Following the breakout success of his full-length album, BACKSHOTS, Filipino rapper WAIIAN officially opens a brand-new era in music with the release of his new single, “2RARE,” featuring fellow hip-hop heavyweight Rjay Ty. Serving as the lead single from his highly anticipated album arriving later this year, the track announces the return of one of Philippine hip-hop’s most important young voices with sharper focus and an unmistakable hunger for what’s next.
Entrenched in hard-hitting production and razor-sharp verses, “2RARE” reveals an artist whose ambitions have only grown larger. More than a comeback record, the single stands as a declaration that the artist once considered a rare discovery has now stepped into the spotlight, ready to push further, move faster, and reach ever greater heights.”
“I chose ‘2RARE’ because it’s one of the loudest songs on the project, and I felt like it had been a while since I put out a straight-up rap track,” says the urban hitmaker. “It represents a side of me that fans have been waiting to hear again. At the same time, it gives a glimpse of what’s coming with the new album—the energy and the direction I’m taking in this next chapter.”
The release also fulfills a collaboration that fans have been hoping for since the start of his career. Although WAIIAN and Rjay Ty had shared several writing sessions over time, the opportunity to create a record that truly reflected both artists only arrived when the timing—and the chemistry—finally aligned. Rather than simply exchanging verses, the pair painstakingly crafted every element of the song alongside producers from Kashira, helming its structure, dynamics, and overall energy into a record that feels both effortless and intentional.
WAIIAN explains, “I’ve wanted to collaborate with Rjay for a long time, but I never really felt ‘ready.’ Maybe because of the expectations, or maybe because it’s a little intimidating working with someone you’ve looked up to for so long. Now that I have the new studio, I was running out of excuses not to finally make it happen. We put a lot of thought into the entire song, not just laying down our verses and calling it a day. Every decision was made with one goal in mind: to make a song we’d all love to listen to ourselves. We figured if we loved it first, there’s a good chance the listeners would feel the same.”
Sonically speaking, “2RARE” emerged through experimentation rather than imitation. Created without relying on specific musical references, the track evolved organically as WAIIAN, Rjay Ty, and the Kashira production team pushed one another creatively, refining ideas until they landed a jab that felt unmistakably their own. The willingness to explore and experiment mirrors the artistic direction of the forthcoming album, which promises to venture across limitless sonic landscapes while remaining grounded in WAIIAN’s lyrical craft.
“I want my fans to believe in themselves and know that it’s cool to be different—to sound different, think different, and be different,” WAIIAN points out. “I hope this project encourages people to embrace what makes them unique instead of trying to fit in. That’s what I strive for with every song I make. If people walk away from ‘2RARE’ and the album feeling more confident in who they are and inspired to express themselves without fear of judgment, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.”
WAIIAN and Rjay Ty’s “2RARE” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment.
