New platform provides wider musical playground for Gloc-9

Gloc-9

After more than two decades of working and releasing music under record labels, rapper Gloc-9—after much reflection and consideration—mustered the courage to go the independent route last year.

And in seeking greater control over his creative output, the acclaimed hip-hop artist has embraced online media and now uses it as his primary platform for new music and other content. “Now that I’m an independent artist, I have been focusing more on my YouTube channel. And I continue to create and release new material there,” Gloc- 9 said of his page, where he also uploads vlogs and live rapping sessions from his home studio.

“I’m trying to maximize it,” he told reporters at a press confe­rence hosted by the restaurant-bar Padi’s Point. “I have been using my channel as my record label, radio station, noontime show … all sorts of things.”

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is Gloc-9’s willingness to mentor and collaborate with up-and-coming talents. His first release after going indie, “Dungaw,” features talented singer-songwriter Keiko Necesario. “Pulubi,” one of his newer songs, has Lirah, a singing competition alum, singing the chorus.

Most recently, Gloc-9 lent his rapping and storyte­lling skills to Juan Karlos’ new, heartrending single, “Sampaguita,” which revolves around the plight of overseas Filipino workers.

“It’s a powerful song. I got so inspired by his material I managed to write and finish all my verses on the same night he showed it to me,” he related.

With many new music artists looking up to him and citing him as a musical inspiration, Gloc-9—whose real name is Aristotle Pollisco—quipped that he can’t help but feel old.

“Because I have been in the industry for a long time, I think I’m starting to see results of the work I have been putting in for the past several years. I’m so thankful for the respect of my peers,” he related, adding that he hopes to continue making music for many more years. INQ