Want a Ride in Toro y Moi’s Jeepney?

Earlier this month, musical artist Toro y Moi handed over the keys to his car in front of Westfield Mall in San Francisco. But it wasn’t just any car: It was the jeepney that graces the cover of his 2022 album Mahal, and which became a recognizable symbol of his music.

“It was pretty emotional,” Bear said. “But I think this is the start of something that can leave a lasting impact on the city and hopefully inspire others.”

In August, the Oakland singer and songwriter — real name Chaz Bear — donated his festively adorned jeepney to San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural District, where it will become a mini tour bus, says SOMA Pilipinas Director Raquel Redondiez.

“For me, the jeepney represents the community, and SOMA will carry that torch really well,” he said.

Outside the mall, Filipinos jumped out of their cars and crowded the sidewalk to take pictures on Mission Street, said Redondiez, recalling the celebratory handoff.

“Jeepneys are probably one of the most iconic cultural symbols for Filipinos as relics of American colonial occupation that’s been transformed into mass transit,” Redondiez said. “They’re really colorful and personalized, and representative of Filipino creativity.”

A relic turned cultural icon

In a short film for Mahal starring Bear and comedian Eric Andre, an opening shot shows the sun rising over the Transamerica Pyramid as Bear listens to “Jeepney Rock” radio. When Bear’s gull-wing Tesla runs out of battery, Andre comes to the rescue via the jeepney, cackling maniacally as the car swerves and screeches to a halt like a Looney Tunes cartoon. (“You smell like my ex-wife,” Andre says in true, out-of-pocket form.)

Bear says the broken-down Tesla was a bit of cheeky commentary.

“With San Francisco being a tech-centric city, the jeepney — this old relic that’s been through World Wars — symbolizes how culture can live throughout technology and surpass it,” he explained.

In the film, Bear and Andre’s pursuit of Andre’s lost pug becomes a psychedelic adventure as Bear narrates a brief history of the jeepney. “Each vehicle was customized to reflect the personal identity of the driver and handed down from generation to generation,” he says.

The cultural district is interested in converting the Jeepney to an electric vehicle, Redondiez said, but will retain its unique design.

Jeepneys are known for being ornate and distinctive, and SOMA’s new jeepney is no exception — it’s downright gorgeous. Its cobalt blue exterior is accented with elaborate geometric and organic patterns. Bear hit up Bay Area jeweler Gretchen Carvajal for laser-cut Filipino suns and diamonds inscribed with “mahal” that now dangle like jewels along the perimeter of the car’s roof. The co-mingling of contemporary flourishes with the car’s original features, like its 1942 engine, makes for a spectacular melding of time periods and cultures.

For Bear, the jeepney’s cultural hybridity runs parallel with his own identity as a Black and Filipino American.

“There is a lot of hip-hop in the Filipino community,” he said. “And before there were cars with rims and crazy sound systems, jeepneys were some of the first forms of expressional vehicles.”

A vehicle for the culture, literally

When Bear found the jeepney on eBay in 2021, it became a “pandemic-friendly” vehicle for pop-up performances of Mahal, which Bear has characterized as an Americana album for its subliminal reflections on life in the States.

Meanwhile, the Filipino Cultural District had been looking for a jeepney for several years. Redondiez even visited Sarao Motors, the “premier jeepney manufacturer” in Manila, to look for one, but came up empty-handed.

“It’s really because of the waves of displacement that so many Filipinos are spread across SOMA, so it’s been really hard to cover our landmarks on a walking tour,” she said. “The hope was to use a jeepney for our cultural tour.”

When SOMA Pilipinas heard Toro y Moi had one, the organization reached out and asked if he’d ever be interested in selling it.

“It was kind of a surprise that he would just be donating it to us,” Redondiez said. “Every time we would go to check out the jeepney, I could tell how much Chaz loves it. Even as we were towing it away, you could see how much joy it gave him.”