marinated it, then out of nowhere, it leaked),” he said.

But when it went viral on the Internet, it built anticipation among the listeners, which he said was helpful.

When SoundStrip asked him when he would release an album, he said that new music before the year ends is on the way. He is also planning to collaborate with international artists to bridge the Filipino culture globally starting with the Filipino-Canadian R&B duo Manila Grey.

As one of the biggest names in Pinoy hiphop, whenever people would still label the genre as “jejemon,” Al James said some still “degrade” the genre, but for him, it had already lapsed.

While he admitted that people with different tastes in music cannot be converted to listen to a specific genre, Al observes that many have accepted Filipino hip-hop music, with some in the higher classes even requesting it to be played in high-end clubs.

In terms of production, he said younger artists and producers are getting better at weaving the Filipino culture and experience even in music with obvious Western influences.

While Filipino hip-hop music has remarkably evolved through the years, Al James foresees it now has a better chance of crossing over on a global scale. Hopefully, he will be happy to be counted as among those who paved the way.