Paul N Ballin wants you to know the real him

Facing an eager crowd, Paul N Ballin is as confident as ever. He moves across the stage like he owns it, and spits bar after bar as the audience cheers. 

He showcases the same bravado you would expect to see after listening to his high-powered tracks, but when the music stops, he is no longer the same person. 

“Napakalayo,” the rising hip-hop star immediately answers when asked if the version of Paul we’d see in a casual setting is the same one we witness on stage. “Sa stage, minsan nagiging monster ako eh. Beast mode. Kailangan talagang character ka sa stage eh. ‘Yung angas mo dapat hindi nawawala ‘pag ando’n ka.” 

(It’s far from it. On stage, sometimes I become a monster. Beast mode. You have to be a character on stage. Your boldness should never waver when you’re there.)

It’s a persona he acknowledges his fans have come to love him for, and it’s a show he enjoys putting on time and time again. The minute he steps off the platform, however, that intensity seems to melt away. You see the real Paul N Ballin — soft-spoken, never forgets to say po and opo, and always answers calmly when you’re in conversation with him. 

The rapper is full of surprises, and so is the road it took for his music to be what it is now. 

Getting back up

The 2026 Spotify RADAR artist’s earliest encounter with music was through his father, who was a choir member at church. His parents would sign him up for singing contests here and there, but rap was what he really fell in love with. 

Unlike most young artists, it wasn’t through the hip-hop stars on the radio that he became entranced with the art of rhyme, but through the obscure rappers he’d observe on the streets of his hometown of Makati City. Since then, it would become clear that hip-hop for Paul N Ballin isn’t something you fly solo for. Good as you may be on your own, much of your repertoire is built with the help of the people who have been there for you since day one. 

Just ask Sordan and Playboy Baby, his longtime friends and labelmates at Rawstarr Records. Even before they each became the rising stars they are today, they’ve been dancing, singing, and rapping alongside each other for fun since 2009. It was Paul N Ballin who encouraged them to kick-start their music careers, all while he was trying to get his own name out there. 

“Thankful din kami kasi hinugot niya rin kami. Kumbaga ‘yung music career namin, habang pinapaandar niya ‘yung kanya, tinutulungan niya rin kami,” Playboy Baby told Rappler. 

(We’re thankful because he pulled us in. While he was trying to get his music career to take off, he was helping us, too.) 

It goes both ways. Just when Paul N Ballin thought his career would sail smoothly, heartbreak would unexpectedly set him back. He’d spend days isolating himself in a dark room, only eating when Playboy Baby would bring food up to his apartment. His friends helped Paul N Ballin get through the ordeal. 

“Sobrang depressed ako no’ng time na ‘yun,” Paul N Ballin confessed. “Dumating na lang din ‘yung isang araw na para siyang wake-up call na, ‘Uy, masyado ka nang nalulunod diyan sa dilim. Usad na. Pumunta ka na ng studio.’”

(I was so depressed at that time. The day just came when I received a sort of wake-up call where I realized, “Hey, you’re drowning in the darkness. Move forward. Go to the studio.”) 

After several years with Psychedelic Boyz — the hitmakers behind “Rawstarr ‘Til I Die” — Paul N Ballin got up and recorded his first song as a solo artist in 2021. His first-ever single, “Ballin’,” would eventually serve as a full-circle moment for him. It’s a collaboration with breakout rap act Flow G, whom he considers his biggest influence to this day. 

Play Video

How ‘POGI’ changed things for him

What would serve as Paul N Ballin’s biggest breakthrough, however, is his song “POGI.” The viral hit came out in 2023, but it took two whole years for it to take off, and Paul N Ballin himself didn’t even know it.

“‘Pag may ginagawa akong music, tinitingnan ko lang siya ng one to two weeks. And then, ‘pag hindi naman siya pumutok, nag-mo-move on na ako. Kumbaga, ‘Ah, okay, baka hindi pa ito ‘yung tama para sa akin na tunog,’” he explained. 

(When I make music, I observe it for one to two weeks. And then, when it doesn’t go viral, I just move on. It’s like, “Oh, okay, maybe this isn’t the right sound for me.”) 

The rapper was mistaken. It was only when he got invited to model for a clothing brand to rep “POGI” that he’d realize thousands of people had begun making videos to the song he had released two years before. What started out as a song he just wrote for the fun of it would eventually open new doors he never would have dreamed of stepping into. 

TV guesting invites began to pour in, and Paul N Ballin would eventually find himself mingling with the celebrities he had once only seen on screen. More than that, though, it was through this song that he would turn his life around tremendously. 

“Dati kasi, hindi ako nakakaipon. Nabaon din ako sa utang. Na-lost din ako, hanggang sa nawala ‘yung Psychedelic Boyz no’ng pandemic and nag-decide ako maging solo artist. No’ng nakabangon ako ulit, hindi ko na siya tinigilan,” he recounted, thanking his producer Mark Beats for encouraging him to keep his solo career going. 

(Before, I wasn’t able to save money. I racked up a lot of debt. I felt lost, too, until Psychedelic Boyz stopped during the pandemic and I decided to become a solo artist. When I got back up, I never stopped.) 

As people watch him perform live and discover his music beyond “POGI,” Paul N Ballin wants onlookers to know that he’s really just Paul at the end of the day. 

“Huwag sila masyadong mayabangan sa akin kasi iba ako sa camera and iba ako sa totoong buhay. Minsan, doon sila nalilito, sa kung paano kanila nakikita on-cam and in real life. Siyempre, lahat naman tayo ginaganapan lang natin ‘yung karakter natin,” he said. 

Appreciate Paul N Ballin for his bold artistry, but look beyond the surface. That’s where you’ll find the real Paul. – Rappler.com