5 Pinay hip-hop artists you simply must listen to

Pinoy hip-hop has been graining traction these last few years, Spotify noticed, and though the scene is still slightly skewed toward men, Pinay hip-hop artists are slow coming into their own, and to the front.

Here are some you should listen to right now:

1. Karencitta. Also known as Karen Ann Cabrera, Karencitta is a Cebuana artist with two solid hits under her belt. There's the 2017 super viral hit "Cebuana" and then "BamBamBam," released in January 2019.

"She's probably one of the interesting one that busted through the scene in terms of that viral hit, and then we started seeing more [Pinay] artists," Kossy Ng, head of music of Spotify Asia told GMA News Online in an exclusive interview.

2. Alex Bruce. Would you believe Alex Bruce is just 13 years old? The young rapeer, who hails from Batangas, has already signed with Sony Music Philippines, and for her second single "Go Crazy," released earlier this year, she collaborated with August Rigo, the Filipino-Canadian producer, who is one-half of the songwriting duo behind "Black Swan" by BTS.

"She's so talented and just starting out in the rap scene," Kossy said of Alex.

3. Zae. "I think she has the a great potential. I always see her releasing music an I like that. I like that work ethic," Matthaios says of Zae. And it's true.

On Spotify alone, Zae has released eight singles and a six-track EP this year. And then there's her YouTube channel which shows how prolific Zae is.

4. Peaceful Gemini. A Spotify RADAR artist in the Philippines, Peaceful Gemini is a promising new rapper who started her career in hiphop after moving to Malate from Las Pinas.

"That's where I explored the local underground hip-hop scene. Some of the beats I've created were inspired by the sound of the streets I used to pass by every day," she said in a statement. She released a 5-track EP, "Middle of NowHere," which is available for streaming on Spotify.

5. Ruby Ibarra. No list on contemporary Filipino hip-hop artists will be complete without Ruby Ibarra.

Based in San Francisco, Ruby's family is originally from Tacloban. When her parents migrated to California in 1991, they took with them just one OPM album: Francis Magalona's "Yo," Ruby told Mabuhay Magazine.

At age 5, she discovered him and since they lived in Bay Area, where hip-hop is a huge part of the culture, Ruby became hooked on hip-hop.

She released an album in 2017, where she rapped in English, Filipino, and even Waray. In 2019, Ruby appeared in Nadine Lustre's single "32." She's the rapper behind the powerful rap song played at the end of the documentary "A Thousand Cuts."

And by the way, Ruby's a scientist, too,  "working in the quality-control department on COVID-19 test kits, and yes even a vaccine," SFGate reported in August.

— LA, GMA News