Janella Salvador
Dalaga,” the viral hip-hop bop about a man’s yearning for a Filipino woman he met online and fell for, has so far amassed 45.7 million views on YouTube and 14.7 million streams on Spotify. It sparked an internet challenge on the video sharing app TikTok, then spawned hilarious memes across various media platforms.
The artists behind the hit song, however, remain relatively unknown.
“We could be sitting next to people playing our song in public, and they wouldn’t have the slightest idea that we performed it,” related rapper Crakky who, together with Russell, Clien and Jom, comprise the hip-hop group Allmo$t. “But it’s all good. We’re just glad they’re listening to our work.”
“Dalaga” was released in July 2018. But it wasn’t until earlier this year that it started popping up on everyone’s social media feeds, thanks to Facebook user Mimi’s take on the “Dalagang Pilipina” challenge, which had her uploading a tongue-in-cheek video of her acting all coy and demure, as the song’s line “Dalagang Pilipina, yeah” plays in the background.
Andrea Brillantes
Before long, even celebrities were joining the craze on television.
“We’re overwhelmed. No one paid attention to us at first. We were thrilled to get 200,500 views—that already made us feel famous. But now, people are actually searching for our song,” Russell told the Inquirer in an interview arranged by Viva Records, which will produce the music video for “Dalaga.”
“We wanted to have a song that talks about how special Filipino women are … kung gaano sila kasarap mahalin,” added Russell, who described Allmo$t’s sound as inspired by “trap, pop and chill R&B beats.” “Something you listen to while lounging on the beach, watching the sun set.”
Jodi Sta. Maria
Perhaps it was fitting that the song gained mainstream traction through a social media phenomenon, because the four young rappers—who are based in different countries—met each other in a Facebook group.
Crakky and Russell, both 22, are former schoolmates and part of the indie rap scene in Olongapo City in Pampanga. Jom, 17, is from Calgary, Canada. Clien, 17, was born and raised in Milan, Italy.
“We’re part of an online community called Local, where underground artists—singers, producers, designers, etc.—gather. We formed a group chat where we found ourselves exchanging ideas about music,” related Crakky, who cowrote, edited and mastered the record.
All their interactions and collaborations were initially done online. In fact, they had never heard each other’s live vocals until they performed together at the Wish 107.5 bus—the video of which has been viewed 27.8 million times.
“Hindi pa namin timplado ang isa’t isa. We barely had any sleep prior to our performance, because we really practiced hard,” Russell said.
Allmo$t didn’t have much expectations when they first started working on a song and forming the group—“trip lang.” Little did they know that three of them would end up resigning from their day jobs to pursue music full-time.
Crakky used to work as an IT administrator; Russell, a data entry operator; and Clien, a service crew at a fast-food chain in Italy. Jom, on the other hand, is still in high school.
“My parents took a lot of convincing before they allowed me to live here in the Philippines and take this opportunity. It’s tough because my family is in Italy,” Clien said. “What if nothing happens, they asked. But of course, you will never know if you don’t try.”
Once Jom—who does the bulk of the singing—finishes school later this year, he’s also expected to relocate in Manila, so they could all start getting down to business. “The music video will drop in May. We will be releasing new singles and, hopefully, an album soon,” Crakky said.