FILIPINO rap icon Gloc-9 explores distinctly Filipino stories through hard-hitting verses in his latest album, Sari-Sari Story.

The renowned rapper, whose real name is Aristotle Pollisco, has been making music for over 25 years. For the new album, he has collaborated with original Pilipino music (OPM) artist Raymund Marasigan who produced all 10 songs, each diving into a vivid story rife with twists and turns.

“Tinda ni Linda,” the album’s focus track, is one such narrative song. It is written from the perspective of a man admiring Linda, who runs an eatery, and later uncovers dark secrets about her true motives linked to the dishes she serves. The track featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday Philippines and Apple Music’s new OPM releases.

The album’s release strategy allowed fans to savor each song, with three dropping during the first week of June and another three following in the subsequent week. The album was fully released on June 21.

Lyric videos that come with each track are now posted on Universal Records Philippines’ YouTube channel.

TELLING NEW STORIES
At a press launch in Quezon City on June 20, Mr. Polistico said that the stories in each track were explorations he had wanted to do for a long time.

“I identified the title after finishing two songs, “Utang Clan” and “Gatas at Asukal.” Napag-tanto kong mas madali magsulat sa ilalim ng (I realized I found it easier to write under the) umbrella that is Sari-Sari Story,” he said.

The title is a play on sari-sari store, literally translating to variety store, which refers to a small neighborhood store selling all sorts of goods. In this case, Gloc-9 is peddling unique Filipino stories.

Mr. Marasigan, known for his work with rock bands Sandwich and Eraserheads, this time stepped into the studio as producer. He told the press that he never expected to work on the full album, which took six weeks to make.

“Akala ko noong una isang kanta lang gagawin namin (I thought at first that we would only do one song together). Suddenly every week he was sending me around two songs,” he said of the process.

“Gloc-9 a brilliant lyricist. Hindi ko namalayan na naka-anim na linggo kaming gumagawa (I didn’t even notice as we worked that six weeks had already passed).”

STAND OUT TRACKS
For the two musicians, the stand-out tracks of the album are the playful and surprisingly dark “Tinda ni Linda,” “Sagip,” which is a track dedicated to the suicidal, and the final song, “Idol,” about obsession that ends with a bang.

He said his gift is “to rap and to interpret people’s lives.”

“To begin with, tsismoso talaga ako (I’m really a gossip),” Mr. Polistico said of the colorful stories behind each track. “I just inject artistry into the gossip. The lyrics are based on things I hear, things I see, and things I experience.”

While “Sagip” was an opportunity to take on the topic of mental health that most people would rather avoid, “Idol” was a chance to work with younger peers. It features rappers G Clown, Ramdiss, and Hero, whose verses take on the perspective of obsessed fans of a famous rapper (Gloc-9 himself).

“Sinabi ko sa kanila na maganda kung iyong characters nila ay sila rin. Na-pressure tuloy sila magsulat dahil sa conscious na direksiyon ko (I told them it would be great if they write characters based off of themselves. I pressured them to write under this conscious direction),” said Mr. Polistico.

What came out was a dynamic, masterfully told story that builds anticipation and culminates with the young rappers’ extremely fast and revelatory verses.

STABILITY
On how the Gloc-9 pen continues to churn out good songs, he explained that it helps being older and more stable in his career.

“Now, the goal is to write songs that we love. Mahirap maglako ng bibingka na ‘di mo rin kakainin (It’s hard to sell rice cakes that you yourself won’t eat).”

Sari-Sari Story is now available on various digital music platforms. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter

Movie Review
Inside Out 2
Directed By Kelsey Mann

THE HEADQUARTERS of human emotions once again undergoes a major renovation for all to see in Inside Out 2, as protagonist Riley enters puberty and grapples with new feelings like anxiety, envy, embarrassment, and ennui. Director Kelsey Mann’s debut animated film stands on the shoulders of its mega-hit predecessor from 2015, keeping its footing and expanding the world just enough to bring deeply cutting yet kid-friendly revelations to the forefront.

The key emotions — Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust — retain lively personifications, with four more ingeniously crafted feelings to contend with. The film explains concepts like panic attacks, a sense of self, and suppressed emotions in colorful ways, allowing young teenage audience members to recognize their own struggles.

But Inside Out 2 plays it safe. Understandably so, since Pixar’s last few films (Luca, Turning Red, Elementals) weren’t received too well despite being cathartic creative endeavors for their respective filmmakers. This sequel involves a similar adventure-style journey as the first, with the lead emotion, Joy, once again traversing the landscape of the mind and later finding out the truths of helping Riley grow.

Moments of crisis and inner turmoil are represented well, though the structure of the feelings trying to work things out in the headquarters (Riley’s brain) and beyond can get old. Complex experiences can come off as flat and didactic, but at the same time still sweet, funny, and sometimes inspiring, which is perhaps enough for a film that hopes to mirror and make sense of the struggles of today’s overwhelmed youth.

The new emotions are portrayed with as much personality as the initial five. Adele Exarchopoulos turns in an appropriately nonchalant performance as Ennui while Maya Hawke embodies the never-ending nervous energy of Anxiety (truly a voice you wouldn’t want in your head, rattling off all the worst-case scenarios). Paul Walter Hauser barely spoke, which makes sense but reflects the movie underutilizing Embarrassment, the key driver behind people toning down their true selves as they grow up. Maybe in part due to personal preference, it was Ayo Edebiri who provided the most fitting new voice as Envy by subtly playing up points of pronunciation to sound cartoonishly jealous.

Something to ponder when it comes to Inside Out 2 is how it is fast becoming the biggest blockbuster of the year, surpassing the likes of Dune: Part Two, The Fall Guy, and Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire. According to a report from the Philippine Star, its opening day amassed P88.8 million locally, the third biggest of all time opening behind the two Avengers movies released in 2018 and 2019.

There are a few likely reasons behind this: the film hit theaters on a midweek holiday — June 12, Independence Day — and enjoyed further success that weekend which celebrated Father’s Day. Students are also currently on their summer break. Beyond the logistics, however, Inside Out 2 is a representation of mental health awareness that resonates with the youth now more than ever. Of all generations, Gen Z is remarkably in tune with their inner conflicts (for better or for worse), exacerbated by their isolation during the pandemic.

While this sequel is merely a safe retreading of the familiar ground built by the 2015 film, its new additions form a relatable scenario of how clashing, suppressed emotions and memories can affect a developing mind. Anxiety is an effective villain of the puberty stage, perhaps even hitting too close to home for some, while the forming of the sense of self may bring tears to adults who remember how their own journey may have been as difficult as Riley’s.

Of course, many of the thoughtful associations with real-life processes are played as jokes, some working better than others. The sar-chasm is born out of the teenager’s new weapon — the sarcastic voice — while literal brainstorms bring forth a smattering of ideas both good and bad. The secret vault filled with dark secrets is hilarious to those who’ve had an annoyingly endearing former childhood cartoon or embarrassingly attractive animé character stuck in their heads.

One gag that felt cheap was the premature introduction of another emotion, Nostalgia, taking the form of an old woman reminiscing about the past before the others push her out for arriving “too early.” Her existence undermines the revelation from the first film that memories marked by Joy and Sadness make up a bittersweet melancholy. Nostalgia isn’t an emotion per se, but a result of reliving that mix of the joyful and sad, a poignant take on the feeling that is now just played for laughs.

Inside Out 2 is full of such gimmicks, though it must be said that at its heart is a core structure that allows Riley’s growing up to be seen as a painful yet essential journey. While it speedruns puberty within three days (a very limiting choice that flattens what should be more complex, lived-in conflicts), the personification of Anxiety and the formation of the sense of self are what make this film. Ultimately, it’s a sincere and crucial film for young people to see; despite its flaws, that should count for something.