Quick Facts
Name: Aristotle Pollisco
Stage Name: Gloc-9
Birthdate: October 18, 1977
Hometown: Binangonan, Rizal
Current Base: Metro Manila / Rizal
Status: Active
Genre: Rap, Pinoy Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop, Rap Rock
Languages: Filipino, English
Years Active: 1992 – present
Labels | Management:
- Universal Records (2021 – present)
- Sony Music Philippines (2005 – 2012)
- Star Music (2000 – 2005)
Photo: Gloc-9 Kantang Canton Official Music Video
About Gloc-9
From Binangonan to the Underground
Aptly named after a Greek philosopher, Aristotle Pollisco, more popularly known as Gloc-9, dishes out contemporary observations of the common Filipino man’s experience. Born in Binangonan, Rizal in the 70s, he fell for hip-hop as a teenager and started chasing it in 1992, drawn in after catching a drive-by rap show fronted by Andrew E.
That hunger led him to Death Threat, one of the pioneering names in Filipino underground rap. It was the group’s leader, Beware, who handed him his stage name. Aristotle had floated harder aliases, but Beware suggested something catchier: “Glock 9,” after the handgun, minus the “k.” The name stuck for good.
His years in the underground were no overnight success. With Death Threat and later a duo with Hi-Jakkk, he cut records that moved serious units in the late 1990s, including the multi-platinum “Kings of da Undaground.” He was also quietly building a very different safety net: he studied nursing, and would later earn the degree.
Star Music and Going Mainstream
The big turn came in 2000. A demo of his made its way to Christian Martinez of Star Music, reportedly rescued from a scrap box by an ABS-CBN executive, and it opened the door to the mainstream. He began writing and recording songs for Star Cinema films, including tracks for “Jologs” and “Trip.”
He kept sharpening his craft on record. His 2002 Awit Awards win for Best Rap Recording with “Isang Araw” was an early signal that this was a rapper worth watching, and albums like “Ako Si…” (2005) and “Diploma” (2007) built his name with a wider audience.
Through this stretch he leaned into the thing that would define him: a fast, dense, chopper-style flow paired with lyrics that actually said something. Where a lot of chart rap chased the party, Gloc-9 kept sneaking real stories into radio playlists.
“Upuan” and the Rise of the Storyteller
Everything clicked with “Upuan” in 2009. Written while he was still a nursing student and moved by what he saw inside public hospitals, the song used the image of a comfortable chair to call out the powerful who forget the people who put them there. Featuring Jeazell Grutas, it swept local countdowns and became a genuine cultural moment.
At the 2010 Awit Awards, “Upuan” made history as the first rap song ever named Song of the Year, and it did not stop there, also taking Best Collaboration, Best Rap Performance, and Best Engineered Recording. Suddenly the underground kid was the country’s foremost rap storyteller.
He pressed the advantage with some of OPM’s most talked-about singles. “Sirena” (2012), featuring Ebe Dancel, told the story of a gay man and his father with rare tenderness. “Magda” (2013) with Rico Blanco and “Walang Natira” (2011) with Sheng Belmonte proved he could turn social commentary into songs people sang by heart.
He also became OPM’s great collaborator, trading verses with everyone from Parokya ni Edgar to Regine Velasquez. One of his most beloved live pairings is with KZ Tandingan, whose stripped-down “Upuan” with him on the Wish 107.5 Bus became a viral favorite.
Elder Statesman of OPM Hip-Hop
By the 2010s, Gloc-9 had grown into a figure who mattered well beyond the charts. In 2012 he was named a National Peace Ambassador and performed in conflict-affected regions, and his advocacy work stretched from responsible voting to anti-bullying.
His catalog kept expanding with ambitious concept albums such as “MKNM: Mga Kwento ng Makata” (2012), “Liham at Lihim” (2013), and “Sukli” (2016), alongside a long run of Awit and Myx honors that placed him among the most awarded OPM artists of his generation.
He has stayed prolific into the 2020s, releasing “Poot at Pag-ibig” (2021), “Pilak” (2023), “Sari-Sari Story” (2024), and “Project A” (2025), while mentoring a new wave of Filipino rappers. Decades in, he is still doing the thing he does best: turning ordinary Filipino lives into songs that stick.
Videos
Albums
- G9 (2003)
- Ako Si… (2005)
- Diploma (2007)
- Matrikula (2009)
- Talumpati (2011)
- MKNM: Mga Kwento ng Makata (2012)
- Liham at Lihim (2013)
- Sukli (2016)
- Poot at Pag-ibig (2021)
- Pilak (2023)
- Sari-Sari Story (2024)
- Project A (2025)
Singles
- Isang Araw (2002)
- Sayang (2005)
- Sumayaw Ka (2009)
- Upuan, feat. Jeazell Grutas (2009)
- Hari ng Tondo, feat. Denise Barbacena (2011)
- Walang Natira, feat. Sheng Belmonte (2011)
- Sirena, feat. Ebe Dancel (2012)
- Magda, feat. Rico Blanco (2013)
- Businessman (2015)
- Hoy! (2017)
- Halik, feat. Flow G (2020)
Song Collaborations
- Bagsakan (Parokya ni Edgar & Francis Magalona – 2008)
- Upuan (Jeazell Grutas – 2009)
- Hari ng Tondo (Denise Barbacena – 2011)
- Walang Natira (Sheng Belmonte – 2011)
- Sirena (Ebe Dancel – 2012)
- Magda (Rico Blanco – 2013)
- Halik (Flow G – 2020)
- Kalakal (SB19 – 2024)
TV
- Protégé: The Battle for the Big Break (2011)
- Pilipinas Got Talent, Season 4 (2013)
- The Clash (2018)
Awards
Awit Awards
- Best Rap Recording (Isang Araw – 2002)
- Song of the Year (Upuan – 2010)
- Best Collaboration (Upuan – 2010)
- Best Rap Performance (Upuan – 2010)
- Best Engineered Recording (Upuan – 2010)
Myx Music Awards
- Rap Artist of the Year (2005)
- Rap Artist of the Year (2006)
- Rap Artist of the Year (2007)
- Rap Artist of the Year (2008)
- Rap Artist of the Year (2009)
- Favorite Urban Video (Upuan – 2010)
Wish 107.5 Music Awards
- Wish Artist of the Year (2021)
Nominations
Wish 107.5 Music Awards
- Multiple nominations for “Businessman,” including Male Artist and Urban Song categories (2016)
Perspective
Gloc-9 raps the way the best short-story writers write: fast, unshowy, and quietly devastating. He can pack a whole life into three minutes, a hospital hallway, a mother’s worry, a father learning to love his son as he is. Put on “Sirena” or “Upuan” and you realize you are not just hearing a rapper, you are hearing the country talk to itself.
Praise for the Artist
a blacksmith of words and letters, and a true Filipino poet
– Francis Magalona (fellow artist and collaborator)
7 Things to Know About Gloc-9
Wish 107.5 Music Awards
Considered to be the country’s foremost rapper and a superb storyteller, Gloc-9 bared his heart and soul with each song, ensuring that the various Filipino stories are fully understood and felt by the audience.
– Gian Carlo Vizcarra
Gloc-9 mirrors the hearts of Pinoys
Philstar.com
Gloc-9 uses his voice to create music that needs to be heard, not just by a couple of people but for the whole nation.
– Corinne Molly Martinez
Here’s why Gloc-9 is the undisputed OPM king of hip-hop
Metroscene Mag
Contact
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Trivia
- He is a licensed nurse. He finished his nursing degree around 2010 but chose to pursue music, and has said in interviews that he may return to nursing someday.
- Several of his songs, including tracks from the album “Matrikula,” have been used as learning material in the Department of Education’s K-12 curriculum.
- In 2012 he was appointed a National Peace Ambassador by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, performing for peace efforts in conflict-affected areas.
- His song “Sirena,” about a gay man and his father, took on a deeper personal meaning after his son Sean Daniel came out as gay in 2022.
- “Upuan” found a second life in 2025, re-entering the Billboard Philippines charts roughly 16 years after its release as it became an anthem at nationwide anti-corruption protests.
- Before he broke through, he worked in fast food and as a music researcher for a media company.
- He dropped the “k” from “Glock” for his stage name to make it read better as a rap name.
Posted: August 15, 2026