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The Filipino-American musician, rap artist, record producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and co-founding member of the Grammy-winning hip hop group Black Eyed Peas recently met with Philippine media to promote a new song, ‘2 Proud,’ a duet with Filipino-Korean star Sandara Park.
Apl.de.Ap is in the prime of his life.
At age 49, the Filipino-American musician, rap artist, record producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, is busy with projects aside from being a co-founding member of the Grammy-winning hip hop group Black Eyed Peas (BEP).
BEP is still active — having done a 2023 tour in support of its 2022 album Elevation and had just performed in Paris this month.
Apl — an acronym for his full name Allan Pineda Lindo — recently met with members of the Philippine media to promote a new song, “2 Proud,” a duet with Filipino-Korean star Sandara Park.
The track — a mid-tempo love tune that Apl described as having an Afro beat — was conceived, written, and recorded during the pandemic.
Produced by long-time BEP music director Keith Harris, “2 Proud’s” music video was directed by Ben More, who has also worked with BEP, Beyonce, and Coldplay. The video, which has a 1950s vibe, depicts Apl in the company of women but is caught longing for Sandara whom she watches on TV.
BusinessMirror’ SoundStrip had first crack in the Q&A.
The thought being expressed by the lyrics (“What I gotta say? What I gotta do to show?/Do we gotta move, or take things slow?”) is that of hesitation in going into a relationship. Do the lyrics just ride on the beat, or is there sexual tension?
Apl: When you’re going into a relationship, there’s always uncertainty and questions, especially if it’s long distance. And you kind of wanna know where things are going. And of course… there’s always that tension, of wanting to be together. So, the song is like a longing to be with someone.
Like, “I don’t wanna FaceTime, I just want your waistline.”
Apl: Hahaha! You know, sometimes, you gotta speak the truth. It’s not all about that… It’s just, really, are you guys on the same wavelength, where you want this relationship… where it’s going, the direction…
Other questions from reporters took Apl back in time, when he was 11 years old and was getting ready to fly from his birthplace, Angeles, Pampanga (where he lived with his mother Cristina and six siblings), to the United States, sponsored by a foundation to treat his ailment, nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes.
Apl was anxious since he couldn’t speak straight English at the time. But he said his mother Cristina assured him, “O, don’t worry, you’ll get (used) to it in a month. Read the dictionary…”
On the influence of the Filipino folk-rock group Asin, whose song “Balita” was incorporated in the track “The Apl Song” in BEP’s 2003 album Elephunk:
Apl: “I don’t know why the chorus kinda best describes who I am in my life. I wanted to use that, so I wrote (lyrics) to it. And Will (wil.i.am) said, ‘You should put that in the album.’
“And I’m like, ‘Really?’ Will goes, ‘Yeah, we’ll call it ‘The Apl Song.’ So, it became like a tradition, something dedicated to Filipino culture. We’ve been doing it from ‘Bebot’ to ‘Mare’ to ‘Mabuti’ to ‘Filipina Queen’…
Apl knows how to spend his money wisely. One day, an idea came up: “I called up my mom, ‘Ma! I need you to look for some land. Let’s buy a rice field!’
Cristina replied: “Anak, are you okay? Are you drunk?”
“I was like, ‘That’s beside the point…’ So, I went home one holiday… and then the next holiday, we bought land. That was over a decade ago. It’s in Concepcion, Pampanga, a few hectares. It’s pretty good.”
Apl has big dreams for his motherland.
“I want to be able to… paunlarin muli ang agriculture, from cleaning up, turning biomass to biochar, turning uling into fertilizer. It also cleans up the environment. If you utilize this biochar on walls, it cools down classrooms, even without air-conditioning. I’ve been promoting it around the Philippines. The Apl.de.Ap Foundation’s advocacy is education, from scholarships to building classrooms… I’ve been excited about this new program that we’re introducing for EV (electric vehicles) education. I love cars. I turned an old ’68 F-100 into electric. I want to bring that knowledge to the Filipino youth.”
When he first landed in America, Apl said he wanted to be a nurse or an architect. “But I had a very bad eye condition.”
But he discovered rap, and the rest is history.
He said he continuously sings Filipino songs at home, especially another Asin classic, “Ang Buhay Ko”:
“‘Lahat ay nagtatanong doon sa ’ming bayan, sa gitnang kanluran na aking pinagmulan…’ Recently I’ve been practicing ‘Ere’ by Juan Karlos, yeah, I’ve been getting my karaoke on these days. I gotta add more to my roster.”
He also wants to work with K-pop acts, and the Filipino rap artist Flow G.
What does he want to be remembered for?
“Someone who followed the footsteps of people who gave me opportunities.”
On the suggestion that he write new songs with Filipino lyrics:
“Yeah, that’s a nice idea! Tagalog over Afro beats!”
Image credits: Pocholo Concepcion
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