The state of Pinoy Hip-Hop

Abra is a perfect representation of the current scene of Pinoy Hip-Hop. PHOTO BY: music.weeklyasia

The state of Pinoy Hip-HopCall it a resurgence, a revival, a return of Pinoy Hip-Hop, whatever you want. But one thing is for sure–there hasn’t been a stronger presence of local Hip-Hop in the country than there has been in nearly a decade now.

Another observation of mine is that this time around, the current local Hip-Hop scene no longer feels like it falls under the loose classification of a passing music trend or a fad that you know will not even last because of certain circumstances.

Fortunately, those aren’t the circumstances now because there are visible signs all around that indicate to me that the strong presence of Pinoy Hip-Hop we are experiencing is, in fact, for the long haul and it will be around until the unforseeable future.

The wave of fortune has indeed shifted for our local artists under the Pinoy Hip-Hop banner.

Their time has arrived once again.

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Being independent pays off

Gone are those days that our local Hip-Hop artists had only a very few options in order to make it in the music industry.

One of those options was to rely greatly on the support of a major record label in order to get their struggling careers off of the ground so that their original works could reach more mainstream listeners. At the same time, it would also provide for them a decent source of livelihood from their artistic inclinations, whether it was their main profession or not.

Now, they have a fighting chance to make it without any backing from a major record label.

A perfect example of this are our rappers. They not only compose their own songs; they also are the producers of their records. They likewise often serve as their own spokespersons when it comes to the promotion side.

Multi-tasking and being able to handle all aspects of the music business are the necessary steps they have had to learn on their own.

The end result of these changes–the sudden influx of young and talented artists–speaks for itself. A number of them have achieved fame by their own merit and hard work.

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Passion can result in positive changes

We don’t have to look far to see these positive changes taking place for the local Hip-Hop scene. A clear illustration of such a change is this–just go to any record store and you will see that a handful of independent releases from our talented Hip-Hop artists are finally made available in the store shelves.

The unintended but clear message these artists are sending us music aficionadosis that as long as you have passion for what you do, then you can survive in a “dog-eat-dog” kind of environment.

And how true that is since it always goes back to having passion for your craft or chosen profession. As indeed, when you have passion–a quality that seems to be getting lost and more rare in this fast-paced times–then, anything is seemingly within reach and dreams of success can become a reality.

With that said, I couldn’t be happier with the current state of Pinoy Hip-Hop as I am just one of the millions of music aficionados in our country who wants this genre to continue to grow!

It really has been a long time coming, and in my estimation, I can say that the door has been finally kicked wide open for Pinoy Hip-Hop. And I don’t see that door ever being being closed again.

When I think of it.. time and time again, history has taught us that for a scene to not only survive but for it to flourish also, it has to have a sizable roster of dependable talents that will best represent their scene.

The scene, the genre, the movement is not only alive but it is truly pulsating with “life”. Newcomers and veterans like Abra, Loonie, Ron Henley, Bassilyo, Mista Blaze, Sly Kane, Mike Swift, Quest, Gloc-9, and many more, will make sure that their scene will no longer be silenced. And they will always have a voice!

No doubt, Pinoy Hip-Hop is here to stay.