FRANCIS MAGALONA: BIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS MAGALONA "FRANCISM"

BIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS MAGALONA "FRANCISM"

A sibling of nine brothers and sisters, Francis Magalona is the son of late Philippine movie screen legends Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran. The late Senator Enrique Magalona was his grandfather.

Starting out as a breakdancer in the early 1980s, he followed in his parents footsteps and ventured out into acting, appearing in several Filipino movies; he branched out to emceeing and released the groundbreaking album Yo! in 1990 garnering the nationistic hit Mga Kababayan (My Countrymen), making Yo! the first commercially released Pinoy rap album in the Philippines. While rapping politically conscious and thought-provoking rhymes in both English and Tagalog, the album was a total success and helped instantly catapult Filipino hip hop from underground to mainstream status and also marked the birth of Makabayang or Nationalistic rap in Filipino hip hop.

In 1992, Francis Magalona released Rap Is FrancisM (1992), which is highly regarded as one of the greatest Pinoy Rap albums. With tracks addressing the various cultural and social problems that plagued his country such as drug addiction in "Mga Praning" (Paranoids), political instability in "Halalan" (Elections) as well as the detrimental effects of a colonial mentality in "Tayo'y Mga Pinoy" (We Are Filipinos), the record's complexity and conscious message quickly earned it its classic status and became the standard by which future albums of the genre were to be compared.

The release of his third album, "Meron akong ano!" (I Got Some!) in 1993, followed by "FreeMan" in 1995 marked the beginning of Francis' experimentation with Pinoy rock, becoming an exceptional artist in both genres of music. He has frequently collaborated with other Pinoy music luminaries such as Joey Ayala, Heber Bartolome, Ryan Cayabyab, Mike Hanopol of the legendary Juan dela Cruz Band, Andrew E, Michael V and Denmark and of course, the Eraserheads. Even more recently he has been seen working side by side with Pikaso, Gloc 9, Stick Figgas and Parokya ni Edgar.

FrancisM's contributions to the genre have been featured in several international hip hop publications including the All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-HopThe Source. FrancisM was also given the Pioneer Hall of Fame Award by Empire Entertainment at the 1st Annual Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards in 2005. (2003) published by Backbeat Books; as well as the May 2004 issue of the U.S. based publication

He has since founded his own record company called Red Egg Records, as well as his own production company Filipino Pictures Inc. wherein he is the resident Director and has made music videos for several bands and solo artists. His work on Sponge Cola's "KLSP" won Best Rock Video at the 2006 MYX Video Awards. Other music videos directed by Francis Magalona are for artists such as, Ely Buendia, Gloc 9, Join The Club, Shamrock, Pikaso, Death Threat and Denmark.

Over the years FrancisM has also branched out to numerous hosting responsibilities; and has been part of several television shows including the longest running daytime television show in the Philippines Eat Bulaga, as well as being a VJ for MTV Asia. Magalona is MTV Asia's first Filipino. He worked with MTV from 1997 up to 2000. Aside from television, he also hosts live events and presentations. VJ along with Regine Tolentino and Donita Rose

In 2002, along with the assistance of then FUBU Philippines' management Carlo Maniquiz and Nick Tuazon(who is currently the Editor-In-Chief and CEO of Digital Photographer Philippines, Francis launched a compilation album of the same name later that year showcasing a basic who's who of local hip-hop talents in and around the islands. Later that year, Francis Magalona's greatest hits album, The Best of FrancisM was released by Musiko.

He had also been chosen by Fremantle Media, owners of American Idol, and their local counterpart ABC-5 (owners of the 'Idol' franchise in that country) as one of the judges of Philippine Idol, alongside Maestro Ryan Cayabyab and Ms. Pilita Corrales, Asia's Queen of songs.

FrancisM was the recipient of the coveted MTV Pilipinas Video Music Music AwardsGenerations Award in 2006 "in recognition of his career that has spanned decades and broken boundaries, and for his music which continues to inspire generations of artists and music fans both here and abroad." He is only the second honoree, the first having been singer Gary Valenciano at the 2005 rites.

FrancisM is truly a multi-media artist, as he has held exhibits in painting and in photography. Just recently, he was inducted as a regular member of the illustrious Camera Club of the Philippines (CCP), after a record-breaking 5-month stint as a probationary member.

Personal life

Married to Pia Arroyo, they have eight children: Unna, Nicolo, Francis Jr., Isabella, Elmo, Arkin, Clara, and actress Maxene Magalona. He also join a fraternity namely ALPHA KAPPA RHO way back 1980's

Health

Magalona, 43, was diagnosed in August, 2008, with leukemia at the Medical City Hospital, Mandaluyong. He appealed for privacy: “I don’t want a media circus. I want privacy with my family. What I’d rather talk about is how to we can solicit blood donations to replace the supply that I have consumed in the hospital.” Francis’ wife, Pia Arroyo-Magalona, said: “It was very gradual, hindi siya biglaang lumabas. We don’t want to use the word ‘curable,’ but the doctors say it’s treatable. ”

After his treatment and discharge, he made his return on Eat Bulaga together with Ely Buendia, who was recently discharged.

Discography

Albums

1990 Mga Kababayan (E.P. Dance Remix)
1990 Gotta Let 'Cha Know (E.P.)
1990 Yo!
1992 Rap is Francis M
1993 Meron akong ano! (I have something!)
1995 Freeman
1996 Happy Battle (featuring his band "Hardware Syndrome")
1998 The Oddventures of Mr. Cool
1999 Interscholastic
2001 Freeman 2
2002 The Best of Francism
2004 Pambihira Ka Pinoy (Single)
2008 F Word

TV Shows

Eat Bulaga
S.O.P. (Guest Co-host)
Philippine Idol (Judge)
GMA Telecine Specials
MTV Talk
Student Canteen
That's Entertainment

References

BIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS M

Francis Durango Magalona or as he is also known FrancisM, Master Rapper, and The Man From Manila is credited as being the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to successfully crossover to the mainstream. He is also popularly known as the "King of Pinoy Rap" and is one of the most idolized, celebrated and influential rappers within the genre. (wikipedia)

Francis M is widely respected as a pioneer in the field of Philippine rap. Born Francis Magalona, he's also known for incorporating aspects of his Philippine patriotism (stretching centuries into the past) in his music. The music of Francis M is adventurous and well performed and, though quite different from American rap, does achieve international standards. Though his recordings have never received Western distribution, he's been releasing popular records in his homeland since his debut on the OctoArts label in the early '90s. He came to regional prominence with his stint for BMG Philippines during the late '90s. His best wrap-up is a greatest-hits collection released in 2002 by Musiko. (David Gozales, All Music Guide)