I've been around for quite some time. I've seen our people start from very humble beginnings musically here in the States and move to something far beyond what we thought we could accomplish. Unfortunately, the peak of it all happened years ago and we haven't recovered since.

I started out in a group called Apex, which started out as a group of 6 guys who went to high school together. We did cotillions, proms, santo ninos, and pretty much anything we could get our hands on. At the time, there was a surge of Filipino American groups performing, waiting for their moment in the sunshine. There were groups such as DNH, Innerlude, One Vision, and Apex who frequently appeared at showcases in and around the Bay Area. Why did we do it? We wanted to become the next Boyz II Men, Silk, Mint Condition, or New Edition. We had inspiration. We had someone to look up to that made us what we were.

Because we had that fire in us to become more, we naturally made the move forward. Filipino American record labels such as Classified, HB Records, and Kamikaze popped up, ready and willing to sign the "next big Filipino American act". Groups began maturing and things began changing for the better. DNH and Innerlude made roster changes. Apex made the same roster changes and also changed their name to KAI. It seemed at the time that these 3 groups were the 3 poised to make an impact and a difference in our community. Innerlude and Kai made moves and were vying for spots on the radio to showcase their talents.

Kai, in particular, was the first Filipino-American Pop/R&B group to be signed to a major record label. At the turn of the century, Kai was signed to a deal with Geffen Records. This brought them national acclaim and a spot on Billboard's Top 100 singles of 2001. No other Filipino-American group had reached such a level and still haven't. When interviewed, Kai would never say that they've opened the doors to the US music industry. They didn't even believe that success would come with our generation. They felt that it would come with the next generation...but that never came to pass.

Time went on, people got older, groups faded away, and the "new guard" appeared. Something was different. The scene was not as united as they used to be. Groups were just not making the cut and the quality of the groups began to deteriorate. Whatever existing labels were left were trying to find anything they can get their hands on...with ill results. The "IT" factor was no longer there. Groups were stagnant and just started to sound the same. You saw and heard no progression. "Group X" began to sound just like "Group Y". The proper musical skills weren't in place and people just supported them because they were Filipino and/or they were someone's friend/cousin/brother/uncle/lover/husband. I can tell you right now - being a seasoned musician with over 20 years of musical training - I have no interest in any of the current singing groups.

I think you can attribute today's roster's inadequacies to the lack of actual talent on the radio. I would HATE to hear a group made up of guys that idolized Akon or T-Pain. And don't get me started on "Pretty Ricky". If that's what you aspire to be, stop right there.  Like I said before, we had someone to look up to with real talent. You know it's bad when a guy like me who used to listen to nothing but slow jams, now listens to hip-hop, classic rock, and jazz.

With that, I put this challenge out to you, the budding R&B singer-to-be:

Forget what's hot on the radio. Forget what other people think. Work on the basics. Work on your music theory. Come up with your own (reasonable) sound. Don't worry about trying to get that record deal. Make GOOD music...and above all - BE PATIENT! What we all forget is that you can't be a celebrity overnight.

Tags: R&B pop hip-hop Bay Area

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