New music label eyeing an unmistakably Pinoy brand of hip-hop

Naki

With hip-hop and R&B becoming the de facto pop music of today, it’s the perfect time, music artist Naki said, to build a community of local producers and performers who seek to pursue and cultivate such genres, which are expected to grow even bigger in the future. “Majority of the pop hits we now have across various charts and streaming platforms, you can really hear the hip-hop elements. And I believe that, in the coming years, hip-hop’s market share will only get bigger, because this generation grew up with it,” said Naki, one of the founders of Waybettr—a new hip-hop label and production house that has recently partnered with Viva Music.

“We feel like it’s going to be bigger, globally. The markets have shifted to hip-hop,” he pointed out in a recent video conference. “Ariana Grande’s recent albums, for instance, are more heavily influenced, guided by hip-hop.”

NexxFriday

Underground scenes

Cofounded by producer NexxFriday, Waybettr’s roster currently includes young and upcoming artists, who have been making their mark in the underground scenes, and crossing over to the mainstream, like R&B singer-songwriter Deny, FTD, Jae K and The Tus Brothers. The label also plans to sign three more artists by the year’s end. “Our artists come from all over the Philippines—Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao,” Naki said. “We interact with a lot of artists and we’re looking for people who are open to new ideas because we’re not doing things the usual way. We’re looking for artists who are hungry, humble and driven; those who are willing to put in the work and time, and make sacrifices to make things work.”

If he were to describe the kind of sound Waybettr goes for, Naki said it would be “wavy,” which is typically marked by the artist sing-rapping over undulating hooks and beats. “When we create sounds, as producers, we prioritize the feelings behind them—the thing that’s going to carry the tracks. You will hear the attention to detail in all the little sounds and nuances.”

Although most artists under the label were largely influenced by Western artists from the 1990s and early 2000s, it’s important, they believe, to come up with a brand of hip-hop with an unmistakable Filipino identity. “We grew up with a lot of Western influences, which come out when we create music. But after focusing on finding our own sound, it bloomed into something that sounds Western, but also Filipino,” he said, adding that his colleague NexxFriday has been toying with concepts that use more Filipino elements.

Deny

‘Incorporate modern twists’

“He has this idea of incorporating samples of classic Filipino songs into our music; the songs our parents listened to. He wants to capture the essence of their sounds and incorporate modern twists into them.”

But that said, Naki doesn’t want to box the label in a specific style, especially now that they’re just starting.

“We’re just focused on creating, mainstream or otherwise. Our guiding principle is to stay authentic as possible while allowing the listeners to relate to us. It’s a balance … we’re figuring that out as we go,” he said. “Just be yourself and follow your curiosity.”

As for the business model, Naki stressed that Waybettr will adopt a digital-first direction. “Music consumption has been changing the past couple of years and is now becoming increasingly digital. So everyone here in the music business is adapting to it. We’re going digital-first. We already understand what people like … And we how know to reach out to them,” he said.