'Panalo': Pinoy rapper Ez Mil signs with record labels of Eminem, Dr. Dre

Filipino-American rapper Ez Mil has signed with the music labels owned by rap legends Eminem and Dr. Dre.

Eminem shared the news on his Instagram account with a photo of them together on Thursday, July 27. "Me and Dre back at it. Check @ezekielmiller aka Ez Mil out," he captioned his post, tagging their record labels.

In a release, Eminem's Shady Records said Ez Mil is among only a few artists like 50 Cent who signed directly with the label, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records, which has Eminem and Dr. Dre's studio albums.

The label noted how Eminem first heard Ez Mil's rapping skills through the music video Up Down, which also showcased his dancing chops. Eminem also shared the music video on X (Twitter), saying, "This is why we signed him."

Ez Mil, who lives in Las Vegas, then drove to Los Angeles and met with Eminem and Dr. Dre.

"Powered by lithe, expressive vocals, dexterous raps, and songwriting know-how, Ez Mil’s latest level up is the product of talent, hard work, and a keen knowledge of his own audience," Shady Records said. "[I]n this case, that crowd happened to include Slim Shady himself."

Shady Records also noted that Ez Mil, who's originally under Virgin Music, will be releasing his final project with the label titled DU4LI7Y: REDUX, the deluxe edition of his 2022 long play. It will carry the new single Realest featuring Eminem and will be out on Aug. 11.

For Realest, the two artists will "bludgeon a pulsing beat with a barrage of multisyllabic rhyme schemes and the sorts of quippy wordplay that made Shady a legend," according to the release.

Shady Records noted how Eminem and Dr. Dre made timeless music, and how they'll help Ez Mil follow in those footsteps "building off the work of Virgin."

"We’ve never been out there signing a lot of artists, and one of the great things about how we built Shady is how selective we’ve been,” Eminem is quoted as saying. "And it’s even rarer that Dre and I sign something together—but I heard Ez’s music and was like, ‘this is really special' so I took it to Dre."

"Em played me Ez and I had that feeling... that thing that happens when we both know we’ve found something special. And that was it. Let’s get to work," added Dr. Dre.

Hailing from Olongapo, Ez Mil rose to fame in 2021 after performing his song Panalo (Trap Cariñosa) on Wish USA. 

Ez Mil is the son of Paul Sapiera, the frontman of OPM band Rockstar known for the hits Parting Time, Mahal Pa Rin Kita, and Ika'y Mahal Pa Rin.