BLKD, Ninno, and the renaissance of local hiphop
The recent renaissance in local hip-hop has produced some of the most groundbreaking records of the last two years. Emar Industriya’s Industriyalismo, Calix’s The Breakout Satirist, and BLKD x Umph’s Gatilyo emerged as modern classics overnight with their bold, searing commentary on social and political realities in the Philippines. Allen Jordan a.k.a. BLKD in particular, minces no words about the struggles that prey on the Everyday Filipino, giving the disenfranchised a voice, the marginalized sectors of society a representation. His work on Gatilyo is a poetic masterclass of its own, a sharp-witted epic that paints a cinematic showcase of a nation systematically oppressed by The Powers That Be.
Rapper-producer Ninno also made headlines with his own version of confessional, socially “woke” anthems that appeal to the young, the millennial, and the urban middle class. His debut album, “Third Culture Kid,” offers a more introspective social critique, rife with observations that understand the status quo from a privileged perspective. The record not only boasts top-notch production by Somedaydream, CRWN and Ninno himself, but also offers a thematic content that is lavishly nuanced with emotion and pop smarts.
A wave of rap music influenced by the anti-establishment nihilism of Odd Future and Joey Bada$$ infiltrated the “underground Internet” last year, proof that hip-hop is slowly transitioning into its punk phase. No Face Records, a record label and community established by hip-hop/ electronic producer skinxbones, leads the pack with bleak narratives that react to an authoritarian state with pure hatred and pessimism. “We believe that hip-hop is too macho and gangsta, and we’re not like that,” the prolific producer tells Supreme. “We tend to do more emotional stuff.”
Their rebellious mindset has birthed some of the most interesting hip-hop songs in recent memory, tackling depression, anxiety and other personal issues not often discussed in music.
Other locally bred hip-hop acts have challenged their western counterparts with gripping, envelope-pushing releases that encapsulate the primal urgency of DIY ethos and non-conventional lyricism. Shadow Moses gravitated toward nerd culture and geekdom on their recently released EP, Expansion Pack; Ankhten Brown hooked up with rap producer extraordinaire Yung Bawal on lo-fi opus Long Nights and Daydreams; and Bugoy Na Koykoy reigned supreme with the fantastic Dealer of the Year, a bold, in-your-face single that addressed the issue of drug hustling and extra-judicial killings with a brilliant, low-key music video.