14
C U LT U R E
BY POLO QUINTANA STAFF WRITER
H
ip-hop, despite its brash flaunting of wealth and pseudo-masculinity, has never shied away from speaking against abusive state forces, corrupt government officials, and the unfair system Americans are up against. With roots in militant spoken-word groups like The Last Poets and The Watts Prophets who used their art to champion black nationalism in the 60s, it’s not hard to see why the culture’s rhythm and rhymes are being used today to speak out against injustices no matter the skin color. From the concrete jungle streets of New York to the sun-smooched boulevards of Los Angeles, rappers have injected their lyrics with as much animosity against America’s imperialist system as they can, even dubbed by Public Enemy’s Chuck D as “black America’s CNN.” Eventually, when the subculture arrived in the Philippines during the early 90s, Filipinos quickly embraced this piece of America. Prominent figures of early Filipino hip-hop are the controversial Dongalo Wreckords founder Andrew E. and the late rap legend Francis Magalona. The early 1990s soon experienced a hip-hop revolution as the genre attained mainstream status caused by its popularity among the youth of Manila.
M A Y-J U N E 2 02 2 | U P L B P E R S P EC T I V E .O R G
Rhythm, Rhymes, and Revolution: Hip-hop in the country’s political landscape
In the political landscape
Where does the Philippine hip-hop scene belong in the political climate of the country? It belongs to the masses, from its humble beginnings in America to the industry giant it is now.
Hip-hop is a widelyaccessible and unfiltered instrument to circulate revolutionary and progressive ideas. It is an art form, a culture, and a political movement.
Progressive hip-hop in the Philippines
After getting a tiny taste of the American rap game, I wanted to check out the Philippine scene because, as overly-saturated-alpha-male-grind set, local streetwear business owners would say, “support local.” It wasn’t until 2019 that I saw how big of an impact hip-hop could have in the politics of the country. In 2019, a 12-track album “KOLATERAL” was dropped by Sandata headed by Calix and BLKD, two known local rap artists. KOLATERAL takes a deep dive into Duterte’s failed drug war. Local rap group Kartell’em and BLKD turn into young impoverished boys killed by policemen to finish the ‘quota’ for the day in the track Boy. Tao gives voice to a young couple whose lives are both taken from them by cops in Hawak. In the album’s 12th song, Sandata, various artists use their voices to express the rage they feel against Duterte using colorful words that could get anyone kicked out from Catholic schools. In KOLATERAL, hip-hop doesn’t just take the form of another album.
Hip-hop becomes a memorial to remind its listeners that the victims of the Duterte regime are not mere numbers but real people with real lives unjustly taken from them and a form of hope that the condition of the country doesn’t call for another album like it. From this album, more artists came under my radar. Pasya highlights the decriminalization of abortion in the legal system with
candidate一no different from the sorties before it, and the sorties that will come after.” Aside from being a socially relevant song, Gloc performing Upuan during the rally was a chance for him to finally use his influence against oppressors and legitimize Upuan’s meaning. He said it himself before performing, “mayroon akong isang awitin, ang dami-dami kong atraso sa awitin na ‘to pero ngayong araw babawi ako sa kanya,” – poetic justice. All that’s left is for him to junk his NutriAsia endorsement (baby steps). Gloc-9, with all his influence from the rap scene, widens the possibility for local and mainstream Filipino emcees to reconnect with the progressive roots of hip-hop.
[P] GRAPHICS BY FIONA MACAPAGAL
music geared towards empowering women. It is a reclamation of the body’s ownership back to its owner. Periodt by Muro Ami and Tao explores safe and unsafe sex plus the toll of unwanted pregnancies. Regla by Muro Ami, SHNTI, and Tao highlights the societal and cultural pressures and barriers that women experience with regards to their bodily autonomy and reproductive health. Naga city emcee Sgimi criticizes political figures with their unfair treatment and killing of the country’s farmers and indigenous people in Rehas ng Silanganan. San Roque 21 explores the failure of Duterte’s pandemic response. Sgimi underlines the cruel arresting of 21 protesters from Sitio San Roque who were
asking the government for food and assistance during the first wave of lockdowns. Another example of a local rapper using their art politically is Gloc-9’s reclamation of his political anthem Upuan during the Baguio Leni-Kiko people’s rally. The track implores politicians to put themselves in the shoes of the masses, the same people they abuse and take from. For the longest time, followers have been pointing out the contradictions between his socially relevant music and political endorsements. During the 2016 elections, he was seen performing sortie gigs for then Makati mayoral candidate Abby Binay and other local trapos. In a 2016 Inquirer article, Gloc’s camp says “It was just a regular sortie gig for a local
Aside from providing outlets for underrepresented groups and shining a spotlight to the fight for national democracy, hip-hop is also potent in stoking the fires inside people from dissatisfaction and anger against the system. An example of this is when Calix recently performed with his LIAB studios labelmates for activists who camped in Liwasang Bonifacio right after the protests against the deception and lies of the COMELEC. With this, they hyped up protesters, and stressed that another Marcos and Duterte not be put into power. Calix’s assertive and in-your-face music directly correlates to the message he shares: people should rage against the government’s atrocities and the perpetrators that get away. The genre has expanded beyond the borders of black America, it’s grown to become the voice of a variety of communities and people. Although the commercialization of hiphop created a flood of music that is devoid of social meaning, there will always be artists who see hip-hop as an art form that brings about social change. I’ve highlighted only a fraction of artists and activists fighting for a better Philippines through lyrics and sick beats but there are hundreds— even thousands out there. All we need to do is open our ears and, eventually, our eyes. To end my long love letter to the Philippine hip-hop scene, I’d like to quote BLKD from his track Gatilyo: “pagmulat ay pagkasa, tayo ang gatilyo.”
SPOTIFY Listen to Polo’s curated playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1O3zf9YmItT4t156291sVk?si= ff352cd87d1e47ae
