Urban Flow

Originating from the Philippines, rap trio Urban Flow came together as American hip-hop swept through the islands during the '90s and turned rap into a flourishing local practice. Local trailblazers Francis M and Salbakuta absorbed the incoming style and reshaped it according to their own vision, a move that directly led to the formation of numerous acts by the close of the decade, among them Urban Flow. Departing from those earlier models, the trio leaned on live instrumentation and reached into jazz and funk, giving their music a profile that stood out to listeners outside the country. OctoArts distributors encountered Urban Flow’s Mass Comm in 1999 and issued the album that same year, marking the group’s sole American release.