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| John Rendez |
“It’s
now or never.” These were the words of rapper and composer John Rendez (John
Robert Porter Jr.) when I asked him why this was the right time for him to come
up with a new record. Almost two decades after he released his debut album Metal Dog back in 1994, John Rendez aka
Metal Dog now has released his sophomore effort entitled There Can Only Be One, which he self-produced and distributed by
Polyeast Records. In line with the release of his new album, John had a press
conference over at Polyeast Records where he answered questions regarding his
album and other things.
Right
off the bat, John proudly said that his first album was ahead of its time. But he
feels that this new album trumps the old one in terms of production especially
with the how technology has advanced in studio recording throughout the years.
When asked what he has been up to during the gap in between albums, he
responded that he was out there experiencing life, having fun and also starring
in some movies as well.
There Can Only Be One boasts of 11
tracks penned by John which is a mix of high end rap and those with mass market
appeal. John’s songs lean towards more to the old school, east coast, rock/metal
influenced ditty compared to the R&B flavored hiphop music that other rap
artists have put out recently. Aside from the rock/metal influence, the album
also had some reggae vibe and even a bit of opera thrown in the mix.
While
current rap releases by other artists feature big name collaborations, John went
all solo with this album feeling that it’s not in his nature to work with other
artists. But he is not closing doors in working with other artists especially
when it is for the right reasons. Instead of artist collaborations, John had on
board for this album mega-producer Jonathan Ong as well as Robert Javier and
Tony D. of Sonic Studios.
The
lead single in the album is the title track There
Can Only Be One which John said could be interpreted in many ways. Most
people would automatically think that this song is dedicated to Nora Aunor,
whom he has been rumored to be romantically linked with. But he explained that he
and Nora are just good friends and that he just takes care of her. Going back
to the song, John likened it to a wrestling match like the Royal Rumble where
the last wrestler inside the ring is the winner; therefore there can only be one.
John
believes that the songs in the album reflect who he is. And based on what I
heard in the album, I think that he is aggressive, unapologetic and brimming
with confidence and swagger. The album may not be for everybody, especially the
younger set since some of the tracks have explicit lyrics. But there are still
some songs that are radio friendly like Kembotan
and the re-recorded Everbody Sayaw.
John also mentioned that they had to tone down a bit some of the songs to make
them more marketable. After all the chitchat, John Rendez, in true blue Metal Dog fashion, summed up what he
thinks of There Can Only Be One: The
Best Album of the Year.
There Can Only Be One, distributed by
Polyeast Records is now available in record stores nationwide. The song There Can Only Be One and the rest of
the tracks can also be purchased online via MyMusicStore Philippines .
There Can Only Be One
Tracks:
1.
There Can Only Be One
2.
No More Musik by the Suckers
3.
Ratt9MM
4.
Under the Ground
5.
Sowerzitat?
6. Coming
to a Theater Near You
7.
Plastik Pala
8.
Kembotan
9.
Metaldog
10.
Domination
11.
Everybody Sayaw
Text by RAd
Photo by JR Bustamante
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