Music genre and scene
Pinoy hip hop or Filipino hip-hop (also known as Pinoy rap) is a style of hip hop music performed by musicians of Filipino descent, especially Filipino-Americans.
The Philippines is known for having the first hip hop music scene in Asia since the early 1980s, largely due to the country's historical connections with the United States where hip hop originated. Rap music released in the Philippines has appeared in different languages or dialects such as Tagalog, Bicolano, Chavacano, Cebuano, Ilocano and English. In the Philippines, Andrew E., Francis Magalona and Gloc-9 are considered among the most influential rappers in the country, being the first to release mainstream rap albums. Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas, Cassie Ventura, Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, N.E.R.D. and Ez Mil are among the contemporary Filipino-American hip-hop artists.
History.
Origins.
The towns surrounding the numerous American military bases in the Philippines, such as Clark Air Base in Angeles City and Subic Bay Naval Base in Olongapo, were among the earliest to be exposed to the culture. Contact with African-American, Filipino-American and Latino servicemen resulted in some of the earliest exposure the locals had to the new musical genre.
1980s: Seeds of a movement.
In 1980, the earliest rap recording came from Dyords Javier's single "Na Onseng Delight", a parody of "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, released under Wea Records. It is considered the first known rap track out of Asia, making the Philippines the first to dabble in hip-hop in the region. That same year, pioneer Vincent Dafalong released the singles, "Ispraken-Delight" and "Mahiwagang Nunal".
Influential hip hop films such as "Wild Style" (1982), "Breakin"' (1984) and "Krush Groove" (1985) were influences. In 1982, local breakdancing crews like the Angeles City-based Whooze Co. International, with members consisting primarily from Clark Air Base, The Eclipse (whose former members included Francis Magalona, "Dance 10" 1983 champion Darwin Tuason and current Federation Sounds' Glenn "Kico" Lelay), Info-Clash Breakers and Ground Control (whose members included Rap Master Fordy, later to be known as Andrew E.), and Jay "Smooth" MC of Bass Rhyme Posse became popular in local parks and malls in and around the Metro Manila area such as the Glorietta mall, which was an early hotspot for breakers. Several mobile DJ crews of the era included such names as the Rock All Parties Crew which emerged onto the scene only to produce future Pinoy rap pioneers such as Andrew E. and Norman B.
1990s: Old School hip hop.
The genre soon entered the mainstream with Francis Magalona's debut album, "Yo!" (1990), which included the nationalistic hit "Mga Kababayan" ("My Countrymen"), which brought Magalona to prominence.
More artists followed in Magalona's footsteps. The list includes Andrew E. who released his first single, "Humanap Ka ng Pangit" ("Look for Someone Ugly") in 1990 and Michael V. with the release of his first song "Maganda ang Piliin" ("Pick Someone Pretty") in 1991, a companion piece to Andrew E.'s "Humanap Ka ng Pangit".
Known as the "golden age" of Pinoy hip hop, the 1990s marked the beginning of many rapid stylistic innovations beginning in 1991 with the establishment of the Disco Mix Club Philippines which was one of the earliest platforms for Philippine DJ mixing battles. Early innovators of the style included DJs Carlo Yalo, Noel Macanaya, Rod "DVS" Torres and Omar Lacap, among others.
Following the path set forth by their Bass Rhyme predecessors, the tri-lingual rap group Rapasia released their self-titled debut record in 1991, garnering the hit "Hoy! Tsismosa". One of the earliest Filipino hip hop groups to embrace such an abstract format, the album's lyrical content often contained a mixture of various Philippine languages (including Tagalog and Chavacano) along with English. 
The pioneering Pinoy hip hop act Bass Rhyme Posse released their self-titled debut album on VIVA Records in 1991, which spawned the cult hits "Let the Beat Flow", "Buhay Estudyante" ("Student Life") and "Juan T.", becoming the genre's first rap group to release a record.
1992 marked a turning point for Pinoy rap with the release of Francis M's influential second album, "Rap Is Francis M", which is regarded as one of the greatest Pinoy rap albums ever. Ushering in a socially awoken wave not seen in the Philippine music industry since the heyday of Juan De La Cruz, Sampaguita and 1970s Pinoy rock, Magalona's tracks dissected the various cultural, social and political problems that plagued his country such as drug addiction in "Mga Praning" ("The Addicts"), political corruption and instability in "Halalan" ("Election") as well as the detrimental effects of a colonial mentality to Filipino culture in "Tayo'y Mga Pinoy" ("We Are Filipinos"). The record's complexity and socially sentient message quickly earned it its classic status and became the standard by which future albums of the genre were to be compared to. Magalona's enduring contributions to the genre was recognized in the "All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop" (2003) published by Backbeat Books; as well as in the U.S.-based hip hop publication "The Source" (May 2004).
In 1994, going against the wave of radio-friendly rap tracks that dominated at the time, the group Death Threat, founded by rappers Beware and Genezide, released the first Filipino gangsta rap album which told tales of the daily lives and struggles impoverished Filipino youth faced growing up in the slums of Metro Manila titled "Gusto Kong Bumaet" ("I Want to Be Good").
In 1997, the underground Pinoy rap group Pamilia Dimagiba released their album "Broke-N-Unsigned" on Tenement Records, marking the re-emergence of the conscious emcee in Pinoy rap. A coalition of sorts, Pamilia Dimagiba composed itself of several underground Pinoy rappers and crews such as 8th Messenger, Shadowblyde, Spoon, Murder-1 of Khan's Assassins, and Young Galaxy of Iron Triangle, among others. The raw seven-track, politically minded album was a breath of fresh air at the time, as Pinoy rap during the era had taken a more hardcore, gangster persona. Known for their coarse lyrics, serious subject matter complemented by heavy beats fused within traditional Filipino folk music, the camp's records "Duelo", "Manila's Finest", "Reality Hurtz" and "Brainstorming" among others were largely in essence a throwback to the early, nationalistic Francis M inspired days of the genre.
The same year, the very first Filipino Rap record label Dongalo Wreckords was established.
The widespread popularity of Pinoy rap in and around the islands has resulted in the spawning of a new breed of Pinoy emcees: junior "rapistas". Far from being a new trend, Jaymie "Baby" Magtoto and her 1991 hit single "Eh! Kasi Bata" ("Cause I'm a Kid") was an early example of Pinoy kiddie rappers. The single was also included in the soundtrack for Magtoto's motion picture debut of the same name released later that year.
The 2000s saw the resurgence of grade school rappers in Filipino hip hop. In 2001, Rap Group Salbakuta (under Dongalo Wreckords) became a phenomenal through its first single, Stupid Luv and was later adapted to a movie. 2005 was a breakthrough for kid rappers in the Philippines as Aikee, through the Madd World/Circulo Pugantes Camp released his debut "Ang Bawat Bata" ("Every Child") on Alpha Music and at eleven years of age, became the youngest Filipino rapper to release a full rap album.
2000s: The rise of Philippine hip hop scene.
In the new millennium, Filipino hip-hop rivalled Pinoy rock's traditional popularity amongst Filipino youth. 
Since 2004, the Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards has been held annually in Metro Manila. The show is reminiscent of The Source Awards in the US. Gloc-9, considered to be the fastest rapper in the Philippines and former member of the rap group Death Threat, held the title for Best Rap Artist at the awards show for four consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008, achieving mainstream popularity and releasing successful commercial albums every other year. Like the American hip hop industry, music videos have become an important trend (even containing small cameos from different Filipino rappers) and air on TV channels like MTV Philippines and MYX. Despite Metro Manila's powerful position over the music industry, rap groups in the south have started to gain their own share of popularity, like Dice &amp; K9 a.k.a. Mobbstarr from Cebu City with their first hit single "Itsumo" in 2003, Thavawenyoz from Davao City with their debut album "Hubag" in 2005, and Zambo Top Dogz from Zamboanga City, known for their Chavacano rapping in the songs "Noticias" and "Conversa Ta". It is also not uncommon for Filipino-American artists to perform live, sell records, and win awards in the Philippines while living in the States, for example Pikaso from San Francisco, California who won the Producer of the Year award in 2008.
The popularity of artists such as Dice &amp; K9 a.k.a. Mobbstarr (known for their popular Japanese and English combination hit song "Itsumo"), Pikaso, Audible, and Krook and J.O.L.O., who primarily use English lyrics in their tracks, has given way to the ongoing divide between Tagalog lyricists and English lyricists. With English tracks dominating the airwaves, several Tagalog-based emcees felt a sort of bias in the Philippine music industry, which favors artists who use English rather than Filipino. The conflict over language became evident in the 2004 Black Eyed Peas concert in Manila in which rapper Mike Swift's Tagalog-based track was cut short halfway through the song due to the "English Only" policy enforced by the event's organizers towards Black Eyed Peas' opening acts.
In 2006, the group Stick Figgas, runners-up in Francis M's "Rappublic of the Philippines" talent search, released their debut album "Critical Condition" under joint-release with Dice &amp; K9's "6000 Goonz" imprint and Francis M's Red Egg Records sub-label, which, amidst critical acclaim, sparked a resurgence and renaissance of sorts in Tagalog rap. The Stick Figgas relied on clever punchlines, creative lyricism and intricate rhyme schemes, re-introducing a technical poignancy that has been absent in Tagalog rap since B.B. Clan's first album "Mabanges". This rap style has arguably inspired the current generation of Tagalog rappers to place much more emphasis on multi-syllable rhyme schemes, punchlines and metaphors than before.
2010s: FlipTop battle league, trap genre emergence and second golden age.
The influence of the original rap battle leagues in the West – Grind Time Now (U.S.), King of the Dot (Canada) and Don't Flop (UK) – all founded in 2008, inspired the creation of other battle leagues around the world, FlipTop being one of them, in 2010. This local rap battle competition typically involves both parties (either 2 rappers or 2 duos) hailing mudslinging words and rhymes at each other, who are then judged at the end based on a number of factors including flow and use of insults/punchlines and audience impact. The one with the most votes from the judges is declared winner. FlipTop gained millions of views online, as it reminded viewers of the Balagtasan format, a type of debate done through verse named after the father of Filipino poetry Francisco Balagtas. FlipTop also launched the careers of several rappers including Abra, Bassilyo, Loonie, and Zaito. 
2020s: The expansion of Pinoy hip hop scene.
In late 2019, MCA Music (now UMG/UMUSIC Philippines) launched Def Jam Philippines, a new label dedicated to established and up-and-coming hip hop and R&amp;B acts. In 2021, 8 Ballin', a hip hop collective group from Rizal, took the Pinoy hip hop spotlight after the music video of their controversial hit single "Know Me" became viral on YouTube and has been became the talk of the town on social media because of memes and their mumble rapping, and caught the attention of Def Jam Philippines which led the collective group to join the label. Other hiphop artists Def Jam have signed include JMara, Fateeha, VVS Collective, and Karencitta.
The 2020s also gave the rise of Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil. He gained fame in 2021 after his performance of his song "Panalo (Trap Cariñosa)" on the Wish Bus USA went viral, amassing millions of views in just a few days after premiering on YouTube on January 29. In 2023, Ez Mil was signed to labels owned by Eminem and Dr. Dre. Other Filipino-American rappers of the 2020s include Ruby Ibarra, Klassy, Rocky Rivera, and Guapdad 4000.
The 2020s also saw a change in hiphop, as rap began containing elements of harana music. Leading this change was Hev Abi, a rapper from Quezon City who topped the Spotify charts. Other Filipino rappers who gained prominence during this decade include Lo Ki, Flow G, and O