Black Eyed Peas, "the APL song"

[WWII Veterans]

Hey Everyone!

Last month I shot a music video for the Black Eyed
Peas. The song is called, "The Apl Song". It is track
11 on their Elephunk Album. I need your help getting
the music video onto MTV's most poplular show called
TRL (Total Request Live). Since the song's chorus is
sung in the native Philippine language, the chances
of the video hitting American TV sets are slim. Our job
is TO CHANGE THAT! Please support our Asian American
Filmmakers.

STEP ONE: VOTE ON JULY 26!
To get the video aired on Monday, July 26, visit the
following web site:

http://www.mtv.com/onair/trl/vote/


Go there anytime during the day of July 26 before 4pm
EASTERN/1pm PACIFIC. The Black Eyed Peas' "THE APL
SONG" will NOT be listed on the website.You must
scroll below and under "OTHER", manually input "The
Black Eyed Peas" under Artist Name and "The Apl Song"
under Video Title. Also, Fill out section 2 and hit
the submit button. You just did all of us proud. So
why not go back and VOTE AGAIN? While you're at it,
vote 3 times, even 5. The more the merrier! Keep in
mind, "THE APL SONG" is not scheduled to play on MTV
on July 26 UNLESS WE VOTE FOR IT!


STEP TWO: SPREAD THE WORD
We all got two weeks to spread the message. Forward
this email. Forward the link to the music video.
Create and personalize your own email and make sure
all your friends get the message. Go to online
forums, message boards, chat rooms, and let them know
about the video. Be creative! Tell all of your family,

friends, and THEIR family and friends and let them
know why this is important. Who's down? Gather as many
of them as possible to join our exclusive mailing list
at:

www.coollist.comsubscribe/subto.cgi?l=the_apl_song&C=95312

We'll remind them with all our "Apl Song" updates and
latest developments!


STEP THREE: WATCH THE RESULTS
Was our campaign big enough to dent TRL? Did any of
your friends listen to you? Find out by tuning into
MTV at 5 p.m. ET/PT, 4 p.m. CT to see if our pick made
it on the countdown. Hit us up on the messageboard at

XylophoneFilms.com and share with us your thoughts!


WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO ONLINE!!!!!
Starting FRIDAY, JULY 9

Log online to either one of the following websites:

http://www.xylophonefilms.com/bep.html
http://www.kidheroes.net/aplsong.htm

Both websites will carry "The Apl Song" music
video online.

WHY JULY 26?
After watching the video, you'll have a better
understanding of the underlying issue brought up in
"The Apl Song" video. July 26 will be the 63rd year
anniversary of the induction of the Filipino military
organizations to fight in WWII under the U.S.
flag. On July 26, 1941, President Roosevelt issued
an Executive Order calling members of the Philippine
Commonwealth Army into the service of the United
States Armed Forces of the Far East . Under this
order, Filipinos were entitled to
full veterans' benefits. More than 100,000 Filipinos
volunteered for the Philippine Commonwealth Army and
fought alongside the United States armed forces.
Today, some of these proud veterans have yet to be
acknowledged and yet to receive their
full benefits. For more information, please visit

http://www.fullequitynow.com

Various organizations such as the Student Action for
Veterans Equity are also holding their own events that
day in recognition of our war veterans. We urge you
all in joining us in this simple request. On July 26,
an "invisible" community will yet
take another step in being acknowledged. Good luck
and start spreading the word!

Thanks,

Jason Inouye

[jay]

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1488181/20040604/black_eyed_peas.jhtml

PASADENA, California ? With the Black Eyed Peas hoping to follow up Elephunk by November, solo albums from Will.I.Am and Fergie have been put on hold.

"We felt it was important to install the next Black Eyed Peas record this year with the momentum that we've had, which will only allow our solo adventures to be successful and continue to keep our franchise going," Will explained in a rather businesslike fashion.

"For us, Black Eyed Peas are feeling really good right now, and for me to come out with a solo record, it just doesn't feel right," added Fergie. "This is a family, and we're on a certain kind of wave and I wanna keep riding on that wave together. It's my boys."

The Peas will do their best to stick together going into the recording of Monkey Business (see "Black Eyed Peas To Make Their Own 'Walk This Way' ? With The Darkness"), although the media is starting to separate one member from the pack ? in the Philippines, at least.

A recent front-page feature on the group there featured a small photo of Will, Fergie and Taboo next to a large one of Apl.de.Ap, who is Filipino.

"He was the whole size of the newspaper," Fergie said, laughing. "Heartthrob guy!"

"He's like the Michael Jackson of the Philippines," Will added. "The dude is big."

To celebrate Apl's stardom in the Philippines, the Peas not only just played the country, but they're releasing a single and video there for "The Apl Song," an Elephunk track rapped partially in native Tagalog and chronicling Apl's experiences growing up in the Philippines and visiting recently after 10 years in the United States.

Filipino director Patricio Ginelsa, who wrote and directed 2003's "Lumpia," directed the video with a cast and crew of fellow Filipinos, including Chad Hugo of the Neptunes and actor Dante Basco ("Biker Boyz"), who play sons of a World War II vet longing for one last trip to his homeland. Footage of Apl rapping while he flips through a family scrapbook and images of the other Peas standing next to a slide show of photos from the Philippines are intercut with the narrative.

"The way we put it down, utilizin' what's around," Apl raps in the song. "Like land for farmin', river for fishin'/ Everyone helpin' each other whenever they can/ We makin' it happen, from nothin' to somethin'/ That's how we be survivin' back in my homeland."

"You gotta tell the Apl story," Will told Apl, before interrupting. "Can I tell it? Apl's my dawg, he's my best friend. He was adopted from a third-world country, kinda like a sponsor-child foundation. He came here in America when he was 14 in 1989. Knew no English. He learned English from a dictionary and in [language classes], mastered the language ? vocabulary bigger than mine and Taboo's combined. Hey, that rhymed. Anyways, he started rapping. We got signed to Ruthless Records in '92, two or three years after his arrival. He went back to the Philippines 10 years later and bought his momma a jeepney [bus] and a supermarket.

"I don't think that's ever happened to anyone, to be adopted from a third-world country as a sponsored child and be a global international artist," Will continued. "That's an accomplishment, dawg. Seriously, man, the ghettos we know ain't ghettos. This dude was pumping water out of the ground, killin' chickens, washing his clothes on rocks."

"What's that pet you had?" Fergie asked an embarrassed Apl.

"Water buffalo."

"Yeah, we had dogs, he had water buffalos."



?Corey Moss

[jay]

http://theflavoronline.com/article.php?story=20040520013327653

Making a Video From an Apl (part 1)  
Thursday, May 20 2004
by Moonie L.

On a warm Saturday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley, hip-hop artists the Black Eyed Peas and a film crew decided to shoot a music video at a retirement home. The difference with this particular shoot is that they were filming the video for "The Apl Song" - a song about Apl.de.Ap's life growing up in the Philippines. The sampled rhythm and Tagalog chorus are from the song "Balita" by Filipino group Asin.

"The Apl Song" has gotten a considerable amount of airplay in the Philippines and hopefully the video will give the song a strong enough boost to get some American airplay... even though it clocks in at under three minutes.

Ok, ok, you want the lowdown on the video shoot.

The video features cameos from quite a few familiar Filipino American faces. Not only were there familiar faces in front of the camera but there were some good friends of this site that were working behind the scenes.

The most notable cameo had to have been Chad Hugo from N.E.R.D and the Neptunes. Yes folks, Chad f'n Hugo was there. Props to whoever booked him. The Flavor Online's Elson Trinidad was able to catch a few minutes to sit down and do a brief interview with Chad but it was cut short due to the busy shooting schedule. We were able to score his contact info and hopefully there will be a feature on this site about Chad Hugo in the near future. Just in case you were wondering, yes, he is a very nice person and really down to Earth. During a brief conversation Chad was having with Apl.de.Ap about food, he mentioned that he liked to eat nilaga. Considering how skinny Chad Hugo is, it looks like he hasn't had much time to eat nilaga. I wonder if Chad has ever tried making Pharrell Williams eat dinuguan?
 
 
http://theflavoronline.com/article.php?story=20040520013037755

"The Apl Song is close to the heart of Apl, the half Filipino member of the group," says DeHaven. "It's basically a song about him going back to the Philippines for the first time since he was 14. He talks about what he observed, life in the province, and meeting family he hadn't seen in a long time. The song explores the difference between life back home [in the Philippines] and life here in the States.

"[Patricio Ginelsa] came up with a great treatment for an idea to celebrate the life of a manong that's a World War II veteran, which is a political issue within our community where people are trying to get equity and rights for these veterans. The video portraits one veteran's life in a narrative that fits in with the theme of the song. Apl's been wanting to do this video for a long time and what's really great about the timing of this production is that the Black Eyed Peas are going to be performing in Manila on May 29th (2004). What we're hoping to do is make this video and try and cut together something Apl can take to the Philippines."

Whether or not the video ever sees the light of day in the States, Christina DeHaven and the entire production have a lot to be proud of since this is possibly the first music video by a top selling music group that was done by a predominantly Filipino American cast and crew.

May 20, 2004