Boxer Manny Pacquiao's son packs a punch ... as a rapper

Michael Pacquiao is forging his own path as a rapper, releasing his first album last month. Photo: Michael Pacquiao/Instagram

Like his father Manny Pacquiao, 18-year-old Michael is not pulling any punches. But unlike him, his fight isn't in the boxing ring. It's in the music arena.

Michael, the eldest child of the renowned boxer-turned-senator, has been dipping his toes in the world of hip hop music to positive reviews.

Michael first experimented with producing music for other Filipino artistes, posting his works on his YouTube Channel about six months ago.

Listeners first got a taste of Michael's rap skills when he collaborated with Filipino rapper Michael Bars on Pac-Man, a song dedicated to his boxing legend father. It has since garnered some 2.8 million YouTube views.

In July, he finally felt ready to step into the spotlight, writing and performing all 11 tracks of his first album, Dreams.

Social media was abuzz and full of praise upon hearing Michael's first live performance of Hate, off his debut album.

So much so, the performance, uploaded on Aug 5, has since racked up six million videos.

"I didn't expect that this is gonna be a hit," he told ABS-CBN News.

Michael further revealed he never envisioned a music career for himself, wanting to become a basketball player instead:

“I wanted to be in the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association). I wanted to be in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League). Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamt of being the best player," he shared.

"My inspirations are Kobe, Steph Curry and LeBron. That was my first. I’ve worked hard. But since quarantine happened, it kinda stopped. I kinda felt down by that. But music was there and I have a passion for music."

Watch the much talked-about performance here: