Pricetagg · Barcode Album Review

Huge fan of The Game back in the days. Pag lapag palang ng The Documentary, bumili ako agad ng hard copy. Been looking for the same caliber in Pinoy hip-hop and I came upon Don G’s Rutina track (ONE MUTHAFUCKIN’ RAPPER DOWN, TWO MUTHAFUCKIN’ RAPPER DOWN…) plus Legend Killer! and was amazed along with 187 Mobstaz and more, medyo late bloomer nako sa pakikinig sa local scene, daming ma-aangas bumitaw. Then there was this Pinoy emcee spitting gun bar lines at this rap battle league. It was Pricetagg along with Kris Delano vs. Sinio and Tipsy D na for me sobrang luto na pag kaka judge parang naging comedy bar nalang ung buong battle and Pricetagg plus Kris Delano’s heavy bars was under-rated.

Pricetagg is the closest Pinoy rapper you can compare to The Game and the Barcode album pretty much sums it all. Gangsta rap is back! It never left for me.

“Since the West coast fell off, the streets been watchin’ The West coast never fell off, I was asleep in Compton” – Westside Story

Sambit ni The Game yan about sa situation ng Westcoast, bago nya nilapag siguro ung The Documentary likewise ke Pricetagg. Maybe he was waiting for the right moment before ilapag ung album, natutulog lang ung Alpha ng ‘Pinas and here it is!

Barcode (Intro) palang clever agad, 1st track. Alam mo ung sound ng scanner sa supermarket when they scan the barcodes of the products? Unang maririnig mo sa track similar sa intro sa unang album ni 50Cent, may ingay ng coins by obvious reason sympre, 50Cent nga eh. Lakas ng track. He’s basically re-positioning again himself in the local hip-hop bilang nag iisang ALPHA ng Gangsta Rap which rerekta na tayo sa 7th track, Alpha Sino in the next track review

Alpha Sino Remix. Alpha, in the world of wolves means dominant, leader, the boss who makes the decision. Guess who’s fucking dominating the gangsta rap scene?

Tawagin mokong Alpha Sino, tabe ako ang ALPHA rito
Tagalog rap asan ang trono
PALAG PALAG KAHIT KANINO!

Kontrabida, 2nd track chillin’ like a villian with CLR (Chester Lalinjaman Romo). If you have no idea who is CLR better check out his music video, Rest Day which I have to share and highly recommend to listen to. One of Pinoy hip-hop’s under-the-radar golden tracks. Ang tikas pati ng music video itself.

Hangga’t may araw na sisikat, kikislap ako na parang tala

Pricetagg definitely saying he will not leave the game anytime soon…

Kakampi ko lang sarili ko, walang pake sa kritiko

Reminds me of how The Game dismantled the whole G-Unit rap group. Even if Price is getting alot of hate na galing sa walang alam naman talaga sa rap, he’s still grindin’ and do what he’s best at. CLR’s hook is awesome in this track, sarap sa tengga boses niya.

Masaydong presko kahit hindi ako perpekto
Eto ba epekto pag pangalan ko may presyoPagkatao binalutan ng peso
Pero di ako bumibili ng respeto

This is one of them lines that for us showing just how huge Pricetagg’s improvement is. Parang linya din ni OJ River sa Parang Mafia with Bugoy

Pinaghirapan ang respeto, ‘di ko to minana (x3), dati ayaw niyong dumikit sa akin now you wanna

That’s Gangsta, the undefeated Pinoy’s King of Gun Bars most gangsta track for obvious reasons. 8th track from the album, Westside Story feel para sakin ni The Game, napaka-angas lang and that slow vibe gives that scary feel. Eto ung track na may subliminals, a lyrical diss whose target or meaning is not explicit, para sa mga walang alam sa konting matalinuhang level sa tunay na hip-hop or rap and this subliminal were aimed at no other than Bugoy na Koykoy and Bawal Clan pero you’d be the judge. Nasa tengga mo narin anong pahiwatig ng track para sayo.

I’m a street sweeper kayo ay itataboy
Puro peke at panggap lahat kayo mukang bugoy

Tapos…

Bigyan ng leksyon, babalik sa pag-aaral
Clark Kent, Man of Steel, merong bakal

Hear that fucking lit line? Chills on my spine, mayn! Ang ANGAS nun for me and then…

Gun on my hip (x2) wag umanggal
I’M A REAL FUCKING GANGSTER, walang BAWAL, BAWAL, BAWAL, ugh!

Guessing alam mo na ‘yon and that for me is one of the baddest track in the Barcode album ala Wanksta by 50Cent stressing out them fake ones. Kung may solid gangsta track si Pricetagg dito, wait ’till you hear the next track in review…

Eazy. Eazy, eazy ka lang (x3) lumapit sa akin at wag ‘kang mailang with Kris Delano. Club banger-ish track, and daym it is lit! Nakaka-adik ung track parang Taste ni Tyga na contagious as fuck or Switch Lanes featuring The Game.

Shi-noot ko na agad ‘di ko na binola
Tawag ng laman, ‘di ko na kinontra
One night stand ‘di ko na shi-nota (syota)
Siya’y na-adik sa akin, ‘di ko sya drinoga

You have to hear the rest of the track plus Kris Delano’s verses. No wonder nakaka-adik ‘tong track kahit ‘di kami drinoga ni PHS

Chill like a villain ka lang
Hithit ka muna ng sinindihan
Sige sulitin ang sinimulan
Sa ngayon, eazy eazy lang kaya halika na

The track also has that similar vibe or beat somehow to The Game’s House of Pain track, one of the soundtracks also in the movie, A-Team

Barcode album has amazing collaborations. Pricetagg has this Mary J. Blige/Dr. Dre, The Message feel track in the album Dr. Dre 2001 with Jazze Manuel in Back in The Days or Back When feel track ng Legit Misfitz in Dj Arbie Won’s United Freestyles Volume 2. You’ll hear Price reminiscing his roots, life struggle and thanking his influences. May na mention sya ditong track, Buhay ng Gangsta – Hukbalahap featuring O.G. Sacred

Old school na dapat mong mapakinggan if you appreciate gangsta rap in ‘Pinas and dito din siguro inspired ung Back in The Days.

Di lang puro gangsta rap ang Barcode album ni Pricetagg. Kaya nga laki ng improvement nya. He’s going versatile in his styles. Just listen to Imahe, where he narrates his experience in hip-hop that made him feel in between of heaven and hell and urging that image or “Imahe” of him to be redeemed or go a bit mellow with She Loves Me and JP Bacallan’s smooth verses and hooks, ala love song Bonnie and Clyde shit ni 50Cent and his 21 Questions. The album also have a bonus track, Selebrasyon with Don G, JP Bacallan. Sadly, parang ‘di na ata babalik talaga si Don G eh papano mas marami na siyang coma sa passbook nya kesa sa ating bahay… talking about stacked a lot of money good enough to let Don G say “tapos na kayo sa buhay ko toast to the good life”.

Don G and Pricetagg, mala Jordan and Pippen

Eksena, 3rd track. More of them gangsta rap when you check out the track with Psychedelic Boyz. A heavy hitting track combined with Psychedelic’s ala horrorcore style, deathwish-ish Bonethugs feel.

Ako ang naging bangungot, tulog ‘di na mahimbing
Ibigay mo ang damo dahil ako ay kambing!

You definitely know who’s the fucking GOAT in this gangsta rap shit!

Nakulangan kapa sa mga yan? Then go for the Kartel track with Don Pao, may pahapyaw na subliminal again with Bugoy and this time mentioning “2 Joints”

Di nyo pwedeng tablahin kung ayaw nyo masamain
Kahit 2 joints, di ako pwedeng pakalmahin

Or ung bitaw ni Don Pao…

Kung araw araw sunday sa inyong eskenita
Sa Shots Fired Cartel parang laging may despedida

Crab Mentality, 6th track para sa mga utak talangka na nanghihila pababa. Eto isa sa mga bitaw ni Price sa inyo…

Wala kayong hinaharap, mga nangarap magkasuso
Baklaan ang galawan, gusto sa akin mapasubo
Tutukan ng baril para lahat kayo matuto
May Pricetagg na ang ulo mo pag ako na ang tumuro

Classic Filipino trait na negative and madalas na ‘tong topic sa tracks ng iba Pinoy rapper and Pricetagg dedicated a whole track for them fiends in the game.

One more hard and heavy hitting track is the remix for Whatchu Say. Featuring Hash One, Tiny Montana, Nookie, Kaybee, Mike Kosa, Mike Swift, J.O.L.O and Zargon! (Lately dropped that “Upo” lit track). Daming Pinoy emcees in one track alone. In the same track PHS and I thought gumagaling na si Pricetagg. Little did we know he’s preparing an awesome album under his sleeves and now it’s officially dropped across streaming sites, Yotube and more.

A Pinoy gangsta rapper with a lyrical prowess ala Gloc-9 with collaborations sick enough to make the tracks in Barcode Album a must-listen for existing fans of Pricetagg and the gangsta rap genre. Pricetagg definitely doesn’t care Whatchu Say about him!

Album of the year take note, yeah! Si Kamatayan ang sumulat mala Death Note!

Review by: Gangt@r (PHS website webmaster)