Rap group 'Crazy As Pinoy' returns to music scene


At a glance

  • Mentored by the late Master Rapper Francis Magalona, these three have propelled the rap community with their hit songs, ''Huwad'' and ''Crazy Dance''.


Pinoy rap group Crazy As Pinoy with BLVCK Entertainment Ceo Grace Cristobal (center) .pngFROM LEFT: Basilyo, Grace Cristobal (BLVCK Entertainment CEO), Sisa and Crispin (Carissa Alcantara)

One of the pioneers of Pinoy rap music, Basilyo (Lordivino Ignacio), Sisa (Muriel Jamito), and Crispin (Jeffrey Pilien), also known as 'Crazy As Pinoy,' brings out a nostalgic and modern take on their music as they returned to the music scene under BLVCK Entertainment.

Mentored by the late Master Rapper Francis Magalona, these three have propelled the rap community with their hit songs, ''Huwad'' and ''Crazy Dance''.

During their media conference at the BLVCK creatives studio in Quezon City on May 16, the trio shared how they decided to regroup this year.

"Last year po, nung magkakasama kami nag usap po talaga kami na gusto namin makabalik sa industriya, hindi naman po kami nagkahiwahiwalay tatlo nagkaroon lang po kami kanya-kanya project," Sisa said.

(Last year, when we were together, we really talked about wanting to return to the industry, we didn't split up, the three of us just had our own projects.)

In the mid-2000s, the group continued creating songs and allowed each other to pursue solo careers in the music industry. Basilyo made it big with his big song ''Lord Patawad''. He is now a full-fledged actor and has starred with Coco Martin in The TV series ''Batang Quiapo''.

While Sisa, on the other hand, excelled behind the scenes as a composer for commercial jingles and written songs for famous artists, such as ''Di Ba Halata'' for Toni Gonzaga and ''Di Ka Man Lang Nagpaalam'' for JK Labajo.

Crispin continued collaborating with various Hip-Hop artists and has viral hits such as ''Misyon'' with Barakojuan. He is also the ambassador of ''Crazy As Pinoy'' to the Hip-Hop community.

Imparting a new twist in their music for Gen Z, Basilyo mentioned that the competition in the rap industry is ''too high'' for them.

'Napakalaki ng kompetisyon ngayon, lalo na sobrang dami na ng artist, unlike before on onti lang kami, pero sobrang taas ng kompetisyon ngayon kasi may Internet na kaya kahit sino pwede ng gumawa at maglabas ng sarili nila music,' he said.

(There is a lot of competition today, especially since there are so many artists, unlike before there were just a few of us, but the competition is very high now because there is the internet so anyone can create and release their music)

But according to him, no matter how great the artist is, it depends on the audience which they will support and listen to.

Aside from the comeback this year, the trio also presented the much-awaited music video for their fan-favorite song ''Panaginip'' after it's release in 2003. The music video was directed by Titus Cee and Jon Gutierrez, also known as King Badger.