Farewell to a Legend: Francis Magalona

There are people born to be legends among men. Hence, it is unequivocal that when we have lost one of them, especially when they have touched the core of our existence, we are in grief. Such is the case of the passing of a great rapper and composer: Francis Magalona.

He united the country with his ubiquitous song which goes: "every color, every hue.. is represented by me and you." which until now is being sung by every free-loving citizen of the P.I.. He worked hard to ensure the future of a subculture: the Pinoy Rap community, which gave an opportunity for aspiring Pinoy rappers to perfect their craft and regail us with their talent.

It's humbling that a legend such as himself played along to slapstick humor on a local noontime show for God knows how many years and resigned himself to death, with no intention of a heroic exit. (I was only made aware that he succumbed to a complication of his leukemia via a local radio show, whose station I don't even remember, while playing Kaleidoscope World in the background.)

I am proud to be a Busko, just like he was. I hope his existence has taught us to love one another without condition, to stand for our creed without fail or doubt, and to cherish humanity and to embrace rather than ridicule our differences. But the most important of all, he taught us to believe in ourselves, to be proud of our color, to be proud Filipinos.