Gloc-9 and Juan Karlos Labajo (Image: Instagram/@juankarlosband)
Veteran rapper Gloc-9 and rock band Juan Karlos have finally released their first-ever song together titled “Sampaguita,” and it is sure to hit a little too close to the hearts of many Filipinos.
The new track may just have perfectly encapsulated how a parent—specifically an overseas Filipino worker (OFW)—feels about having to work away from his family.
Through Gloc-9’s storytelling, “Sampaguita” expresses the longing and loneliness felt by parents who are forced to separate from their loved ones just to earn enough money to support them, albeit in a place that is nowhere near.
“Anak, kaarawan mo na ulit / ‘Wag mong kalimutang suotin ang bago mong damit / Tandaan mo lagi kahit ‘di tayo magkalapit / Naaalala ka ni tatay tuwing ako’y pumipikit,” Gloc-9 raps.
To match the rapper’s somber tone, frontman Juan Karlos Labajo delivers a soulful chorus and somehow promises hope through the lines: “Kahit saan man mapadpad / Sa’yo pa rin ako babalik, giliw / Sa halimuyak ng ‘yong paboritong sampaguita.”
“Sampaguita,” released in the first hour of Feb. 28, is now available on several music streaming platforms, Juan Karlos’s official Instagram page announced earlier today.
Both Gloc-9 and Juan Karlos have shared several snippets of them together in an abandoned, garbage-ridden lot surrounded by ruins of buildings, hinting to fans that a music video may be on the way. /ra
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