DJing as a Filipino Thing, Tiongson

Race, culture, and authenticity. 

(I sometimes type as I read just so I don't lose any of the thoughts, as I so often do when writing responses. So I apologize if some parts seem choppy or random.) 

Some initial thoughts and expectations before I start reading: I am Filipino. I grew up, under the influence of two older brothers (14 and 12 years older), listening to hip-hop music. African American hip hop and Filipino hip hop music. The best of both worlds. Hip-hop isn't just about music, though. It's an all-encompassing culture of its own. Rapping, DJing, B-boying, and art. 

Am I Too Traditional? #Overprotective
Sometimes I fear that my native, traditional, cultural Filipino traditions and practices are dying out. That it's all being replaced with Western cultures and ideals. I mean, it is happening and it's inevitable given the increased communication and accessibility around the world to...well, each other. But, how do we avoid getting washed out completely? Incorporation and adoption of various other cultures apart from your own is great! More flavors in the pot, but how much can you add until you cover up the base? In that case, it should be a whole new recipe, an entirely different dish. As a Filipina American, although I grew up in a "minority is the majority" community, I often still struggled with authenticating my cultural experiences in the sense that, is this experience Filipino enough? The city I lived in - Union City, CA - was probably the closest to the Philippines as you could get here in America. Of course I knew that growing up in America versus growing up in the Philippines are two entirely different things, but I really wanted to live as close to the life in the motherland as I could. One of the ways I did that was speaking my native tongue. I was born in the Philippines and came here at 5 months old with my family. My Lola - grandmother - insisted that I speak Tagalog at home so I learned both English and Tagalog at the same time. I still speak Tagalog and it's something I hold onto as tight as I can.  

Music Is a Universal Language. 
(Slight aside: I was reminded of the Netflix Original series The Get Down, which, by the way, is a fantastic show, about the rise of hip-hop culture - DJing being one of the main vehicles of the hip hop movement - set during the late 1970's)
We know music when we hear it. It doesn't have to be in our language, it doesn't even need to have any language in it. A series of melodic pitches, rhythmic beats and pulses, dynamics, harmonies all speak to us in a way that transcends spoken language. Music is the art of sound in time, of sound that has traveled through time, and sound that will continue to travel with time.
I can relate most to Tiongson's "hip-hop is transcendent" claim because that is how I experience it. As a musician, I enjoy listening to not only the rhythms laid out by the drums or the sick flow of the rapper, but also to the stories that each track unfolds about the life and times of the lyricist. The intricate weaving of words through rhythms and beats take you on a trip, an emotional rollercoaster. Music is unifying and equalizing, yet the experiences are still all unique. We cannot ignore musical history however, especially with hip-hop. It is a genre so deeply involved and rooted in African to African American culture. It is the story of the people. A revolution, an uprising, so powerful that we it'd be unjust to simply forget about its origin.

Am I Asian or Pacific Islander?
Where do I even start with this one? Honestly, sometimes I go with whatever is being praised at the moment. Oh, Asians are super smart and successful - yeah, I'm Asian. Oh, Pacific Islanders are really cool and the islands are beautiful - yeah, I'm Pacific Islander. When someone asks me which side I claim, most of the time, I claim Asian and so that they'd stop asking. Just geographically we are part of the Asian continent so, I'm geographically Asian. Culturally, however, because we were colonized by the Spanish, thus we developed apart from mainland Asians culturally. I'd consider us the black sheep of Asians, if not an entirely separate entity. If anything, I feel more culturally and historically connected to Mexicans and other people of Chicano or Latino descent. I was not confused growing up as to which side to claim because I was not taught Filipino history or at least my view on it was not as complicated as it is currently. It was not until 8th grade and upward that I became more culturally and racially aware of my own history. I went to Alvarado Middle School in Union City, now known as Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School - the first school named after Filipino migrant farm workers leaders. I can go on an entire spiel about them and how they were the ones who actually started the farm workers' protests back in 1965, but that would require another 7 pages, and my understanding of these posts is that the TA's have to read them and for their sake, I don't want to make them read all this. (*If you're interested in learning more about Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School and my involvement, feel free to contact me.) I went to James Logan High School in Union City for high school. I was honestly so blessed and grateful to have gone to such a diverse school - we offered Filipino, Punjabi and Chinese classes alongside the usual Spanish and French - and we had ethnic studies classes as well. Our slogan after all was "Unity in diversity". And we embraced that, and at times took it for granted. That's why coming to UC Davis gave me slight culture shock because - ok I am going to be blunt here: all of the white people. Never had I been in such an environment. I think that with the broadening scope of education now and the availability of ethnic studies courses, we are able to more finely and intimately discuss and educate more on the individual Filipino history and culture. I believe that before we clump cultures together, especially those whose relations are ambiguous, we need to understand the individual culture, or race, or ethnicity as it stands on its own. Then can we begin to draw lines between them. The bigger picture?

Anyway, I feel like I've gone way off topic now, but I just really enjoy talking about my high school cultural awakening in light of my experiences now and this class. The reflection is great and I can go on for days. I haven't even finished reading the essay yet. But I will. Right now.