Gloc-9
The guy looks shy. Aries Pollisco a.k.a. Gloc 9 is not a group but a one-man rap machine. The name means nothing; he was simply christened that by friend Ronald Salanga. No history behind it, no interesting anecdote. "Except for the 9", he mumbles. "Lucky number ko yun".
When without a microphone, he quietly sits in one corner. When conversing, he is actually soft-spoken - a clear and slow talker. But once he raps? Ohmigod! We actually tried clocking his rap speed in Isang Araw and it's close to 200 words per minute. And mind you, those were long Tagalog words.
Gloc 9, though, does not feel that his is a special gift. "Practice lang po", he shrugs. "Lahat ng tao ay kayang magsalita ng ganoon kabilis basta i-practice lang." Yeah, right. The guy writes (and speed-talks) what he sees and feels - nothing imagined or out of this world. He talks about anything - ermat and erpat, a girl from QC, eskinitas in Santa Cruz, Juicy Fruit, lotto, punkistang bunge, etc. He wants everybody to be able to relate to his material. In fact, he feels uncomfortable being called a hip-hopper because he hates labels that create subcultures.
His musical idols are Timbaland (arranger of singers Aaliyah and Genuine) and Twista ("Hindi Mo Twister ha!" he explains.) By idols, he means he loves their music. But as far as influences go, this rapper does not seem to have one. He sounds completely Pinoy. (None of those egoy-inflected yo's.) He imitates nobody's groove and style. That inhuman verbal speed is a totally fresh and stunning sound - 'a great big wow!' in a wow-less pop world that has become ho-hum and predictable.
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