As one-fourth of the multi-Grammy award-winning hip-hop quartet The Black Eyed Peas, apl.de.ap is no stranger to the spotlight. Having his activities discussed on various social media platforms is all part and parcel of the celebrity lifestyle, but when he made the worldwide Twitter trending list on 29 November, it wasn’t just for his music, but for another subject close to his heart: education for every Filipino child.
The Fil-Am rap artist, born in the Philippines as Allan Pineda Lindo, made waves in Singapore at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards—one of the K-Pop industry’s most awaited events—when he performed his latest song, entitled “We Can Be Anything.” The single, which talks about how a proper education can help young people realize their dreams, became the theme song of the education advocacy campaign which he launched recently with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF).
The song’s empowering lyrics encourage children to take a proactive stance in elevating their situation by studying hard to achieve their goals in life. In writing the song, apl drew inspiration from his own experience as a young boy who made the most of opportunities that came his way after being sent to the United States by the Pearl S. Buck Foundation.
The Singapore performance was accompanied by the campaign’s official music video, which was launched during the Black-Eyed Peas’ Manila concert last October. Back then, Filipino netizens were all abuzz about the advocacy and video, which features a cameo appearance by CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida. Twitter trending at that time made it clear that apl’s message was resonating among the youth in particular.
The We Can Be Anything (WCBA) campaign springs from apl’s personal desire to lend a hand in uplifting the quality of Philippine education. Named special ambassador for education of the NCAF’s iamninoy-iamcory movement, a youth empowerment program, in February 2011, apl got just the right platform for the advocacy. Through WCBA, apl is enjoining Filipinos all over the world to support Bayanihang Pampaaralan, the consolidated private sector effort to help close the gap of over 60,000 public school classrooms.
