Carlos Agassi: Rap as a way of life

Carlos Agassi was born to be different. As an infant, he weighed in at a whopping 10.10 pounds. Then, he was born with a condition called sublotic web, or with only half a tonsil. This made his voice hoarse.

But what he - and his parents made of these imperfections - is something else.

Someone spotted the bouncy baby with mestizo features (he’s half-Iranian) for a Johnson’s Baby Powder commercial. That early in his life, Carlos showed the makings of someone cut out for the limelight.

It was one commercial after another — at an amazing rate of 18 commercials in 10 months as the good-looking Carlos grew up. So frequent were the commercial endorsements Carlos was completely floored when the projects dwindled one day.

He examined himself. The then Psychology major at De La Salle University weighed his options. He is a crowd pleaser. Oh, how he enjoyed going on stage in Cebu to promote a commercial and see people smiling and shouting with a mere wave of his hand.

Yes, he thought, I’ll try showbiz. Carlos took an acting workshop and auditioned at ABS-CBN, where he became part of Star Cirle Batch 3 four years ago.

Just last year, at his birthday celebration in ASAP, Carlos was given a free hand to conceptualize his production number in the noontime show. That’s when his inborn sublotic web came to the rescue. Carlos rapped like there was no tomorrow. And his career as Amir (meaning prince) of rap began.

In rapping, Carlos found his niche. As the only rapper in his Star Circle batch, Carlos enjoys an edge because of his originality.

"I can’t sing like Martin Nievera," he admits. So rapping is the next best thing for this 23-year-old.

It’s a way of life, too. Carlos composes rap songs five minutes before he goes to sleep, "when I am the most relaxed. Or, he’d lock himself in the car, crack jokes with his driver and voila! A new rap piece is born.

Carlos also knows the pulse of the audience. "Filipinos love rap laced with humor.

That’s why I did a comedy rap mixed with novelty together with Vanessa del Bianco. I also have a song where I talk of Rosalinda (yes, the telenovela heroine) as my dream girl."

Rap for foreigners, on the other hand, observes Carlos, is most effective when it is filled with dance and poetry.

Whatever language it is though, the key ingredient is spontaneity. the words should tumble out of your mouth like water from a brook. When Jaime Cardinal Sin invited Carlos to rap the highest portion the inspirational song Emmanuel for instance, the rapper matched the beat of the prayer with the words in his head, and His Eminence was impressed.

That’s why, says Carlos, rappers need a wide vocabulary. This way, they can fit words into any beat thrown their way.

Through with introducing his rap style in his debut album, Carlos wants to experiment this time in his upcoming album. He promises to come up with such new combinations as reggae rap, jazz rap even shaggy rap.

"I can make a rap song in five minutes when I’m inspired. I can even write 30 rap songs for one album as long as I have pen and paper," he adds.

Carlos the rapper will again do what he loves best: perform, this time in Cebu, today when he shares the stage with local bands at the All Star Café of Waterfront Hotel. He’ll also have a mall show on the same day.

A few weeks after, on Nov. 23, he flies to Legaspi, Albay to host the Miss Asia Pacific pageant.

He can’t wait to start shooting for Dekada 70, a nostalgia movie where Carlos plays Vilma Santos’s second son who wants to join the military.

Carlos’ eyes sparkle with excitement as he talks of how he’s growing his hair these days in preparation for the movie set against the era of flower and hippie power.

"Gee, it’s my biggest acting break, so far!" he gushes.

Can’t really blame him. The Star Cinema project is Carlos’ first serious film, and with Vilma as lead star at that.

As it is, Carlos is learning everything he can as the guy who’ll do anything for the girl he loves - even risk his life, in the popular soap Saan Ka Man Naroroon. Carlos is tickled pink when a someone in his Cebu audience asked him in surprise, "We thought you got stabbed (the fate that befell his Saan Ka Man character)."

Many though the blessings are, Carlos keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground, thanks to his family, among them a teenaged brother who also raps.

His guiding principles are the golden rule and that gem of an advice that goes, "Do your best and God will do the rest."

Indecent proposals from girls and gays, he has had. But Carlos refuses to succumb, for fear that all the blessings will stop if he does.

The first to stop, of course, will be the commercials, where Carlos has become a favorite, thanks to his wholesome image. For the last quarter of the year, Carlos has done commercials for Hanford, Coke, Colgate, Stork candy and Peewee. He expects to do another big campaign early next year.

On Dec. 20, Carlos will give himself a belated birthday gift (he was born Dec. 12) by vacationing in New York, where his youngest brother studies. It will be his first white Christmas.

Carlos will mix work with pleasure as he plans to visit underground clubs and watch freestyle competitions to enrich himself as a rapper. He’ll be back in Manila Jan. 6, 2001.

Those who saw him perform with Dessa in Japan have called Carlos the "Ricky Martin of the Philippines" for his lively grooves and well-maintained physique (he goes to Slimmers World regularly and endorses the fitness place, too).

But for now, Carlos likes to believe that while he can render a mean Livin’ La Vida Loca, he can do more. He can direct MTVs (he megged the MTV of Jolina Magdangal’s Paper Roses), do photography, even put up a nursery school someday.

Here is one jack-of-all-trades with the stamina of a go-getter and the boundless verve of youth.