PHILIPPINES, 26 MARCH 2015 – Save the date and start planning your trip to Manila because it is the place to have more fun – come May! MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), has officially announced today that MTV Music Evolution marks its first edition in the Philippines on Sunday, 17 May 2015 at the historic Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park in Manila. MTV Asia revealed the first wave of artists to grace the MTV stage in the Philippines for the first time at a press briefing in Manila today – iconic and Grammy Award-winning hip hop act, Naughty by Nature, the Philippines’ most celebrated rapper, Gloc-9 and Philippines’ hottest hip hop act, Abra.
Tweet it: First-ever MTV Music Evolution on 17 May in Manila announces first wave of artists @abraofficial @glocdash9 @naughtybynature #mtvmusicevo
PHILIPPINES, 26 MARCH 2015 – Save the date and start planning your trip to Manila because it is the place to have more fun – come May! MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), has officially announced today that MTV Music Evolution marks its first edition in the Philippines on Sunday, 17 May 2015 at the historic Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park in Manila. MTV Asia revealed the first wave of artists to grace the MTV stage in the Philippines for the first time at a press briefing in Manila today – iconic and Grammy Award-winning hip hop act, Naughty by Nature, the Philippines’ most celebrated rapper, Gloc-9 and Philippines’ hottest hip hop act, Abra.
MTV Music Evolution is a live music concert that brings to life the evolution of a music genre and enables young people to experience and discover how music styles and sounds have evolved over the years. MTV Music Evolution marks its inauguration 2015 edition with a feature on hip hop, showcasing iconic and contemporary hip hop acts from both international and local music scenes on a single stage, while featuring the best of Philippine music and culture to international youth audiences.
All three acts will share the stage and not only perform before fans in the Philippines at Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, but will reach an international audience of more than three-quarters of a billion households in over 160 countries as the hotly-anticipated show will be recorded live for global telecast under the MTV World Stage global series. More acts are expected to be announced at a later date. MTV Asia VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer will be hosting the concert.
MTV Music Evolution 2015 is sponsored by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), and supported by audio partner, Dolby.
“The Philippines has such a strong music influence and has become a popular entertainment destination. With a successful history of partnering with Tourism Boards around the world, we are naturally thrilled to be collaborating with the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippine Department of Tourism to bring MTV Music Evolution to our fans in the Philippines and around Asia,” said Mark Whitehead, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Asia. “MTV produces the most talked about live performances and events, so fans can anticipate engaging youth experiences in the coming weeks to discover the evolution of the hip hop music genre, while celebrating all that Philippines has to present to the world. We can’t wait to share one of the biggest music events in Manila with the world on May 17th!”
“We Filipinos like to entertain and perform for people. MTV Music Evolution will not only put the Philippines on the map of international music, but it will also serve as a global stage for the world to witness what Filipinos do best. The Philippines is a musically passionate country. And through our partnership with MTV, young people from around the world will now have the opportunity to share this passion and experience why and how the music culture is even more fun in the Philippines. This is, indeed, one of the exciting events to look forward to during our Visit the Philippines Year (VPY) 2015,” said Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. of the Philippine Department of Tourism.
MTV MUSIC EVOLUTION PROGRAMMING SPECIAL: MTV HIP HOP RAPRESENTZ
As part of the hip hop music celebration and lead-up to the event, MTV will be bringing viewers themed programming under the “MTV Hip Hop RAPresentz,” line-up featuring 30-minute artist specials consisting of music videos and live performances of the hottest regional and international hip-hop acts today, as well as the icons of the genre who helped to shape and transform hip-hop music over the years. These include Abra, AK-69, Eminem, Gloc-9, Iggy Azalea, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Missy Elliott, Naughty by Nature, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Zeebra and 2NE1. The specials premiere every Monday to Thursday, starting Monday, 30 March at 8pm (WIB), 9pm (SG) and 10pm (MY).
30-minute specials featuring a mix of local and international hip hop music videos will be aired on MTV in the Philippines on the following days and times from Thursday, 2 April onwards:
• Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9.30am, 6pm, and 1am
• Saturdays at 8pm
• Sundays at 8.30pm
NAUGHTY BY NATURE
Performing for the first time in the Philippines, the Grammy Award-winning, platinum-album selling, New Jersey super-group, Naughty by Nature is made up of members Treach, Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee. Few groups in music can boast a nearly thirty-year career that has been both consistent and history making in creating the hits and party anthems that have become the soundtrack to our lives. The iconic hip hop group’s music has smashed through mainstream barriers, while remaining true to the sound, message and grit of the hood. These three kings of the hip hop anthem have now formally claimed their titles and named their forthcoming reunion album, “Anthem Inc.” in celebration.
Initially called “New Style”, Naughty by Nature began performing at talent shows and was discovered by fellow New Jersey native and then-emerging hip hop artist, Queen Latifah. Latifah eventually signed the group to her management company “Flavor Unit Management” and helped them land a deal with Tommy Boy Records.
Naughty by Nature’s self-titled debut album was released in 1991 and quickly assaulted the music charts with the instant classic #1 hit “O.P.P.”. The group quickly became crossover stars, while maintaining their ghetto sensibility. To date, their success and longevity as a hip hop group has been unparalleled. These three “Kings of the Hip Hop Anthem” went on to produce their follow-up albums that made the Top 10 rankings on the U.S. R&B Chart and became part of America’s hip hop legacy: “19 Naughty III,” “Poverty’s Paradise“ and “Nature’s Fury”. Besides "O.P.P.," the single "Hip Hop Hooray" also topped the U.S. R&B Chart while "Jamboree" (featuring Zhané) took the #1 spot on the U.S. Rap Chart.
Fast forward to 2008, after years of steady touring and itching to get back in the studio, both Treach and Vin agreed, that in order for the next album to have that authentic sound and feel of Naughty By Nature, they must reunite with DJ Kay Gee. At this same time, VH1 bestowed their coveted “Hip Hop Honor” to the group as innovators of our culture. Joining the ranks of Big Daddy Kane, Rakim and Eazy E., the group received their “Hip Hop Honors” in October 2008.
Naughty by Nature’s most recent performance in Asia took place in Malaysia in 2013. The group continues to tour globally, ripping stages from Australia to Canada and New Jersey to South Africa. Naughty By Nature is on their A-game and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naughtybynature
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naughtybynature
Website: http://naughtybynature.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/naughtybynature
GLOC-9
Gloc-9 rose from humble beginnings to become Philippines’ most celebrated rapper and wordsmith today. His writing has allowed him to build a body of work that is distinctly his, constantly evolving and unique in the decision to speak about what is relevant to the nation. Unlike any other rapper or songwriter in the Philippines, Gloc-9 has gained credibility and respect as a lyricist and composer who dares to succinctly tackle social issues such as social injustices, poverty, corruption, war and patriotism without falling into the trap of preaching about what should be.
A measure of Gloc-9’s credibility is his collaborations with the country’s most respected musicians and performers, across all genres – from rock to RnB, pop to folk, and even world music. These include “Lando” with the late Francis M, “Upuan” with Jaezelle, “Bagsakan” with Parokya ni Edgar, and “Sari-Saring Kwento” with Noel Cabangon and Champ Lui Pio, to name a few. All of which have gained him critical acclaim as a contemporary music icon.
Since Gloc-9 has released 8 studio albums as a solo artist, he is notably the most awarded rapper in the Philippines in recent years and one of the few artists in the Philippine music scene who has won an award in every album he released including ‘Best Rap Recording,’ ‘Song of the Year’ at Awit Awards. He won ‘Rap Artist of the Year’ five times in a row from 2005 to 2009 at The Philippine Hip Hop Awards. He took home three awards at the Myx Music Awards 2012 for Favorite Male Artist, Best Collaboration (One Hit Combo) and Best Urban Video (Elmer). He has also received awards for movie theme songs he has written and is probably the first Filipino rapper-songwriter to receive an international award. In 2014, his song “Dapat Tama” – a campaign for intelligent voting with a local network – won the Bronze World Medal in the New York TV Festival Awards.
Gloc-9’s greatest achievement as an artist is how he has evolved as a songwriter as his songs have consistently shaped the landscape of local music and contributed to its growth. Gloc-9 is an artist who respects his audience and trusts in their ability to understand complex issues through music. He fearlessly and constantly challenges the status quo. That is what makes him the most celebrated rapper of this generation.
Website: http://glocdash9.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glocdash9
Twitter: www.twitter.com/glocdash9
Instagram: www.instagram.com/glocdash9
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Gloc9VEVO
Viber: www.viber.com/gloc9
ABRA
Raymond Abracosa, better known as "Abra" is a Filipino rapper, battle MC and a songwriter. Abra gained recognition in the Filipino rap battle scene when he joined the Fliptop Rap Battle League rap battle contest in 2012. Since then, the 26-year-old has become a well-known rapper in the music industry and began producing top quality music. His self-titled album was released last year and contained tracks such as "Gayuma," "Ilusyon" (featuring Arci Munoz), "Cerberus” (featuring Loonie and Ron Henley), and "Diwata" (featuring Chito Miranda). Abra has won a string of accolades since his debut and these include the "People's Choice Award," “Best Collaboration" and "Best New Artist" awards at the 2013 Urban Music Awards. In that year, he also bagged the “Favorite Music Video” award for his song "Gayuma" which has garnered over 32.4 million views online to date. Last year, Abra bagged the "Song of the Year" award for "Ilusyon" and "Best Male Artist" title at the 2014 NDMusic Awards and cemented his credibility as a rapper by taking home the “Best Rap Artist" at 2014 Urban Music Awards. Besides rapping, Abra also appears in local TV shows and films and co-hosts the show iConnect.
Abra is expected to perform at MTV Music Evolution with Philippine guest artists, Ron Henley and Loonie.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Abra1988
Instagram: https://instagram.com/abraofficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abraofficial
YouTube: www.youtube.com/aabraaTV
HOW TO WIN MTV MUSIC EVOLUTION CONCERT ENTRY WRISTBANDS
MTV Music Evolution entry wristbands are not for sale and may be won by fans through a word search game contest* at www.mtvmusicevo.com that opens today, 26 March and ends on 30 April. A fresh game window opens at 15-minute intervals on the website. For 60 seconds, players need to seek out words from the hip hop and Philippines related word glossary. Each word found earns the player a lucky spin on the MTV Turntable to win entry wristbands and other surprises. Players can share their game results on Facebook. For a limited time in March, early players of the game will score mosh pit access to bag coveted stage front spots.
*The game contest is open only to fans from the following countries Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand.
NEWS UPDATES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
In the weeks ahead, fans can get direct information by following MTV Asia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for news updates on MTV Music Evolution 2015.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mtvasia
Instagram: mtvasia
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mtvasia
Hashtag: #mtvmusicevo
Abra Twitter: @abraofficial
Gloc-9 Twitter: @glocdash9
Naughty By Nature Twitter: @naughtybynature
MEDIA ACCREDITATION & ARTIST INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES
Media and bloggers are invited to apply for media passes and artist interview opportunities through mtvmusicevo.com/media. The application deadline is Thursday, 30 April. Registration and credential collection details will be sent to outlets whose accreditations have been pre-approved or accepted by Wednesday, 13 May.
ARTIST IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT THE END OF THE NEWS RELEASE.
SELECTED PHOTO CAPTIONS
• L-R – MTV VJ Yassi Pressman, Paras Sharma (Vice President, MTV & Digital Media, Asia of Viacom International Media Networks), Abra, Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III (Chief Operating Officer of Tourism Promotions Board Philippines), Mark Whitehead Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Asia of Viacom International Media Networks), and MTV VJ Alan Wong at MTV Music Evolution 2015 press briefing (Credit - MTV Asia)
• L-R – MTV VJ Yassi Pressman, Paras Sharma (Vice President, MTV & Digital Media, Asia of Viacom International Media Networks), Abra, Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III (Chief Operating Officer of Tourism Promotions Board Philippines), and Mark Whitehead Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Asia of Viacom International Media Networks) in front of completed MTV logo art piece by Chichi Monster for MTV Music Evolution 2015 (Credit - MTV Asia)
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About MTV
MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. Outside of the United States, MTV is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information about MTV in Asia, visit www.mtvasia.com.
About The Philippine Department of Tourism
The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is the lead government agency in charge of developing the country’s tourism industry as a major socio-economic activity that generates employment, income, and investment for the benefit of the Filipino people. The agency is committed to adhere to the national development goals through the formulation of policies and implementation of plans and programs that intend to accelerate sustainable development, in addition to positioning the Philippines as a premiere and globally competitive tourist destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. For more information about The Philippine Department of Tourism, visit www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com
About Tourism Promotions Board Philippines
The Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB PHL) is a corporate body attached to the Philippine Department of Tourism. It is tasked to formulate and implement an integrated domestic and international promotions and marketing program for Philippine tourism. It is responsible for marketing and promoting the Philippines domestically and internationally as a major global tourism destination. Specifically, it shall market the Philippines as a major convention destination in Asia, taking charge of attracting, promoting, facilitating, and servicing large-scale events, international fairs and conventions, sports competitions, expositions and the like. For more information about the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, visit www.tpb.gov.ph
Media Contacts:
Viacom International Media Networks
Adeline Ong
Senior Director, Corporate & Brand Communications, Asia
t: +65 6420 7240 m: +65 9366 7323
e: adeline.ong@vimn.com
Twitter: @VIMNAsia_PR
Loh Bi Feng
Senior Executive, Communications, Asia
t: +65 6420 7154 m: +65 9002 9607
e: loh.bifeng@vimn.com
EON (Events Organizer Network) Inc. on behalf of Viacom International Media Networks
Teddy Mapa
Senior Account Executive
t: +632 893 5642 loc. 177 m: +63 917 8989357
e: teddy.mapa@eon.com.ph
The Philippines has such a strong music influence and has become a popular entertainment destination. With a successful history of partnering with Tourism Boards around the world, we are naturally thrilled to be collaborating with the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippine Department of Tourism to bring MTV Music Evolution to our fans in the Philippines and around Asia. MTV produces the most talked about live performances and events, so fans can anticipate engaging youth experiences in the coming weeks to discover the evolution of the hip hop music genre, while celebrating all that Philippines has to present to the world. We can’t wait to share one of the biggest music events in Manila with the world on May 17th! (Mark Whitehead, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Asia)We Filipinos like to entertain and perform for people. MTV Music Evolution will not only put the Philippines on the map of international music, but it will also serve as a global stage for the world to witness what Filipinos do best. The Philippines is a musically passionate country. And through our partnership with MTV, young people from around the world will now have the opportunity to share this passion and experience why and how the music culture is even more fun in the Philippines. This is, indeed, one of the exciting events to look forward to during our Visit the Philippines Year (VPY) 2015. (Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. of the Philippine Department of Tourism)
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