For the second episode of Sound Fiesta Season 2, we have the celebrated hip hop collective, Bawal Clan. Having just released their second album titled “Nightmare on 66” a few weeks ago, the collective is well on its way to capture a wider following. And among the rising hip hop groups in the Philippines, Bawal Clan might just be part of the very few who are in the forefront of this generation’s local hip hop scene. If you like what you see, you can stream their latest album and their first one, “Paid in Bawal”, on Spotify or YouTube.

Yung Bawal, Pope Fiction, Funktalyst, Rjay Ty, Ankhten Brown, OJ River, DZ SVG, Nuevo, Sneaky, Lex Luthor, MNL$, Chef Eazy, Mic Rahman, and Krissy Cakes — a group of rappers, producers, DJs and artists — form the diverse collective. A formidable force in the hip hop scene through consistent releases, unique characters, and high-energy performances, Bawal Clan continues to push themselves to do and create more, which inspired us to feature them in this season of Sound Fiesta.

“Fear”, the track they performed in this episode is part of the “Paid in Bawal” album. Catch Yung Bawal, Lex Luthor, Nuevo, Ankhten Brown, MNL$ and Mic Rahman performing the track at Dulo in Poblacion, Makati. Rjay Ty is also part of the official track, but unfortunately wasn’t available for the shoot of this episode due to personal reasons.

You can learn more about the clan by reading our short interview with them below. Please note that the answers were compiled and combined from various Bawal Clan members.

Can you share to us what Bawal Clan is?

We are composed of creatives who advocate individuality and diversity. But at the same time we move as an independent collective that pursues self-reliance and a good representation of our people through music and art.

How did Bawal Clan came about?

Bawal Clan started organically from an inside joke. A good friend of ours, Pete Tran, who is from Los Angeles, US learned the tagalog word “bawal” first since the word can be seen everywhere. Then from there, the term became something we would use constantly as a joke, saying things like “huy, that’s bawal” or “let’s do something bawal”, which as around 2013. After that, there was also a time that we started putting it on social media as hashtags, which was inspired by Wu Tang Clan — #bawalclanaintnothingtofuckwith.

Nothing more than just a term we would usually use, Bawal Clan really came about when we all decided to work together and form a collective. From working on our solo projects, to collaborating on tracks, we came to realize that we could actually do a lot together as well — so in 2016 we released Catch ‘Em All (Pokémon Go!) as our first ever single as Bawal Clan.

Being a collective of rappers and producers, we’re curious, how do you make tracks? How do you choose who gets to be a part of certain tracks?

For our the recent albums, “Paid In Bawal” and “Nightmare on 66”, it was mostly all by feeling and instinct. Normally the creative process starts with the producers. While they work on the music and beats, the rappers will write whatever comes to mind based on the vibe of the moment and sounds — sometimes a hook will be written first but other times a verse. The writing process varies depending on the mood and who gets on the beat first. We are switching the process for our future projects though so watch out for that.

And for who becomes a part of tracks, it’s usually in first come, first serve basis. However, a few times the Clan decided if certain verses should make the cut or not. This is also because we don’t want to make our songs too long.

Can you describe how “Fear” came about?

The track started with the beat that Pope Fiction made titled “Fear”. After hearing the instrumental, everyone just started writing about their individual interpretation of the music. There was no concept — everything was about what each rapper who’s part of the track felt. Everyone stuck to their own process, and it all came out naturally. In the end we decided to stick with the title of the instrumental. So it was really a simple process. I guess everyone was just in sync musically. That’s how “Fear” came to be.

How do you see the current landscape of local hip hop, where do you see it going in the next few years?

We think it’s going where it needs to go. But we think people should also need to understand the difference between hip hop as a culture and hip hop as a musical genre. Hip hop as a culture is rock solid, it is the foundation of a whole generation, and you can’t really change that anymore. However, hip hop as a musical genre is constantly evolving, so the artists will constantly evolve with it as well. Years from now a new sound or movement will be created, and hip hop might be a soundtrack of the past. Nothing lasts forever, but at the moment, all is well.

Lastly, any news or projects you would like to share?

Bawal Clan will be coming out with a lot of projects in the future. Not just music! Merch, films, tech, food, you name it! Haha! So stay tuned.

Sound Fiesta is in collaboration with Playhouse Studio for video production and Kindred Productions for audio management. This video is shot in Dulo, Poblacion, Makati City — a bar, restaurant and events space.