Filipino rap group 8 Ballin’ is officially part of the Def Jam Philippines roster. The storied label’s Filipino imprint made the announcement on August 8.
8 Ballin’ signed an exclusive contract, according to a press statement. “As a very young collective, we realized that we needed a lot of guidance in the industry and when we met the UMG/Def Jam team, not only are they the global number 1 label, but they have an amazing team with people we can trust. This is definitely life changing (sic) and we can’t wait to further propel our career,” founding member PRAY shares.
The group is planning to drop a new single, “possibly an album or EP,” as well as a re-release of their 8-song catalog.
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Established by high school friends PRAY, R!S, cXy, Supboi K, and Juan-E, 8 Ballin’ shot to viral fame two months ago with “Know Me,” which has since garnered 13.2 million views on YouTube. The track drew mixed reactions online, with some who praised it for being “catchy,” while others likened it to the widely popular mumble rap, also known as SoundCloud rap.
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However, others have expressed that they’re not too fond of the enunciation, especially of the hook. A private Facebook group discussion also raised an “alleged beat plagiarism,” citing that some fans noticed a “striking similarity” with South Korean rapper twlv’s “TWERKING” (feat. RAVI), which was released in 2020. According to HIPHOPKR, the track lists twlv and WELCOME IAN as the composers. “Know Me” was produced by zp3nd.
As of this writing, the music video currently has over 173,000 dislikes compared to 167,000 likes.
Last month, member R!S released a solo follow-up track, “Straight Up,” featuring fellow 8 Ballin’ member Supboi K, which was received more positively.
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On their songwriting process, the group explained, “We usually create our songs on the spot. As a group, we tend to forget how our melodies sound, so we record it at the same time it was written. Any changes or additions will be set on another day.”
Watch their viral hit “Know Me” below:
