FRANCIS MAGALONA, PEOPLE"S ARTIST, 44 (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) together with the Filipino American community in the United States mourns the passing of The 44-year-old musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and TV host Francis Magalona.last March 6, 2009 Francis Magalona was a foremost- a nationalist artist who loved his country. He was also known as the “master Rapper” .He was recognized for his painstaking efforts to elevate Pinoy rap beyond its novelty phase in the local music scene. The AJLPP recognizes Magalona who did not only lived for show business but also integrated his patriotic fervor in his life and his music and contributed a lot to its culture and arts. In the Philippines, rap was considered novelty music until Magalona came along. Magalona—influenced and made it as a commentary on Pinoy life and culture. Magalona recorded his debut album “Yo!” in 1990. The album became a hit with the single “Mga Kababayan,” whose lyrics about racial pride and love of country stirred nationalist fervor at a time when the Philippine government was besieged by a series of military revolts. His parents, Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran, were film and TV matinee idols of the ’40s and ’50s. Pancho Magalona held the distinction of the First Filipino movie actor to appear in Hollywood. He was also known for starring in nationalist fims life “El Flibusterismo” and “Jikiri”