Miss A, Fateeha, and DJ Medmessiah On The Beats That Inspire And Empower

In Vogue Playlists, various personalities across art, fashion, and culture offer an intimate glimpse into the sonic landscape that soundtrack their lives. In an exclusive interview with Vogue Philippines, Miss A, Fateeha, and DJ Medmessiah of Morobeats share their musical picks for inspiration and empowerment.

Inside the musical household of the Bunyi family, hip-hop is the music that keeps them going. From preparing for a gig to dedicating songs for Mindanao, here are the musical picks of Morobeats‘ Miss A, Fateeha, and DJ Medmessiah for Vogue Playlists.

Underrated songs

For DJ Medmessiah, “Brainstorm / P.S.K (No Gimmicks Remix)”  by Lord Finesse featuring KRS-One and O.C. deserves more attention. “It’s super underrated,” he says. “KRS-One has a line there: ‘For wack emcees, I come doctor-recommended.’ That punchline, it kills!” He also fronts “Hunghang” by JMara, Palos, and himself: “It didn’t make it into a big platform but it still got almost 15 million views,” he says. “The meaning of the song is educational also. It’s rare to see conscious music go viral.”

Miss A highlights two female emcees who she believes are underrated. “‘All Caught Up’ by The Conscious Daughters,” she says. “They’re the femcees who give the right amount of g-funk in the industry, and nobody knows them.” Fateeha also adds their own song, “Wit Tha Funk” into the mix of underrated songs.

Songs that inspire you to create

The two sisters get inspired to create when listening to “Act Like They Don’t Know” by KRS-One. As for DJ Medmessiah, he picks “93 Till Infinity” by Souls of Mischief. “It’s very old but when you play it, it’s still super relevant compared to the music now. Unlike the music now, it’s naturally inspirational. They didn’t copy it from social media,” he says.

Songs to get hyped up before a gig

To get themselves ready for a gig, DJ Medmessiah listens to “Flamboyant” by Big L and “Triumph” by Wu Tang.” For Miss A, she gets hyped up with “Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against the Machine. “It just makes me more aggressive, with I need,” she says.

Songs for Mindanao

When dedicating a song for Mindanao, Fateeha chooses “Mahal Kong Pilipinas” by JMara. “As much as we love every part of the Philippines, we can admit that Mindanao is so deeply culture and I feel that it’s widespread,” she says. “But ‘Mahal Kong Pilipinas’ is also a way to embrace the country itself, not just Mindanao.”

Miss A chooses “Kendeng” by Morobeats, a song that was made to represent Mindanao. “I think it’s one of the songs that I like because even though our peers didn’t know much about Mindanao, they had more knowledge during the process of making thar song,” she says.

DJ Medmessiah has two picks: “Ang Bayan Kong Sinilangan – Cotabato” by Asin and “Mindanao” by Freddie Aguilar. “It really represents Mindanao, especially during the time when there’s so much conflict,” he says.

Songs that empower

For a song that empowers, Miss A listens to “On My Mama” by Victoria Monet. “It’s a song that you can listen to when you’re not really feeling confident. It gives you the little boost you need for the day,” she says. Fateeha, on the other hand, listens to “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. “I like this song because it shows what it’s like to be a woman and how respect is such a big thing for any environment,” she says.

DJ Medmessiah chooses “No Sheltered” by Rage Against The Machine. “It makes me feel empowered because when you listen to the lyrics, it’s like giving a chance to different kinds of people; that there’s a chance to be equal to everyone,” he says. “It’s saying that we could all live in a balanced society.”

Photograph by JOSEPH BERMUDEZ. Editor DANYL GENECIRAN. Beauty Editor: Joyce Oreña. Styled by Neil de Guzman. Makeup: Angeline Dela Cruz. Producer: Anz Hizon. Multimedia Artist: Tinkerbell Poblete. Production Assistant: Bianca Zaragoza. Photographer’s Assistant: Rojan Maguyon.

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