Q York: The Rise of Modern Filipino Music

I'm tired of remakes. I don't think there isn't one popular 70s/80s/90s song that we haven't covered/made into a movie title.  It's an insult to Filipino creativity and talent.  People always say "support your own", but how could I, when the song isn't even "ours" to begin with? And when we're not dealing with remakes, we're bombarded with horrendous copycats. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but mainstream artists took that cliche and ran with it all the way to Pluto.  Look at this video, for example:

Whatever they were trying to achieve with this, they failed miserably at it.

So imagine my surprise when I came across this awesomely made video by an artist named Chelo Aestrid.  I was tempted to see her as another Gaga ripoff, but her sound is distinct and her style is funky, electric, and uniquely Filipina. Seriously, her video is probably one of the best I've seen in years.

Image + Great Lyrics + Rocking beat = WIN.

I tried to see what else this great gal has been up to and I've dug up some collaborations with really talented rap artists Knowa Lazarus and Kenjhons, via Q York Edutainment. Here, look what I got:

Now I have a new song to breakdance to in the shower (lolwat). Coupled with the badassery that is Philippine All Stars, I think we've struck gold.

Now I'm not the biggest rap fan in the planet. I have abhorred the rap scene since growing up to the obscene, nonsense lyrics of Andrew E. and 90% of American rappers singing about boobs, booties, and banging, so I know how skeptical you may feel about this. But give these guys a try. More than the wannabe balladeers who offer nothing new to the scene, these guys are out to do the Philippines proud. They're relevant, current, and spiced up with the different flavors of Philippine culture. You can check out more of their videos on YouTube through the Q York channel or catch them on MYX. Please start voting for them and not for Rihanna. I don't think I can last another five minutes of her flashing her sideboob.