Eto ang Ghetto
Excerpt from VH1’s interview with hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas:
VH1: Your Filipino background plays a big part in Elephunk’s “The Apl Song.”
Apl.de.Ap: Definitely. I was always inspired by Filipino folk songs, so the chorus is me singing in Tagalog, “Listen, I got a story to tell of all the events that have been going on in the promised land I was born in.” In the song I talked about the Philippines and the way of life over there.
Will.I.Am: A lot of people in the urban areas talk about the ghetto life, but that’s luxury compared to where he comes from.
Apl.de.Ap: In the Philippines, you’ve got to dig up the ground to do a number two, and then you’ve got to cover it up. You got to pump the water out of the ground to wash your clothes and your hands. That’s my ghetto! I remember coming to America for the first time, and going to Will’s house. He still lives in the projects. I was like, man, I want to live here! It’s so dope!
Will.I.Am: Yeah, we have dogs for pets and cats and birds. This fool had a bison! Right?
Apl.de.Ap: We’d wash our water buffalo, tie ‘em to the tree next to our house, and then the next day we use them to dig out the soil to plant like sweet potatoes and rice and corn.
Will.I.Am: He’s adopted. He’s like one of those Sally Struthers 25-cents-a-day kids.
The Apl Song, sung by African-American/Filipino Apl.de.Ap, can be heard via iTunes, now available for Mac and Windows.
Tags: apldeap, bep, filipino, iTunes, music, philippines, Pinoy, poverty
October 17th, 2003 at 5:44 am
african-american? ehh, i wasnt aware of that, akala ko he’s full blooded pinoy. tumindig yung balahibo ko when the first few words from the lyrics of track #11 played on my CD player, it was unexpected. then listening throughout the whole song, i found out that we both came here at about the same age, and it sounded like he’s from the province too (taga zambales ako. woot woot).
and regarding the interview, there seem to be a lot of “inside talk” between him and william. i hope the readers/viewers doesnt think everybody in pinas live the way he described it to be…diggin the ground to do a number two? ehh, i dunno about that.
October 17th, 2003 at 8:50 pm
yeah, their dialogue sounds a little scripted. but then, they might just be really tight (you know how some people finish each other’s sentences?).
i feel the same way about the diggin’ a hole boy-scout-camping-style. out in the philippine boondocks, i’ve seen outhouses with those really deep holes already dug up, but people digging their own hole? nah.
his comparison between the ghetto here and in the philippines rings true though. ghetto folk here got it made!
October 20th, 2003 at 9:42 am
The song sounds like it’s Joey Ayala and Francis M.
November 17th, 2003 at 1:17 am
damn! i didnt know he was filipino. my friend just made me listen to the song. i didnt even know that it was part of the whole “Elephunk” album… which is cool. Whatever he said there is true, I cant deny that! I mean, I’m still young and I still remember living in the philippines, having to use the “poso” to get some water. it’s just that things has changed over time… and life in the philippines is not like how it used to be. i mean, it got better.
December 13th, 2003 at 12:58 pm
i never knew apl is pinoy just until i heard the song being plugged over a local fm station here, asteeg talaga, another filipino success in the west, i only wish he couldve made the song 2 minutes longer.
December 16th, 2003 at 11:10 pm
I never expected APl was a Filipino til i heard the apl song but I was dismayed by the lyrics in the song which described phil a beggar’s country which is not true. I mean he could have stated beautiful things about Phil than the ugly but anyway I thank apl for at least there was still a sense of Nationalism in the song because it’s sang in Tagalog! I’m proud Pinoy!
December 21st, 2003 at 10:43 pm
when i first heard the APL song, i was stunned ‘cuz i didn’t expect it to be sung in tagalog. i couldn’t blame apl for describing philippines as a poor country coz maybe that’s how he felt when he was still living here. i, myself, belong to an extended and old-fashioned family. our water still comes from “poso” and we’re struggling from a tight financial crisis. those realizations make me feel that a family like ours was his inspiration in making the APL song. he’s one true pinoy. i like the song so much, in fact it’s playing right now as i type this comment. lav yah! =)
December 30th, 2003 at 9:05 pm
lol, i remember my mom talking about “the old days” when she was a little girl and in Bicol… Sabi niya na kailangan rin niya maghukay ng hole to do #2 too… hehe. That was the first thing that I thought about when I saw what he said (”In the Philippines, youíve got to dig up the ground to do a number two, and then youíve got to cover it up.”)
January 3rd, 2004 at 6:34 am
At first, nagulat ako dahil sya pala ang kumanta ng chorus (kasi tagalog yun) marunong pa pala syang magsalita ng tagalog! Anyways, I liked the song, it was tight! Hands up 2 u kababayang apl!
January 3rd, 2004 at 1:49 pm
Mabuhay ka Allen Pineda!
Proud kami sa’yo. 
The songs that you guys composed and sang are way too cool. Thanks for loving our heritage and country. Ang taong katulad mo ang kailangan ng ating Inang Bayan. Keep Up the Good Work! SANDUGO! 
January 10th, 2004 at 1:04 am
yea… tangina, lupet ni Apl! idolo kita pare ko…
February 14th, 2004 at 10:06 pm
eh, of course, proud ako na pinoy siya. pero bakit ganun na man ang description niya ng pinas?masaya rin naman ang buhay sa probinsya di ba?
February 24th, 2004 at 2:42 am
oh, quit your whining about his lyrics. siguro tag probinsya siya and that’s how they lived before he moved here. atleast he’s still representing filipinos everywhere by staying true to his heritage and not forgetting where he comes from..also,not being ashamed of speaking,in his case, singing in tagalog. he still remembers how to talk in tagalog and he’s not ashamed of it. not like some people who have been here for only a few years tapos they don’t wanna speak tagalog coz their embarrass by it eventhough baluktot naman ang english nila. i’m proud to call apl my brother and i’m proud to be a filipino!
March 11th, 2004 at 10:22 am
can anyone give me an idea kung saang probinsya galing si apl sa pinas?mabuhay ka apl….
March 19th, 2004 at 2:02 pm
i’m one of those pinoy na na-shock to learn that apl is a filipino.i’m proud of you brother and kepp up the good work and MABUHAY!
March 19th, 2004 at 2:07 pm
ANYWAY SAANG PROBINSIYA KA BA SA PILIPINAS APL?I’M HERE IN BELGIUM AND TAGA CAVITE AKO IKAW SAAN?
April 7th, 2004 at 3:50 pm
Astig talaga si APL, i was really inspired by the song. He used the chorus of an old folk song “Balita” by ASIN.
He’s from Angeles yata or Olongapo, basta sumwhere from Central Luzon. Astig.
Everything in the song speaks about the truth of our country kahit masakit yun ang totoo. Thanx for keepin it real kapatid.
It was cool too na BEP ang nagpresent ng award sa MTV Asian Award for Best Filipino Artist nung nanalo ang Parokya ni Edgar. Astig! Lets Show to the World that the Filipino can make it. Lagot Kayo American Idol dahil andito na ang mga Dugong Pinoy…
April 30th, 2004 at 6:02 am
asteeeg!!!! it’s real cool! nagulat ako when at first heard that song… hindi ka nakakalimot sa pinangakong lupa.:)i admire you for being real. keep up the good work! proud to be pinoy
May 7th, 2004 at 5:46 pm
I heard somewhere na he was a member of a filipino tribe like the aetas or something. im not sure, but it doesnt surprise me that his experience growing up in the province is like that which is true, even though the lifestyle in the city is far more different. sana hindi lang isipin ng mga foreigers na ganun sa buong pinas. but other than that its good to hear a filipino make it big in the US, and really be proud of his roots and actually sing about it. some half pinoys dont even recognize themselves as filipino which is sad.
May 7th, 2004 at 5:58 pm
ya i heard that too. but i dont think so. its about time na marecognize na ang filipino talent. we may feel sort of bad that the lyrics speak of the philippines in that manner. but ganun talaga in some parts and we cant hide the truth about our country. We must instead learn from the song itself and try to make our country better. he speaks the truth which i admire. hindi naman niya iniimbento yan, thats what he experienced and there are hundreds of other people like him who have the same experience. most of us live in the city where everything is more modern and industrialized. the fact is maraming pilipinong naghihirap and i hope the song makes people think about that and do something about it. mabuhay ka apl!
May 25th, 2004 at 1:40 pm
whoa ngayon ko lang nalaman na pinoy ang isang member ng black eyed peas. im proud to know that.totoo nmn yung mga nasa lyrics mga bro. di nmn nakakhiya if your only true to yourself yun ang naranasan nya db. but lets be proud he makes it to the mainstrean. may concert nga pala sila d2 sa pinas gusto ko manoood kaya lang im broke.hehehe im proud of you ALLAN PINEDA LINDO MABUHAY KA
May 27th, 2004 at 10:26 pm
astigggggg!!!! God Bless The Philippines, Keep it up!!!!
May 28th, 2004 at 1:02 am
man apl.de.ap song was tight ya’ know what i mean! astig tlga, na-describe nya nang mabuti ang ghetto here in pinas! Putcha’ ganyan rin pamumuhay nung iba kong mga ‘insan sa probinsya pero at least nagtatrabaho sila diba? they hustle! And that’s also why Apl from being a poor kid in the phil. became a fine ass moneymaker when he grew up! He hustle ya’ll! anyway I’m proud tah’ be a flip ya heard? holla’ !
May 28th, 2004 at 1:06 pm
wel, u r rily d man apl… i rily dont regret that ive watched maalala mo kaya last thursday…im very proud of you for being so proud in your country…nd d b?!?…nde nmam nia totaly dinescribe dun s song ung 2nkol s philippines eh…dinescribe nia ung buhay nia d2 sa pinas…kung nu ung naranasan nia!…buhay nia ung dinescribe nde totaly ung buhay ng buong filipino…wel totoo nman un eh?!?…ung buhay sa ghetto!…ang gleng mo tlga man!…i totally admire you!…kip on doing it man!…im very inspired of your perseverance nd love for ur country not like oder filipinos hu fil so ashamed of der country wen dey r settled to another country…azteg ka pare!…
May 29th, 2004 at 6:16 am
i watched MMK(maalaala mo kaya) last thursday and its about apl’s life…u know im proud of u coz u stillove the philippines.. ur story is a great rating in mmk…many people watched it..i was so shocked when u said that ur going to move ur family with u in USA…imagine thats a big sacrice..ipetisyon ba nmn ang buong pamilya saka di nya nilimot ang pangako nya sa pamilya nya khit na sa ibang tao na sya lumaki…tanong ko lng nasayo pa ba ung jacket mong dinala mo when u go to america?
May 29th, 2004 at 12:01 pm
i cousnt believe apl was a filipino im so proud of him but i didnt liked the way he described the pilipinas but i couldnt blamed him coz its the way he felt when his living there but im proud of him he never forgot pilipinas i wanna hear the song of that plz tell me how to it through computer basta e-mail lang kau
June 4th, 2004 at 5:07 am
yo. wat up y’all.. u da man apl. u inspired me. ur life story is dope, its kina like 8-mile.. some strugglin shit in da ghetto..dapat gawin mong movie yon so da whole world could watch it..if u want ill produce it.. lol.. oh yeah im like apl. i was 15 when i went to canada n i still love pinas. not like those flips who were born in da states they think they all fuckin dat coz they could speak english good. well fuck dat.. y’all could suck my dick.. fuckin hatu’z.. bat para sayo apl. im proud of u.. keep up da good work.. holla back.. c-block..
June 4th, 2004 at 6:15 pm
im so proud to be pinoy, at first I was shocked to learned that APL is a filipino, A friend of mine told it to me and then when I heard the song I was like.. WHHOOOAAAA he is so good. By the way He is from Angeles City, his dad is a black American who used to work in the base in Clark Pampanga and fell in love to a filipina ( i saw it when I watched Maalaala Mo Kaya)
Allan were praying for you and May god bless you in everything that youre gonna do and May you will be reunited with your family soon ( grabeee huh super mahal mag pa petition..lol..j/k.)… YOURE THE MAN APL.. Were gonna support you all the way !!! Take care..!!!
June 5th, 2004 at 10:29 am
i’am proud of being a pinay first of all. and i’m so stoked that apl sang it in tagalog and it’s true how they live back then. and i saw them when they were in the Philippines in Manila and they rock.
June 7th, 2004 at 3:11 am
Grrrrrrabbbe!!!!! when i first knew ur filipino & still love ur whole family, talagang PINOY KANG TALAGA!!!!! alang ganyan sa states di ba?….ang galing mo talaga, can’t forget nga ur interviews just stay cool good luck & still continue to make good music & we’re proud of u duds!
June 12th, 2004 at 7:32 pm
well i think he’s great but i dnt agree in how he described life in phill. i never experienced any of those things like pumpn water so i think its somewhat offnsive…i dunno.. i was born a little rich kxe eh…
June 12th, 2004 at 7:52 pm
wait i 4got something…actually its really offensive tlga the lyrics of apl song imagine it says “how would you feel if u had to catch your meal Build a hut to live and to eat and chill in.
Having to pump the water outta the ground” my GOD!!!!! what will the world think of us! this only shows that he was frm the province but itd not like that wen ur from tha main cities like manila qc mandaluong like i said i was born a little bit rich….so i hate that part of the lyrics ano n lng iisipin ng mga foreighner satin dbah?!?!?
June 12th, 2004 at 8:14 pm
oh….i 4got pah wen i first heard the apl song i was like…”gago toh aahh…kapal ng muka” i really hated the part wherein he described life style in phill. well actually he didn’t described the life in phill he described “HIS” life in phil. province sobrang bad trip what would the world think about us nah we will be more discriminated in other countries bcoz of this. when i was in california for summer vacation a black kid asked me what country i was from and i told her m frm phill. and she said “yeah i know that country my uncle told me there’s no roads there and uncivilized” i was very offended and told her what really is in .phill.
June 13th, 2004 at 3:49 am
I’m proud of you APL… ANG LUUUUPEEET MO BROTHER Sa ibang pinoy d’yan na nakatuntong ng america na ayaw nang magsalita ng tagalog magpakatotoo kayo lalo ka na.. yes you.. (’yong nagbabasa nito).
June 14th, 2004 at 12:34 am
hey man, astig ka apl! some damn filipinos doesn’t understand that YOU are describing YOUR life back then and back then even in some cities, life is hard! i grew up also poor but struggled to have a good career as artist! i dont have the chance to see your life story in tv coz im also overseas. i’m very happy that you are proud of your heritage! you represent the filipino people! Black Eyed Peas is dope! peace!
June 15th, 2004 at 4:21 am
idol!!!!! astig ka!!!!!! biruin mo kasama ka sa isang american band saka di mo kinakahiya yung pilipinas sana mabasa mo to idol!!!!!! astig!!!!
June 15th, 2004 at 4:25 am
saka nga pala idol!!!! astig yung kanta mo favorite ko to!!!!!!!!!!!!! text me 09273408494
June 18th, 2004 at 12:44 pm
I just saw the music video for “the apl song” in hollywood. Very touching. Makes me proud. It’s already playing in the Philippines. The “Making Of the apl song” segment here is pretty inspiring too
http://www.kidheroes.net/aplsong.htm
June 18th, 2004 at 11:27 pm
grabe!!!! i wuz real shocked when i heard dat #11 song in da b.e.p. cd elephunk…cant b-live na pinoy rin pala c apl and he’s a member of one of the coolest and funkiest group in u.s…apl, u rock!!!!saludo ko sa’yo, idol!!!! u can stand up to ol saying na pinoy ka!!!! *not lyk oders jan(alam mo na un)
August 25th, 2004 at 10:52 pm
It’s cool that apl is pinoy but I can’t read what ya’ll are say’n. Half flip here and pround, apl speaks the truth though about parts of the PI. I lived ther and have been back twice some parts are still really really really different from Manilla. The song is how he remembers the PI which is still fresh in his memories. good song none the less Proud to be a half flip.
August 31st, 2004 at 5:37 pm
luvd da song… evn tho ive neva been to da phils, im full flip (hell ya) and all my reletives are too…most of them born in phils also… so its kul to her a song like this one.. i neva thought apl was flip tho, i always thought it was taboo that was da filipino one ya kno? but i thought HIS name was apl, n apl’s name was taboo… damn i was confused til i saw this review.. lol. well anyways.. gud song! luv BEP
September 11th, 2004 at 9:36 pm
O my gosh my parents were from the philippines too. I visit my relatives there every year. they still do things like that too but we helped make their lives easier buy buying stuff and giving it to them, like the fridge,car,stove and tv.but there is a family in their “backyard” that has a bamboo house they are the laundry people and they are our distant cousins but they get to watch tv eat dinner in the house. But since were from the states the think we don’t do things old fashioned but i helped wash laundry by hand,pick cotton and make pillows, etc. I Really like being filipino . Salamat Po + Mabuhay!!!
September 21st, 2004 at 12:36 pm
yeah, the first time i saw his video music i was amazed. i wonder, is he singing in Tagalog?
I waited for it to be played over again in the radio/tv after. then, i heared and v seen in the tv, news, music channels that 1 of the members of Black Eyed Peas is a FIlipino. Whoaaa! Damn… How’d he do that? Yeah, that stuck me and made me like a crouch potato when ur songs are played. they’re great. really good. well, to apl.de.ap 2 thumbs up for u!! im so proud of u.
i just hope i could watch 1 of ur concerts in the future. pwede libre? yeah, man im serious… (wink)
keep up all the good work.
I actuall love what u do with ur career and ur family. Ur 1 example of a full blooded Filipino.
And i love that.
stay humble and the best.
Don’t forget to stop and thank God for all of these.
Take care and God bless us all.
November 3rd, 2004 at 7:38 pm
yeah were all proud of you APL aka Allan Pineda hehehe …. and I love Asin too .. I got ASIN CD too they’re also a cool filipino group too during 70’s or 80’s hehe … thanks for bringing us proud .. proud of who we are and WE LOVE PHILIPPINES even life here is kinda hard sometimes… it is a wake up song for all of us.. NOYPI song is also cool hehehe
December 14th, 2004 at 6:49 pm
to you, we your kababyan’s we are very proud of you, i want to tell u that keep up the good work, dont change, god bless u, always
February 7th, 2005 at 2:14 pm
Damn, it’s been almost two years since the BEP released Elephunk and I just found out last month during a vacation in the Philippines that APL be Filipino. Word??!!
I had to be sure so I listened to a copy of the cd and fi-fy-fo-figga-boy I was surprised. It as if he was describing my old hometown. And having the middle name Pineda helped me really connect to this black and brown genius.
The beat is smooth and the way he sings the chorus is perfect. Perfect meaning the words in the chorus don’t sound intentionally western like so many local Filipino artist with no American background do so often.