Gloc-9, living his dream, gladly gives back

GLOC-9

For Gloc-9, the good things the entertainment industry has given him far outweigh the negatives.

It is, after all, the world that gave him the opportunity to live the dreams that played out in his head, in random jeepney rides as a young man in Binangonan, Rizal.

“I wanted to rap, make music. I wanted to have an album. I wanted to perform in different places, in front of big crowds,” related Gloc-9, ever wary and reluctant when being called the late Francis Magalona’s worthy successor. “Seeing the happiness in the eyes of people—that’s what this industry gave me.”

Thus, Gloc-9, whose real name is Aristotle Pollisco, wants to make sure to give back while he is still at the top of his game.

“We get reciprocated for everything we do in this world,”  the rapper told reporters at a recent press conference for his latest studio album, “Sukli,” which marks his return to his former label, Star Music.

“And to everyone who helped me—big ways or small—smiled at me and showed me respect, I want to give that back,” he added.

Yet another solid offering from the multiawarded recording artist, the new album features eight tracks, all of which—as always—tell stories of Filipinos from different walks of life.

There is the funky “Hoy” whose music video—filmed in one continuous shot—is reminiscent of Wiz Khalifa’s “We Dem Boyz”; “Sagwan” (ft. Monty Calino), about the travails of seamen, and the smooth, jazz-inflected “Kalye” (ft. Yosha), which implores to relive the memories of the Edsa Revolution.

Cautionary

But immediately standing out of the catchy lot is “Industriya” (ft. KZ Tandingan)—a cautionary tale about the crags and rust behind show biz’s enticing façade; how the promise of fame and fortune  can just chew and spit out a wide-eyed dreamer with a finger’s snap.

The song opens with a soft, almost romantic, strumming of an acoustic guitar. Then, with a drop of dramatic beats, KZ—in an impactful chorus—lays the cards on the table: “…Pera’t alak, kung iyong balak, mapagsasabay mo na pala/ Pero mag-ingat sa pagsipat ng mga hinahangad/ Nakakaduling kung matulin o matayog ang lipad.”

All the while, Gloc-9, as if a literary shoulder devil, whispers in the background, tempting the listener: “Sumama ka sa ’min/ Lumapit ka sa ’min/ Makinig ka sa ’min.”

“It tells of someone who has a dream. He realizes it, and before he knows it, loses it…It is about all the lessons I have learned here,” said Gloc-9, who mused that show biz can be an ungrateful world.

E-mail [email protected]