Internet helps level the playing field for PH indie hip-hop artists

Paolo Mercado (center)

Despite the lack of visibility on television and backing from major entertainment companies, many independent hip-hop labels or collectives, like Peso Productions, are allowed to flourish and churn out hits; thanks to the internet, which has helped level the playing field for music artists all over the world.

“Social media is a crucial part of our business because that’s where we do our marketing for our music and artists,” pointed out Paolo Mercado, founder of the said label, which manages Allmo$t and Soulstice—the hip-hop and urban music groups behind the viral hits “Dalaga” and “Ivana,” respectively.

“The internet has really helped us a lot and has given us a platform to showcase our music. Even though we’re not your usual pop stars and balladeers seen on television, we’re still able to put our music out there, and attract listeners who appreciate our sound,” he told the Inquirer in an interview.

Besides, Paolo has observed that mainstream media has become increasingly acquainted with pop culture happenings on the internet. “When you blow up on social media, you start getting calls from television, asking you to do guest appearances or performances,” he said. “So, in a way, social media has also become a way to penetrate mainstream.”

True enough, the steady traction Peso’s content has been gaining online eventually caught the eye of Viva Records, which has recently partnered with the indie label. Allmo$t and Soulstice are Peso’s biggest acts so far. Composed of Crakky, Russell, Clien and Jom, Allmo$t enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2019, which saw its song “Dalaga” spark a viral internet challenge and raked in millions of views across different platforms. Today, the song has 34 million streams on Spotify alone. Another popular song is “Bagay Tayo,” which has 40 million.

Rappers Mscrip, Rowmee G and Seth of Soulstice, on the other hand, scored a hit earlier this year with “Ivana”—a song about the internet star Ivana Alawi.

The rap bop, which topped Spotify’s Viral 50 chart with over 11 million streams, features a clever word play around the online sensation’s name: “Ivana, nararamdaman ko,” one of the lines go. “I’m also involved in the creative process. I try to suggest music concepts or ideas. The boys of Soulstice are big fans of Ivana, so I told them, ‘Why not make a song about her?’” Paolo related. “And if it sounds good, then we go with it.”Paolo himself started out as a hip-hop artist. But he wanted to go beyond that.

“I had been managing Allmo$t for quite a while before the idea of putting up my own label came to mind. Aside from the business side of things, I wanted to meet and interact with more hip-hop artists. I wanted to mine new talents that we can show to the people,” he said.

One of Paolo’s inspirations is Sean Miyashiro’s groundbreaking company/collective 88Rising, which puts the spotlight on Asian hip-hop and promotes some of the hottest acts in the scene today, like Joji (Japan), Keith Ape (South Korea) and NIKI and Rich Brian (Indonesia).

“I look up to them… They have been been promoting Asian hip-hop, which doesn’t get as much exposure on the global stage. I hope to do something like that here in the Philippines… God willing,” said Paolo, who hopes to make a professional and creative working environment for his artists. “I want to cultivate our own scene, so there’s less drama and problems, and more music,” he added.

While hip-hop is at the core of Peso, Paolo said he plans to eventually expand his label’s scope to include artists of other styles or genres. “We’re launching and training new artists, including a female singer, in the near future,” he related.

Is there any particular qualities he’s looking for in a prospective artist? “I’m looking for the voice, the style and the writing talent—someone who can come up with lines on the fly. Someone with the right attitude. I want to prove that it really takes talent to excel in hip-hop,” he said. INQ