This Filipino-American Scientist-Turned-Rapper Just Received the Prestigious Vilcek Prize

Ruby Ibarra used to work in the biotechnology industry. Now, she's gone on to be a Filipino-American rap sensation. For her efforts on and off the stage, the Vilcek Foundation just named her one of the three recipients of its 2023 Vilcek Foundation Prize for Creative Promise in Music.

Established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, the Vilcek Foundation has given away $7-million worth of prizes to immigrants, as well as $5.8 million in grants to various organizations. The Tacloban-born Ibarra was chosen because of the themes she tackles in her performances, which include lyrics that talk about colonialism, immigration, and misogyny.

Ibarra moved to the United States sometime in the '90s. She would eventually make her way to the San Francisco Bay Area.

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>pShe has always referenced her Asian identity in her work. In 2012, Ibarra had released her mixtape entitled Lost in Translation, which would be played on radio stations and networks across the United States. The artist would release her album CIRCA91 five years later, debuting her hit single "Us." In one of its hooks, it had even added lyrics in Tagalog like “Island women rise, walang makakatigil.”>pIbarra had also released a documentary back in 2018 about her work with Filipinx communities. Nothing on US: Pinays Rising, which focused on the scholarship program she co-founded, was featured in various countries and film festivals in and around the West.>pWhile Ibarra says that she had been influenced by '90s hip-hop stars like Tupac, Eminem, and Wu-Tang Clan, among others, she still credits the first rapper who she actually heard. According to Ibarra, she had first been acquainted with rap music at the age of four.>pALSO READ:>pShanti Dope and Flow G Are Checking up on Everyone in 'Kamusta?'>pWho Is Shanti Dope, the Filipino Rapper Whose Song Was Featured in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?>p"I remember I was at home with my family and there was this rapper named Francis Magalona, who was performing on TV. I instantly gravitated towards the sounds that were coming out of this performer's mouth. I think up until that point, I hadn't realized that you're able to use your voice as an instrument," she said in an interview with TODAY.>pIbarra, together with Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, founded the Pinays Rising Scholarship program for Filipino and Filipinx youth who hope to pursue higher education. The program has since went on to provide 30 scholarships since 2018.>p