In a medium of expression dominated by boys, here’s a girl rapping her way to fame and legitimacy.
Illest Morena certainly got the style and swag that have, to a certain degree, earned her respect from the hip-hop community. Her numbers can back it up. She has 1.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Her official music video for yet her biggest hit, “Faded (Raw)” has generated 34 million views so far since it was uploaded a year ago.
She is also featured on the Skusta Clee song “Lagabog”—that track famously opening with the word “kalma,” which by now has garnered more than 41 million views.
This girl from Mandaluyong—the same place mentioned by Francis Magalona in his early hit “Man From Manila”—is not one to sugarcoat things. She is decidedly proud of her roots. She informed the press, “I used to live in Addition Hills—the most congested, most populated area in our city. So, the houses are very close to each other.”
I got to know that area myself when I was recording music at the famed Sonic State Audio Studio. It was implied that you become a better musician after a session from Sonic State. What more if you have immersed yourself in that kind of tough community, with urban dwellers and music lovers empowering themselves through modern music, Pinoy-style camaraderie, and digital dreams?
The sultry-in-her-own-right performer said that the congestion meant she got to hear the hip-hop playlist of her neighbors. It was in that way that she became a fan of artists like Ron Henley.
That she evolved into a rapper herself is testament to her willpower to come out of that congestion and make a name for herself without losing her identity and making use of gender to her advantage.
You’d probably be shocked by how explicit her lyrics could be. But that’s a key part of her charm. What others can only spit out during some naughty girls’ talk or when they’re alone in their bedroom—she raps with clarity and confidence.
She usually stresses the Filipino accent when rapping, and she sounds like under the influence of some fine liquor or something. But again, she does that in the name of art, and she is being herself whether you care to listen or want to pull the plug because she’s too in-your-face.
This interesting artist does her rapping with serious preparation. She revealed, “I (would) light up an incense because it makes me feel relaxed. Then I make my coffee, journal my feelings, and work.”
Last year, Illest Morena released an album of 15 songs called “Morenita,” bannered by “Stinkalink,” with its music video including cameos from the likes of Sassa Gurl, Zae, Arkin Magalona, and Jonas Belgica.
“This is brown skin domination, Southeast Asian/ Baddie from the islands, Filipino nation/ I am morenita/ I’m the goddess of the seas,” she sang on the title track, oozing with pride and command.
Her early hit “Pick Up” quickly established her persona and way of talking. The image for that single shows her in a dirty finger gesture—unapologetic and not your regular tweetums chick.
Going over her music and how she presents herself in her music videos made me say that she is a young Pinay gloriously liberated, even if somewhat overboard for a society that still embraces conservatism to a significant extent. Yet, in that sense, she is unconventional, and regardless if we agree or not, her time has come. The youth of today and current-generation listeners need someone like her—bold and beautiful her way.
She further noted, “I am motivated to push harder into creating what I want without thinking about formulas, or what other people would say. When I made those hits, I was only expressing myself. I don’t have to try to create a hit song. I just make a song, and then I let it have its moment.”
While Illest Morena is arguably not yet a household name, it may just be a matter of time for her proven potential to one day be—as she actually deserves it—fully realized.