Community
Young-GMy first direct contact with hip hop in Southeast Asia was in 2011, in the Tondo
district of Manila in the Philippines at the RAP IN TONDO 2, an event that washeld collaboratively by cultural exchange institutions of Japan, France andGermany. The event included workshops for hip hop music and dance for thechildren of the Tondo district.

RAP IN TONDO 2

At the time, hip hop in languages other than Japanese or English were hardly
introduced in Japan. Thus hip hop in the Tagalog language that I encountered inManila came across as very powerful and shocking. I then started to search theInternet for hip hop music from around the world, particularly of Southeast Asia.
While searching, I was able to realize anew the differences between Southeast
Asian hip hop and Japanese or American hip hop, as well as religious andregional differences. The hip hop music of the Philippines, Manila and Tondo inparticular, possessed a unique regionality. Tondo, of course, is known for theworld famous Smokey Mountain, the largest slum in Southeast Asia. The
presence of gangs also cannot be overlooked. There are various forms of gangs,each with its own history, widely present even among vigilance groups, youth
associations and community service groups. Unlike in Japan, gangs in Americaand South America are more openly acknowledged. I also felt that this was thecase in the Philippines, which was once under American rule. OG SACRED (OGstands for Original Gangster, a title granted to gangsters), who once belonged tothe largest gang in the Philippines TBS13 and rose to the top of the group, wasonly a young boy when he started off as a gang member. Gang and hip hop areclosely connected to each other, as Afrika Bambaataa, one of the earliest
founders of American hip hop, once said—“we developed rap, dance, graffiti, inother words, hip hop in order to stop gang warfare.”
The song Man from Manila by Francis M, a legendary rapper of the Philippines,
was a chart hit in the 1990s which elevated the foundation of hip hop to the levelof popular music in the Philippines. Influenced by such hip hop songs, OG, while
being a gang member, also started to build a career as a rapper. OG was alsochosen as one of the main characters in the film Tribu, directed by Jim Libiran,which portrays street gang life in Tondo. OG’s real life experience as a gang wasput into the movie and attracted much public attention.

The film Tribu（2007）Trailer

OG Sacred has continued to build his career as a rapper and expand the scopeof his activities through the group Tondo Tribe which he formed with the young
people of Tondo. The RAP IN TONDO discussed earlier was one such activity andthat is where my personal encounter with OG started. OG is the front person forthe Velasquez district in Tondo and tackles problems in the community by taking
part in gatherings and campaigns related to issues such as poverty, drug pollution
and garbage. According to him, “Tondo is poverty stricken but filled with love, ahistorical city that has given birth to many musicians, artists and revolutionaries.”
I had the opportunity to interview him about Tondo and the things that constitutehis backbone as a rapper. I hope you have the chance to read it.

The interview is below.

STOP IT! music video - Les Coudes Production and Tondo Tribe

Buhay Ng Gangsta - Hukbalahap, OG Sacred & Braduzz

Mail interview
Interview with OG SACRED

Interviewer: Young-G
Translation from Tagalog to English: Hirano Mayumi―What is Tondo area like? Please tell us the characteristics of Tondo based on its
history and culture...etc. Could you also tell us about revolutionaries and artists
from Tondo area?

OG: Tondo is known as the scariest place in the Philippines because of thenumber of infamous gangsters that were born and grew up here, many of theirlives were also turned into films, despite this, many great artists also came fromTondo, you will find many talents and good stories around you. One of the mostnotable brave heroes of the country, Andres Bonifacio (father of the Katipunan),
also came from here.

―What does the young generation of Tondo think about the Philippine Revolution(1898)?

OG: This was the struggle of the entire country against the colonizers whereresilience, courage and intelligence of the Filipinos were tested to fight for thefreedom of the nation and its people against the foreign conquerors despite thelack of weapons and the number of fighters.

―Please tell us about the history, activities, and roles of gangsters including theirmeaning as vigilantes as far as you know.

OG: With the number of famous gangsters and groups in Tondo, according to thestory of the elders, it is said that gangsters lived through evil deeds like robbery,extortion and billing of protection money, endorsing politicians in exchange formoney, riots and killings with rival gangsters related to territory. Despite this, they
were also openly helping the poor community of Tondo.

―What does rap mean to you and your community? How did you and yourcommunity start rap, and what role does the music for your community today?

OG: For many rap is a form of music or a genre that is powerful and trendy
nowadays. But for me rap is the modern way of poetry that goes along withmusic, it is a way of expressing emotions, of giving inspirations and an effective
guide, sharing lessons, inspiration and hope, it is an occupation and life.

－What do you think about the current situation of gangsters compared to the olddays?

OG: Many among my contemporaries and peers have changed, some have
improved and others have worsened. Others became professionals and went on
to the right path, some became quiet but deeper, and some became bigger but
more dangerous, yet you can see that each of them has a unique strength in thepresent that came from their past.

－What do you think you want to be in the future?
OG: Still as a Leader and an inspiration a good man who came from a bad past.
someone who fulfills his/her dreams that are too impossible for others; a person
who is always ready to fight in any battle and hardship of life; and someone whois willing to guide others and be a good example.

Related Links
Tondo Tribe FB https://www.facebook.com/tondo.tribe
Tondo Tribe on BBC https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180525-theinspiring-rappers-from-the-manila-slums

Related Keywords
Lyricism