Asin and the BEP

Asin ("salt" in English) is my favorite Filipino band and means a lot to me personally. Apl.de.ap, a Filipino member of the Black Eyed Peas, also cites Asin as one of his main influences growing up in Pampanga (a province in the Philippines). The Black Eyed Peas released two songs with Tagalog lyrics, "The Apl Song" (a slower, more reflective song) and "Bebot" (a very contemporary hip hop one), both masterminded by Apl.de.ap. These songs are considered to be very meaningful to the Filipino-American community, not so much because of their lyrics, but more so because of the fact that the Philippines is getting international acknowledgment/exposure through the existence of Tagalog songs by a band so popular as the Black Eyed Peas. 

The connection between these songs and Asin is this: the back-track of both of them are Asin songs. On "The Apl Song", the chorus is sung by original members of Asin, and the lyrics are based on and rapped to "Balita" (by Asin). Similarly, "Bebot" is set to "Cotabato". Below are links to each song. You can hear the Asin very clearly if you listen closely. 

The Apl Song

Balita

Bebot

Cotabato