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"Bebot" is the eighth and final single from the Black Eyed Peas album Monkey Business, released in 2006. The song is entirely in Tagalog, with the term "bebot" from Filipino slang for "pretty woman", "hot chick", "hottie", or "baby/babe".[1] In the song, apl.de.ap raps about his life as a Filipino immigrant, and also all the woman he meets at parties.

Background Information[]

  • Writers:will.i.am and apl.de.ap
  • Recorded at: The Stewchia - Los Feliz, CA
  • Length: 3:30 (album version)
  • Previous single: "Gone Going"
  • Next Single: "Mas Que Nada"

Music Videos[]

Their were two music videos made for "Bebot", entitled Generation One and Generation Two. They were directed by Patricio Ginelsa of Kid Heroes Productions, who also directed "The Apl Song" and produced the Filipino-American coming of age movie, The Debut. They were filmed in early July 2006 and premiered online on August 4, 2006. Both videos feature primarily Filipinos, Filipino-Americans, and several other Asian ethnicities.

Generation One takes place in Stockton, California back in 1936. Apl.de.ap is one of many Filipino farmers working in the asparagus fields. After work, all they look forward to is putting on their best suits and heading towards the Little Manila section of downtown Stockton. What they find there is a party for the ages at the Rizal Social Club. Yet Apl has other ideas as he sneaks out to another "party" next door. This video was included in the Black Eyed Peas' DVD, "Live From Sydney to Vegas".

Generation Two takes place in modern times and is inspired by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's hit single "Nuthin' but a G Thang". It opens with the Black Eyed Peas picking up Apl to take him to a huge Filipino-American party, wherein apl's mother welcomes them, speaking in a thick Filipino accent. Apl's younger sister also decides to tag along. The group then goes to a BBQ picnic, and later end at a house party. The video video was filmed in various locations in Los Angeles, California, one location including Kenneth Hahn Park, where the aforementioned Dr. Dre's hit single video was also filmed and is contemporary. American Idol's Jasmine Trias makes a cameo appearance as Apl's sister.[1]

Criticism[]

While the videos were popular among Filipino-Americans, not everyone was pleased. A group of Filipino-American scholars wrote an open letter to Apl and director Patricio Ginelsa that said, "We are utterly dismayed by the portrayal of hypersexualized Filipina hoochie mama dancers..." The letter goes on to accuse the director of using "three very limited stereotypes of Filipina women: the virgin, the whore...and the shrill mother." Patricio Ginelsa defends the two Bebot videos. He says he wasn't out to malign Filipinas. Rather, he says, the presence of Apl in a Tagalog language video is a source of pride for Filipino-Americans. [2]

See Also[]

References[]

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