Wednesday, August 3, 2011

YO MY BROTHER PINOY HIPHOP, IZ IT TYME?

BONG

You heard it, let me address it. Thats a pic of me at B-Side.



Hiphop in the Philippines is a rich scene, we have everything we need and to an extent we have abundance in our hiphop resource. We've been a scene for so long - and we have always tried to cross the fence and turn this big scene into an industry. Some people want to keep the scene while some intend for it to expand. Each to his own.

While the scene will remain colorful - it is the push to make it an industry that remains the number one hustle for everyone sharing the city. To become an industry we need to pump in investments, innovation and partnerships - after all, this is what we are all trying to do. Our self expression cannot just be sustained in the scene. The art of developing this scene into an industry comes with dicsipline, hard work, timing and relevance over significance. How do I know? I don't - I think it is imperative that we treat it with such, so we can slowly mature from a scene into an industry.

Its not about just getting money, its about being decision makers for the industry we are cultivating.

Last sunday, a friend of mine, Loonie - had his life attempted on by some random dude. Somebody tried to stab him at a Watawat Clothing event. The details are vague and emotions are thrown around, both with pride and anger. Both with disillusions of triumph and irresponsibility. As you very well know, I'm part of the people involved in brokering Loonie's deal with Sony - I've also spoken casually to all labels regarding Loonie's upcoming album - regarding everyone who has product in the pipeline. And told them hiphop is riding heavy on Loonie's attempt at the corporate structure hiphop was still to lead.

Trust me when I say, we've crafted classic songs for the fans for his upcoming album -- but you see, somebody put an attempt at his life. These songs we've made could've been sang differently if the person succeeded in hurting him. There was also a possibility of losing Loonie to the violence intended for him to receive.

How much is your hiphop worth? We all say we'd die for it. We'd all question each others ways and bump heads - but really, such a passion worth dying for isn't worth killing for. Read it again, those two things aren't the same. We also say, we can't live without it - and yet our decision making for hiphop has always been distracted by keeping it real.

We are humans, bound by our own contradictions - we say Peace to depict we are on top of the situation (there is no "Peace unto you too" in hiphop), and not just because we had really implied peace to everyone. Hiphop is in a test of maturity, the ability to have fun while being clever and to accomplish more than what the next guy did - boils down to keeping it proper. We have personalities to keep, characters to attract, goals to attain.

Our mere campaigns against people - we've seen it over the years, we've seen recent ones - and we've always left it to be dealt with in the streets. The streets dont have manners and the streets forget. None of the immediate glory the street provides depicts the whole story.

Some would call it karma - which in the end will rob you off the best things in the world if you dont put a clamp on it.

Hiphop in the Philippines isn't about taking over, its about contributing to the whole. Loonie is a piece of the whole. What news are we willing to contribute to the world behind him; rallying us to 20 million views on YouTube, skill level un-matched, possibilities countless - and an upcoming single to hit the radio soon. I'm appalled by the attempt on his life and just violence as a whole. There is no sense in glorifying it and say - its the rapper life.

And while the person who attempted on Loonie's life still remain at large, we still live out the attempt to succeed in changing perspectives. Ignorance is a gift we all consume, how do we not know that we are all responsible for each other at the end of the day?

Do you.

Stop worrying what others are doing against you. Stop thinking you're that little to result to violence. Stop thinking you can't accomplish things without violence. Stop making a reputation, but start building a foundation around a scene where you want your kids to flourish in and be proud of. Stop thinking something great will come out of bullshit situations.

Keeping it real should always take a backseat to keeping it proper.

Who am I mad at? Start pointing fingers already Bong.

I'm mad at the person who tried to stab Loonie. Do I know the person? No. Do I know if it was a job asked by another person? No.

Life is short. I'm writing this to implore and invoke confidence in people, that violence in hiphop - is uncalled for. I'm already guilty by association through some peoples eyes - read with bias if you must. But I will make a post today - and I'm inviting you to share it at 4pm today. Explore your Facebooks, Twitter pages and be catalysts of hiphop.

Do right by right.

Who else to defend this shit but us?

Trending is different from acting in relevance.




1 comment:

charmjade said...

>out of words<
ganyan talaga lumaban mga taong WALANG LABAN.