Apl. De. Ap.'s BEBOT

Apl. De. Ap.’s song “Bebot” from the 2005 Black Eyed Peas album Monkey Business sparked controversy for this two music videos. Pat Ginelsa, the director of “The Apl Song” and the award winning film “The Debut”, directed and shot Bebot “Generation One” and “Generation Two”.

The first of these two music videos, “Generation One”, pays tribute to the history of the Filipino American male worker. Set in Stockton, which is often noted as an important site for Filipino “bachelor communities”, the music video follows Apl as a agricultural laborer leaving the fields after a lone day and then going to a Taxi Dancehall. It is in this space that the bulk of the video takes place.

Personally, I like this video a lot more on several levels. First, I feel like the video is far more aesthetically pleasing and more in line with Pat Ginelsa’s work. Secondly, I really enjoy the way that Apl. De. Ap., Pat Ginelsa, and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas (though their roles in this music video are to be like Fergie in every video) offer an alternative history lesson using their popularity. Finally, I like this video more because it’s not filled with fleshy gyrating female bodies, but shows both men and women dancing in pleasure. Also, I like their red lipstick!

I feel like “Generation One” of the “Bebot” music videos also stays more true to way that the Black Eyed Peas reached high commercial success. Well, it stays more true to their roots. I guess “Generation Two” can be summed up as the entry of Fergilicious. Apl. De. Ap. and Will. I. Am. (in both their oldly named glory) started a B-Boy dance crew called Tribal Nation in the 90’s. They performed around Southern California. DJ Icey Ice, when he came to talk about Filipin@s in Hip Hop, talked about how the early stages of the Black Eyed Peas would perform at his parties. I feel like “Generation One” is more authentic.

On the other hand, “Generation Two” is the pop culture new and less true performative version. I feel like even though it is the exact same song playing, the music video destroys the vibe of the song and distorts it into another music video that I could pass on. I have several issues with this music video. The role of Apl’s mother, or maybe even the “thick accented Aunt”, plays on a stereotype of the Filipina American, which is often also documented in Pilipino Culture Nights. Secondly, the video revolves around the performing female body. It’s difficult to believe that the music video is not “objectifying women” as the notes before the video state. Finally, I just don’t like the bright colors as much. I feel like they are distracting and borderline irritating.

I’m not making the stance that music videos cannot be contemporary, but rather that “Generation Two” leaves me feeling a bit disappointed. I wonder whether progressive artists that I know, who work the activist networks, would be just as willing to sacrifice the integrity of their history to make a video that would receive more airtime. Whether their popularity must come at the expense of women?

Apl.de.ap still does great work for the Filipin@ and Filipin@ American community. He started the Apl Foundation, which gives back to communities and children within the Philippines and throughout Asia. He also started his own music company called Jeepney Music, Inc., handling DJs such as Free School, DJ Rockyrock, DJ MIA, and PoetNameLife.



-GY