88rising's sister label Paradise Rising just dropped off their second EP, semilucent 2. Paradise Rising has been putting their efforts towards highlighting, empowering, and pushing Filipino artists into the forefront of the music industry. Vancouver R&B duo Manila Grey offered a new single on the new EP, titled, "Island Baby (Maarte)."
"In ‘Island Baby,’ we show love to all the beautiful women in our lives, women who represent the vibrancy and class of our culture, both in our home city Vancouver," the duo said of the song in a statement. "Maarte is slang for high maintenance in Filipino, but it actually means artsy. We just wanted to flip that narrative into something fun, while showcasing the art and the grace."
Peep the latest from Manila Grey below.
Quotable Lyrics
It's a party when MG in this bitch
All the bad ones naughty, real ones only
Whole lotta MGs on this trip
Not into drama, they just know what they want
About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years.
Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021.
Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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