Apl.de.ap on what it means to be Pinoy

He may look more American than Filipino, but Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas will always be Pinoy at heart.

It’s easy to guess as much, since Apl, Allan Pineda in real life, has used his music to declare to the world that he’s proud to be Pinoy. His The Apl Song (from the Black Eyed Peas’ 2003 album Elephunk) featured a chorus performed completely in Tagalog and spoke of what it means to be a Filipino-American. The group’s latest album Monkey Business also has an all-Tagalog song called Bebot where you can hear Apl chant, "Filipino! Filipino! Filipino!"

Apl says the song was a logical outgrowth of the group’s 2004 visit to the Philippines. After feeling all that love from his fellow Filipinos and fans of the group, he was inspired to write more songs in Tagalog. So now, instead of a song with just a chorus in Tagalog, Apl wrote a song that is Tagalog from beginning to end. Music critics and writers in Manila marvel at the fact that a song with 100 percent Tagalog lyrics has become a hit among the younger, R ’n B/hip-hop loving generation.

Yet if Apl is to be believed, it won’t be the last. "I’m proud of who I am, where I came from, what I was born into, and I would represent that till I die," he said in an interview. "As much as I could put in this music business, I want to involve who I am and my culture."

Apl’s life story was featured on Maalaala Mo Kaya during the Black Eyed Peas’ visit two years ago. The son of a US serviceman who left him and his mother Christina Pineda, before he was born, Apl grew up in Sapang Bato in Pampanga, near the former US military base. Growing up without his father was difficult, since Apl’s mother was forced to fend for her children — which included Apl and his four brothers and two sisters.

Music became Apl’s escape from the difficulties of life. He learned how to appreciate music from his mother, who liked listening to a wide variety of artists, from The Eagles to Stevie Wonder, The Beatles and even the ’70s folk group Asin. All of these artists have influenced the music of Apl.

Another major influence is the American hip-hop scene. Growing up in a community where there’s a lot of other Filipino-American kids, he has imbibed it early on. "I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that’s how I got introduced to break dancing," he said. "I would see kids at the corner break-dancing and I’m like, ‘I wanna do that.’"

At 14, Apl was adopted by a California lawyer and taken to the US. Life as a teenage immigrant was a struggle for him. Although he looked American, he knew – and the other kids knew – that there was a part of him that wasn’t. "I would get chased from junior high school to my house every day," he recalled. "All these kids are like, ‘Where you from?’ And I was like, ‘From the Philippines.’"

And even as Apl made the first few strides towards a musical career, he never quite forgot who he was and where he came from. In fact, he told an interviewer, part of the reason he worked so hard to make it was his family back in the Philippines.

"Coming from the Philippines, my whole goal was to support my family and have a better living situation," he said.

And now that he has succeeded, it’s not just his family that has benefited from his success. Every Filipino, every Filipino-American immigrant who has struggled to make it abroad has become part of Apl’s dream – and you’ve got to admit, it feels pretty good.

On July 27, Apl and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas are coming back to touch base with their Filipino fans again. Dubbed the Monkey Business tour, the highlight of the group’s visit will be a concert produced by Viva Concerts and Events at the Araneta Coliseum.

The concert is presented by Smart, PLDT, Dickies and Skechers, and sponsored by Mentos Ice Gum, The Philippine STAR, ABS-CBN and MYX.

Tickets, priced at P5,000, P4,000, P3,000, P1,500 and P500, are available at SM Ticketnet outlets and the Araneta Coliseum Box-Office.