Ever since his knucklehead days in middle school, Kiwi was rhyming. As a young adult, he began frequenting the open mic spots, exchanging raw, creative energy in some cyphers, engaging in fierce battles in others. Along the way he became involved in community activism, which not only grounded his thinking theoretically, but helped to guide his music as well. This turned out to be the distinguishing factor that separated Kiwi from his counterparts.

Kiwi is west coast hip hop. His music reflects the life of a young Filipino man coming up in Los Angeles. The anxiety of having to stay on one's toes to avoid danger. The desperation of losing a homeboy to the streets. They express the love of a mother, of a partner, of the people, of music, of hip hop. They represent the feelings of being detached from his Filipino culture, only to build and take ownership of a whole new filipino culture in America. His beats shadow the euphoric, spiritual feeling of being on a stage and rocking a crowd. His words echo the joy and pain of the truth: that we are not free, that the struggle continues...

Kiwi's work has earned him recognition as one of hip hop's emerging independent artists. He was featured in the documentary film "Beats, Rhymes, & Resistance: Pilipinos and Hip Hop in L.A," the first ever film of its kind to document the phenomenon of Filipinos in hip hop. He hooked up with DJ KidWIK to form the hip hop group Vice Versa, and released their demo, "The Concrete EP". He became a regular at L.A. spoken word/hip hop events 33 1/3 and Words, and has performed at numerous clubs, events, and showcases all over California, not to mention Seattle, Portland, New York City, Florida, Chicago, Minnesota, Texas, and Boston, sharing the stage with such acts as Medusa, Common, the Visionaries, Immortal Technique, JT the Bigga Figga, Dilated Peoples, San Quinn, Lyrics Born and others. Kiwi's mix of critical social commentary, honest emotional reflection, and rapid-fire delivery, as well as his presence onstage and in the recording booth have earned him supporters and listeners worldwide. He released his first full-length album "Writes of Passage: Portraits of a Sun Rising" in October 2003. Kiwi is also the other half of acclaimed Pinoy hip hop duo Native Guns, consisting of himself, fellow emcee Bambu, and DJ Phatrick. Their highly-anticipated first album "Barrel Men" was released in May 2006.

Kiwi has also appeared on music projects such as ELEMNOP's "From the Ground Up" Mixtape, the "Movementality 2 (Disc 2)" compliation, Anakbayan Seattle's "AB Mixtape Vol. 4," DJ High End's "The High End Sound," the Native Guns' "Stray Bullets Mixtape Vol 1," and Bambu's "Self Untitled." Kiwi is also proud to have produced and hosted Apex Express (Asian Pacific Islander Community Radio), 7-8pm every first Thursday of the month on 94.1FM KPFA or kpfa.org.

Media:
SF WEEKLY
L.A ALTERNATIVE PRESS
THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT (VANCOUVER)