39 year-old Filipino-Am rapper, february bank, is pulling out all the stops this year by completing his fourth album in two years.
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From the land of the free to pearl of the orient, this 39 year-old Fil-Am rapper plans to elevate the music scene wherever he goes. Not only does he possess a natural talent for crafting his own music, but he also has the diligence to produce more content with other local artists. Last year, the rapper produced and released two albums, namely: baduy and SSB. He collaborated with artists, Curtismith and Menon, to create groovy tunes and powerful rap verses. Now, february bank is ready to step it up with more music and collaborations. In two years alone, the rapper has released four albums in collaboration with varying artists who he hand picked himself. Despite the fast paced turnover of his sick verses, february bank was able to put a personal twist to all the music he has helped produced– proving his unquestionable expertise in music.
We got the opportunity to talk to february bank about his new album releases, collaborations, and upcoming music video, blue butterfly, which will be released tomorrow on Youtube. He even gave us an exclusive link for those reading this article to view the music video first. Read on till the very end to learn more about february and find the link to the blue butterfly music video.
MEGA Man: From California to Manila, what’s the story of february bank from the moment he started his career to being able to release four albums in two years?
february bank: “I was a part of this really big Hip-Hop collective called, Bawal Clan. We opened up for A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, and so much more. I was an original Bawal Clan member. Just to rewind it a little bit more, my first taste of fame was in Seoul, South Korea between 2008-2013. For five years, I was able to work with JYP and YG. I basically got to the level of underground artist who was only doing music in English for the masses of Korea. But, this is when the internet age wasn’t big yet. I wish it was, so I could’ve documented everything better.”
“In 2012, I decided, while I was living in Korea to come to the Philippines for the first time by myself. It was my first solo trip in the country. During that trip, I had a spiritual epiphany. I had this moment where I connected with the place. I really felt connected to my roots, my history, my people. I was like, “Aw man, I got to live in the Philippines.” But, life took a detour and I had to move back to the states. When I got back to the states, my dad got really upset and asked me to start working. So, my momentum was lost. I stopped making music for three whole years.”
“Here’s the crazy part. I had a corporate job. It was a tech job. I was questioning my path. At that moment, I still want to go with my plan and move to the Philippines. One time when I got to work, I saw the words Manila sprawled on a board. Apparently, my office was going to open a branch in Manila. It was like a light bulb moment for me. I presented to the CEO of the company, so I could be assigned to Manila while living off a US salary. I got the job and never looked back. I changed my name to Manila Money early on, which was the name I used in Bawal Clan. So, february bank is a completely new entity.”
MM: You’ve been constantly bringing out new music. How do you find a work-life balance?
FB: “I’m an artist that works like a machine. I have so much content that I figured out the proper formula to work like a machine, but make your life peaceful. It’s just this magic formula that I figured out. So, I think number one that really helps with that is really loving what you do. And, believing that you can live this life that you really want to do. Instead of making it secondary, because of the pressure or the risk or the family pressure.”
MM: What’s your process in producing your new music now that we’re in the middle of a pandemic?
FB: “I just gotta laugh, because I have so many passionate stories for this question. When I’m making an album, which is a large body of work, I’m not working with one producer here and one producer there. I get so intimate with the project where if I make an album it has to be with one specific person. That way we can get intimate and make this cohesive body of work. There’s a lot of back and forth online with the people I work with. I always make sure they’re in the loop by doing my part as soon as I can and reverting back to them.”
MM: Can you share us the meaning behind your newest music video that’s coming out tomorrow?
FB: “It’s a very passionate love story and love song. Plus, it’s a true story love song. The cool thing about is it’s produced by kid@HART, who also produced my first album. We sampled more modern Tagalog songs. We sampled Tagalog lyrics and looped it. ‘Cause in Hip-hop you can do this. If you listen closely, you can hear the Tagalog words looped at the back. The music video, on the other hand, doesn’t have a story behind it. It’s approached in a visually artistic way. It wasn’t shot in the same way other music videos were shot. Actually, I haven’t seen the final edit, but once I get it I can send it to you here.”
MM: Now, that you’re getting noticed in the Philippines for being a solo artist. How does it feel to be recognized by so many people?
FB: “I am extremely honored to be featured in articles and stories. It’s a really good thing for me. Especially (with) being a street artist here in the Philippines, you can’t just be one thing. If you’re really going to get noticed here, you have to be artista first and everything branches down. Pero sa ibang bansa, when it comes to the US, it’s okay if you’re just a rapper. For me, I don’t want to be a jack of all trades, because that’s not natural. I wanna be really really good at one thing. So, being recognized for my music is a huge deal for me.”
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