Local Tunes Round Up – Hip-hop Edition: Rjay Ty, BLKD, Calix, Ninno, Ankhten Brown, and Ron Henley

For the latest iteration of our Round Up, we have fresh new hip hop tunes from some of our illest local emcees. You are in for a treat, from the Bawal Clan with their banging, eargasmic sound, to BLKD and Calix bringing some much-needed hard-hitting bars.

Rjay Ty - Roots or Leaves ft. Nimbus 9 & DJ Buddah (Produced by Yung Bawal)

Five years after the release of his debut mixtape 11.11.11, many are thirsty from another full-length output from Rjay Ty. The good news is, his collaboration project with Yung Bawal titled "Hit The Spot" is set to drop early next year. Here's "Roots or Leaves" to tease you more about what they're about to drop. Yung Bawal's beat sets the tone for Rjay's hook, with the opening line "Passion over the profit. Here to own it, never stopping." giving a glimpse of the emcee's priorities with this music. Rjay and guest emcee Nimbus 9 flows nicely with their verses before DJ Buddah aptly closes the curtains.

Ankhten Brown - Hey Wah Huh feat. MNL$ (Produced by Yung Bawal)

Here is another new track from the Bawal Clan, once again with Yung Bawal providing the instrumental. With tons of songs released this year, Ankhten Brown's voice is pretty much distinct to many local hip hop heads. From his upcoming album "Anubis Killa", here is "Hay Wah Huh". Ankhten definitely did a nice job riding the beat on this one. MNL$ takes a zag with his finely-executed slow and dragging flow, matching well with his deep voice. For the guys out there, better put this song on your roadtrip-with-the-bros playlist.     

Ninno - TCK

Logiclub Collective's very own Ninno ended his 2015 with the release of his first project, "Third Culture Kid". This time, the album's title track "TCK" receives an audio-visual treatment. They came up with portrait and candid shots of Ninno, along with videos of him performing the song. Which does set the tone for the LP, as its first track showcases Ninno's rap skills, lyricism, and voice modulation proficiency.

Calix - Di Matitinag (ft. BLKD)

The burial of the late Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani has caused an uproar these past few weeks. People are taking a stand against this huge step in historical revisionism, which is an injustice for those who suffered under the dictator's regime. Joining the ranks are BLKD and Calix, putting their fists up through their song "Di Matitinag". Both came up with heavy lines to further rally the troops. BLKD delivered his by executing a syllable count for each bar, while Calix takes on a more freewheeling approach, comparable to a guitarist doing his solo. 

Ron Henley - Kwentong Barbero

Some of the Ron Henley songs on the Stick Figgas' first album "Critical Condition" cemented the emcee's reputation as a master storyteller. This time he steps it up with his new song "Kwentong Barbero". The music video provides an air of mystery, thanks to the superb editing of Ken Yamaguchi. Then came Ron, who paints image of a fictional tale that started with him and his friend lost in the woods, and concluded with the two witnessing an old man turning into the Devil himself.