Gloc-9. FILE PHOTO
Part 2
I believe Gloc-9 wouldn’t have reached this far in his professional career if he had chosen only to speak of “safe”, superficial, or even nonsensical topics in his songs. Instead, he has long ago decided it is his role to take the high road and be the “mouthpiece” for our beloved nation and its people.
This really proves what I had said about Gloc-9 in my first piece on him entitled “The Gloc-9 and Francis M connection!” which came out on October 27, 2012 in this very website–and interestingly enough almost exactly a year ago. I was the very first one to have described Gloc-9 and his music–and I quote myself verbatim in that said article–that “he has become a rapper who isn’t afraid to talk about social issues and daily realities that Filipinos face. It is in his songs that Gloc-9 tells us stories from which I am sure anyone can learn a thing or two. He is probably one of the greatest story tellers we have now. His music has a “conscience” and relevance to what is going on today in society.”
When you think of it, guts and courage are not the only qualities one must have to speak of sensitive issues. He must also have empathy and compassion to be able to convey profoundly his messages without being offensive or judgmental. Gloc-9 illustrates that fine balance in his lead single “Magda” featuring Rico Blanco from his latest studio release ‘Liham at Lihim.’
The lead single “Magda” is a heart-wrenching narrative of a pretty provincial lass, indeed, her father’s “princess”–who had every other lad’s heart besotted by her beauty. In this single,
Gloc-9 takes the role of ‘Ernesto’ who is Magda’s childhood friend. In the preview of the song, ‘Ernesto’ takes us back to their happy childhood years and recalls such times when they would sail their paper boats in the stream. Those carefree innocent years are cut short when ‘Magda’ meets a man from Manila who suddenly takes her away.
As I listened to the mere preview of the song, it is clear that ‘Magda’–short for Magdalena–is a social commentary on the sad turn of events for many of our young innocent girls deceived and led astray and trapped helplessly and hopelessly to becoming “ladies of the night” in the city.
It is interesting to observe that as Gloc-9 has become more and more popular, he has not, as would normally be expected, become distant and detached from daily realities of life. As he progressively climbs the ladder of success in the music industry, he continues to keep his ears to the ground. Thus, his sensitivities and sensibilities have become more sharpened and refined and all of these have made him the artist he is now… and a powerful messenger, too.