Illest Morena hails apl.de.ap's eye for local talent, rise of female rappers

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino singer Illest Morena commended Black Eyed Peas member and fellow rapper alp.de.ap for supporting local artists.

Apl — short for Allan Pineda Lindo — and Illest (whose real name is Angelica Pola Leyague) recently dropped their collab track "Wind It" with another artist Fana, a project that's been in development for a year now.

Illest visited the Philstar.com office ahead of the song's full release where she heaped praise on Apl on his eye for Filipino talent.

Just one example was his stint on local editions of "The Voice" where he scouted fellow Filipino-American Jessica Reynoso who is now a part of the Black Eyed Peas as J. Rey Soul.

Another is Illest herself, whom Apl had considered "one of the best Filipino female rappers out there" before their initial chance encounter in a Makati club.

"Birds of the same feather, flock together!" Illest joked before acknowledging Apl's belief in newcomers and the youth, calling talent as it is when he spots such.

Illest also believes Apl is capable of seeing chemistry with other artists, and ever since has played a part in giving Filipino singers the spotlight.

"I'm very, very honored and happy na nakilala ko siya. He's such a really nice person and I hope that I can be like him someday," the young rapper added.

She quipped that following in Apl's footsteps could lead her to being part of an all-female rap group, similar to Salt-N-Pepa and Mis-Teeq, but in the Philippines.

Related: Illest Morena breaks down apl.de.ap, Fana collab 'Wind It'

Rise of peers

Earlier in the interview, Illest and Philstar.com talked about the former's experience being in the local hip-hop industry which is largely dominated by men.

The rapper described being a female hip-hop artist as "a double-edged sword with all eyes on you" and being "a goddess in a room of wolves."

She admitted feeling alone at times because while she appreciates her male peers, they cannot really relate to her experience as a woman.

"Masaya na lang din ako kasi ngayon mas dumadami at dumadagdag na yung mga female artists, lalo na sa hip-hop," Illest said, later shouting out a few of them like Alex Bruce, Zae, and trailblazer Ruby Ibarra.

The singer expressed humility at the chance of being an inspiration for up-and-coming female rappers, a population she believes will grow further after noticing her own growth the past five years.

"Finally kapag nagpupunta ko sa gigs ngayon, I'm not the only woman that's performing there. There's a sister beside me na I can share thoughts to," Illest continued. "All of a sudden, it's not a Boys Club anymore. Meron ka nang kapatid."

RELATED: WATCH: Illest Morena tries to guess rap lyrics in 'Larong Linyahan'

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