The second wave of Crazy As Pinoy

Hip-hop group’s 20-year-old single finally gets a music video

THE Filipino hip-hop scene has received a shot in the arm and now enjoying rip-roar energy as Basilyo, Crispin and Sisa of the 2000s hit group Crazy As Pinoy make their much-awaited comeback.

Hard to forget, not only because of the group and artists’ unique and witty names but primarily for their reverberating beats and thoughtprovoking compositions, Crazy As Pinoy still sings about life’s realities to this day with all-out compassion and emotion for the ever-challenged everyday Filipino.

Remember “”Huwad”” and “Panaginip?” The trio reveals they have more stories like these up their sleeve, just waiting to be rapped out loud and proud with their return to the spotlight.

Now under contract with husband and wife engineers Louie and Grace Cristobal’s Blvck Entertainment, the group’s comeback sees the release of their very first music video. The featured song is not new, however, but was decided to be “Panaginip” since the hit single surprisingly conquered the airwaves anew in January of the current year.

Stunned but happy, Basilyo, Crispin and Sisa, who insist they never parted ways even in hiatus, knew the time was right to regroup, what with the unexpected clamor for their over two-decade-old song.

Directed by the young and maverick filmmaker Miguel Santillan, the “Panaginip” music video unpretentiously blends the group’s artistry, their poignant narratives and reality together, effectively speaking straight into the hearts and minds of the hardworking Filipinos. As the trio rap and sing of life’s trials, they, more importantly, inspire the discouraged to keep on dreaming because triumph should be close at hand.

Indeed, “Panaginip” perfectly encapsulates Crazy As Pinoy’s goal as artists. As Basilyo — who, when he briefly went solo, released the hit single “Lord Patawad” in 2013 — says, “Music is a path to express our emotions and inspire others.”

Echoing the most popular member of the group to date [Basilio is also an actor now and is part of Coco Martin’s “Batang Quiapo”], Crispin acknowledged, “Hip-hop has always been an opportunity to express our true selves and fight for our dreams.”

Finally, Sisa offers her take on what makes their compositions relevant to any generation, no matter the decade, by saying, “Music is a means to heal the wounds of the soul and give voice to those who are voiceless.”

“Panaginip 2023” is part of Crazy as Pinoy’s new digital album produced by Blvck Entertainment and is now available across the leading music streaming platforms.