Pinoy Hiphop Superstar: Bagsakan

Francis Magalona, PHS Card

Francis Durango Magalona (October 4, 1964 – March 6, 2009[1]), also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, and The Man From Manila, was a prominent Filipino rapper, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He is credited as being the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to successfully crossover to the mainstream. He was also popularly known as the “King of Pinoy Rap” and was considered one of the most idolized, celebrated and influential rappers within the genre.
On in March 6, 2009, it was reported that Francis Magalona died at 12:00 noon that day, due to acute myelogenous leukemia.

“Francis Michael Durango Magalona (October 4, 1964 – March 6, 2009), also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. Born in Mandaluyong City, he was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over into the mainstream. He was credited for having pioneered the merging of rap with Pinoy rock, becoming a significant influence to artists in that genre as well. He was also a television host on MTV Asia and Channel V Philippines and on noontime variety television show Eat Bulaga! Magalona died seven months after being diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.[2] Magalona was later awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Merit. The award’s citation noted that it had been given “for his musical and artistic brilliance, his deep faith in the Filipino and his sense of national pride that continue to inspire us”

Music career

Filipino hip hop and nationalistic rap

In 1990, he released the album Yo!, the first commercially released Filipino rap album.[10] Yo! included several popular singles such as “Mga Kababayan” (Fellow Countrymen), “Gotta Let ‘Cha Know”, “Cold Summer Nights”, and a duet with Pia Arroyo “Loving You” as the only song that Pia recorded.[citation needed] With tracks that featured politically conscious and thought-provoking rhymes in both English and Tagalog, Yo! was a big success and helped catapult Filipino hip hop from underground to mainstream status. It also marked the birth of Makabayang (nationalistic) rap in Filipino hip hop.

In 1992, Francis Magalona released Rap Is FrancisM (1992). With tracks addressing the various cultural and social problems that plagued his country such as drug addiction in “Mga Praning” (Paranoids), political instability in “Halalan” (Elections) as well as the detrimental effects of a colonial mentality in “Tayo’y Mga Pinoy” (We Are Filipinos), the record’s complexity and conscious message quickly earned it its classic status and became the standard by which future albums of the genre were to be compared[citation needed]. This album helped tag Magalona as one of the most politically conscious voices of his generation.[11]

Hardware Syndrome and the merging of rap with Pinoy rock

The release of his third album, Meron akong ano! (I Got Something!) in 1993 marked the beginning of Magalona’s experimentation with Pinoy rock.[2] It also saw the birth of Hardware Syndrome—previously known as Cannabis—the band which would, with Magalona at its helm, introduce the merging of Pinoy Rock and Rap to the Filipino music audience. Members over the years included musicians Carlo Sison, Francis Villanueva, Niño Mesina, Boyet Aquino, Elmer Blancaflor, Noel Mendez, Perf de Castro, Benjie “Bagets” Mendez, Albert Tamayo, DJ Kimozave, DJ Radikal MK, Kenji Marquez, Jack Rufo, and Wendell Garcia.[12]

Magalona was soon cited for excellence in both genres of music. He collaborated with other OPM luminaries such as Joey Ayala, Heber Bartolome of Banyuhay, Ryan Cayabyab, Mike Hanopol of Juan Dela Cruz Band, Michael V., Death Threat, and the band Eraserheads. In the latter part of his career, Magalona worked together with rappers Pikaso, Gloc 9 and the Pinoy rock band Parokya ni Edgar. In 1994, Magalona moved from Octo-Arts EMI Philippines, which had released all of his previous albums, to BMG Records (Pilipinas) Inc. with Musiko Records (is a wholly owned of sub-labels of a BMG Records (Pilipinas) Inc.), the same label as the seminal Pinoy rock group, The Eraserheads.[12]

Freeman was released the following year, 1995, and firmly established Magalona’s legitimacy in the Pinoy rock scene. Tracks like “Three Stars & A Sun”, “Kabataan Para Sa Kinabukasan” (Children For The Future), “Suckin’ on Helium/Kaleidoscope World” would become defining touch-points in Magalona’s body of work. A track titled “Intellectual Property Rights” would sample a speech by then-president Fidel V. Ramos. Intellectual property rights was an issue that would continue to be an important and very personal advocacy for Magalona.[12][13] “Kaleidoscope World” went on to win 1996 Awit Award for Best Produced Record of the Year, and the 1996 NU 107 Rock Award for Song of the Year. Its music video was directed by the celebrated director/cinematographer Raymond Red[14][15]

Magalona’s next album,Happy Battle, was released in 1996.[16] The launch for the video-game themed album at the Hard Rock Cafe in Makati was noted by the press for its wide range of influences: aside from fans of Magalona’s music, he had showbiz fans and coworkers from Eat Bulaga!, where he had already started hosting; and two sets of Sony PlayStations with giant screens set up so people could play video games while watching the gig. The album was also notable for a number of significant collaborations: “Unstrung Heroes” with Ely Buendia; “Sapot” (Web) with project band Planet Garapata, which included Raimund Marasigan, Jeng Tan and Mark Lakay, who would later form Sandwich; and “Make Your Move” with pioneer Filipino punk band Betrayed. In keeping with the nationalistic theme in Magalona’s work, 1-800-Ninety-Six was written in celebration of the centennial of the Philippine revolution of 1896. “Rainy” won Best Folk song, and the album itself would become the only album to win Best Rock and Best Rap Album at the Katha Awards.[12]When Magalona was diagnosed with Leukemia, he and his wife Pia would use the album name “Happy Battle” as a reference to his fight against cancer.[2]

Later albums with Sony Music

The 1998 album The Oddventures of Mr. Cool saw a move from the last two albums’ heavy guitar sound and explored mellow, urban-style rapping. It featured the song “Whole Lotta Lovin'”, whose music is a sample of the Eraserheads song “Alapaap” (Heaven).

Later albums with BMG (now with Sony Music) would include Interscholastic (1999) which featured adaptations of various artists’ songs; and Freeman 2 (2001), which would echo many of the themes that had made the first Freeman album so popular. In 2002, his greatest hits album The Best of FrancisM was released by Musiko Records and BMG Records (Pilipinas) Inc. 2004 in turn saw the release of a single titled “Pambihira Ka” (You’re Remarkable).

Independent projects

In 2002, with the assistance of then FUBU Philippines’ management employees Carlo Maniquiz and Nick Tuason, Magalona launched a compilation album of the same name.[17]

Magalona founded his own record company called Red Egg Records, and a production company, Filipino Pictures Inc., where he served as the resident Director. Through his production company, Magalona produced and directed music videos for several bands and solo artists such as Ely Buendia. His work on Sponge Cola‘s “KLSP” won Best Rock Video at the 2006 MYX Video Awards.

Shortly before his death, Magalona collaborated with Ely Buendia and other Filipino artists on an album with the working title The Sickos Project, which was later named as “In Love and War”, and released posthumously.[18] Both Francis M. and Ely Buendia were having health problems at that time. The album’s carrier single is “Higante” (giant) which is about illness and strengths. Its music video was released in September 2009.

In an interview, Ely Buendia described himself as a “ticking timebomb” and Francis Magalona as “on borrowed time.” The album will include a documentary about Ely and Francis, shot by Magalona’s very own production company Filipino Pictures.

Honors and legacy

Magalona would ultimately be cited not just the “King of Philippine rap” but also “The Father of Pinoy Hip Hop”.[11] Magalona’s contributions to the genre have been featured in several international hip hop publications including the All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop (2003) published by Backbeat Books; as well as the May 2004 issue of the U.S.-based publication The Source. He was also given the Pioneer Hall of Fame Award by Empire Entertainment at the 1st Annual Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards in 2005.[33]

Magalona was the recipient of the MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards Generations Award in 2006 “in recognition of his career that has spanned decades and broken boundaries, and for his music which continues to inspire generations of artists and music fans both here and abroad.” He was the second person so honored, the first having been singer Gary Valenciano at the 2005 rites.

On March 18, 2009, the Philippine Government – through the efforts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts[3]—recognized Magalona with by awarding him a posthumous Presidential Medal of Merit. The award’s citation noted that it had been given “for his musical and artistic brilliance, his deep faith in the Filipino and his sense of national pride that continue to inspire us.“[4][5]

Several supporters of Magalona launched an online petition to award him, the Order of National Artist, which is the highest recognition for Philippine artists. However, nominations for the National Artist award will have to be done after three years as nominations for the order are closed.[34] His daughter Maxene has indicated that she intends to continue Magalona’s projects, including his The Sickos Project album with Buendia, and a documentary about his battle with cancer. The young actress stated: “We will coordinate with the people he had been working with, […] I understand that Papa is a big part of history.”[22]

– Source: Wikipedia

Track List

Aristotle Pollisco, known by his stage name Gloc-9, is an Awit Award-winning Filipino rapper and songwriter. His fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of the most successful hip-hop artists in the Philippines. He was described by fellow Filipino rapper Francis Magalona as “a blacksmith of words and letters, and a true Filipino poet.”[1]

He has collaborated on almost a dozen songs with other OPM artists; “Lando” with the late Francis M, “Upuan“ with Jaezelle, “Bagsakan” with Parokya ni Edgar , “Baon” with Gab Chee Kee of Parokya ni Edgar and Francis M, and “Sari-Saring Kwento” with Noel Cabangon and Champ Lui Pio. His songs mostly tackle social issues such as social injustices, poverty and patriotism. He began his musical career with the gangsta rap group Death Threat.[citation needed]

Gloc-9 is notably one of the few artists in the Philippine music scene who has won an award in every album he created

In Death Threat

In his song Talumpati, Gloc-9 states that he joined a drive-by show by Andrew E.. After the show, a member of the Filipino hip hop group Death Threat came in to him then gave a paper on which the contact number of the group’s leader Beware (Ronald Salanga) was written. After a phone call with Beware, he joined the group in which he began to make a name for himself in the local underground hip hop scene. His stage name “Gloc-9” came into rise when Beware told him that he must have a rap name in order to become a rapper. A number of options were suggested: MAGNUM45 and KALIBRE28 were rejected outright, but he decided that Glock 9, minus the “k”, sounded catchy.

Death Threat released several albums until one day Beware had to leave the group and asked Gloc-9 to be the leader of the group together with Hi-Jakk (which Gloc-9 describes as a “rapper who does not know how to rap” in his song Talumpati). In 1997, Death Threat released their third album “Kings of Da Undaground,” but it only features Hi-Jakkk and Gloc-9. The album received 4x platinum certification despite of having no mainstream promotion but only the word of mouth in the streets.[2]

As duo with Hi-Jakkk

Within the same year, the duo of Gloc-9 and Hi-Jakkk started to release albums not carrying the name of Death Threat under Viva Records. These albums are Domination that was certified gold, Tha Revelation certified platinum and Domination II certified gold. In his release “Talumpati”, Gloc-9 describes these albums as ones that have not been thought-out and of being full of boastfulness. After their third album together, Gloc-9 decided to leave Hi-Jakkk and continue his career solo.

Solo with Star Music

While working as a duo, both Gloc-9 and Hi-Jakkk continued to submit their solo demos until year 2000, when Christian Martinez of Star Music finally discovered Gloc-9’s talent after 3 months of searching, when an executive of ABS-CBN accidentally put on his demo from a recording found in a scrap box.

At first, Gloc-9 composed and sang his own songs for soundtracks of several Star Cinema films like Trip and Jologs. In 2002, he also joined Himig Handog Love Songs, a song-writing competition operated by the ABS-CBN Corporation and Star Music with his song “Bakit?” (co-written with Mike Villegas).[3] The song has been interpreted by him together with Cookie Chua, becoming one of the finalists in the competition but without winning the title as the grand prize went to “Kung Ako Na Lang Sana” written by Socrates Villanueva and interpreted by Bituin Escalante. One of his competitors in this song-writing competition was Jimmy Antiporda with the song “Hindi Na Bale” performed by Jessa Zaragoza. The latter was mentioned in Gloc-9’s song “Gusto Ko“.

In 2003, Gloc-9 released his debut album under Star Music entitled G9. Included in this album are songs that had been used in several Star Cinema films before. His second album, Ako Si…was released in 2005 under Star Music. – Source: Wikipedia