Stan Lee is like the universal hero. He got every culture together by storytelling. He gave every community their own hero to follow, in fiction and actually in factual life.
— apl.de.ap
You need a screwdriver for screws and a hammer for nails. Anybody that's trying to screw in a nail with a screwdriver… that ain't too smart.
We come up with slogans on the road and then we start putting them on the songs.
Being adopted was my motivation to help others by first becoming successful.
The Peapod Foundation provides tools and mentors encouraging children to express themselves through music and art.
My computer's the first thing I'd save if my house was burning down.
Coming from the Philippines, my whole goal was to support my family and have a better living situation.
There are many tremendous artists that never make it. Talent is not enough if no one sees, hears and tastes your work.
Filipinos are naturally creative and artistic.
Our stuff is more about being positive, but not in a preachy way.
I want to encourage Filipino artists to be original, write your own songs and don't be afraid to go outside the box and try new things.
I wanted to be an engineer or a nurse.
Queen Latifah once came up to me and said ‘Bebot' was her favorite song. She said, ‘I don't know what you're talking about, but it feels dope!'
We want to show people in the U.S. and Europe that hey, here in Southeast Asia, we have so much artists brimming with talent and so deserving. We needed to tap into that so that the West can take notice and sign them up, too.
It is very important for me to give forward in helping out every Filipino.
I have pursued my dream and I believe it is important to give back because I have been given the opportunity to be what I am now.
Singapore ladies are very beautiful.
Me, I'm just gonna keep spreading the word about ‘We Can Be Anything' campaign among Fil-Am communities in the U.S.
I actually got to go back to where I was born and perform there. I just brought my mom up onstage and was like, ‘Look, here we are.'
I believe that there are many talented Filipinos and their talent is great and globally competitive, just waiting to be tapped. I don't want such great talent to be wasted.
I like to be hands-on because that's what motivates me. I like to involved from the ground-breaking to ribbon-cutting to auditing the funds. Just giving money away is a little discouraging because I don't know where it is going.
I was blessed and lucky to have been given opportunity. I really thank my dad, Joe Ben Hudgens, for taking his time and adopting this kid from the Philippines, and gave him his future, and opportunities. Without him, I wouldn't be here.
I go out pretty much every night, and when you spend time in those clubs, watching how the DJs make their mash-ups to heat up the room, you want to create that sound yourself.
I would take the jeepney all the way to Angeles City, and that's how I got introduced to break dancing.
Be authentic about what you produce and there will always be an audience.
Building virtual classrooms was the brainchild of Charity Dreams. So many people play games online, it's a huge business - and so harnessing the power of the Charity Dreams community to help build classrooms just made a lot of sense.
Someday' talks about a dream of mine.
Music gave me that neutral lane to relate with everyone.
My friends, they can't beat me in pool or bowling.
I can do somersaults and back flips.
All my life, I believe in overcoming challenges.
I was sponsored to go to the U.S. and became a Black Eyed Peas, and now I'm paying it forward and helping other children like me.
I want to leave this earth knowing that I did something. I made a difference in someone's life.
I remember I told my mom that I was scared. I asked her, how will I talk to everyone in English? And my mom gave me a dictionary, where I learned one day at a time.
Hip-hop is just bombarded with a lot of materialistic stuff. When a group like us with more creativity comes out, I think it will make some kind of change.
Growing up for me in the Philippines was hard to read comic books because I'm blind.
I want the kids in the Philippines to compete with the world, with other kids out there, to have the opportunity. You never know, you might find the next Black Eyed Peas out there.
I'm good at shapes. If I'm not close, even if it's big, I can't read it.
There's no reason but luck that I'm in one of the biggest bands in music.
We wanted to make music to fit with the way we live and celebrate life.
I'm proud of who I am, where I came from, what I was born into, and I would represent that till I die.
I have been a product and a beneficiary of the creative industry.
There is some gangsta music I like, like Biggie Smalls - he reminds me of Slick Rick -doing the same thing, but he did it in a really artistic way.
There's the fine line between presenting your culture and learning about other cultures so it becomes global.
Growing up, I've always kinda been into academics.
Music is common language. I can sing ‘Bebot' in front of white people and they will dance.
But when I discovered music, I knew that that's what I wanted to do in my life and I just jumped in all the way and pursued my dreams as a musician.
Not only I am an adoptee, but I also want to prove to everyone that being legally blind with a rare eye disease called Nystagmus that you can do and be anything if you put your mind to it and believe in yourself.
It was already hard enough growing up in the Philippines but imagine being blind, that's 10 times harder.
When you become successful, it is not just money that makes you happy.
