Rapper Ruby Ibarra gives voice to the Fil-Am experience

When her parents left Tacloban for California in 1991, Ruby Ibarra‘s mom had only one album packed in their suitcase. It was Yo!, the seminal record of the late rapper Francis Magalona, which included “Mga Kababayan”, a song about being Filipino and brown.

Almost three decades later, rapper and spoken word artist Ibarra can be seen – and heard – similarly singing about cultural identity and bolstering the pride of the Filipino community.

“I also have songs about dismantling the patriarchy and celebrating feminism and sisterhood,” she says.

Following her 2017 debut album, Circa91, Ibarra recently collaborated with Philippine actress and musician Nadine Lustre on the single “No 32”, a song about being the only number one “whether that’s in your relationship, in your artistry, or in other situations.

“It’s about being confident, claiming your space, all while celebrating your womanhood,” Ibarra explains.

 

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“After the release of my album, one response that always stood out was, ‘I wish I’d seen this growing up. My life would’ve been different,’” says the 28-year-old Filipino-American musician.

“It made me realize how important it is to be an artist and use my platform to make people feel represented,” Ibarra adds.

How did you get into hip-hop music?

We migrated to the US in 1991 when I was two years old and I was introduced to the rapper Francis Magalona when I was five.

We moved to the Bay Area, where hip-hop is a big part of the community’s culture, so it was natural for me to gravitate towards the genre – Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and the rest of West Coast hip-hop.

What attracted me were the melody and the tone of resistance. It’s really the voice of the youth and the unheard. It’s an expression that empowers people.

Is that why your songs are about the reality of being an immigrant and feeling unheard?

Definitely. Growing up in the US and not necessarily belonging there; I was always trying to define what’s home and trying to find a sense of identity.

I’m fortunate – spoiled even – that I grew up in the Bay Area where there are a lot of Filipinos. I live so close to San Francisco and Daly City, where there are large Filipino communities.

Being Fil-Am is a unique experience. It’s a different upbringing. More and more people are making sure we document our stories, because they are valid and important

So many times I felt like I had to fit in. I remember very distinctly that time when my mom packed chicken adobo for my school lunch.

My white classmates held their noses and said, “Ew, what are you eating?” I remember closing my lunch box and not eating because I was embarrassed.

Did things eventually get better?

It wasn’t until college, when I took ethnic studies, that I realized there’s power from where I came from.

It wasn’t until then that I realized there were representations of myself. Maybe not on mainstream platforms in the US such as television, movies or radio; I don’t see Filipinos on a national scale.

But these days, I see a rise of Fil-Am artists and authors starting to understand how important it is to represent and document their lives.

Being Fil-Am is a unique experience. It’s a different upbringing. More and more people are making sure we document our stories, because they are valid and important.

Circa91 speaks more about being Filipino than simply expressing your realities as an immigrant. Was that a conscious effort on your end?

Yes. I’m 100% adamant to represent Filipinos. While I’m writing for myself, and even though my music is Fil-Am, a lot of Pinoys have told me that the themes of my music have resonated with them.

Tell us more about your collaboration with Nadine Lustre.

Bret Jackson, of the music label Careless Music, and I have always talked about collaborating and so he hooked me up with Nadine, who needed lyrics to fill up a section of her “No 32”.

Even though my music is Fil-Am, a lot of Pinoys have told me that the themes of my music have resonated with them

She gave me full creative control and whatever I submitted came out exactly as that. I just created the flow to articulate some parts of the music, and based it off the rhythm and Nadine’s lyrics.

Do you still keep up with contemporary Filipino pop culture?

Yes, I know about Nadine and James Reid’s movies and TV shows and their music. I watch them on The Filipino Channel, and if I were in the Philippines, I’d still want to collaborate with Nadine. I’m a fan!

I love Original Pilipino Music, particularly Filipino hiphop, right now. I know Abra and Loonie, Shanti Dope and [the artists of] Careless Music. And Iñigo Pascual – his music is played at every party here!