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Hip-hop's Manila thriller
Abra - MTV Asia/Kristian DowlingFilipinos love hip-hop â and they are not shy to show it
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Abra - MTV Asia/Kristian Dowling
Filipinos love hip-hop ' and they are not shy to show it.
On May 17, around 20,000 Filipinos invaded the historic Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila, to celebrate the inaugural MTV Music Evolution concert.
The event featured a line-up of international hip-hop legends, such as Naughty By Nature from the US as well as Filipino artists and rappers.
Hosted by MTV Asia VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer and local MTV Pinoy VJs Yassi Pressman and Chris Schneider, the concert kicked off strong with Aristotle 'Gloc-9' Pollisco, one of the Philippines' most celebrated rappers.
Gloc-9 opened with 'Upuan' (Seat) and 'Sumayaw Ka' (Dance) before presenting his hit song 'Sirena', which energized the crowd.
Starting his hip-hop career in 1997, Gloc-9 is known for bringing up Filipino social issues in his music and lyrics.
Although Gloc-9 may not look like a rapper ' he does not wear bling and sports an average-Joe haircut ' his intense delivery affected even those who did not understand Tagalog as they listened to his words, beats and rhymes.
Gloc-9 also paid tribute to Francis Magalona, the Pinoy hip-hop pioneer who died of leukemia six years ago. Gloc-9's covered Francis' 'Three Stars and a Sun' and 'Kaleidoscope World' from the master rapper's 1995 album, Freeman.
Next up was 25-year-old Raymond 'Abra' Abracosa, representing the next generation and performing with his crew, Lyrically Deranged Poets (LDP).
Abra, who said that he was influenced by Eminem, wowed the crowd with his fast-paced rhymes and tongue twisting. A giant fireball during the performance of Abra's 'Cerberus' was the perfect complement to the rapper's fiery performance during the event.
A drained crowd benefited from a 30-minute break before Allan 'Apl.de.ap' Pineda took the stage. The Filipino hip-hop artist who has gained international acclaim and recognition for performing with the Grammy-winning group Black Eyed Peas.
Apl.de.ap, who immigrated to the US when he was 14 in 1988, mixed Tagalog words and rhymes into his performance of 'Here We Go' and 'Bebot' to get the crowd going.
There were manly tears in the crowd when Apl.de.ap immersed them in 'The Apl Song', which he wrote for his late brothers ' Arnel, who committed suicide, and Joven, who was murdered.
Apl.de.ap then brought Jessica Reynoso, a finalist for The Voice Philippines singing competition, on stage to perform Be and the Black Eyed Peas' hit 'I Got a Feeling' before wrapping up his set by bringing Abra back on stage for the Black Eyed Peas' classic 'Where Is the Love?'
The evolution of hip-hop was seen in the next performance, by DJ Jerome 'Cash Money' Hewlett from Philadelphia.
Cash Money showed why the growing closeness of hip-hop and electronic dance music (EDM) is not necessarily a bad thing, as some purists would suggest.
Old and new school flavors were perfectly blended by Cash Money from the booth, accompanied with hypnotic display of lasers on the stage.
Next was Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, the Billboard Hot 100 hip-hop artist better known as YG, along with his crew, DJ Goofy 500 and Slim 400.
The trio represented the West Coast with an epic 16-song performance, including YG's hits such as 'My Nigga' and 'I Just Wanna Party'.
YG and his crew brought a gangsta-rap edge to the stage, not holding back from uttering expletives in their songs or in interacting with the crowd ' and bringing a true hip-hop spirit to the event.
The finale featured legendary hip-hop group Naughty By Nature, comprising Anthony 'Treach' Criss, Vincent 'Vin Rock' Brown and DJ Keir 'Kay Gee' Gist.
Active for more than 25 years. Naughty by Nature is one of the most influential groups in hip-hop history.
With that kind of recognition, the performers needed little else to draw love from the crowd. However, they turned up the heat by wearing custom t-shirts bearing the slogan 'Filipino By Nature'.
Naughty By Nature took the crowd back into the 1990s, when hip-hop was about freestyle rapping, the streets and the sickness of the society, with the performance of timeless songs such as 'Uptown', 'Craziest' and 'O.P.P.'
Like Gloc-9, Naughty By Nature paid tribute to another hip-hop legend: Tupac Shakur, the legendary rapper shot to death on the streets of Las Vegas.
Treach gave a toast of alcohol ' or what he called as his 'juice' ' to Tupac on stage. 'When I drink, you drink. When I [expletive verb deleted], you [expletive verb deleted],' Treach said as he spilled liquor on a tattoo of Tupac on his left arm.
Other performers then joined Naughty By Nature to close the festival, performing the group's legendary classic hit 'Hip-Hop Hooray'.
Complemented by a blast of colorful confetti sent into the crowd, the sight of all the performers in one stage was a perfect ending for the event, which aimed to introduce the past and present of hip-hop history.
MTV Asia will present the MTV Music Evolution 2015 concert on May 30 at 6 p.m. local time.
' The writer attended the festival as an invited guest
