The charms of Marikit

The song is titled Marikit and it is the big hit of the moment. The strange thing about it is it has words that could have come from the heart of a lovestruck swain from a long time ago who wanted to speak out his feelings with a harana.

“Ikaw ang binibini na ninanais ko/ Binibining marikit na dalangin ko/ Ikaw ang nagbigay ng kulay sa aking mundo/ Sana ay pang habang buhay na ito.” Think Levi Celerio.

In another instance, he sounds like a makata who is extoling the virtues of the young woman chosen to be the beauty queen of some barrio fiesta just like they used to do it in the olden days.

“O Maria Clara ko, sa ‘yo’y hibang na ‘to/ Ikaw ang kahulugan ng salitang buhay ko/ ang tanging hiling Diyos iyong dinggin/ ang babaeng marikit ay mapa sa akin/ lahat hahamakin/ makuha lang ang akin/ kahit buong kalawakan aking kuluhanin/ O aking binibini, ikaw ang pinipili/ sa simula’t huli nang aking pag-ibig.” Think Jose Corazon de Jesus.

All very good. But before you start thinking, hey those Tagalog love songs are back, take note. This is the year 2020 and it is the time of hip-hop. Marikit, which by the way means exquisitely beautiful in Tagalog, is a rap set to an irresistible beat that now has everybody dancing.

Marikit is a composition by Juan Caoile with assist from Kyle Caplis. The inspiration for the song was Caoile’s girlfriend who he says is truly marikit. But Marikit has now gone beyond that. It has become an ode of appreciation to all women. It is the latest in a series of recent hits with the same theme like Ivana by Soulstice and Catriona by Matthaios, rap as poetry about beauty.

Caoile rapped while Caplis sang the melody in the recording of Marikit. What a huge surprise it must have been for those two to be credited with a massive seller in their very first single release. It must have been mind-blowing to find almost nine million views for the video on its first week out in YouTube.

Marikit is now also the subject of a high trending dance challenge that has even celebrities in lockdown doing the moves. It made No. 1 in Top Hits Philippines, Trending Global, Viral 50, Most Streamed Daily on Spotify. It has also notched 250 million views on TikTok. Best of all as of this writing, Marikit leads the hit lists of Spotify, iTunes, Deezer and YouTube.

Remember how it was once said that Tagalog was an old language and will never adapt itself to rock music? Ang Himig Natin by Pepe Smith easily proved that wrong and we now have a vast treasure trove of rock masterworks in Filipino. The same thing is now happening to rap and it is such a joy to find beautiful Tagalog lyrics sounding truly marikit in hip-hop music.

“Di ka man ginto, pero ikaw ay mamahalin/ Pagbigyan mo lang ako na ikaw ay mapasa akin/ Para bang nahulog ako sa mataas na bangin/ Di ko namalayan dahil sa iyong mga tingin/ Hubog ng iyong katawan ay nakakatulala/ Kislap ng ‘yong mata’y tanawing napakaganda/ Di matatawaran/ Kahit pa magdamagan ko pa ‘tong titigan / Di ko ‘to pagsasawaan/ Binubuhat mo ang aking pakiramdam/ Ang bigat nito ikaw ang nagpagaan.”

Meanwhile Pinoy music is weathering the storm dealt by the Coronavirus and the hits, hip-hop and otherwise just keep on coming. Aside from Marikit, the other tunes people enjoy listening to these days are Imahe by Magnus Haven, Hindi Tayo Puede by The Juans, Teka Lang by Emman, Araw-Araw, Sa Susunod Na Habang Buhay and Pagtingin by Ben&Ben.

Tala by Sarah Geronimo, Catriona and Binibini by Matthaios featuring Calvin de Leon, Binalewala by Michael Dutchi Librando, Bounty by the Ex Battalion, Parang Kailan Lang by Maine Mendoza featuring Gracenote, Bawal Lumabas by Kim Chiu and Malayo Ka Man by Junior Crown, Kath, Cyclone and Young Weezy.