HIPPIN’ HOPPIN’

learn it.live it.love it!

By: 3-na

(Rona Katrina Suelan y dela Cruz)

Whoever said Hip hop ain't nothin’ but music that thugs, street children and out of school youth would

rhyme and go beat boxing about out in the streets. It may be true, if you listen to most of the music

that hip hop artists in and out of the Philippines make, it talks about the streets, or maybe some other

issues on life, etc., but there exists a few records of this particular genre that is with a sense, and that is

because of the few artists, locally and internationally, who is inspired to write about life in the street and

is motivated, pushed and driven to promote a movement to show not only the drama there is to find at

hand but also, what good things you learn and experience out there, in the streets, as it is one important

venue that composes our society, and significantly, our individual lives .

Now, here in the 1st online hip hop magazine “Bagsakan”, we celebrate this music, we prop up this

unique street beat. So, in this segment, we interview artists locally, to tell us more of what exquisiteness

there is with hip hop, what’s cookin’ now, and what’s there to look forward to. On our very first edition,

we got a bloke from Batangas, who says he makes music not only to write about the street life, but also

to reach out and tackle social and political issues within the country, thus making hip hop music with a

massive sense and impact to us, and he calls himself “Dough Boy”.

WHEN AND HOW START DOING HIP HOP?

Way back probably around when I was 16, or 17 listening to Andrew E. ,Francis M., Pop,Eminem,

Bonethugs N Harmony, Coolio… But back then though ,in High School I was with a band because I’m

originally from Batangas City and hip hop isn’t as well known and is very alien to us, so together with my

band mates, we used to do a lot of heavy metal, had to go and play with the band first and stuff. Yeah,

so its’ been like I don’t know, 13 or 15 years.

WHY DOUGH BOY?

Okay, my real name is Rolando, and in our hometown since I’m Rolando Junior, and my dad is

nicknamed Lando, they call me Lando Boy, and from that I just spunked it, taking it after a certain

movie I watched that starred Ice Cube with Cuba Gooding Jr. (Boyz N The Hood), there Ice Cube’ name

was ‘’Dough Boy”, well, he was my idol and so I was like “yeah sounds kinda like my nickname if we

shorten it”,thus my name now.

TELL US ABOUT THE MUSIC YOU ARE MAKIN’?

Right about now, I’m with my band named square Juan we’re doin’ couple of gigs and we play lots of

alternative music,reggae, underground, that kinda stuff but we are kinda pushing through that, also,

right now, I’m with Longevity records an Independent Hip hop label which has recently released a mixed

taped called “Piling sikat” then, I got 5 tracks in that record, the music is more like Pinoy flava hip hop,

it’s more of clash culture, plus since my greatest influence is the late great Francis M, so that’s why my

music is like a mash up of hip hop plus another certain genre. It’s like Tagalized American hip hop. SO

that’s probably the reason why I chose to push through that kind of music.

WHAT MAKES YOU MUSIC UNIQUE FROM OTHER HIP HOP ARTISTS?

Well, basically, I’m really not trying to focus on one particularly genre, but one thing I can tell is that,

see, I’m a political artist, I graduated with a degree in Political Science back in college, and so most of the

time we tackle a lot of Social Issues, talk about commercialism and money control our economy.

SO YOU’RE MUSIC TACKLES POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT?

Well, we also do ballads, but more of a different kind of fix, rather than the usual syllable and chorus or

regular set of lyrics, more of experiences type. Music with a cause you, know.

YOU ALSO MENTIONED YOU HAVE A BAND, TELL US MORE ABOUT THEM.

We’re doing a couple of fusion, since we come from different types of genres, the music itself is kinda of

diverse, but off course it’s your regular type of fusion.

SO YOU MENTIONED ABOUT COOLIO, FRANCIS M, AMONG YOUR MANY INFLUENCES, WHY THEM?

Well, basically it’s all about their stand, like Francis Magalona stands for Pinoy pride, then Coolio, his

from the streets so, he talks about the streets and the life out there. As for me, I aint saying I’m from

the streets but I grew up hanging around in the streets a lot so, what his music is, it’s pretty much what I

have witnessed on my own and that’s what I talk about in my music. Plus one of my Greatest influence,

aside from Francis M would be Decoy, formerly of Mad Poets he is one great lyricist.

“You see, I’m trying to make hip hop music more respectable, because for the past couple of years,

hip hop music has been, well I’m not gonna say tainted, but “novelty”, is what’s attached or stuck

with the word “hip hop” in Pinoy context, that’s why we’re trying to take it to another level and

experiment with different elements.”

FOR THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT HIP HOP, SHARE WITH US WHAT YOUR MAIN GOAL IN MAKING THIS KIND OF MUSIC?

My main goal is to have someone, maybe me or another hip hop artist, as a real representative who

lives up to the culture of Pinoy hip hop in our country who will really put our music in to another kind

of level, the way Eraserheads among others have successfully established rock n’ roll in the Philippines,

even if it’s not exactly me, I want Pinoy hip hop to achieve the same success. It can be me or somebody

else, it doesn’t really matter, as long as they promote hip hop the way it should be.

OK, NOW IN THE FUTURE, DO YOU HAVE PROJECTS AND GIGS TO SHARE WITH US SO WHEN CAN SEE YOU PERFORM?

Yeah, right now, we got “Kabataan Kontra Droga” project in Mandaluyong and Pasay, then this Gully’s

gig, well if you wanna invite me to perform, I’ma be there hehe.

MESSAGE TO THE HIP HOP FANS:

To all interested in the Hip hop culture, the music, great men of Hip hop like Picasso, in it’s prime

movement, like Konektado ,Fliptop, please support us, also got a facebook account, soon to be

completed watch out for it.

DEFINE HIP HOP:

This is the soul of the street. The music, the idea, philosophy, that we, wherever you’re at, as long as

you live by it, you may not know it, but you might just be a Hip Hopper at heart, the way your mind is

influenced. Hip hop is here to stay.

To BAGSAKAN:

Thank you for this interview. Keep the grind, keep promote hip hop and you guys are 1 of the soul and

vertebrae in hip hop’s climb in the local music industry here in the Philippines, if hip hop is enormous in

America, you guys will make it as big in our own country.

soul free!!!

The might of a thousand mics every night!!!

Feeling the vibe of the place.

people i know...hehehe

me and square1..one love

One great mind with perceptions that is so positively hip hop and one big heart to uplift hip hop, I’m

pretty sure thousands more would join Dough Boy with his goals, so to all you lovers of this beat, keep

up the walk and let’s make Hip hop rockin and rollin ‘round the country and ‘round the globe. Peace out.