My thoughts on the indelible legacy of Francis Magalona
I believe that no good man leaves this world without having touched lives and inspired many others that they too work harder in order to achieve their own life long dreams. What more if that person who inspires was a multi-talented artist?
In this instance, I refer to Francis Magalona or better known as Francis M, who exemplified this. In the decades that he was with us, he had covered all aspects of making music–composing, producing, performing, releasing records. Francis M did all these and more. Here was one man who showed so much love for his country (the Philippines) as depicted in his songs which helped catapult Filipino Hip-Hop/Rap to a global scale.
We can go on and on when it comes to listing down the achievements, credentials and recognitions of Francis M. But it is only in retrospect that one can fully comprehend his life’s works.
Even in his final months, he kept on and was busy putting in order and cataloguing his body of works.
More significantly, he was not one of those artists who would only “conveniently” proclaim they are Filipinos when there were those periods in time when, of all things, it became a “trend” to be nationalistic. Let me ask, since when is there ever a time, a phase, a fleeting moment, or a “trend” to be a proud Filipino ? Why, Francis Magalona was one proud Filipino every single day of his life !
Of note, the carefully selected tattoos permanently inked on his body were symbols of his country. And curiously, while one of his tattoos proudly emblazoned on his back represents the Philippine flag, that image of the “Three Stars and A Sun” (also the name of a song he had composed way back in the 90’s) is now quickly identifiable to Francis M that, to me, it has become his “signature”. That particular image is exclusively and uniquely Francis M’s.
Even to this day, I cannot help but feel that the huge void left behind by Francis Magalona remains and there is an emptiness since his passing that can never be filled up by any other person. I am sad that he is no longer with us. The pall of sadness that envelopes the local music industry has not been completely lifted.
I wish more people could have appreciated him more when he was still alive. I wish more people could have shown him this kind of respect and support when he was working so hard to keep Filipino Hip-Hop/Rap alive in those challenge-filled years. And I wish he had never passed away–just not yet–so that he could witness now and get to work with the new and young stars of Pinoy Hip-Hop/Rap, many of them his proteges early on in their careers, to stand proud with them and proclaim to all that Filipino Hip-Hop/Rap– his “baby”–has grown to be the force it has become today!
