Ex Battalion

Ex Battalion, colloquially shortened to ExB, is a Filipino hip hop collective from Muntinlupa, Philippines primarily known for the hit singles "Hayaan Mo Sila" (#2 Billboard Philippine Top 20)[2] in 2017 and "No Games" in 2016. The group was originally formed as a rap battle group and now a hiphop collective by Bosx1ne, who mostly writes the hooks of each of their songs, alongside Flow-G. Later members included JRoa, King Badger, Brando, and O.C. Dawgs former member Skusta Clee. On November 2017, Magneto asked to join the group, the collective gained prominence nationwide after releasing several hit songs in 2018 such as "Ikaw Kase" and "Follow My Lead". To date, they are considered as the most successful mainstream hip-hop collective in the country with a total of over 1 billion views and over 3 million subscribers on YouTube.[3][4]

Ex Battalion
Ex Battalion, on a concert in July 2017; from left to right: Flow-G, Emcee Rhenn, JRoa, Bosx1ne, and Skusta Clee.
Background information
OriginMuntinlupa, Philippines[1]
Genres
Years active2012–present
LabelsEx Battalion Music (2012–present)
Viva Records (2018–2019)
Associated acts
  • John Roa (previously known as JRoa), O.C. Dawgs, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Panty Droppaz League, Sachzna Laparan, LIRAH, Haftway House
MembersBosx1ne/Honcho
Skusta Clee
Flow-G
Brando
Emcee Rhenn
King Badger
Magneto (Marvel Comics)
Past membersJRoa

History

In 2012, Ex Battalion was formed and founded by Bosx1ne and rap battle emcees Jekkpot and Cent as a rap battle group. They had joined several barangay rap battles before being into music.[5] In January 2016, the group was formed into a musical group and as a hip hop collective and released their first album entitled "X" on digital platforms. They eventually recruited several artists to join their group after the release. The first three members were former reality talent show participant JRoa, rapper Flow-G, singer and rapper Skusta Clee, and their founder Bosx1ne. JRoa's vocals were included in the hook of their first single that became their first hit as a group entitled "Kakaiba" which was released on the same month. Singer and rapper Skusta Clee started associating with the group since early 2016 and has collaborated in most of their singles until eventually becoming a member.[6]

On September 25, 2016, three months after the release of their first smash-hit single, they released another single called "No Games".[7] The track's music video was immediately uploaded on YouTube and subsequently garnering over 16 million views.

On December 6, 2016, they released "Tell Me" and the track's music video on YouTube.

In January 2017, the collective scored their first Billboard Philippine Top 20 hit entitled "No Games" which entered the local chart and peaked at number 10 after several weeks.[2]

However, on November 7, 2017, JRoa announced his intent to leave the group to focus on his solo musical career after releasing just one album in the label and appearing in several songs with the collective. Roa said that the group will still be the same "with or without him". Other members like Flow-G and Bosx1ne accepted Roa's decision and pledged to support him on his future plans. On the same day, Ex Battalion released another single entitled "Hayaan Mo Sila" (lit. Let Them Be) along with its official video on YouTube. The track was inspired by DJ Khaled's "I'm the One", and it immediately debuted in the Philippine Top 20 chart at number 2, their second hit single appearing on the chart.[2]

On January 3, 2018, the official music video of "Hayaan Mo Sila" was taken down by YouTube after hitting almost twenty million views due to a copyright claim by the producer of the beat, Diamond Style, who claims that Ex Battalion only purchased a $25 lease which covers up to 2,000 streams and up to 250,000 views only. After the event, speculations swirled online regarding the alleged use of the beat without permission; Ex Battalion explained and admitted that they have not purchased the exclusive rights of the beat by which they only got from the producer's YouTube channel.[8][9] After a few days, it was also removed from streaming services and digital stores. It was eventually restored in the stores including the music video on YouTube, after the issue was resolved two weeks later. Due to the massive attention, the track also rose up the charts, peaking at number 2 on the Philippine Top 20 and at number 10 on the Philippine Hot 100 in just one week. However, Billboard Philippines then ceased from publishing weekly charts.[2] On March 12, 2018, the collective released their new single entitled "SouthBoys" on YouTube in another collaboration with O.C. Dawgs. Special appearances in the video included Huddass, Jnske, and Bullet-D. All of which are from O.C. Dawgs. The video became the number 1 trend in the YouTube PH platform several hours after the upload.[10] On March 13, 2018, it was announced that the collective will be handled and managed by Filipino comedian Ai-Ai delas Alas, who they previously collaborated with in Delas Alas' track entitled "Walang Pinipili" (lit. Choosing Nobody), after signing a management contract.

On April 16, 2018, the group found their partner, Pekto while making their mansion.

On May 7, 2018, Pekto and the Ex Battalion entered their built mansion.

On 2018, the group asked to watch NBA's game, Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers.



In early 2019, Delas Alas resigned as the group's manager. Delas Alas stated her reason as her inability to handle the ego of certain members who are "behaving unprofessionally".[11] After Ex Battalion starred in their first box-office film with Delas Alas in 2019, it was reported that Bosx1ne announced his separation from the group on May 9, 2019, citing personal reasons. However, Bosx1ne remaining with the collective was confirmed when he still appeared with his own verse in the music video of their single entitled "Pakinabang" which they released on August 5, 2019. Bosx1ne changed his screen name to Honcho in mid-2020.[12]

Members

Main members
  • Bosx1ne/Honcho – founder/leader, rapper, vocalist, songwriter, sound engineer (2012–present)
  • Skusta Clee – rapper, lead vocalist, songwriter (2016–present, alongside Panty Droppaz League)
  • Flow-G – rapper, songwriter, vocalist (2016–present)
  • Brando – rapper, former manager, vocalist (2014–present)
  • Emcee Rhenn – rapper (2014–present)
  • King Badger – rapper (2016–present)
  • Magneto – rapper (2017–present)

Former members
  • JRoa – lead vocalist, songwriter (2016–2017)

Other members

Discography

Singles
YearSong Title
2016Kakaiba
(feat. JRoa and Skusta Clee)
2016No Games
(feat. King Badger and Skusta Clee)
2016Tell Me
2017Need You
2017Bootyful
2017 Come With Me
2017 Di Ako Fuckboy
2017Hayaan Mo Sila
2018SouthBoys
2018Follow My Lead
(feat. Sachzna Laparan and Chicser and Lil Justine)
2018Unreleased (Mahirap na)
(released single named as Kakaiboys)
2018Ikaw kase
2019Ginalingan
2019SingSing
2019Sama-Sama
(S.O.N.S (Sons Of Nanay Sabel) OST)
2019PagMAMAhal
(S.O.N.S (Sons Of Nanay Sabel) OST)
2019Pakinabang
2019Baby Cakes (Kiss mo 'ko)
(feat. Bullet D of O.C. Dawgs)
2019 Miss Flawless (feat. Sachzna Laparan)
2020Bounty (Makukuha Rin Kita)

Albums
Album
YearAlbum TitleRecording labelCertification
2016XEx Battalion Music .....N/A
2017Ex Battalion: The ConcertN/A

Extended plays
EP
YearEP TitleRecording labelCertification
20186 YearsEx Battalion Music/
Viva Records		N/A

Charts
Chart Performance
YearTitlePeak (Philippine Top 20)Peak (Philippine Hot 100)
2016No Games10[13]–
2017Hayaan Mo Sila210

Filmography
Year Film Film Production Notes
2019 Sons of Nanay Sabel (S.O.N.S.) Viva Films Debut film appearance and major movie project

Television

Awards and nominations
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee(s)/work(s) Result Ref.
PMPC Star Awards for Music 2019 Rap Artist of the Year "Superhero Mo" Won [14]

References
  1. About Ex Battalion
  2. BILLBOARDPH HOT 100
  3. Channel on YouTube
  4. "Ex Battalion Music – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  5. "Ex Battalion: The Freshman Class". Pinoy Hiphop Superstar. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  6. Video on YouTube
  7. No Games (feat. King Badger and Skusta Clee) – Single on Apple Music
  8. "Why did YouTube take down Ex Battalion's hit song "Hayaan Mo Sila?"". www.gmanetwork.com. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  9. Fallore, Renuel. "LOOK: EX BATTALION RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING "HAYAAN MO SILA" COPYRIGHT ISSUE!". myx.abs-cbn.com. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  10. Video on YouTube
  11. "AiAi delas Alas, may payo sa Ex Battalion". gmanetwork.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  12. Gabinete, Jojo. "Mark Maglasang, aka Bosx1ne, kumalas na sa Ex Battalion". PEP.ph. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  13. BillboardPH Staff (2017-07-31). "BillboardPH Hot 100 – July 31 – Billboard Philippines". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  14. "2019 PMPC Star Awards for Music". pressreader.com. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
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