Shanti Dope

Shanti Dope, a Filipino rapper, songwriter, and vocalist, blended melodic singing with smooth, laid-back deliveries to express his narrative-driven lyrics. His initial exposure came through guest appearances on tracks by fellow underground artists, leading to the issuance of several acclaimed singles and EPs, among them the 2017 release Materyal.

Born Sean Patrick Ramos, Shanti Dope started composing his own verses at the age of 12, drawing influence from local rappers' approaches. Just a short time after beginning his musical output, he appeared on the 2015 album Walking Distance by Smugglaz. Signing with Universal Records in 2017 allowed him to put out multiple singles that gained broad popularity. The first of these, "Nadarang," achieved tens of millions of streams and facilitated the success of a self-titled EP. Materyal emerged as another EP that same year. Shanti Dope continued issuing singles at a consistent pace thereafter, including "Amatz," "Pati Pato," and "Normalan" in subsequent years, each surpassing a million streams.