Abra (rapper)

Last updated

Abra
Abra (rapper).jpg
Abra performing in 2015
Background information
Born
Raymond Mikael Camino Abracosa

(1988-12-01) December 1, 1988 (age 36) [1] [2] [3]
Pasig, Philippines
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • actor
Instrument Vocals
Years active2010–present
Labels
Website Facebook
Youtube
Instagram
X

Raymond Mikael Camino Abracosa [4] (born December 1, 1988 [5] [6] ), known as Abra, is a Filipino rapper, hip hop recording artist, and actor. He rose to fame with his hit song "Gayuma," which gained significant popularity, reaching over 100 million views on YouTube by 2025. [7] [8] [9] Prior to his rise in the music scene, he was already well-known as a battle emcee in the FlipTop Battle League.

Contents

Early life and education

Raymond Mikael Camino Abracosa was born on December 1, 1988, in Pasig, Philippines. He is the middle child in a family of three siblings, with his father working as a professor and his mother did not have a background in music. His parents supported his early interest in the arts, enrolling him in painting classes and exposing him to various forms of literature and cinema. One of his significant early influences was the film 8 Mile, which introduced him to rap music. [10]

He completed his high school education at Colegio San Agustin – Makati and later pursued a degree in Management Accounting at the University of Asia and the Pacific in Ortigas Center. [11] By the age of 23, he had founded his own recording label, Artifice Records.

Career

Music

Abra began his career in 2010 as a member of the Pinoy hip hop group Lyrically Deranged Poets (LDP) and joined the FlipTop Battle League. LDP's debut album, The Project, was released in 2009, and the group won Best Urban Group at the 2010 and 2011 Urban Music Awards. During this time, Abra also gained prominence in the FlipTop League, becoming a key figure in Filipino rap battling.

Abra gained prominence as a battle rapper, but it was his solo work, notably the 2012 hit song "Gayuma," that cemented his status in the Philippine music scene. The song went viral, reaching 20 million views on YouTube and becoming one of the most-watched music videos by a Filipino artist at the time. [12]

In 2013, Abra signed with Ivory Music & Video [13] and released his debut solo album in 2014. [14] His YouTube channel, Abra TV, won the Best Music on YouTube Award at the 2013 Globe Tatt Awards. [15] [16] He also collaborated with Maja Salvador on the song "Halika Na" in 2014 [17] and released the hit single "Diwata" featuring Chito Miranda the same year. [18] In 2016, the music video for "Cerberus", featuring Loonie and Ron Henley and directed by Willan Rivera, won Best Music Video at the Myx Music Awards 2016.

After a hiatus, Abra made his comeback in 2025 with a new song "Kontrol". This marked Abra’s first release since his 2018 EP Hendrix. [19]

Acting

Abra has also acted, earning the Best Actor award at the 41st Gawad Urian Awards for his role in Respeto, a film about an aspiring rapper. [20] He has also appeared in Boy Pick-Up: The Movie and Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles.

Discography

Albums

Group albums

  • The Project (with Lyrically Deranged Poets) (2009) [13]

Extended plays

  • Hendrix EP (2018)

Compilation albums

Singles

Television and media appearances

Television

Film

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Music

AwardYearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
Awit Awards 2014Best Collaboration"Diwata" (with Chito Miranda)Nominated [21]
Best Performance by a new Male Recording Artist"Cerberus" (with Loonie & Ron Henley)Nominated
Best Rap RecordingNominated
Music Video of the Year"Ilusyon" (with Arci Muñoz)Won
2015Best Album Package"Abra"Nominated [22]
Best Rap Recording"Dedma" (with Julie Anne San Jose)Won
2017Favorite Music Video"Label" (with Myrtle Sarrosa)Won [23]
Aliw Awards 2013Best New Solo Artist"Abra"Won [24]
2014Best Collaboration in a Concert"Artifice Unplugged" (with Rjay Ty, Alex Omiunu & Stick Figgas)Nominated [25]
MYX Music Awards 2013Favorite New Artist"Abra"Nominated [26]
Favorite Male ArtistNominated
Favorite Music Video"Gayuma" with (Thyro and Jeriko Aguilar)Won
Favorite Urban VideoWon
2014Favorite Male Artist"Abra"Nominated [27]
Favorite MYX Celebrity VJWon
Favorite Music Video"Ilusyon" (with Arci Muñoz)Nominated
Favorite Urban VideoNominated
2015Favorite Collaboration"Dedma" (with Julie Anne San Jose)Nominated [28]
Favorite Male Artist"Abra"Nominated
Favorite Music Video"Dedma"Nominated
Favorite Urban VideoNominated
2016Favorite Collaboration"Diwata" (with Chito Miranda)Nominated [29]
Favorite Male Artist"Abra"Nominated
Favorite Urban Video"Cerberus" (with Loonie & Ron Henley directed by Willan Rivera)Nominated
"Diwata"Won
Best Music Video"Cerberus" (with Loonie & Ron Henley directed by Willan Rivera)Won
2017Best Music Video"Bolang Kristal" (with KZ Tandingan)Nominated [30]
Favorite CollaborationNominated
Favorite Urban VideoNominated
Wish Music Awards 2019Wishclusive Hip-hop Performance of the Year"Taya"Nominated [31]

Film

AwardYearCategoryNominated workResultRef
41st Gawad Urian Awards 2018Best Actor (Pinakamahusay na Pangunahing Aktor)"Respeto"Won [32]

References

  1. ↑ "Abra - Artist Page". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ ABS-CBN Star Cinema (October 11, 2014). Part 1 ABRA answers questions from the Wrecking Bowl. YouTube. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  3. ↑ Manolo Gamboa (November 7, 2013). RYZZA MAE SHOW with ABRA # 1. YouTube. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Abra – YouTube Music Channel". YouTube Music. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Abra - Artist Page". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  6. ↑ Idyll Peroramas (December 1, 2020). "Post by Idyll Peroramas". Facebook.
  7. ↑ "Fliptop rapper taps Vice Ganda for new single". ABS-CBN News . March 12, 2012. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ "20M Hits on YOUTUBE: ABRA sets a high bar". PhilippineShowbizNews.com. March 26, 2013. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Gayuma – Abra (feat. Thyro & Jeriko Aguilar)". YouTube. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Six things you didn't know about rapper Abra". GMA News Online. April 10, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  11. ↑ Jr, Bayani San Diego (April 6, 2013). "Abra's crib no hip-hop". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  12. ↑ Allan Policarpio (March 29, 2013). "20M hits on YouTube: Abra sets a high bar". Inquirer Entertainment.
  13. 1 2 "Abra, Artifice Records sign up with Ivory Music & Video". The Philippine Star. June 10, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Abra releases debut album". 16 March 2014. The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Abra TV". Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  16. ↑ Globe Tatt Awards 2013 Winners List Revealed Archived October 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . Philnews.ph (2013-07-06). Retrieved on 2015-09-01
  17. ↑ "Maja Salvador: 'Believe and it will happen'". 29 March 2014. Manila Times. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  18. ↑ "MYXclusive: ABRA Talks About His Hit Music Video "Diwata"! - MYX | YOUR CHOICE. YOUR MUSIC". November 25, 2016. Archived from the original on November 25, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  19. ↑ Gabriel Saulog (January 23, 2025). "Abra to make his long-awaited comeback with "Kontrol"". Billboard Philippines.
  20. ↑ "Gawad Urian Awards 2018: Complete list of winners". Rappler. June 14, 2018. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Gloc 9 nabs top honors at 2014 Awit Awards". abs-cbn.com. December 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Sarah G, Yeng, Darren lead winners in 28th Awit Awards". abs-cbn.com. December 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  23. ↑ "List of Winners for the 30th AWIT Awards". starchannelph.blogspot.com. November 26, 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Mitoy on a roll, wins at 26th Aliw Awards". news.abs-cbn.com. October 9, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Aliw Awards 2014 Finalists Revealed". pep.ph. November 21, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  26. ↑ "WINNERS: Myx Music Awards 2013". rappler.com. March 20, 2013. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Full list, Winners and nominees, MYX Music Awards 2014". rappler.com. March 27, 2014. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  28. ↑ "MYX Music Awards 2015 Nominees Announced". philippineconcerts.com. February 22, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  29. ↑ "FULL LIST: Winners, Myx Music Awards 2016". rappler.com. March 15, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  30. ↑ "LIST: MYX Music Awards 2017 nominees revealed". February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  31. ↑ "The 4th Wish 107.5 Music Awards: Nominees, New Categories, and More". Wish 107.5. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Gawad Urian Awards 2018: Complete list of winners". Rappler. June 14, 2018. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
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