Why CK YG, Costa Cashman, Alex Bruce Wanted To Do Hip-Hop

On this episode of Billboard Philippines Volumes, the Billboard Philippines Pinoy Hip-Hop Class of 2025 — Alex Bruce, CK YG, Costa Cashman, NIO, Robledo Timido, Sica, SUPAFLY, Waiian, and YB Neet — look back and discuss how they each discovered the rap genre.

For Alex Bruce, she was already surrounded by hip-hop at an early age, performing as early as six years old. She specifically credits her love for the genre thanks to her father who was in a rapcore band and how, as early as three years old, she’d get to watch them perform. In addition, she also credits Filipino-American femcee Ruby Ibarra with igniting her love for the genre.

In Waiian’s case, he recalls first listening to hip-hop around the time of The Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.” Eventually, when he became older, he started listening to the likes of Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and Tyga, which subsequently led to him becoming a rapper himself.

Meanwhile, for CK YG, he recalls how he was inspired to completely dive into hip-hop in 2020, following the passing of his best friend who was the one that motivated him to fully pursue music. After this friend’s death, CK YG decided to dedicate his life to the rap game, recognizing his inherent love for the genre and how he can make a name and a better life for himself.

For SUPAFLY, he particularly remembers discovering hip-hop through a coin-operated jukebox at local arcades, specifically listening to Mike Kosa’s “My Game.” Eventually, he would go on to listen to the likes of Curse One, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and more, finding more and more tracks through burned CDs from friends.

Meanwhile, YB Neet credits first getting into music at around 8 years old thanks to listening to “Momay” by Juan Thugs, recalling how he asked his mother to buy him a CD he saw that featured the song. Following this, YB Neet remembers writing the lyrics down on paper, helping him vibe along to and memorize the track completely. Eventually, this led him to discover the likes of Shockra and 187 Mobstaz, as well as international rappers like Roddy Ricch, Young Thug, and Nipsey Hussle later on, which YB Neet credits to helping form his identity as a rapper.

For NIO, he was also raised in a musically inclined family, specifically when it came to bands. On one side of his family, he jokingly recalls being asked to throw a drumstick at his uncle for being too loud, while also remembering that other members of his family loved listening to jazz and soul. Ultimately, he credits an innate love for music for leading him to become a rapper during the pandemic, finding inspiration from both local and global artists of all genres.

In Sica’s case, he credits first being able to explore hip-hop thanks to Mula ETIVAC, noting how there was a fun mixture of elements that made him enjoy the genre thanks to them. For him, he was first inspired to pursue hip-hop thanks to EJAC and Buddah Beads, noting how their distinct style piqued his interest, which led him to where he is today as a rapper himself.

For Robledo Timido, he remembers discovering hip-hop at a very young age thanks to a flea market in the University of the Philippines Diliman, specifically recalling how a henna tattoo shop played songs from 187 Mobstaz. Years later, thanks to a friend who loved rapping, he himself learned how to rap, discovering the music of Stick Figgas and Mula ETIVAC.

Meanwhile, Costa Cashman fondly recalls how hip-hop has always been in his life, specifically crediting his mother’s love for the genre, as well as his godfathers being rappers themselves. In addition to this, he also credits the first hip-hop gig he ever went to in helping him decide to pick up the mic himself, remembering how the lineup of that show included Al James, Bawal Clan, and more. Specifically, he fondly recalls getting culture shock over the people moshing and going wild, with their fun energy inevitably inspiring the O SIDE MAFIA member to also become a rapper.

In addition to this, the Pinoy Hip-Hop Class of 2025 also discussed the exact moments that specifically made them realize that hip-hop was going to be their life, what exactly inspires them as artists, the pressure of making songs after going viral, and where they see hip-hop going in the next five years.

Watch the full episode of Billboard Philippines Volumes featuring the Pinoy Hip-Hop Class of 2025 below:

The Pinoy Hip-Hop Class Of 2025 Reveal How They Fell In Love With Rap