Music Reviews
Loonie - ARÁL feat. Abra, Ron Henley, Apekz (Song And Music Video Review)
The king of rhymes has just dropped a new track with Abra, Ron Henley, and Apekz. Here’s our review of “ARÁL”.
Dante Romero
September 25, 2023
One of the most awaited songs in OPM is finally here. After almost a two-year hiatus from music, Loonie returns with a brand new song titled “ARÁL”. Joining him are his comrades Abra, Ron Henley, and Apekz. It came out on the 22nd of September 2023 and currently has over 741,000 views on YouTube and over 33,000 plays on Spotify. Is the track really worth the wait? Find out as we talk about the song and official music video.
The song:
Even if you’re not a fan of the emcees involved, there’s no way you can say that the lyrics are unimpressive. “ARÁL” proved once again why the four rappers are considered by many to be the best in the scene today. When it comes to multisyllabic rhyming, get ready to be astounded from start to finish. Every scheme is top-notch without sounding forced at all. Despite everyone utilizing multis, they still managed to showcase their individual strengths: Apekz’s razor-sharp wit, Ron Henley’s unique references, Abra’s creative humor, and Loonie’s amazing metaphors. Their distinct flows also added to their individuality. Because of this, they never sounded the same at any point in the song and each one dropped way more than one quotable. To sum it all up, the well-crafted rhymes and the execution provided a much-needed freshness to an otherwise common concept, which is the battle rap-inspired braggadocio.
Yung Bawal of supergroup Bawal Clan is the man behind the beat. The trap sensibility blends perfectly well with the instrumental’s sinister attitude. What makes the tune great is that aside from being catchy, it didn’t overshadow the verses. The producer plus the lyricists are like a symphony playing in perfect harmony. Without a doubt, the beat could certainly make the clubgoers go wild upon playing. It has always been Yung Bawal’s strength as a beatmaker.
The music video:
Treb Monteres II, the filmmaker behind the critically-acclaimed hit movie “Respeto”, served as the director, cinematographer, and VFX artist for the one-of-a-kind music video of “ARÁL”. He utilized green screen animation for the background, which is truly impressive. The various scenes can be interpreted as reflections of the emcees and their overall impact on Pinoy hip-hop. The images of destruction are possibly metaphors for how they arrived at the scene and dominated it. We then see shots of futuristic worlds, which could symbolize how ahead of their time their style is. The theater, laboratory, and sculpture park shots could represent their mastery of writing rhymes. Indeed, the entire MV is visually groundbreaking and urges the viewers to come up with their own interpretations. Don’t be surprised if it sets a new standard in creating music videos.
Conclusion:
To answer the question in the introduction, yes, “ARÁL” is worth the wait. Lyrically, Loonie and Co remain strong, unpredictable, and most importantly, original. Yung Bawal’s beat gave the track much more attitude while preserving his individual production style. The music video is another solid proof of Treb Monteres II’s innovative filmmaking approach. It certainly deserves the continuously growing number of views and streams. Let’s help it reach more eyes and ears by continuing to promote it. “ARÁL” is part of Loonie’s new upcoming solo album. We don’t know the exact release date yet but it feels like it’s coming very, very soon. We can’t wait! If you have your own review of this song and music video, feel free to share it in the comments section.
