When you imagine what a hip hop track feels like, you expect a raw, in your face type of energy that confronts you. It’s no different when it comes to Malate’s very own THUGSTA, born and bred out of the streets trying to get out of the typical street mentality.
No frills and no thrills, just a dude who’s got a story to tell. And who betta to tell a story like this than one THUGSTA being as real as he can get.
THUGSTA has always been THUGSTA so to speak, a nuisance kid wandering around the streets of Malate wanting to get rich. And the only way to get out was to get money. Lots of it.
THUGSTA put it plain and simple to describe his bars: just being himself with adlibs of *thugs thugs* throughout his tracks. Starting off with a familiar set of keynotes, THUGSTA blazes out with his verses. Not only does the structure of each of his tracks sound familiar, but the way he delivers it is like a man fueled with emotions and stories to tell.
He credits elementary classmate and fellow Malate-raised artist Costa Cashman for pushing him to be one of today’s rising players in the game. THUGS mentioned how he spent many nights writing songs in Cashman’s studio, to the point that the duo had already mapped out a gameplan for THUGS’ releases this year, which we are now witnessing in real time.
“Midyear ng 2024, rumatrat ako sa studio ni Cash. Sinabi ko kay Cash ready na ako. 2025 ready na ako. Kaya ang dami ko ngayong nilalabas, kasi 2024 palang bumwelo na ako.”
You can also feel the synergy between THUGSTA and the O Side Mafia trio, Costa Cashman, Madman Stan, and Gee Exclsv for the tracks, Plain Tee, Brand New, and IMMA THUGGA respectively. Maybe it’s because they all grew up together, or maybe it’s their truth echoing one another being as real as it can get.
Alongside collaborating with members of OSM for his tracks, THUGSTA also credits music label CHEKE for linking him up with more artists in the scene, allowing for more opportunities to tell his story in different ways. Whether it may be opening up more collabs with the likes of Sica for VALUE, to learning the more technical aspects of being an artist such as directing music videos and even presenting himself on social media.
His drops and collabs all are intentional, coming from this sense of being real helps him resonate with his listeners. Whether blasted along the hood to sound trips in well off households, each THUGSTA track hooks you and you’ll eventually just get it. “Siguro gusto lang din nila ako kausapin, kaya nakakausap ko sila.” is how THUGSTA approaches writing his bars, just like a normal conversation with someone you want to talk to.
“Siguro masasabi ko sa scene ng hip-hop ngayon, sobrang lakas. Ang lakas, ang lakas ng hip-hop ngayon. Marami na rin pera.”
The reality of a booming hip hop scene can be attributed to a lot of things. Brands taking the opportunity of working with the very people they want to cater: ordinary people with big dreams. And who are the people that know this mindset the best? Well rappers like THUGSTA fit the bill to make the peso pour.
With the big 25’ coming to a close, THUGS has carved his way as a household name in the rap scene like a spontaneous burst of energy. And he’s sticking to his guns in thugging it out to make more music in the near future.
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