Apl.de.ap, Martin Nievera, Jeremy Passion and the Philippine Chamber Singers & Men's Chorus (PCS) at the Hollywood Bowl during the first "Celebration of Global Filipino Music" - Apl.de.ap's "Take You to the Philippines," on July 8, 2012. It was an amazing experience being part of this historic event in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend. This was the first time that the Hollywood Bowl gave the spotlight to the "Music of the Filipino Culture and Heritage." Some of the artists that shared the stage with Apl.de.ap at the first-ever Filipino music party at the Bowl were Ogie Alcasid, Becca Godinez, Dessa, DJ E-Man, Harana Kings, Kayamanan Ng Lahi, Philippine Chamber Singers & Mens Chorus, Legaci, Martin Nievera, Jeremy Passion, will.i.am and Taboo, along with special guest Nicole Scherzinger. The show was hosted by Hollywood actors of Filipino descent Lou Diamond Phillips, Vanessa Hudgens and comedian Jo Koy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V2Fd7O2dRY ----------------------- brief autobiography: Apl.de.ap was born in Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, in the Philippines, to a Filipino mother and an African American father. His father, a U.S. airman stationed at Clark Air Base, abandoned the family shortly after his birth; his mother Cristina Pineda raised Apl and his six younger siblings as a single mother. Two of his siblings are deceased: his younger brother Arnel committed suicide. His youngest brother, Joven Pineda Deala, was murdered at the age of 22 in February 2009 in Porac, Pampanga. As a child, Apl would make an hour-long jeepney trip to and from school, and helped his family subsist by farming sweet potatoes, corn, sugar cane and rice. The Pearl S. Buck Foundation, an organization that finds healthier living environments for young abandoned or orphaned Amerasian children, matched him with a sponsor named Joe Ben Hudgens through a dollar-a-day program. He initially came to the United States at the age of 11 to treat nystagmus, an involuntary movement of the eyes. During a trip to Disneyland, Apl expressed his interest in staying in the United States. It would take another three years for Hudgens to officially adopt him, but at fourteen he moved permanently to the United States to live with Hudgens. In Los Angeles, he attended John Marshall High School and he met will.i.am, the nephew of Hudgens' roommate. He also spent two years at Curie High School in Chicago, Illinois. He stated in an interview that Chicago "is where he started to love music and get involved" and said that he still "goes and visits at times." Apl's early musical influences were Stevie Wonder, The Eagles, The Beatles, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Leaders of the New School and the popular Filipino rock/folk group, Asin. Apl was introduced to hip-hop by break dancing. "I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing," he said. "I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I'm like, 'I wanna do that.'" He and will.i.am formed a break-dancing crew called Tribal Nation and performed regularly at Southern California parties and events. From 1992-1995, their crew was re-named Atban Klann (ATBAN stands for "A Tribe Beyond a Nation") and included MC Mookie Mook, performer Dante Santiago and producer DJ Motiv8. Atban Klann was eventually signed onto Eazy-E's label, Ruthless Records but Eazy-E's death put an end to their debut album Grass Roots. Apl has brought his Filipino culture into his collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas. He explains his life story in a song called "The Apl Song" on the Peas' 2003 album Elephunk, which includes a full chorus in Tagalog sampled from the Asin song "Balita." The accompanying video, which includes cameos by fellow Filipino-Americans Dante Basco and Chad Hugo, is also a tribute to the Filipinos who fought for the U.S. in World War II; the song reached number one in the Philippines. "Bebot" (which is Filipino slang for "pretty woman") is another all-Tagalog song on 2005's Monkey Business album. A music video for "Bebot" was filmed in and around Los Angeles in early July 2006, including in Kenneth Hahn Park, where Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang" video was also filmed; the video features primarily Filipinos, Filipino Americans and other Asian-Americans from the Los Angeles area. The video was directed by Patricio Ginelsa who also directed "The Apl Song" and produced the Filipino-American coming of age movie The Debut. The single was not released in the US but was in the Philippines and several other Asian countries

• published: 10 Jul 2012
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