What started as a group chat about releasing one or two one-off singles turned into a 10-track album featuring rap icon Gloc-9 and one of the underground’s most respected figures, Abaddon. Their new record, Project A — named after their first names, Aries and Abaddon — brings together two artists who have been quietly observing each other’s moves for decades and is slated for release on October 17.
Gloc-9’s rise to stardom in the late ‘90s ran parallel to Abaddon’s long tenure in the underground, where he carved out a name under various sublabels and collectives such as Malabon Thugs and Blindrhyme Records. Most notably, he became the first inductee into Shockra, a rap group that has embodied the spirit of camaraderie, speed, and lyrical precision for nearly two decades, shaping a distinct kind of Filipino hip-hop identity in the process.
Gloc-9 has long been known for his accessible, storytelling-driven approach to rap, creating anthems like “Simpleng Tao,” “Sirena” with Ebe Dancel, “Bagsakan” with Parokya ni Edgar and Francis Magalona, and the trip-hop-influenced “Upuan,” which has regained attention amid renewed political scandals. Yet PROJECT A signals something deeper — a return to the discipline that built his name. After years of making pop rap that crossed into the mainstream, Gloc-9 is circling back to his roots, partnering with Abaddon and aligning with Shockra’s no-frills, underground ethos.
“Hindi po ito ‘yong normal na Abaddon lang talaga ‘yong mga tulad ng ginagawa ko na dating kanta,” Abaddon tells Rolling Stone Philippines. “Gumawa po talaga ako ng mga pa-kanta kanta. Kasi, hindi na siya rap. Talagang challenge ko din po ‘yong sarili ko kasi pagkakataon talaga ‘tong makasama ako si master.”
“Pagkakataon talaga ‘tong makasama ako si master”
Their collaboration feels like something that has been waiting to happen. Both artists share the same discipline — one forged through the competitive heat of freestyle circuits, the other through the industry’s machinery. Abaddon, known for his raw technical style, has long represented the kind of rap Gloc-9 revered before his own ascent. PROJECT A feels like a course correction for Gloc-9, not in sound but in spirit. His lyrical focus remains sharp, but there is more patience in his delivery, a sense that he no longer raps to prove a point but to preserve one. In working with Abaddon, he mirrors the kind of storytelling Shockra built its legend on: verses that never flinch, written for listeners who understand rap as craft and not through sheer commodity.
Meeting of the Minds
Gloc-9’s approach to this record carries the energy of a student returning to the dojo. He listens more than he leads. For someone often regarded as a master, it’s a quiet show of humility to meet Abaddon at ground level, trading bars and philosophies instead of just hooks and verses.
“Napanood ko sila [Abaddon] ‘dun minsan sa isang program ng MYX before. Lagi ko tinandaan yun,” Gloc-9 recalls. “Kasi hindi dahil na-offend ako pero parang utang ko talaga sa kanila. Kasi alam ko na super listener sila ng mga late ‘90s works ko. Meron akong isang interview niya na napanood. Sabi ni [Abaddon noon], ‘Bakit si Gloc hindi namin napakikita sa mga events,’ or siguro sa mga gigs nila. So, tinandaan ko ‘yon at sinabi ko, ‘Sana one day, maibalik ko sa kanila ‘yong request nila na ‘yon.’”
In a way, PROJECT A is Gloc-9’s reply to that question: a full-circle moment that sees him step back into the scene he came from, not as a guest but as a participant. Working with Abaddon and Shockra reaffirms the weight of technical mastery in Filipino rap, something often overshadowed by commercial polish. Shockra’s influence runs deep in how countless rappers approach rhythm and speed today. For Gloc-9, collaborating with one of their core members is both homage and challenge, a reminder that skill remains the heart of the culture.
“Parang si Abaddon ‘pag kasama ng [taga] Shockra parang naka-steroids na ako,” he says. “Walang biro. ‘Pag naririnig ko sila, parang ako ang na-i-inspire palagi.”
Gloc-9 speaks like someone reignited by proximity. What he finds in Abaddon’s precision is not competition but reflection; a reminder of the hunger that built him. Abaddon, in turn, sees the collaboration as validation of what the underground has sustained for years: integrity, discipline, and a refusal to bend under the weight of trends. For both, PROJECT A is a symbolic handshake between generations. It’s Gloc-9 remembering the scene that raised him and Abaddon stepping onto a wider stage without leaving his roots behind. The project exists between fame and faith, where mastery means more than exposure and where two rappers who have spent decades sharpening their craft finally find rhythm in each other’s silence.
