MTV Music Evolution Manila 2015: Hip-hop’s Finest Night
It was an event never before seen on Philippine shores.
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“THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING!” The artists went onstage to thank the thousand of hip-hop fans for coming. (Photo by Carla Barretto for MTV)
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Last Sunday night, May 17, 2015, foreign and local hip-hop acts gathered at the Quirino Grandstand for the first-ever MTV Music Evolution in Asia. Music royalty Naughty By Nature, DJ Cash, and YG graced fans with their internationally renowned hits. Pinoy pride Apl.de.ap, Gloc-9, and Abra showcased hit after hit after hit, much to the delight of thousands and thousands of fans present there last night.
Present that night were MTV Asia VJs Hanli Hoefer and Alan Wong, and MTV Pinoy VJs Chris Schneider and Yassi Pressman. They handed out (or maybe catapulted is a better term) shirts to the audience and, later on, a GoPro Hero 4 to one lucky guy who won the Nestle Drumstick contest by smearing ice cream all over his body.
Homegrown talents showcased how Filipinos do hip-hop. Gloc-9, one of the most celebrated rappers in the country, was first to come up onstage, singing some of his top-charting songs, his fans grooving and dancing to the beat of Sumayaw Ka (Dance).
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NO BETTER WAY TO START THE SHOW. Gloc-9 performs Upuan (Chair), one of his songs that tackle socially relevant issues. (Photo by Kristian Dowling for MTV)
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Next was Abra who set the stage on fire with his wild style and sick beat. His song Ceberus (which he performed with Looney and Ron Henley) showcased his lyrical prowess as he got the crowd fired up and cheering wild.
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THE JETS OF FIRE ONSTAGE was no match for Abra’s fiery performance. (Photo by Ferdie Arquero for MTV)
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Then, Apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas fame sang his hit single Bebot. He also performed I Got the Feeling with his The Voice mentee Jessica Reynoso. Later, he welcomed Abra and Looney onstage again to perform the crowd favorite Where is The Love.
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RIGHT AT HOME. Apl.de.ap seems to have enjoyed performing for this crowd. (Photo by Kristian Dowling for MTV)
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POWER COLLABORATION. Jessica Reynoso, Abra and Looney perform Where is the Love with Apl.de.ap. (Photo by Kristian Dowling for MTV)
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The infamous international acts shortly followed, starting off with DJ Cash Money who took the audience on a trip up and down the memory lane with some hip old and new school mixes.
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DJ CASH MONEY was welcomed onstage by the audience. (Photo by Carla Barretto for MTV)
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Billboard Hot 100 hip hop artist YG brought the house down with a 15-song medley, including his hits My Hitta and I Just Wanna Party. Performing alongside with him was DJ Goofy 500 and Slim 400 as well.
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AUDIENCE IMPACT. The crowd goes wild as YG raps with his West Coast swag. (Photo by Kris Rocha for MTV)
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Bringing old school hip-hop onstage is Naughty By Nature who wore “Filipino by Nature” shirts to show how awesome they feel as they perform for the first time ever in the country. Everyone waved their hands to the beat of Uptown, Feel Me Flow and, of course, Hip Hop Hooray.
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DONNING FILIPINO-THEMED SHIRTS, Naughty by Nature debuts on the Philippine stage. (Photo by Kristian Dowling for MTV)
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Definitely one of the highlights of the show, though, was the tribute given to Francis M., one of the pioneers of Philippine hip-hop and legendary Filipino hip-hop artist. This was done through his song Stars and Sun. Gloc-9 also performed the Master Rapper’s hit Kaleidoscope World. Even Naughty by Nature performed a snippet of this song during their set!
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REMEMBERING FRANCIS M. Gloc-9 encourages the audience to wave their glow sticks. (Photo by Kris Rocha for MTV)
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MTV Music Evolution Manila Hip-Hop 2015 is proof that the hip-hop scene in the Philippines is getting stronger by the minute. Are you ready to drop some beats?
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EXPLOSIVE. The first-ever MTV Music Evolution not only in Manila, but in Asia as well, was definitely a hit! (Photo by Ferdie Arquero for MTV)
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Article by Manette Tuvida
