Photo by Kristian Dowling / MTV Asia
Raymond Abracosa, known to everyone as Abra, killed it at the MTV Music Evolution stage last Sunday, May 17, performing alongside rap legends Gloc 9 and Naughty by Nature. Hours before his epic performance, he had a little chat with us about his rap influences and how he began in the industry.
What is it with hip-hop that attracted you to it?
A lot of the stuff back when I first started listening to music were hip hop. Those were the songs I could relate to. Most of it were from Eminem and Pinoy rap songs from Gloc 9, Francis M, and Ron Henley; those were the songs that really got me listening and playing everything on repeat.
How did you incorporate these influences into your craft?
I think I picked the right set of idols in terms of rap skill, coming up with song concepts, and overall creativity. These guys are really superb and brilliant in their craft and beyond rap, the artistry is like… galing talaga. And me, being a right-brained kind of guy, natutuwa ako sa ganun kasi ‘di siya mediocre na art form. How they produced music, the physical, the digital, everything — ang galing ng moves. Pati ‘yung moves, nakakatuwa. Rap, dati pag titignan mo siya sa landscape ng music parang outcast genre pero ngayon ‘yun pa yung sumasalba sa mga charts.
What pushed you to go into the rap industry?
Drugs. Joke lang! Pumasok ako nu’ng 4th year high school, going to college, sa kinalakihan ko kasi na background na rock scene talaga and stereotype na baduy ‘yung hip-hop. ‘Yun ‘yung kinalakihan ko na environment, hanggang sa na-discover ko ‘yung mga Pinoy rap na solid. Bakit baduy ang tingin nila sa rap eh ang lupit naman neto? So ‘yun. Pumasok ako sa underground scene, kasama yung group ko, LDP (Lyrically Deranged Poets). Dun namin na-discover na rap is one big culture ng mga breakdancers, mga graffiti artists, mga DJs, mga emcees. Lahat sila nagpapasiklaban, nagpapagalingan. Parang warrior sport kasi ‘yung hip-hop pero di ka nandun para “Ay, eto na ‘ko. ‘Eto na ‘yung gagawin ko,” kundi, “‘Eto ‘yung gagawin ko, pero dahil sa ginawa mo, mas gagalingan ko pa.” So pa-evolve siya nang pa-evolve; pagaling nang pagaling lahat sa kanyang craft. Dun ko na-discover na ang lupit ng Pinoy rap pero ‘di pa siya masyadong… well, dati konti lang ang representatives ng industry.
Aside from rap, what other art form would you want to explore?
‘Di ako magaling kumanta, so tap dance! Joke lang. Painting. [It would probably be] still life.
After MTV Music Evolution, what’s next on the horizon for you?
Taking Pinoy hip-hop and bringing it to the world and giving it its own heading.