Carlos: A plea for understanding

Something about our culture wrongly says pretty boy looks and rap are like oil and water. They can and never will mix.

That’s why Carlos Agassi’s sharp Arabic features — the kind that makes girls swoon — has become both boon and bane. It helped when he was starting out as a commercial model at 16 and when he moved on to star in movies at 17. It’s also helping him as a long-standing member of The Hunks.

But while those killer looks have made him come a long way, it’s not helping him any as a rapper. Those who are used to seeing the likes of Usher and our very own Andrew E can’t reconcile good looks with the syncopated rhythm of rap.

"They don’t take the rapper in me seriously," Carlos sighs.

Instead of sulking in one corner however, Carlos has decided to do something about it. Now that acting assignments are few and far-between, no thanks to an industry-wide slump, Carlos is returning to an old love: rap.

And just to make sure he’s on the right track, Carlos tapped a respected guy in the field — Gloc 9 — as album co-producer. Getting Gloc 9’s imprimatur on Amir, Carlos’ third album, says a mouthful about the rapper and his work. After all, it’s not everyday Gloc 9 (real name: Aries Pollisco) agrees to produce an album for another artist. In fact, it’s his first time to do so.

"I want Carlos to be familiar with the new (rap) sounds. I want to introduce him to (musical) terrain which I’ve explored," says Gloc 9.

It’s a terrain only artists dedicated to perfection in their craft like Gloc 9 knows by heart. And it’s something he is confident Carlos can understand in time.

Clearly, Gloc 9 wants to be the sculptor and Carlos is his more-than-willing subject.

Result? "My officemates (at Star Records, which distributes Amir), couldn’t recognize his voice. Carlos has created a new sound of his own," pronounces Gloc 9.

Even a rapper from Virginia, who initially refused to put his name on the album credits for fear that it will not be at par, changed his mind after hearing the tracks

"Tumba agad ang silya mo the minute you hear it," Gloc 9 says with unabashed pride.

Such words of encouragement notwithstanding, Carlos is leaving no stone unturned to make sure Amir lives up to expectations. After all, the idea of making the album hit Carlos after fans who saw him in the recent Kapamilya Sumner Caravan in the US asked him to do so.

Thus, the six tracks in Amir are calculated to make the public – not just Carlo’s fans say "Hey, the guy has matured as a rapper! and can now be taken seriously!"

Carlos composed a love song for the ladies, the types who can’t get enough of his good looks. Another composition (Carlos wrote all the songs himself) is a dance track inspired by Usher’s highly-popular beat. Still another has that rock beat that reminds Linkin Park fans out there of their idol’s music, this time with a new twist.

It’s not all about commercial songs, though. Carlos took great pains in pouring out his angst over people trying to put him down in the track Alay Ko. It is here where he pleads for understanding.

"The lyrics of Alay Ko are about my skills as a rapper. Here, I ask my critics to give me a chance. I know there is some kind of resistance among them because I’m an actor. But it’s not my fault that I’m one," explains Carlos.

Perhaps, if we give the guy a chance, he can prove that pretty boy looks and rap talent do mix after all.