Apl.de.ap on roots, land, and the future of Filipino farming

Global music icon and proud Kapampangan Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas is amplifying a message far beyond the stage: the urgent need to nurture Philippine soil. The rapper-entrepreneur stressed that farming is more than survival—it is identity, legacy, and nationhood.

“Growing food from a common ground to share at a table, eating with our loved ones,” he reflected, emphasizing how food binds families and communities.

For Apl, every seed planted holds deeper meaning. “When we put something in the soil—a seed, a sapling, a coconut or a stalk of rice—we are not just growing crops. We are growing roots against the drift of our people. We are saying that the Philippines can feed itself, and that caring for the land is not a burden but an inheritance.”

He warns of the cost of forgetting this truth: “We were meant to grow things. And if we forget that, we risk losing not just our soil, but our story.”

From world tours to grassroots advocacies, Apl.de.Ap continues to use his platform to remind Filipinos that true progress is rooted in honoring the land—and ensuring it thrives for generations to come.