The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 99

The 888 Crew members were waiting for the PD [Producer-Director] of ‘Hip Hop the Vibe’ at a room cafe in the city. Since there weren’t many cafes in Gwangju yet, the only place to talk privately was in a room cafe downtown.

“We can’t reach a conclusion.”

Everyone nodded at Junhyung’s words.

“Let’s hear more when the PD arrives. I heard roughly over the phone, but the broadcast concept can change in many ways…”

The 888 Crew members debated whether appearing on ‘Hip Hop the Vibe 2’ would be a gain or a loss, how much of a gain if it were a gain, and in what ways it would be a loss if it were a loss. However, since no one knew the show business world clearly, a clear conclusion could not be reached.

Sanghyun was the same, not knowing much about the entertainment industry. It was difficult to see the myriad of rumors and gossip he had heard through stock market leaflets as facts.

Of course, Sanghyun knew to some extent what the combination of hip hop and mass media would bring. He knew ‘Show Me the Money,’ which had completely changed the Korean hip hop scene for better or worse.

‘But the timing is so different.’

‘Show Me the Money’ was a program born in 2012, after hip hop had acquired its own cultural position. But now it was 2005, when hip hop culture was just emerging.

The rappers’ mindsets are different, the social perception is different, and the pool of rappers is different. Nothing is the same. Everything is different.

Still I’m hot. spittin’ my rhyme

I’m an underground king recognized by the kids of 2500.

These were lyrics from the song ‘3 Mc’s Part.2′ from E-Sens’ mixtape ‘Blanky Munn’s Unknown Verses,’ released in the second half of 2007.

E-Sens’s view may not be accurate numerical evidence, but he saw the ‘underground rappers’ of 2007, when the quantitative expansion of Korean hip hop began, as 2500 people.

So, if ‘Show Me the Money’ were held now in 2005, I don’t know if there would be even 500 participants.

‘Besides, Hip Hop the Vibe was pure without any evil editing.’

‘Show Me the Money’ received a lot of criticism from underground rappers for its sensational editing, but ‘Hip Hop the Vibe’ was a program that received a lot of support from underground rappers.

‘Has this happened in the past too? Or was it canceled during the planning stage?’

Perhaps it aired but had little buzz, so Sanghyun didn’t know about it. Originally, around this time, he drew a line from everyone around him except Junhyung and studied like a madman.

He was curious about whether it had happened in the past, but Sanghyun didn’t think much of the future changing. After all, he started music to live in uncertainty. Also, the emergence and success of the 888 Crew itself was bound to be a trigger for changing the future.

He rather hoped that the trigger would be very strong. Enough to advance the golden age of the Korean hip hop scene by a few years.

As Sanghyun was thinking about this and that, PD Heo Taejin, wearing casual jeans and a round tee, arrived at the cafe. He looked to be in his early 30s.

“You’re the 888 Crew, right?”

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m Heo Taejin, a PD from KMnet.”

Heo Taejin quickly handed out eight business cards.

“Wow, Gwangju is really far.”

“You must have had a hard time coming such a long way.”

After a brief greeting, Heo Taejin said that they should have a serious conversation when the coffee came. Then the 888 Crew couldn’t stand it and started chattering. The main topic was the mixtape they had released a while ago, and there was occasional talk about performances.

Heo Taejin quietly observed the 888 Crew.

Even though the PD was there, they hardly seemed to be conscious of him.

‘They’re confident friends after all.’

In fact, Heo Taejin had asked the 888 Crew to come to Seoul for a meeting about the program. Then Lee Sanghyun said.

‘Us? Weren’t you supposed to come down, PD?’

When he said he was busy preparing for a new program, they said they would have a meeting next time when he had time.

Heo Taejin felt confidence in the 888 Crew’s attitude. Lee Sanghyun’s tone was not arrogant at all. Rather, it was a tone that it was a matter of course. It was a bit different from the usual underground teams who would drop everything and run when they received a broadcast offer.

To the 888 Crew, ‘Hip Hop the Vibe’ was just one option. They don’t hang on to it. They’re just curious because they have one more option. The more Heo Taejin investigated the 888 Crew, the more he thought they were a team that would fit ‘Hip Hop the Vibe 2’.

“Coffee is here.”

The coffee they ordered came out, and the full-fledged conversation between the 888 Crew and Heo Taejin began.

PD Heo answered the 888 Crew’s questions with sincerity. As he proceeded with the story, he couldn’t help but be surprised by Lee Sanghyun’s insight. He poured out sharp questions as if he were giving a presentation in front of executives.

“As far as I know, ‘Hip Hop the Vibe’ was canceled because the ratings weren’t good, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The support from the mania [hardcore fan] base was enormous, but the actual ratings were terrible. Even the rerun at 12 a.m. on Saturday had better ratings than the original broadcast at 10 p.m. on Tuesday… that says it all.”

“The fact that you’re planning Season 2 despite that means there’s a change in format?”

PD Heo Taejin smiled and replied.

“Lee Sanghyun, you must like American dramas? People don’t usually use the word ‘season’.”

“Ah… I just watch them sometimes.”

“As you know, our program was mainly about delivering information. So it was difficult to generate interest from people who weren’t hip hop fans.”

Originally, ‘Hip Hop the Vibe’ was a broadcast that filled an hour with four 15-minute segments each.

Introduction to overseas hip hop music. Introduction to domestic hip hop music.

B-Boy battle. Rap battle.

When there was no newly released domestic hip hop music, they sometimes organized performances instead of music introductions. It wasn’t just rap performances that were organized. R&B singers came out, DJs came out, and B-boy teams came out.

“This time, we’re going to try to broaden the target audience and proceed. So that even people who aren’t hip hop fans can be interested.”

“How?”

“First of all, rather than dealing with the culture of hip hop, I’m thinking of focusing only on the rap side. B-boy battles are exciting at first, but after a few times, the performances look similar, so people get tired of them quickly. B-boys really work hard, though.”

The 888 Crew members listened to the program composition of ‘Hip Hop the Vibe 2’ that Heo Taejin was explaining.

‘Hip Hop the Vibe 2’ was a broadcast that emphasized competition as the main focus.

PD Heo Taejin had been experimenting with various formats to drive viewership while leading ‘Hip Hop the Vibe 1’ for the past two years. They did freestyle jams, and they invited overseas musicians.

Among them, the most popular and talked-about format was the rap battle where they ‘fought in Korean’. Just like watching fights is fun, rap battles could give viewers a strange sense of pleasure. This was even more so in the rigid Korean society.

However, there were clear limitations to the existing rap battles.

That was the lack of connection.

A format in which ‘invited rappers’ simply engage in rap battles without a back story that viewers can relate to was not interesting to those who did not like rap and had no prior information. This was because there was no one to support psychologically.

‘What if we show the back story? Show the process of making music, show the process of teams meeting each other. Then wouldn’t viewers naturally have someone to support?’

With this thought, PD Heo set the concept of ‘competition among rappers with stories’ as the concept of ‘Hip Hop the Vibe 2’.

“How many teams are participating in the competition? If there are too many, there won’t be any tension, right?”

“Four teams will come out and compete, and it will be broadcast for 4 weeks. However, the actual filming period is 6 weeks.”

The format was simple. Four teams were scouted and competed.

In the first week, each team performs to show their charm. In the second week, one team is eliminated and three teams remain, and in the third week, one team is eliminated and two teams remain.

And in the fourth week, the finals are held.

“We plan to allow teams that have appeared once to come out again. If four formats are rotated, there will be four winning teams, so we can have a King of Kings match.”

“Wow, if you do the King of Kings match four times, you can do the Emperor match. What if you do the Emperor match four times?”

“Super Saiyan match?” [A reference to the Dragon Ball series, indicating an even higher level of competition]

While listening to Junhyung and Inhyuk’s jokes, Sanghyun was lost in thought. It didn’t seem bad just listening to the story. But it didn’t seem like it would be completely successful either.

“You said the performance is 10 minutes, right?”

“We’re thinking of 15 minutes for the finals.”

“Then, in the first and second weeks when all four teams come out, excluding the 40 minutes of performance time, there are only 20 minutes of broadcast time, right? Can you show a back story that can divide viewers with just 20 minutes?”

Heo Taejin felt satisfied with Sanghyun’s sharp question. It was worth the long trip to Gwangju.

“There are two ways. First of all, in the first week when there are no dropouts, we plan to reduce the performance time and appeal to each team’s charm. If possible, I want to organize a 1 hour and 30 minute broadcast.”

“What’s the second plan?”

“It’s to divide the viewers from the beginning. There’s a code name for the team that’s been confirmed for scouting. The code name is a team with a very solid fan base and anti-fan base.”

At the word code name, all eight members of the 888 Crew frowned.

“And the underground team that we’re scouting along with the 888 Crew is Stars Records. Stars Records is a team that has been dedicated to Korean hip hop for a long time. They also have a lot of fixed fans.”

“Then what’s the evaluation for us?”

Heo Taejin paused for a moment to organize his thoughts at Sangmi’s question, then said.

“It’s a very obvious fact that the 888 Crew is popular in the underground. Besides, the buzz is enormous, but there hasn’t been much image consumption. Also, it’s a team with the potential to appeal to the public who don’t know rap well. The personalities of the eight of you are distinct, and the rap styles of the rappers are all different. Also, your looks aren’t lacking anywhere.”

“If you’re scouting Stars Records, our 888 Crew, and the code name, then the other team must be a popular team. You’re trying to divide it into two to two, right? Underground vs. Overground?”

“That’s right. The ‘Bounce Rhyme’ team is the final candidate.”

Bounce Rhyme was a three-member mixed-gender hip hop group with public recognition. It wasn’t as bad as the code name, but it was still a team that was criticized for not having skills.

But Sanghyun didn’t care about Bounce Rhyme or the code name. Rather, he started to lean towards appearing when he heard that Stars Records had been scouted.

Because he likes Stars Records? Because it’s comfortable to be with them? Because he wants to broadcast with them?

Of course, there’s that feeling too.

But that wasn’t the real intention.

Stars Records are veterans at the forefront of Korean underground hip hop. A team that has been at the top for several years.

On the other hand, the 888 Crew was a newly emerging wind of change. Newcomers armed with new methodologies and vigor.

So which team will do better?

The 888 Crew won a judge’s decision at Hommie Vol.1. But it was right to see that as a victory of the buzz that ‘Puck the Show Biz’ had created, rather than purely winning with rap.

‘Who will win?’

Sanghyun was sure that this fighting spirit was not just his own thought. Perhaps the Stars Records hyungs [older brothers/respected male figures] who heard the news that ‘888 Crew is being scouted’ were thinking the same thing.

Looking around, the crew members seemed to be thinking the same thing. Everyone’s eyes were sparkling, and I could see what they were thinking.