The Metaldog is back

Controversial circumstances, some of them involving our superstar Nora Aunor, kept John Rendez, away from the Philippines for several years. I guess that also meant that he put his showbiz career on hold. The actor and rapper finally made it back to local shores a year ago.  And knowing how strongly he has always felt about his music, I knew it would not be long before John would be back in the recording studio doing what he loves best — rap music. And so here it is, Metal Dog, There Can Only Be One by John Rendez, his first album release since Crossroads seven years ago.

John, who hails from Angeles, Pampanga, is John Robert Porter Jr. in real life. From what I remember, he started out in showbusiness like most local kids, singing and acting on television and doing occasional film roles. Then he became a DJ, discovered rap music and fell in love with it. After that whatever stardom dreams he still had about becoming a star coalesced into one, success as a rapper. And that was when he gave himself the name Metaldog. I do not know if this was because he was born in a metal dog year as per the Chinese zodiac or if he simply loved dogs. But from that time on, John went by that name in any activity related to his rapping career.

The latest among these is the new album that John himself produced and for which he wrote and performed all the cuts. It has some of his old tunes like Metaldog, Coming To A Theater Near You, Plastic Pala and Everybody Sayaw.   These still work and they blend well with the new works. Truth to tell, they do not sound dated at all. It is obvious here that John has found his own rap niche. He sounds happy with it and while his writing sometimes agitates a bit, the CD carries a Parental Advisory warning, the music is seamless and keeps a great toe-tapping beat all the time. The ones I like best are There Can Only Be One, Ratt9mm, Plastic Pala and Kembotan.

I am sure that there are people out there eager to dismiss John as just some trying hard, wanna-be rapper. This is not so. He knows what he is doing and he is no copycat. I like it that he seems to have retained a Pinoy sensibility in his music despite exposure to foreign hip-hop acts.  Metal Dog is well-produced, has something to say and makes for good listening. My only beef here is that the CD carries no lyrics. That is very important to rap albums, which I believe is the poetry of the street in our times.

This is also a comeback and another reunion. I have already lost count of how many times Hotdog has retired, reunited, came back, retired, reunited, came back again and again and again. At the rate, the Manila Sound pioneer is going these days, they have practically established a prime stature as the most reunited band of all time. But I say, why not? As long as Hotdog plays, the fans keep on coming and coming and coming and vice versa. So, they just keep on playing. 

I am quite sure that many of those fans, ready to stand and dance for two hours, will once again be present at the Dusit Thani Hotel Grand Ballroom in Makati on Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. The show is Hotdog…Isa Pa Nga, a non-stop concert that will celebrate the best in original Pinoy music. Take note of that phrase Original Pinoy Music. That means the band will not only do the usual Hotdog songs but also hits by other Filipino artists. 

Performing the Manila Sound repertoire will be Hotdog leaders, the brothers Garcia, Dennis and Rene plus drummer Jess Garcia, vocalists Gina Montes, Maso Diez, Joy Rivera, Rita Trinidad and crooner Arthur Manuntag, who it turns out, once also sang with the Hotdog.  Proceeds from the show will benefit cancer-stricken children under the care of the  Undying Wishes of Pinoys, Inc., formerly United Way Philippines, Inc.

For tickets, call Dusit (543-0678).