playing chicken with the train

most of you don't know it, but the philippines does have a hip-hop scene. thankfully, the local music channels focus more on the rock side of things. while i am an avid listener of (more likely than not) mainstream rap music and tend to keep an open mind to things, i believe that what pinoy rappers need to gain credibility is a change of clothes.

"pretty shallow reason," you may be thinking.

okay, so tagalog in rhyme doesn't necessarily sound good (because of the typical kanto-boy accent which you sophisticated upper-class people don't usually like) and it does have a tendency to sound better in the hands of, say, jose rizal or kiko balagtas. but if you're in the business, you're more than likely forced to rap a song or two in tagalog (krook and jolo, fil-am rappers, do have an all-tagalog track. hi sis :P) in order not to be branded as a sellout (trust me, that's a bad thing).

back to clothes. seriously, heavy use of the do-rag, saggy pants and the typical oversized football/hockey/basketball jersey isn't meant for filipinos. it wouldn't kill anyone to actually think and innovate a new style to associate pinoy rap with. now, i'm not saying they should all be rapping while dressed as farmers and fishermen, but rather the usual hip-hop gear is so stale and redundant that it only looks safe and good on the african-american rappers themselves. having said this, i applaud john cena for dressing down and sticking with a jersey or a chaingang t-shirt, cap, and the unique denim shorts. (i do miss the steel chain, though.) same goes for the black eyed peas for emphasizing style with their outfits; you see will.i.am wearing rodney jackets over lakers jerseys. and in the words of my man carly colon, "that's cool."

the point is, think of something new to wear. it wouldn't hurt pinoys to rap in nothing but shirts and jeans that actually fit and the occasional bling. think of something that redefines your identity aside from your tagalog vocals. it may be answered with immediate criticism, but it's gonna be, in the words of paula abdul, "a breath of fresh air" and it's going to eliminate stereotypes in the long run.

and for those who want to experience a breath of fresh air right now, you should listen to cowboy troy and his hick-hop. for starters, download "rollin (the ballad of big and rich)" by, obviously, big and rich featuring cowboy troy.

cheers.