Syke set (1 of 3): Walang Pamagat

Syke set (2 of 3): Ang Lungsod

Syke set (3 of 3): Majal Quita

"Thinking Man's Hiphop"

 

They say every great achievement starts with an inspired thought. In some form or fashion, we put these thoughts into motion when we fixate on them long enough. No matter where you are in life, sometimes you just know you’re bound to get what you set your mind on.

In Philippine hip-hop music, it’s no different. Touted as the underdog genre in the local music scene, it seems like for many years hip-hop’s ultimate breakthrough has eluded its many patrons. In the midst of its drought, there are still eager parties waiting in the wings for its success to happen. There are still packs die-hard fans who wish it would happen. Many think the genre is bound to shine through in due time. Then there are those who believe and take action, slugging out endless days tirelessly for Hip-Hop’s sake.

Enter "Thinking Man’s Hip-Hop". Oddly enough, the title of this album was relatively a "no-brainer". At a time when misconceptions rule the layman’s idea of Hip-Hop as pro-womanizing, pro-violence, pro-indulgence and unintelligent, this album could give you 2nd thoughts. No, this is not at all preachy nor is it conscious and definitely not underground nor mainstream neither. This is far from political. The album is just a result of the minds that actually took the time to think of something new and exciting. Everything was done in good taste. It encourages you to be the thinking man as opposed to the layman.

"Thinking Man’s Hip-Hop" promises not to take the fun out of the genre while not taking the intelligence out of it as well. The brand of music consists of many of the country’s most driven hip-hop artists all served up in this hot 17-track feast. Chrizo of Turbulence Productions provides the beats for the entire project pairing up with the likes of Mike Swift, J-Hon, Nimbus 9, Loonie, Ill-J, God’s Will, Marquiss, Luzon, B-Roc, Killa-Stormz and plenty more. This is a true treat for rhyme and beat enthusiasts.

It begins with the song "Ako ay Hip-Hop" by God’s Will which showcases just how much conviction and dedication a lot of relatively unheard artists have towards their craft despite the odds. For a dose of nostalgia, "Ms. Musika" by KillaStormz and B-Roc equates music to a long term relationship and its many ups and downs. Then we have songs like "All the world together" and "I rock right" which simply packs a lot of lyrical and beat-making prowess. "Kamay na Grasa" by Luzon tells a story about certain perils faced by OFWs and how living abroad isn’t always peaches and cream. "Let’s get it on" features the re-emergence of the Seedz, a group formed during the 90’s as a sub-unit of the Madd Poets, recording their 1st track in quite some time.

"Thinking Man’s Hip-Hop" is for everyone. It manages to stay relevant letting people know what the voices of today’s Filipino hip-hop is saying. The beauty of it is it is just the tip of the iceberg as it represents only a minor percentage of Philippine talent in the Hip-Hop scene as a whole. Grab yourself a copy and give it a good ear.

Higante by Francis M Ely Buendia Music Video

                                                     

This is the Collaboration of the 2 Legendary Icons! HIGANTE by the late great MASTER RAPPER Francis " Kiko ' Magalona and our ONE AND ONLY ROCK ICON Eleandre " Ely " Buendia.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LATE GREAT FRANCIS M!

Francis M. and Ely Buendia's In Love and War

Francis M’s much talked-about collaboration album with fellow luminary Ely Buendia has 

finally come.

And more than

anything, In Love

and War exudes

energy.

It has spirit, it is 

inspired, and 
positively disinclined 
to surrender,in spite of
what we all know

Francis went through 
during the production 
of this album.

True, not all of the songs
would be about survival 
or the brave, defiant front
Francis put forth inlight
of his cancer treatment.

But what you can’t deny is this:
This is the work of an artist 

who wants to stick it to an 

opponent, intimidating and 

seemingly invincible.

“Fuck you, cancer, you’re not stopping me from doing what I want to do,” 
Francis would have told it had it been a creature blessed with ears and 
cognitive functions.

And Ely Buendia isn’t any different, having had a brush or two with death 
as well. 
This was anartist who very well knew that death—no matter how many of 
us claim that we’ve no fear of it—is still indeed a scary matter.

Their experiences, and that we are privy to their experiences, give the album 
substance and credibility. Together, they pool their emotions into an album 
whose themes transcend the usual breadth of topics in OPM music.

Let us continue with our very own ode to Francis:

This emcee is dead,

Though his spirit was strong,

The body wouldn’t hold.

Against the enemy inside,

Terrible and fearsome and all,

Finally he succumbs.

This emcee is dead,

No new rhymes will be told

But his spirit, his music, his soul

Will continue to soldier on.

In every song, there’s a sense of urgency, a will to evoke sharp emotions like 
a circus knife-thrower hurling bolos at definite, very specific targets.

The opener, "Higante" hits the bull’s eye right away, talking about having the 
courage to face huge adversities. 

The song should be familiar to many, as it has already been released as a single
in late 2009.

“Bleeder,” a track featuring Pupil and their energetic rhythm could be Francis at 
his most personal in this album. “One drop is all I need, one time for me to breathe
…Coz I’m a bleeder, so give my vessels a breather,” he sings.

The next song “Bus Stop” features Pupil members again, with Ely’s synth-playing
giving the song an extra bit of catchiness.

The song has a certain sense of nostalgia to it, of a man reminiscing about a woman 
he met at a bus stop on a rainy day.


Francis sings on one part: “That’s the way the whole thing started, silly but it’s true, 
thinking of a sweet romance.” Pleasant memories are always a good way to ease present 
pain, this song seems to say.


“Buzzkill” sees Gloc 9 displaying his rapping chops together with Turbogoth lending the 
song certain edginess.


The track’s dirty rhythm guitars, spacey synthesizers, and hiphop beat make this another 
standout song in an album where two songs rarely do sound alike.


“Dreamdate” starts out innocently enough with a playful piano rhythm, but soon enough,
you’ll get what Ely is getting at.


The song takes on a seedy, cabaret vibe, only later fully confirmed with the song’s first few
lines: “Tuwing kasama ka isa lang ang gusto kong gawin sa iyo. Alam mo na ito kaya wag ka 
nang magpakipot jan.”


Hilera makes it guest appearance on the next track, “Hands On,” and isn’t shy to display what
has made them great so far: fun, forward-moving, rugged rockabilly sounds.


The track hits a peak with Chris Padilla (Hilera’s vocalist) singing, “Come on baby put your 
hands on me! Feel the work that’s quality!” promptly transitioning to a screaming, rock-and-
roll guitar solo.


“Bum Ticker”—Ely has one. It’s also the next song, and it’s set perfectly to a marching 
drum beat on steroids. “Bum ticker!” he shouts incessantly by the song’s end, like he’s 
angry he’s got one.


“Wasak Waltz” sees the album taking a break from the aggressiveness of some of the previous
 songs with this song that we could only describe as hopeful. This line says it all: “Itaas ang
 kamay, at iwagayway, masarap mabuhay…” 


“It’s All Right, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Unstrung Heroes” end the album on a proper, if
 not slightly somber note. 


The duo hints at accepting fate in the former, with the line “It’s all right ma, I’m only dying…”         
The latter is far less depressing than that, and once again talks about having the will to fight.                   
That is until, we are presented with a sample of Francis M. declaring that he has leukemia.
A chilling end.

FMCC 4th ANNIVERSARY