Al James Explained

Al James
Birth Name:Alvin James P. Manlutac
Birth Date:19 August 1991
Birth Place:Philippines
Instrument:Vocals
Years Active:2016–present

Alvin James P. Manlutac (born August 19, 1991), known professionally as Al James, is a Filipino rapper, singer and songwriter. He is known for his songs "Pahinga", "Pa-Umaga" and "Latina".

Career

Al James graduated with a degree in fine arts and design at the University of Santo Tomas. He became involved in hip-hop where he met his collaborators, collectively known as "Baryo Berde Atbp", there. The group now has 11 members.[1]

His exposure increased with the release of "Ngayong Gabi", collecting over 25 million views in 18 months. He was praised by Highsnobiety for "his syrupy flow and purple imagery make for a chill counterpoint to the chaos of life in this dense megacity".[2] He has crossed over from underground to mainstream as his song "Ngayong Gabi" reached #1 on Wave 89.1's primetime hit in December 2017. So far, he is not signed with any record label.[3] According to an interview with FHM, one of his hip-hop contemporaries he follows is Shanti Dope. He was paid to remix his own single "Pahinga" by McDonald's for their Summer Desserts advertisement campaign entitled "Palamig Ka Muna".[4]

Following the release of the music video for "Ngayong Gabi", which was premiered on Myx, he was named as the Myx Featured Artist for October 2018.

Discography

Singles

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2"
YearPeak chart positionAlbum
PHL
[5]
"Pahinga"2016rowspan="6"
"Ngayong Gabi"2017
"Pa-Umaga"201894
"Latina"2019
"Repeat"2020
"PSG"2022
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

As featured artist

Title! rowspan="2"
YearPeak chart positionAlbum
PHL
[6]
"Outthrow" (with Shanti Dope)2017Shanti Dope
"Lagi" (with Gloc-9)2018Tulay
"Soju" (with Austin Lee)rowspan="3"
"Iladnasanwakan" (with Ron Henley)
"Ilalim No. 1" (with Jim P)2019
"Madali" (with Lola Amour)2022The Lunchtime Special
"Gusto" (with Zack Tabudlo)2023883rd Time's a Charm
"Tequila Rose" (with Hellmerry)202441rowspan="3"
"Yoko Na" (with Josh of SB19)
"Kunan Mong Pic" (with O Side Mafia and BRGR)22
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Crossover King . July 9, 2018 . The Philippine Star.
  2. Web site: 10 Filipino Rappers You Need to Know . Highsnobiety . July 9, 2018.
  3. Web site: Meet Al James, the crossover hip-hop phenom with a penchant for thirst . Youngstar . July 9, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180709123627/http://youngstar.philstar.com/meet-al-james-crossover-hip-hop-phenom-penchant-thirst/ . July 9, 2018 .
  4. News: The FHM Field Guide: We Check Out Suez & Zapote With Al James . July 9, 2018 . FHM.
    - News: Aguilera . John Paulo . The Low-Key Hip-Hop Genius Of Al James . July 9, 2018 . FHM.
  5. Peak charts at Philippines Hot 100:
    • Pa-Umaga: Web site: Philippines Hot 100 (Week of July 6, 2024) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240703093531/https://billboardphilippines.com/chart/philippines-hot-100/07-02-2024/ . July 3, 2024 . July 3, 2024 . . en-PH.
  6. Peak charts at Philippines Hot 100: