Pinoy Icons: Francis M

The whole nation mourns the passing of one of the great icons of Filipino music.

So instead of writing about how much Francis "Kiko" Magalona a.k.a. Francis M, has contributed to Filipino rap (you can find that on Wikipedia anyway), let me write about concrete experiences in my life where Francis M was involved. This will, however, reveal my age, but it matters not anymore, as we are all headed to the grave anyway.

In fourth grade, I did the "pineapple cut" once, less than a week after Francis M first sported it on national TV. For those of you who don't know what the pineapple cut is, it's a US marine-jarhead-type haircut, with the back and the sides of your head shaved in a criss-cross pattern, literally like a pineapple. My friends laughed at me back then, but I didn't care. Then the following week, three of them followed suit, but by that time my hair was already growing back, so I wasn't the cool one anymore.

Our school bus conductor, Rick, taught me (and the other rascals in our school bus) the proper way to rap "Mga Kabababayan." This included proper breathing, and where to pause to catch your breath.

One of the most popular rivalries in the 90s was Hip-Hop vs. Metal. Francis M and the Eraserheads were possibly the first musicians to try and bridge this gap through musical collaborations.

Musical genres for me were shattered with the release of the song "Kaleidoscope World." This made me appreciate the fact that the highest level of musical artistry is the ability to cross genres while retaining your fan base.

Let me just make it clear that Filipino music in the 90s was not dominated by the Eraserheads, nor by the other emerging rock acts back then. Francis M carved out a niche for Filipino rap, and along with Andrew E, paved the way for Filipino rap to blossom into what it is now. For being a pioneer, I salute Francis M, and I pray for our dearly departed comrade, who has now joined that big jam session in the sky.


Francis Magalona. 1964-2009.