More women, sample hell: Illest Morena comments on local hip-hop's current state
MANILA, Philippines — Rapper Illest Morena believes the local hip-hop scene is in a strange place currently with a growing population of female artists amid the abundance of sampling and reliance on nostalgia.
The singer paid a visit to the Philstar.com office to talk about her young career and the conversations shifted to the Philippine hip-hop industry.
Illest Morena — whose real name is Angelica Pola Leyague — was just a teenager when she professionally began making music and now is one of OPM rap's recognizable voices, so she relayed what the industry was like back then and as it is today.
For her, the biggest change is the growth of female hip-hop artists as she didn't have much to look up to as a child. She referenced a few of her peers like Alex Bruce, Zae and trailblazer Ruby Ibarra.
"They proved that you can do it as a woman in the hip-hop industry," the rapper continued. "Seeing that maraming dumadagdag, I'm really, really excited for that, and alam ko na hindi pa ito ang katapusan ng pagdagdag ng mga female artists."
On a personal note, Illest recalled people being very welcoming during her first years, but over time, she gained weight and was at the receiving end of bashing, which was all new to her, dealing with detractors.
Illest remains hopeful, however, teasing she's been writing about those experiences for potential future releases, applying the same hopes for local hip-hop, which she believes is continuously changing given that more people are open to the genre.
RELATED: Illest Morena hails apl.de.ap's eye for local talent, rise of female rappers
"Before tingin nila sa hip-hop, jejemon [and] pangkalye lang parang, 'Ang cheap naman yan, ano ba yang pinapakinggan mo?'" the rapper noted. "Now, you can see, people are really listening to us, and they're loving the music that we put out."
Despite the shady things occurring in the industry as a whole, Illest pointed out it's the music that remains pure, and any depreciation "just kills the art for the artist" hence her advice for peers to remain grounded in their craft and passion.
Sample hell
Later on in the conversation, Philstar.com asked Illest what she thinks needs to change in the local hip-hop scene.
In what she views as a controversial take, the singer believes Filipino rap is in "sample hell" right now.
"A lot of artists tend to reuse beats from popular songs all the time, and I feel like it kills your creativity because you're not creating something new," Illest pointed out.
The rapper further stressed that since 2020, people have been hooked on nostalgia and no one is creating new music as good as those released in decades prior because there isn't any innovation, especially songs people can currently relate to.
Related: WATCH: Illest Morena tries to guess rap lyrics in 'Larong Linyahan'
She acknowledged that sampling is a staple part of hip-hop culture, but in her view artists tend to overdo it and keep recycling beats from popular songs.
"Maybe we would like it better if they show us something new... and I'll show you something new!" Illest teased.
From the listener's side of the issue, the singer reiterated wanting them to be more open to listening to Filipino hip-hop, noting there are still people iffy about the genre because of the explicit lyrics they put out.
Beyond hip-hop, Illest called on everyone to fully embrace that OPM and Filipino music are of international level quality, and Filipinos should appreciate local music instead of looking down on it.
"Tayo ang representatives ng ating bansa eh. We shouldn't always look for the validation of foreigners," she explained. "Sa mata nila, tayo ang foreigners, at nakikita nila na we're doing something new. We're doing something that other ethnicities are not doing, and that's like our pagkakilanlan."
The rapper referenced P-pop girl group BINI becoming the first Filipino homegrown act to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where they amazingly represented the Philippines.
"Filipino artists performing and showcasing their talents to the whole world is just the key para mabuksan ng pinto at makita ng mga tao na ang Pinoy ay may laban," Illest ended.
RELATED: 'Hindi na puwede apolitical': Illest Morena encourages artists to take a stand
- Latest
- Trending
