1994

After years of on and off gigs on and off campus, the band was fortuitously given a chance to make a demo recording of three original compositions, Praning, Kuwento ni Del, & And I See.   Of the three, Praning was submitted to the Pinoy alternative music radio station LA 105.9, where it received massive airplay and eventually went on to hold the no.1 spot in the station's countdown for six straight weeks.

Popularity bolstered the band's reputation and paved the way for performances at rock bars such as Mayric's and Club Dredd and at major concerts within Metro Manila.   It was, however, the entry into Club Dredd that was to make the most impact on the band's future as the club's owner, Patrick Reidenbach, would soon offer to manage the band.   It was clear to everyone that the group was about to deliver a more significant blow to the local music scene.

1995-1996

Management eventually brokered a deal with Universal Records, and in August of 1995, the Datu's Tribe debut, Galit Kami Sa Baboy, was released into a music environment mushrooming with rock fanatics.   The album contained 10 solid tracks that poured more gasoline into the fires started by the Big Three of 1994: The Youth, Yano, & The Eraserheads.   Along with Datu's Tribe, acts such as Teeth, Wolfgang, Razorback, Mutiny, and many others, released albums in 1995 and established the supremacy of Pinoy Rock in the local airwaves for several years.

After reaching sales of 20,000+ copies in a few months time, Galit Kami Sa Baboy achieved Gold Record status. A nomination in the Awit Awards for Best Rock Group, recognition from the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Eric Caruncho as the “Best New Group” of 1995 (Sunday Inquirer Magazine's Best of 1995) and numerous other accolades from fans and music critics alike made the band's status in the local music scene unassailable.

Major tours in Baguio, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon Province, Iloilo, Antique, Davao, and Gen. Santos, as well as major cause-oriented youth concerts all over Metro Maniila helped the band earn a reputation for creating unclassifiable, gut-wrenching, acid-witted songs that promoted social and political action and awareness. By the end of 1996, Datu's Tribe had already become a household name in thousands of broken and/or mildly dysfunctional family homes all across the country!