On a rainy Friday evening at Sine Pop in Quezon City, Elijah Canlas opened up about his latest single and music video, “Joseph K,” a bold hip-hop track inspired by Franz Kafka’s novel “The Trial” and Orson Welles’ film adaptation.
This fourth single marks a new chapter in the musical journey of elijah the music artist where personal experience blends with political and social commentary through the energy of hip-hop.
Elijah explained how the song was born from a deeply personal place.
“Actually, I watched this movie ‘The Trial’ directed by Orson Welles. It’s based on this book by Franz Kafka with the same title and the protagonist is Joseph K. He gets arrested on his 30th birthday by the police,” he related, “Personally, I’ve been accused of something before, and I suffered the consequences even if I wasn’t guilty.”
This experience gave him the idea for the song that reflects on injustice and confusion.
The artist revealed that when he finished it in 2021, “Joseph K” sounded like a Christian song. “Then my producer said, ‘What if we translate into an underground hip-hop banger?’ And I’m happy about that. So, thank you so much.”
He described the project as a labor of love and said the music video, directed by Dan Villegas, brought the vision to life in ways he never imagined. Shot in black and white, the visual style pays homage to Orson Welles’ 1962 “The Trial,” which captures the atmosphere of Kafka’s work.
“When the label told me they wanted to make a music video, I was thinking it should be black and white because of the book ‘The Trial’ and the film by Orson Welles was shot beautifully in black and white. When they offered it to Dan Villegas to direct, his first text to me was ‘Uy ako ang gagawa ng video mo. Ano ang tingin mo sa black and white?.’ So it was always meant to be in black and white. Then nakuha pa namin ang location ang Session Hall, it was perfect….”
Elijah acknowledged the song’s unique sound and his hip-hop influences, noting, “Not everybody vibes to it. Luckily, my friends around me are hip-hop fans also so I get inspiration and new influences. This is griming hip-hop, not really melodic type. The beat is mad low and it’s a chanting kind of hook and chorus.”
He also clarified this was his first official hip-hop music video, though not his first video overall.
When asked about his musical inspirations, Elijah cited a mix of Filipino and international hiphop artists, including Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller, Gloc-9, Shanti Dope, Abra and ‘90s JayZ. “Number one is Kendrick Lamar. He’s very political, with brilliant social commentary and is a brilliant writer.”
He also said he communicates with his label about artists he’d love to collaborate with. “Hip-hop is a very creative genre but I’m trying to stay true to myself and my writing. Hopefully, people will appreciate it.”
On the message behind the song and video, Elijah was clear. “I wrote this song and even when we made the music video, it was really a personal thing. But because art is universal, it’s for the consumer and also personal. And art is political, as always. Sa lahat ng ginagawa ko. When I create art, I try to give it meaning, whether socially or politically. So kapag napanood ito, may makaka gets na minsan ang hustisya ay hindi necessarily hustisya. Pag sinabi ng sistema na ito ang hustisya, it does not necessarily mean it becomes beneficial for everybody involved — not just the victims or suspects but the whole system. Medyo flawed talaga ang sistema, ang batas, ang gobyerno. I think hip-hop is the perfect genre to comment on these things. Dun din nagsimula ang root nya way back, in the Black community, it has always been political. Hindi lahat ng hiphop songs ay misogynistic, but many have important messages, and I want to be one of those artists.”
Elijah also revealed that Joseph K is part of a larger musical journey. “This is my fourth song released. I have four songs now on all streaming platforms. One is an R&B song, but my upcoming album has eight out of ten hip-hop songs. The other two are kind of folk and indie and R&B. I’m playing around, but my heart really belongs to hip hop.”
