The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 65

< Verse 11. Hommie Vol.1 >

***

Moon Ji-yeon, a second-year assistant manager at Dream Entertainment, originally had little interest in music or cultural performances. She joined Dream Entertainment simply for the money.

‘Ugh, the smell of sweat.’

Dream Entertainment was a company that handled all aspects of stage production, including performance planning, artist acquisition, and equipment rental. However, due to capital constraints, they did not organize events independently.

Their main business was outsourcing, hired by large corporations or foreign companies.

-Waaaaah!

-Play Line! Play Line!

Moon Ji-yeon frowned again at the deafening cheers. She wasn’t sure if this was the right expression, but it felt like they had gathered only fanatics.

‘If the CEO were here, he’d be jumping around with them. Why did I have to come?’

Recently, Dream Entertainment had taken on a huge event.

It was the AIMMF (ASIA INDEPENDENT MUSIC & MOVIE FESTIVAL) organized by Ohkyung Group, one of Korea’s leading conglomerates.

Ohkyung Group, a rival of LOC Group, was preparing extensively to surpass the reputation of the ‘World Wide Indie Music Festival.’

One piece of evidence was that Dream Entertainment, which usually focused on stage production and planning, was only in charge of ‘artist acquisition.’

Ohkyung Group (or more precisely, Ohkyung Entertainment) was pouring money into separate performance planning, stage production, video production, promotion, and artist acquisition teams, each under contract.

Of course, artist acquisition wasn’t easy, but it was still a bit beneath the dignity of a company like Dream Entertainment, which had been in the Korean performance industry for over 10 years.

‘Well, the Head of PR was in charge of it… so maybe it’s not beneath them?’

She didn’t know the details, but it was only recently that the artist acquisition work, which had been overseen by the Head of PR who had been sidelined in internal politics, was completely delegated to Dream Entertainment.

She heard that the Head of PR, who had been trying to get involved somehow, had been demoted to a lower-level affiliate again.

Anyway, what could she do? You do what the boss tells you.

That’s why Moon Ji-yeon was dispatched to Club Hommie’s party, which didn’t suit her at all.

While the CEO, with his strong connections in the mainstream, was in charge of famous singers and the broadcasting industry, assistant managers like her were touring the underground scene. Indie Kid, Big Fish, Stars Records, and so on.

And today, Moon Ji-yeon’s role was to get the final confirmation from Stars Records.

Compared to most underground musicians who readily accepted performance invitations, Stars Records, led by Bae Ga, held a rather unique position.

Perhaps because Bae Ga had a lot of money, they didn’t accept performances unless they liked them. They didn’t even do meetings easily.

Someone who didn’t know this industry might think of artist acquisition as a glamorous job, but in reality, it was far from it.

‘I thought so before I joined the company.’

Acquiring artists who don’t want to be acquired is just begging.

Trying to get your face seen one more time, trying to say one more word. And pleading.

That’s why Moon Ji-yeon had to come to a club performance, something she never imagined doing, to win Bae Ga’s favor. Fortunately, she heard that he would meet her after the performance.

‘Huh? Why is it so quiet?’

Moon Ji-yeon, who had been looking down and thinking about her mission for a while, raised her head because it was too quiet around her.

What she saw was a man standing under the lights that cut through the darkness.

But she couldn’t see his face.

Because he was holding up a banner.

888 X 888

‘It’s the 888 crew.’

Moon Ji-yeon knew about 888.

Was he the leader of 888? Or a member? Anyway, the rapper belonging to 888 dissing the show business world was a pretty big issue in the performance industry.

Especially since Show Biz was an affiliate of Ohkyung Entertainment. Show Biz was incorporated into Ohkyung Entertainment last year.

Moon Ji-yeon had also listened to the song “F*ck the Show Biz,” but only the beginning. She just couldn’t get along with the chaotic hip-hop.

At that moment, the speakers suddenly burst and began to spew out sound.

‘Huh?’

But the sound wasn’t a thumping drum or a heavy bass.

-Bzzzzzz!

It was a very loud noise.

Moon Ji-yeon frowned at the piercing, unpleasant noise. The rapper, who had draped the banner around his shoulders like a cape, looked around in confusion.

He looked clearly flustered.

‘What is it? A mistake?’

But the reaction around her was a bit strange. Some people frowned at the loud noise, but more people didn’t.

People shouting.

People laughing.

People raising their hands.

It was a very strange sight to Moon Ji-yeon.

‘Do they like this noise? Are they crazy?’

At that moment, the rapper grabbed the microphone tightly and shouted.

“Respect to Gwangju!”

The enormous volume was transmitted through the microphone to the speakers. People raised both hands high and screamed.

-Gwangju Up!

-Kyaaak! Gwangju Up!

-Waaaaah!

“Let’s Go!”

A chant that Moon Ji-yeon had never heard before began.

***

Gwangju UP! Gwangju UP!

Gwang (光) ju (州), the city of light, Gwangju UP!

Gwangju UP, the city of culture and art!

Gwangju UP, where we live!

Sanghyun was thrilled by the unbelievable sight.

‘Is this really 2005?’

He hadn’t shown any special performance, but the audience was going crazy on their own.

He knew that quite a few people had seen the Gwangju Up video. Because it was mentioned in F*ck the Show Biz.

But he didn’t know they would memorize the chorus. Even if they memorized the chorus, he didn’t expect such an enthusiastic chant.

Come to think of it, he had never performed in front of pure hip-hop fans before. Sejong Music, L&S8, Jeonju World DJ Festival. All three performances were on stages centered around band players or the general public.

Sanghyun clearly realized what Korean hip-hop in 2005 was like, something he had only vaguely guessed.

The current Korean hip-hop scene is in a transitional phase.

A transitional phase where affection for the culture is tightly packed, forming an enormous density. And within a few years, that density would become so thick that it would eventually flow outwards.

The colors of hip-hop or black music would be painted on popular culture, popular music, and popular tastes.

‘I want to lead that trend.’

In the United States, the 80s and 90s are called the golden era of hip-hop. Then when is the golden era of Korea?

With slight differences, the years 2004-2007 were usually called the golden era of hip-hop.

Sanghyun was now standing at the center of the Korean hip-hop golden era.

“Gwangju!”

“Up-!”

“Gwangju!”

“Up-!”

The response was on a different level from the response he had received from Soft Straight Line. He involuntarily gripped the microphone tighter.

Capturing beauties arriving at Gwangju Station

Stylish outfits befitting the city of art

The energy of Mt. Mudeung descends upon the city

Thanks to that, a stronger accent than elsewhere

Everyone gather tonight in Geumnam-ro

The largest stove in Jeollanam-do [a metaphor for a gathering place]

Mudeungsan Bomber, classy as always

Brothers, sisters, and younger siblings all have character

The audience erupted with every rhyme. It seemed louder than Sanghyun’s voice through the speakers. It was such an enthusiastic response that Sanghyun and his fellow rappers were puzzled.

‘What’s with this reaction?’

Even Bae Ga was surprised.

Of course, the previous teams also received great cheers. When they sang famous songs, there were chants too. But it was nothing compared to the popularity of Gwangju UP.

Sanghyun certainly raps well. But if you asked if Sanghyun’s rapping skills were the best in Korea, most people would say no.

Sanghyun valued expression and delivery more than skill. It was a different direction from the current hip-hop style, which mainly consisted of boom bap and mumbling rap focused on rap skills.

It’s amazing that so-and-so is doing so-and-so

It’s a bit so-and-so that this guy is just cool

The reins are already loose after spitting out the dialect

We engrave our numbers, we are all 062 [Gwangju’s area code]

Yeah, this is proud Gwangju Love

In October, the Chungjang Festival and the Biennale [art festival]

Nevertheless, there were several complex reasons why Gwangju UP received so much support, which even the rappers didn’t fully grasp.

First of all, it was Sanghyun’s cool image.

Dispelling doubts through my fire and writing

One by one, disappearing modifiers and BullShit.

Sanghyun’s lyrics were completely different from the complex 2005-style lyrics that you had to look at for a long time to understand. As shown in F*ck the Show Biz and Gwangju UP, Sanghyun’s lyrics had direct and raw ‘coolness.’

Another was that the 888 crew had never consumed their image. If there were two teams with the same fame, the team that maintained a mysterious image would be more popular than the team that was frequently exposed to the media. In that sense, 888 was a very unique team among Korean hip-hop fans.

Finally, it was the theme of the song Gwangju UP. Representing one’s hometown is a common cliché in native hip-hop, but it was a theme that had never been dealt with in Korea before Gwangju UP.

“One more time! Gwangju!”

“Up-!”

“Gwangju!”

“Up-!”

Sanghyun suddenly unfolded the banner he had been wearing around his shoulders. He unfolded the banner with both hands, just like when he appeared.

It was an action of taking his mouth off the microphone during the performance, but he didn’t care at all. Because the audience was singing the chorus instead.

Gwang (光) ju (州), the city of light, Gwangju UP!

Gwangju UP, the city of culture and art!

Gwangju UP, where we live!

The audience rippled with their gestures.

At that moment, Sanghyun made a sudden, unexpected move. He hid in the darkness where the lights didn’t reach, holding the banner.

The lighting director was flustered.

It was ambiguous to turn on the side lights, and it was a place that could not be illuminated with the current lights.

At that moment, the audience erupted in tremendous cheers.

-Wow! Shibal! [Korean slang, similar to ‘fuck’]

-Wooooow!

-What is that!

Because a phrase that shone by itself in the darkness where the light had disappeared emerged.

062 X RAP (Picture)

The identity of the light was glow-in-the-dark printing.

Inside ‘888 X 888’ was the phrase ‘062 X RAP’ in glow-in-the-dark letters.

Gwangju UP! Gwangju UP!

Gwang (光) ju (州), the city of light, Gwangju UP!

Gwangju UP, the city of culture and art!

Gwangju UP, where we live!

The moment the second chorus ended, Sanghyun threw the banner he was holding into the air. Another cheer erupted. But the banner didn’t fly as cool as he thought it would. It fluttered awkwardly and fell onto the speaker.

The banner vibrated on the speaker in time with the drum sound.

Sanghyun smiled awkwardly at the sight and continued rapping.

Still, many audience members were shouting along with Sanghyun’s rhyme points.

The hometown of Mi Hyang [Korean singer]. Jeollanam-do inside

Eat until the table legs break, a full spread

There’s a lot to eat here

It’s not swearing, people here know

Duck soup, Tteokgalbi [grilled short rib patties], eat it and everyone goes crazy

Not just the dishes, the real deal is the side dishes

Sundae [Korean blood sausage] with Chojang [vinegar-chili sauce], Kongguksu [cold soybean noodle soup] with sugar

Try eating it once and your ‘no way’ will disappear

It’s a joke, but when stories about Gwangju UP come up in hip-hop communities, there’s always a question that doesn’t go away.

-Do they really dip Sundae in Chojang in Gwangju?

That’s how different the colors of culture are in each region, even in a small country like Korea.

Of course, Sanghyun had no regionalism at all. Experiencing work and business in Seoul, he was convinced that there was nothing as useless and worthless as regionalism.

But pride and regionalism were different.

When you want bread, go to Gungjeon Bakery

To Sejong Music in Gwangju’s Nakwon Arcade

Chamisul is good, but Ipsaeju is better for us [local soju brands]

The ranking doesn’t matter, We love Gwangju Tigers [baseball team]

Gwangju UP. Gwangju UP.

Yeah, proud hometown Gwangju LOVE

The location of my heart is always next to Gwangju

We live and complete……

“Gwangju Up (業)—!”

Sanghyun’s voice echoed throughout the venue.

His volume was so loud that even though there was no reverb, the afterimage of the sound ‘Gwangju Up’ remained, and it seemed like there was an echo of Up- Up- Up.

Then the beat stopped.

Several audience members who were following the chorus looked around awkwardly.

In the silence, Sanghyun grabbed the microphone.

< Verse 11. Hommie Vol.1 > End

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