SVC (Sun Valley Crew)
Sun Valley Crew started in 1995. It was formed by Ryan Armamento ( Rye ) and Joseph Papa (Puff A-J). A year after, they met Ryan Ventura (Slimm) and RJ Señeres (Ill-J) who, at that time, were part of their own group, Phreak Phunktion. The guys hooked up and started recording SVC’s self-titled debut album, under Universal Records.
The album boasted of fresh, local hip-hop rhythms, and its first single – Just Chillin’ (My Homies) – was nominated in the 1997 Katha and Awit Awards for Best Rap Album of the Year. This homegrown hit even earned international nods, as its music video stayed at #1 for seven weeks on MTV’s Head to Head, beating foreign videos from artists like Tupac and Dr. Dre.
With the success of the first album, SVC began working on their second musical design in 1998. The album was called Reality Check…A New Beginning, once again under Universal Records, and showed off more matured and developed style and sound, uplifting the standards of rap music in the Philippines . Once again, the video of its first single, Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, garnered praise and recognition. SVC bagged the trophy for “Newcomer Video of the Year” on the 1998 MTV Pilipinas Awards.
After a long hiatus, SVC returns to the local music showground. Although the guys have taken on different professions - with RJ Señeres taking up law at San Sebastian, Ryan Armamento juggling jobs as a sound engineer, music producer and radio jock, and bass player Ryan Ventura working in a call center - they are now back to prove once again that SVC is the country’s best rap group. They’re out to hit the hip-hop scene again with the fine rhythm that’s distinctly Sun Valley Crew, with a band to back them up – Dan Gil (keyboards), Mong (guitar), Ryan V (bass guitar), Dex (drums) and Wella (vocals).
SVC’s 3rd album is ready to be born – It’s All Natural – produced, arranged and written by the guys themselves for Space Monkey Enterprise. The first single, The Real (hiphop Music), has already made an impact on the local radio waves, a clear promise of more incredible hits to be unveiled in this new album. It’s All Natural also boasts of a lineup of excellent feature artists – Dan Gil (Jazz saxophonist), James (Madd Poetts), and Raimund Marasigan (Cambio, Sandwich and Squid 9) to name a few.
It’s All Natural was created solely by the SVC team, from producing, recording, mixing, album cover to everything! And this time the album will be free from the boundaries of record labels. This is the real SVC now. And they are hoping to inspire other hiphop artists in the country to go independent.
Aside from the release of their 3rd album this month, they were chosen to be front act performers for the Black Eyed Peas Concert in Manila . Indeed, the year sees a thriving career for these guys!
There’s no stopping Sun Valley Crew. Real Hip Hop Music is definitely what they’re all about.
My 90's hiphop music.
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